WIF Catholic Kievan Rus

Well, yes, there would still obviously be a North/South divide, but I meant between the East Slavs (Russians/Belorussians/Ukrainians) and the West Slavs (Poles/Czechs/Slovaks/Silesians)
But again, the divide is mostly geographical in nature and not religious, while I can understand the idea of ethnicity not following language I think that in terms of linguistics the situation would stay the same.
 
But again, the divide is mostly geographical in nature and not religious, while I can understand the idea of ethnicity not following language I think that in terms of linguistics the situation would stay the same.
There are more visible barriers (Carpathian Mountains, Sudeten Mountains) between West Slavic Poles and Czechs/Slovaks than between Poles and Eastern Slavs. Polish eastern border was more fluid compared to stable southern one because there are no clear geographical barriers on European Plain. Lendians/Lędzice who lived near Bug river were originally West Slavs, adopted Orthodox Christianity and easily merged with rest of Rus'.
 

Maoistic

Banned
The Kievan Rus was in fact almost Catholic since it started as a Viking kingdom by king Oleg, son of Rurik who had conquered or at least settled an area around northwest Russia and Ukraine. This was around the 10th century when the Vikings hadn't fully converted yet to Catholicism, but by that time Catholicism was already making a lot of progress. It's quite possible that Oleg or one of his successors could have converted to Catholicism.
 
The Kievan Rus was in fact almost Catholic since it started as a Viking kingdom by king Oleg, son of Rurik

A little bit of a nitpicking :)cool:): AFAIK, Oleg's relation to Rurik is anything but clear and most probably he was NOT his son and perhaps not even a blood relative. Which, of course, does not prevent his descendants from considering themselves Rurikids.

who had conquered or at least settled an area around northwest Russia and Ukraine.

Oleg hardly "settled" the area. The "Rurikids" had been moving Southward from Novgorod (a reasonably big city at the time of Rurik). By the time of Oleg's arrival, Kiev already existed (and was ruling by other Varangians, at least name of one of them, Askold, looks Nordic). There were principalities out of the Dnieper route (which was only one of the major trade routes), like Polotsk on Dvina River, or Chernigov on Desna, some of them ruled by non-Rurikid dynasties. The Scandinavians had been forming a ruling/military class but they were not numerous, hence their fast "merge" with the local culture: the 4th Rurikid ruler already had a Slavic name, Svyatoslav.

This was around the 10th century when the Vikings hadn't fully converted yet to Catholicism, but by that time Catholicism was already making a lot of progress. It's quite possible that Oleg or one of his successors could have converted to Catholicism.

Of course (even putting aside the fact that he died in 912, the very beginning of the X century ;)). Close relations with the Scandinavian countries had been maintained for the few generations to follow, especially with Norway. Christianization of Norway started only in 1000, well after it happened in Rus, but it happened much earlier in Denmark and Sweden so Catholicism could be picked from these areas. Poland is more problematic: official Christianization started only couple decades prior to Vladimir's baptism of Rus.
 
Might a Catholic Rus change the baltic crusades? Balts may feel pressured and therefore convert to Catholicism by "free will" instead of converting by the sword. This might butterfly away major German settlements in the Baltic. Rather German settlements would be resticted to small towns, some independant and some under the rule of Baltic lords. Independant settlements would be surrounded by Baltic kingdoms.

Baltic languages might hold a stronger position in such an ATL, and if Baltic(the language family) loses ground it might instead be to Slavic which surronds them instead of German. Baltic paganism might also persist longer than in OTL. While cities and upper classes would atleast be nominally Christian, rural Balts might hold longer on the Baltic relgion and traditions.

Maybe the priesthood in the Baltic territories would be to a larger degree of Baltic extraction? This priesthood might lead to a larger Baltic litterary culture and general documentation.
 
Might a Catholic Rus change the baltic crusades? Balts may feel pressured and therefore convert to Catholicism by "free will" instead of converting by the sword.

The main problem, IMO, would be a pure geography: Russian principality closest to the area was Novgorodian republic (which had its princes) and it was too far from the Wends and Prussians to make serious difference. It could impact events in Estonia but, IIRC, the Danes landed there quite early.
 
The main problem, IMO, would be a pure geography: Russian principality closest to the area was Novgorodian republic (which had its princes) and it was too far from the Wends and Prussians to make serious difference. It could impact events in Estonia but, IIRC, the Danes landed there quite early.
Kievan Rus bordered what is today the Baltic lands of Latvia and Lithuania aswell as finnic pagans in the north.
 
Kievan Rus bordered what is today the Baltic lands of Latvia and Lithuania aswell as finnic pagans in the north.

The term "Kievan Rus" is rather confusing because it kind of assumes existence of a relatively unified state. In a reality, this was a lose federation of the more or less independent princedoms related by the ruling (Rurikid) family and rather peculiar rules of succession: the "senior" princedom was going to the senior member of the family with the rest being reshuffled according to the new seniority.

The only reasonably powerful principality in the Western part was, as I said, Novgorodian Republic (borders Finns, Karelians, Livonoans, Latgalians and Ests).

The rest were rather weak princedoms of Polotsk, Turov, etc. (with the various degrees of subordination to Great Prince of Kiev). In OTL they were not too successful in getting beyond the usual border raidings so why would they be able to be more "persuasive" as the Catholics.
 
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