Deleted member 67076
How plausible would it be for the various Scandinavian states to convert to the Eastern Rite instead of the Latin one? Whats needed for this to happen?
There is a theory that they actually did become Greek christians first, but later became tied to the German and English churches.
It'd be hard to pull off, but maybe creating closer ties with Russia at some point before Lutheranism became totally dominant in Scandinavia might work out? Even in OTL, you had a few Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and even North German, etc., nobles willing to convert to Orthodoxy just to be able to marry into Russian families, including that of the Romanovs, the last of Russia's dominant dynasties.
Lunarwolf
Banned
It is actually, more historically plausible then the common held "truth" that Saint Ansgar was able to christianize the North entirely during his lifetime, granted he probably spread the influence of the German Church to Sweden and Denmark, both these countries didn't actually have consistently Christian Kings until some hundred and fifty years after Ansgars death (861), and it is attested that Norse Pagan Varangians served the Romans some 60 years (920) after that.
in fact among the last Varangians was Harald Hardråde in the 1050's, and while he was christian later in life, it isn't known that he was before he ventured southward to Constantinople.
PhilippeO
Banned
no Charlemagne ?
it look like Charlemagne, and his improvement of German Knight capabilities greatly strengthen Roman Catholic Church and Germany. German Knight regularly defeat Slavs whether they are Poles, Lithuanian, or Pagan Slavs for several centuries. without German expansion to the East, Slavs will be Pagan longer and Poles, Bohemian and Prussia might follow Eastern Christianity instead of West.
it look like Charlemagne, and his improvement of German Knight capabilities greatly strengthen Roman Catholic Church and Germany. German Knight regularly defeat Slavs whether they are Poles, Lithuanian, or Pagan Slavs for several centuries. without German expansion to the East, Slavs will be Pagan longer and Poles, Bohemian and Prussia might follow Eastern Christianity instead of West.
I once read a 1980s book that commented on old carved stones with vegetabilian patterns (lily stones) from the earliest mediaeval churches of one Swedish province, and these did have some connection with the Greek church, I think.
Lunarwolf
Banned
well, the earliest churches in Sweden, were historically Orthodox Catholic(Greek) ones, built by converted Värings as they returned, back during the 900's, the reason sweden ended up Papal Catholic instead of Patriarchal was the influence of germany.
See also (some of which I added the links to, some I didn't)
AHC: More Orthodox Countries
ByzantineMan
Stronger Othodox Church
Sian
Eastern Orthodox Scandinavia? (Multi-page thread 1 2)
Seek75
Eastern Orthodoxy in medieval Western Europe (Multi-page thread 1 2)
Strategos' Risk
Orthodox Christian Scandinavia: If Plausible, How? (Multi-page thread 1 2 3)
MarshalBraginsky
AH Challenge: Orthodox Christian Sweden (Multi-page thread 1 2)
Dan1988
Orthodox Scandinavia
V-J
also, related
WI/AHC: Orthodox England after 1066 (Multi-page thread 1 2)
Velasco
AHC: More Orthodox Countries
ByzantineMan
Stronger Othodox Church
Sian
Eastern Orthodox Scandinavia? (Multi-page thread 1 2)
Seek75
Eastern Orthodoxy in medieval Western Europe (Multi-page thread 1 2)
Strategos' Risk
Orthodox Christian Scandinavia: If Plausible, How? (Multi-page thread 1 2 3)
MarshalBraginsky
AH Challenge: Orthodox Christian Sweden (Multi-page thread 1 2)
Dan1988
Orthodox Scandinavia
V-J
also, related
WI/AHC: Orthodox England after 1066 (Multi-page thread 1 2)
Velasco
Kingpoleon
Banned
What if Russia had 90,000 patrolling in France to prevent the rest of the Coalition from enforcing unfavorable peace terms. If it had more reason to fear that the negotians, this would be plausible, and the Russians might be able to stop Napoleon before Waterloo. With that, Russia could gain a Romanov on the throne of Sweden and annex Norway. Gaining Denmark would be trickier, but if there was a Schleswig-Holstein War as OTL, they could ally the Prussians and make Denmark a puppet of Russia. With that, a royal marriage between the second cousins, rulers of Sweden and Russia, would create a personal union between the two. Perhaps a Queen Alexandra of Sweden and Tsar Alexander III would marry, resulting in the union. Is this at all likely?
By the Napoleonic Wars, any Russian prince on a Scandinavian throne would convert to Lutheranism as a condition for coronation. S/he certainly wouldn't be in any position to enforce conversion to Orthodoxy; even today 3/4 of Finland is nominally Lutheran. And a personal Union with Sweden would scare the rest of Europe enough to take action, so no Denmark-Norway for them.
Kingpoleon
Banned
Okay, so a Lutheran Romanov Prince. However, the personal union wouldn't scare Prussia, by then Germany, as it would be an ally of Russia. The two combined would be unchallengeable, and that's without the Danish puppets and Italian allies of Prussia.