WI: Stephen I of Hungary adopts Orthodoxy

It probably has interesting butterflies, but it could go either way on prosperity and longevity - how do the western Catholic neighbors react is the problem rather than which see is picked.
 
I'm guessing that a Hungary that has gone Orthodox would have a lot of consequences for neighboring nations. Croatia for one, would have ended up in an interesting situation. Since Stephen I would choose Orthodxy in this scenario, we wouldn't even have a Hungarian union with Croatia, but Serbia might end up as a partner to an Orthodox Hungary. Perhaps a Lithuania that has also gone Orthodox would shift the religious influence in favor of Orthodoxy.

I also wonder if it's possible for a TL where Orthodoxy becomes more popular than Catholicism. Geographically speaking, if there are only a few nations in the world would accept Catholicism.
 
I'm guessing that a Hungary that has gone Orthodox would have a lot of consequences for neighboring nations. Croatia for one, would have ended up in an interesting situation. Since Stephen I would choose Orthodxy in this scenario, we wouldn't even have a Hungarian union with Croatia, but Serbia might end up as a partner to an Orthodox Hungary. Perhaps a Lithuania that has also gone Orthodox would shift the religious influence in favor of Orthodoxy.

I also wonder if it's possible for a TL where Orthodoxy becomes more popular than Catholicism. Geographically speaking, if there are only a few nations in the world would accept Catholicism.

Not impossible, but given the Pope's status as Patriarch of the West and Christianity in the East being eroded thanks to the successful Muslim conquests and the Monophysite issue, unlikely.

Depends on how things shake out, of course.
 
Not impossible, but given the Pope's status as Patriarch of the West and Christianity in the East being eroded thanks to the successful Muslim conquests and the Monophysite issue, unlikely.

Depends on how things shake out, of course.

Perhaps an ATL Orthodoxy that is as fractured as OTL Protestantism?
 
I also wonder if it's possible for a TL where Orthodoxy becomes more popular than Catholicism. Geographically speaking, if there are only a few nations in the world would accept Catholicism.

Generally, I'd say Italy and Germany (and everything to their west) were, more or less, definatively in the Catholic sphere, and Byzantium and Russia were definatively in the Orthodox sphere. Its quite possible to have places between those two wind up in either camp, though with varying degrees of plausibility. Orthodox Hungary and Orthodox Lithuiania are quite possible, and Orthodox Bohemia, Poland, and Sweden are substantially less likely but not quite ASB, and could make for interesting TLs.

As for more populous...I just don't see it. Even with the maximum amount of non-ASB success for Orthodoxy, the Americas are still going to be colonized by Catholic (or Protestant) countries, and trade will still shift away from the Med to the Atlantic.
 
BTW How about Poland... What if Mieszko I chooses Orthodoxy and also Jogaila of Lithuania

Pre-1000 Poland had very little interaction with Rus', but a lot with Germany and Bohemia (where Christianity came from), so there's little reason to do that.

Also, Orthodox Hungary (or Poland) would almost definitely butterfly away big, 14th century Lithuania as we know it (different impact from Mongols upon which Lithuania capitalised, no Teutonic Order in Prussia to have them united into militarised Grand Duchy), not to mention Jogaila.
 
What if Vajk (Stephen I) chooses Orthodoxy instead of Catholicism? What will it effect? Can the Arpads last longer? I know his mother, Sarolt is Orthodox.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_I_of_Hungary

BTW How about Poland... What if Mieszko I chooses Orthodoxy and also Jogaila of Lithuania

Perhaps the Magyar language could be extinct, I could imagine a Romance or Slavic people claiming to be Magyars like what happened to Bulgarians.
 
The Teutonic Knights find it OK to attack and conquer Catholic states as Poland and Lituania...

Would they exist with the butterflies? As in, would the situation where Hungary converts differently be similar enough to OTL to see them (or close enough) arise?
 
I also had an idea about a Hunnic Empire split into two a la First Bulgarian Empire, with a Pannonian Hungary (OTL Hungary) and a Volga Hungary/Magyaria (like Volga Bulgaria), but that actually required a Hunnic Roman Empire to begin with. Still, I contemplated about having the Magyars migrate northwards instead of westwards.
 
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