WI: The Golden Horde converts to Christianity

In OTL, the Khans, by the middle 14th century, had decided to convert to Islam in order to solidify their realm and have better relations with their southern neighbors in the ME. It seems that really didn't pay off in the end.

What would happen if they instead choose the religion of their vassals and the Roman Empire, Orthodoxy (Eastern rite)?
 
maybe they hold on longer. In the end I see maybe Turkestan being more Orthodox today instead of an extension of Islam (maybe Russia's current border goes further south after Soviet break up, if there is one). Maybe a Christian revitalization in the occupied Mid East helps the Byzantines long term?
 
Wha? It paid off very well, I should think - they lasted far longer than any of the other Mongol states. If they had converted to Orthodoxy they would have rapidly just ceased to exist through assimilation, and prior to that would end up having very powerful enemies on their southern borders.

In OTL, the Khans, by the middle 14th century, had decided to convert to Islam in order to solidify their realm and have better relations with their southern neighbors in the ME. It seems that really didn't pay off in the end.

What would happen if they instead choose the religion of their vassals and the Roman Empire, Orthodoxy (Eastern rite)?
 
Wha? It paid off very well, I should think - they lasted far longer than any of the other Mongol states. If they had converted to Orthodoxy they would have rapidly just ceased to exist through assimilation, and prior to that would end up having very powerful enemies on their southern borders.

1. It did not provide the internal unity Ozbeg Khan and Jani Beg expected. In fact, soon after their deaths, the Horde splintered for over 25 years and then after a brief revival collapsed totally into successor states.

2. It did not provide long lasting unity, as intended, with the other Muslim Mongol/Turkic states. It did not prevent Timur or other Turkic power from attacking the Horde or supporting pretenders. The only gain was a alliance with the distant Mamlukes.

3. It further gave the Russians that idea that they were being occupied by the "other," serving under the heavy weight of a supposed "yoke". This idea eventually united the Rus under Moscow to drive out the Horde successors in the 15th century. If the Mongols had become Christian, this feeling would not have existed, imho.
 

Keenir

Banned
internal unity

and converting to Christianity (any denomination) would?

if to Orthodox Christianity, one alienates the Nestorians. if to Nestorian Christianity, one alienates the Orthodox.

3. It further gave the Russians that idea that they were being occupied by the "other," serving under the heavy weight of a supposed "yoke". This idea eventually united the Rus under Moscow to drive out the Horde successors in the 15th century. If the Mongols had become Christian, this feeling would not have existed, imho.

....because the Rus' had never fought another Orthodox nation. good point.
 
Greater Slavic Resistance and Unrest

What if there was greater successful resistance to the Mongols, or greater and richer Russian cities that result from a greater trade and cooperation between the Russian Principalities and Byzantium?

If the Russians helped the Greeks resist the Turks, the Turks would be less strong, so the Mongols might not be as interested in Islam. Since a significant number of Mongols were Nestorian Christians, the switch to Christianity wouldn't be that great a problem.
 
In OTL, the Khans, by the middle 14th century, had decided to convert to Islam in order to solidify their realm and have better relations with their southern neighbors in the ME. It seems that really didn't pay off in the end.

What would happen if they instead choose the religion of their vassals and the Roman Empire, Orthodoxy (Eastern rite)?
Hmm....

Any such conversion would almost certainly be conditional on a seperate Turkic patrarchate (and liturgy). And that would only slow the assimilation into-of the Russians with the latter language becoming a farming/urbanite one while the Nobility and military adopts Tatar identities to get ahead.

HTG
 
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