Exploration ramblins

A couple things to ponder...

1) WI the guys that discovered America were more advanced than in OTL (not necessarily around the same time as in OTL), so that they have already gone through an industrial revolution. They have steamships and more advanced firearms than the Conquistadors did. How do the natives fare?

2) WI the explorers (they don't have to be the same as in #1) had a proper idea of how far away China was. Assume that they still attempt an expedition. How big would it have to be (in terms of carrying supplies and whatnot) for them to think they could make it?

I might have some more in a bit.
 

Grey Wolf

Gone Fishin'
Donor
DominusNovus said:
A couple things to ponder...

1) WI the guys that discovered America were more advanced than in OTL (not necessarily around the same time as in OTL), so that they have already gone through an industrial revolution. They have steamships and more advanced firearms than the Conquistadors did. How do the natives fare?

2) WI the explorers (they don't have to be the same as in #1) had a proper idea of how far away China was. Assume that they still attempt an expedition. How big would it have to be (in terms of carrying supplies and whatnot) for them to think they could make it?

I might have some more in a bit.

This is a very interesting concept. Perhaps one has to assume some serious changes to Europe to mean that the idea of Westward exploration is delayed by a couple of centuries, but we could have the Mongols ravage all of Germany, maybe raid Rome, we could have a failure of the Reconquista leaving Iberia divided between small Muslim and Christian kingdoms far more focused on each other, we could have England hold onto Aquitaine or Anjou and fight constant wars with France into the early modern period. Combined the weakening of Germany, the lack of a Habsburg empire, the fractured nature of Spain and England's engrossment in Europe could preclude any serious attempts at cross-oceanic exploration.

Perhaps by the time that the Europeans DO start to get interested, there are colonies in Labrador, Newfoundland etc but it is only just becoming obvious what the extent of the continent is and that it is not an adjunct to Greenland

Grey Wolf
 
So, just how big would an expedition outfited to cross from Europe to China directly be? Consider both a sail era expedition and a steam era expedition.
 

Faeelin

Banned
David S Poepoe said:
Take a look at Pasquale's Angel by Paul McAuley, the POD there is da Vinci setting off the Industrial Revolution in 1470.

Out of print, unfortunately.

Hmm. I think the natives are toast, as in OTL, but the states that are settled may be closer to their home nations.
 
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