When thinking about the profound Greek influence on Slavs, it came to my mind that strong Latin marks on Slavic culture would also have a fine appearance. We saw plenty of fusions of great cultures on the Eurasian homeland, and it was never boring. But due to a one-hundred-year time range between the fall of ancient Rome and Slavic descending, one between these two important civilizations never took place. This is where alternate history can help us out.
It would be best to start with deciding the TL change that would lead to sooner contact. The huge Hunnic empire that mobilized masses of barbarians can function as our "portal". (Compare the Pannonian Avars, a similar nomadic people, who transported the Slavs to the Balkans to combat the Byzantine Empire during their real migration.) Supposing that either Attila achieves more success in his campaigns (but not wrecking the Roman state!) or the complete opposite, we can get the Germanic peoples lose large amounts of manpower for the Slavic peoples to swoop in and assume their significance.
I imagine the first possibility to manifest in the breakthrough of Attila at the Catalaunian Plains, and the occupation of Gaul except its southern parts. The Germans would suffer many casualties plus move westward, allowing the Slavs to do the same. The second could be his gigantic failure (could be at his Italian invasion too) but not death, and the subsequent crossing of Roman generals to Germania where they would cause more carnage and even discord between the tribes. This again gives ground to the Slavic peoples.
Anyhow Attila's fortune goes, his death will come about which will leave a free Germanic and Slavic nation in Western Central Europe. I hope I'm correct in my speculations. I'm waiting to receive community response and if it comes and there are no unsurpassable barriers at this part we can continue the TL by detailing the occurrence and nature of Latin-Slavic contact. Thanks for reading this post.
It would be best to start with deciding the TL change that would lead to sooner contact. The huge Hunnic empire that mobilized masses of barbarians can function as our "portal". (Compare the Pannonian Avars, a similar nomadic people, who transported the Slavs to the Balkans to combat the Byzantine Empire during their real migration.) Supposing that either Attila achieves more success in his campaigns (but not wrecking the Roman state!) or the complete opposite, we can get the Germanic peoples lose large amounts of manpower for the Slavic peoples to swoop in and assume their significance.
I imagine the first possibility to manifest in the breakthrough of Attila at the Catalaunian Plains, and the occupation of Gaul except its southern parts. The Germans would suffer many casualties plus move westward, allowing the Slavs to do the same. The second could be his gigantic failure (could be at his Italian invasion too) but not death, and the subsequent crossing of Roman generals to Germania where they would cause more carnage and even discord between the tribes. This again gives ground to the Slavic peoples.
Anyhow Attila's fortune goes, his death will come about which will leave a free Germanic and Slavic nation in Western Central Europe. I hope I'm correct in my speculations. I'm waiting to receive community response and if it comes and there are no unsurpassable barriers at this part we can continue the TL by detailing the occurrence and nature of Latin-Slavic contact. Thanks for reading this post.