WI: Slavs in Middle East and Anatolia

There's probably no one saying that the Greek population in the Peloponnese and Macedonia had suddenly disappeared when the Slavs arrived. The Byzantines lost control of it, that's for sure. What's likely was that there was a big influx of Slavs in the area but not so much so to displace the population. There are reports that there Slavic tribes living in the Peloponnese up to the 1200s and 1300s, aiding the Latin Crusader states.

Fair enough. I mean, I'll never understand the Greek views about the Byzantine Empire, but that's for obvious reasons.
 
There were most certainly Slavic slaves. Slavery was pretty extensive throughout the Byzantine Empire, even if compared to the days of Diocletian there were far fewer.
I am not saying slavery wasnt widespread in the Byzantine empire, what I am saying is that slavery was spread across europe and africa and asia at the time in the trading and selling of slavs. What I am trying to say is that the byzantines were the terrible people who enslaved the slavs while everyone else treated slavs normally.
 
I think you need a POD of well before the rise of Islam. How about this *very* breif timeline.

Western Roman Empire does a bit better and holds on 30 more years before collapsing circa 500 AD. They however lost their Balkan Provinces, so the Eastern Romans conquer them *Aquinium to Salona area* and then, for whatever reason, be it a de jure Emperor in Rome or whatever, do not push for Italy.

This means the Eastern Roman Empire controls the primary route into not only Western Europe used by Barbarians of the past, has the wealth of the Balkans, and the Slavs are now faced with a very powerful and not bloodied overextended rampart all the way along the Danube to Germany, where the tribes of OTL that might not have moved into Roman Territory *Lombardi, Burgundi, Alemani, not sure, collapse of Rome in the West is unclear* would stand as a bullwark.

This means that the Slavs will be forced to go south, maybe through the Caucuses. Combine this with a stimulu to do so *Magyrs, Alans, ect...* and a weakened Persian Empire due to Roman focus on them rather than the west, and you have a recipie allowing slavs to setup states in Northern Iran, the caucuses, and eastern anatolia and maybe even Northern Iraq.
 
Jeez what do people not understand slavs were settled in Anatia. Allyou need is for justinian II not ordering massacre of slavs in Bithnya. Slavs were widespread in Anatplia what do people not understand
 
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