Gian
Banned
Honestly, if you wanted a weaker Protestant Reformation, simply having England stay Catholic, unify Britain, and achieving its OTL dominance is your simplest bet
Se Deus quiser, há-de brilhar! - Uma História do Império Português (Updated 03/18)
- Thread starter Gintoki Sakata
- Start date
Honestly, if you wanted a weaker Protestant Reformation, simply having England stay Catholic, unify Britain, and achieving its OTL dominance is your simplest bet
The Spanish/Castilian empire would be much weaker TTL with only the Greater Antilles, Mexico and Central America and none of South America. There could be a possibility in a successful Austrian Klein-Venedig scenario of a few small colonial wars with Portugal over Guyana.
With this scenario I can see William Adams become a Jesuit missionary in Japan TTL and teaming up with Cristóvão Ferreira (one of the characters from Shusaku Endo's novel Silence).
I think a Catholic Great Britain would be a good scenario for a weakened Reformation (although there will be some vocal Protestant minorities they have to deal with). Another thing I forgot to mention why I wanted Sweden to remain Catholic TTL is because the Lutheran church there is based on High Church Lutheranism, which emphasizes rituals found in the Catholic Church, so it will still remain the same in a way but without the Lutheran influence. So probably two major Catholic powers in the North, although this could probably mean Bohemia and/or Hungary go Protestant to balance it out.
My next chapter will come later this week on Bartolomeu Dias's expedition and the naval technology.
Yes, I know that Castillian empire will be much smaller. But, I think that if anyone tries to take over today's Venezuela or Colombian coast, it will be Castille. After all, Columbus did go there. And it's close. Not saying that they will suceed. But maybe ITTL, Portuguese -Spanish conflicts about Rio de la Plata will be replaced with conflicts about OTL Venezuela and Colombia?
About Klein-Venedig in Guyana, it' possible. But, I think that German Emperor will probably prefer Portuguese financial aid for fight against Protestants in HRE than to make King of Portugal angry by trying to settle South America. So, even if they try something, I think that the Emperor will sell them quickly for Portuguese financial aid or some trading rights for merchants from Netherlands in Portuguese posessions ( you have to placate them somehow ).
About Protestants in Bohemia or Hungary, the thing is, if the Protestants in general are weaker than in OTL, that will mean much smaller possibility that they will survive in Bohemia and Hungary too. Because, even with strong protestant England, Scotland and Sweden, they were destroyed in Bohemia and only barely survived in Hungary. So, if Sweden isn't protestant and Habsburgs don't have to make war against England, I think that even the protestants in Hungary will be either destroyed as in Bohemia or even never become a thing- like in Croatia- because of the Ottoman danger and importance of Habsburg and Papal aid.
Chapter 8 - Rounding the Cape
Chapter 8 - Rounding the Cape
- The Dias Expedition -
Bartolomeu Dias
Brown fur seals in the Golfo da Conceição
Following the death of Diogo Cão in 1486, a new expedition was commenced under João II the following year, with the main goal being the rounding of southern Africa, entering the Indian Ocean and finally making contact with the various countries in Asia to conduct trade. The commander was of a certain Bartolomeu Dias, a little-known squire of the royal household from the Algarve who happens to be a skilled navigator and an experienced seaman. Dias was given two caravels, São Cristóvão and São Pantaleão, as well as a store-ship, and set sailed from Lisbon in August of the following year, then leaving his store-ship and picking up provisions in Elmina in the Gold Coast, sailing down the desolate, desert-like shores of western part of modern Cabo, discovering the Golfo da Conceição and the Angra Pequena, as well as the mouth of the Garipe River [1].- The Dias Expedition -
Bartolomeu Dias
Brown fur seals in the Golfo da Conceição
The modern harbor town of São Brás
Eventually, the two ships had to move out to the sea in order to circumvent the constant contrary winds and currents, entering a region that is cooler, and then picking up at the westerlies between 35 and 40 degrees south. Dias then sailed eastwards, then north in order to reach the southern African coast again, and landed in February of 1488 in what is today the city of São Brás, where he and his crew took on fresh water and made contact with the Khoikhoi people. At this point, he had crossed the southern tip of Africa without even seeing it.
Cabo da Boa Esperança
Dias then sailed on until he reached what would probably be the Quéscama River, around 50 kilometres southwest of the modern city of Porto Dias, where a strong, warm current flowing from the northeast was encountered, providing proof that he just reached the Indian Ocean. However, with the supplies running low, Dias had to turn back and planted a padrão near the town of São Gregório, east of the Bahia da Alagoa. His ships then sailed westward to Cabo das Agulhas and then to the more imposing Cabo da Boa Esperança, which was initially named the Cabo das Tormentas, or the Cape of Storms, a lasting symbol that symbolizes the opening of a route to Asia through Africa. After recovering his store-ship, he then went on to pick up a gold consignment in Elmina and returned to Lisbon by the end of 1488.
Dias’s epic voyage was both awesomely and arduously long in both duration and distance for caravels at the time, exceeding 11,000 kilometres and lasting half a year, while the whole voyage lasted around 1 year and 4 months. He passed through the Tropics twice and reached the extremes of the southern latitudes, well within the limits of the southern iceberg zone, attributing to the unwavering enthusiasm and hardiness of the crew. This enabled Dias, upon his return to the royal court, to gather and bring back crucial information about the waters of the Southern Hemisphere, as well as its winds and currents.
Although Dias was disappointed with the lack of resources the area around modern-day Cabo had unlike those in Metropolitan Portugal, it would take around two decades before settlement around Southern Africa would commence, serving as a strong population base and an important hub between Portugal’s African and Asian possessions.
- Achievements in voyaging -
Portugal’s success in exploring the seas over many nautical miles can be attributed to both gradual and incremental advances in nautical technology at the time, specifically in ship-design and the art of navigation, with problems solved with practical solutions, as well as a process of trial and error.
A replica of a caravela latina in Lagos in the Algarve
The demand for better ships can be traced back to the beginning of the Portuguese Empire, starting with the conquest of Ceuta in 1415, as transporting men and supplies to Morocco required a large number of vessels capable of reaching reefs and shallows. However, for longer ocean voyages, the ships also need to be adapted to the contrary winds and adverse currents. This gave the rise of a lateen-rigged caravel known as the caravela latina. This was a small vessel, usually weighing between 20 and 80 tons, probably rooted in traditional Portuguese fishing boats. It had up to three masts with triangular sails, but also carried oars sometimes and made up a crew of 25 men. Its cargo capacity is somewhat limited, but highly maneuverable, performing well in both inland and ocean waters and could sail far closer to the wind than the square-rigged barca ships. The use of the caravela latina made exploring unknown coasts more feasible, easing the sailor’s fear of being unable to turn against the wind. In 1441, the early explorer Nuno Tristão reached Cabo Branco in a caravela latina, and therefore became the preferred ship type for subsequent expeditions for the next half century.
The routes of Henry the Navigator were based on the "volta do mar" method
Alongside with the use of lateen-rigged caravels, Portuguese mariners found a way to return from coastal African expeditions in the Atlantic by a new route. The procedure, known as the volta do mar, involves going into mid-ocean in a northwesterly direction, then picking up the westerly winds after reaching the appropriate higher latitudes to swing northeast back to Lisbon. Sometimes this involves sailing for weeks out of sight of land, but through the waters, winds and currents that became more familiar among Portuguese sailors over time. Refuge could be sought if needed in the Canaries, Madeira and the Azores.
On the voyages they made, Portuguese navigators since the time of Prince Henry the Navigator kept careful records of what they had observed, which became one of their unique attributes. These records known as rutters give details for describing routes, compass bearings, distances and topography of coastlines, all based on empirical evidence. Portolan charts were also produced from the early 1440s. Portuguese map-makers of the late Middle Ages worked in a cartographic tradition that was based in late Medieval Italian tradition, as well as in Catalonia and Majorca. Henry the Navigator was said to have employed a cartographer from the latter named Jacome, who in turn brought the art of cartography to Portugal, although others claim that the man was the son of a Jewish cartographer from Catalonia, Abraham Cresques, who made the famous Catalan Atlas in 1375. In practice, however, the use of portolan charts was limited as while it posed little problems on north-south voyages, it was unsuitable for east-west voyages, and therefore unsuitable for plotting courses. In addition, the surviving maps of the exploration period were more of decorations for wealthy residences than for practical use in the sea.
The adoption of nautical instruments at the time was slow and gradual. Navigators in the early 15th century estimated their position in long voyages by dead-reckoning, as well as rough observations of the Polaris constellation without the use of instruments. Working seamen had few scientific devices, and even the well-known magnetic compass not used frequently in Henry the Navigator’s early journeys. By 1460, most Portuguese navigators on voyages to Atlantic and West Africa were using quadrants regularly. The use of quadrants enabled them to determine their latitude through the altitude-distance method. They allow navigators to measure the altitude of a known constellation like Polaris and check the readings against their rutters and charts. Navigators usually make their observations ashore. Before the 18th century, there were no means to determine longitudes, so once they found the appropriate latitude to sail, they simply sailed east or west, provided that they arrived at their intended destination.
The further south ships sail, the more difficult it becomes to observe Polaris as the constellation ceases to be visible altogether 5 degrees north of the Lower Guinea coast. Well before this, most navigators came to realize that more accurate readings can be obtained by observing the meridian altitude of the Sun. Observations of the Sun were also more convenient in day readings, but the procedure was strenuous and required the set of declination tables. Glare was a serious problem when “shooting the sun” from a quadrant.
The use of declination tables that are derived from Abraham Zacuto's astronomical treatise made voyages in the oceans less burdensome
By the 1480s, when the voyages to Atlantic Africa began to intensify, the main problems with solar observation have been addressed. Navigators were able to overcome the issue with glare when using quadrants by replacing them with the astrolabe, which has a sighting apparatus. This enables Portuguese navigators to make mathematical adjustments to determining the latitudes more easily, with declination tables standardized under João II’s reign. These tables are based on the work carried out by a Leonese Jewish astronomer from Salamanca named Abraham Zacuto [2], who joined the Portuguese court and nominated as the Royal Astronomer and Historian by João II in 1482, a year after he became King by reading his astronomical treatise called the Almanach Perpetuum, although it can also be attributed to a Portuguese Jew and a former student of Zacuto by the name of José Vizinho, who was sent to Guinea in 1485 to make field observations and measure the altitude of the sun through an astrolabe. With the help of these declination tables, the Portuguese navigators were finding a new world of huge, heavenly oceans that could be used for celestial navigation. By the early 16th century, one’s latitude can be determined by looking at the Southern Cross.
By the time of Cão’s and Dias’s expeditions, long-distance voyages were much more organized to maximize what could be achieved in the sea. As mentioned earlier, it was a standard practice by the time of Dias’s expedition in major crown-sponsored voyages to have several vessels, including an expandable store-ship to enhance safety and allow for more provisions and longer journeys out to the sea.
An illustration of the mixed square-triangular rigged caravela redonda
The store-ship used in Dias's voyage was perhaps another kind of a caravel, a square-rigged version called a caravela redonda, which was larger than the earlier version with a mixed triangular and square rig, and also with a greater storage capacity and more heavily armed. This kind was a new compromise between speed and the ability to sail long distances before the wind. This larger version of the caravel was associated with Portugal’s dramatic expansion into a major maritime empire.
[1] OTL, he did not reach the Orange River, but exploring more of the coast of OTL Namibia TTL would provide more to reinforce Portuguese claims to Cabo in the near future.
[2] Zacuto joined the Portuguese court OTL in 1492 after the Alhambra decree, which led to the general expulsion of Jews from Spain. With Leão under Portuguese control following the War of Castilian Succession in 1477 and no expulsions of Jews as a result, he joins the court much earlier TTL.
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Enjoyed the update everything was on point, I just found it a bit weird the name "Lisboa Oriental", I don't know when you intend for it to be founded but it's an odd name...usually Portuguese opted for native names or saints, at most, it could be Nova Lisboa. But it's just a nitpick, I think it may just be me.
I wonder, with Castille having no Canaries as base, would certain explorer from Genova even be able to sail to the New World?
For the TTL Portuguese name for East London I think "Porto Dias" would be a better name to in honor of the farthest Dias went through the South African coast. East London was originally named "Port Rex" in honor of a British Sea captain who landed at the mouth of the Buffalo river, then renamed in honor of London, and I thought the Portuguese would treat it the same way as "Lisboa Oriental". I may have some trouble coming up with place names in the next chapters, but many renamings will be easy due to transliterations.
The name of "Nova Lisboa," however will be reserved for a certain major port in Java when the Portuguese get there in the next decade or two.
Also the Portuguese opted for place names after resources (ex. "Madeira" for wood, "Terra Nova do Bacalhau" for codfish, etc...).
There could be a possibility that Columbus might set sail for France, but further developments in this scope will come in the interlude chapters.
Porto Dias sounds good. For naming, picking a saint and then adding either the local naming for the settlement (São Paulo da Assunção de Luanda or São Filipe de Benguela are examples for this in ITOL), but it could also be like a cape, river, etc (São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro) or like you said, a resource they find there (São Jorge da Mina) works well for Portugal and Spain at least in my opinion. Portugal didn't really have the tradition of naming something after an existing city or region even though some examples of this do exist in Brazil.
Nova Lisboa in Java? Sounds interesting...just as Columbus sailing for France...
Lusitania
Donor
First wanted to say great update again, I do not think I have read another TL where Portuguese advances in sailing technology have been explained as well. It really explains why Italian trading nations were so much at disadvantage and why sailing south of Cape Verde islands was reserved for those who had the knowledge.
Lusitania
Donor
No we did not since the trade goods we sought were available elsewhere and frankly there was only so many of us.
I think it'd be more realistic that Columbus sails for England ITTL. After all, John Cabot explored the New World for the English just a few years later IOTL.
I think he'd end up a bit further south if he took the same track he took IOTL. Maybe Virginia or The Carolinas.
Lusitania
Donor
The thing is that unbeknown you them they are sailing into the Gulf Stream which pushes ships northward. Till steam sailing ship from Europe took longer to reach New England and northward then Caribbean.