AHC: Delayed Age of Exploration

What would be the most effective way to prevent (perhaps impossible) or delay the Age of Exploration as much as possible? Would it be possible to have the Americas undiscovered by the Old World until, say, 1700?
 
If the traditional Arab spice trade remained open to Europeans unlike OTL there would be no need to subvert Arab control by reaching the Spice Islands themselves.
 
If the traditional Arab spice trade remained open to Europeans unlike OTL there would be no need to subvert Arab control by reaching the Spice Islands themselves.
Did the Age of Exploration really begin just so Europeans could reach Indonesia? Not really. European expansion into the Atlantic world was more about short-term benefits, both economical and geopolitical.

In West Africa actual commercial expansion was gradual. This is why it took 54 years after the first doubling of Cape Bojador (which meant Europeans could easily reach Sub-Saharan Africa) to the actual arrival on the Cape of Good Hope. First, Europeans moved south to tap the slave trade and to reach the well-known African gold mines. After reaching gold-rich and slave-rich coasts of the Senegal area and trying to find allies against Muslim North Africans, they learned about nearby areas that produced melegueta pepper and other popular commodities (the Pepper Coast) and moved south to find these places. From here, the Europeans luckily found more gold-producing areas not far to the east (the Gold Coast). And from the Gold Coast, Europeans discovered nearby pepper-producing kingdoms such as Benin. You can see that European expansion in West African seas (a big part of the Age of Exploration, IMO) was essentially unrelated to the Spice Trade and driven by "let's go just a little more south/east since they say there's gold not far away" and not "let's go on a wild goose chase, maybe we'll catch a wild goose."

To the west, the early expansion into the Atlantic that allowed Columbus to reach the Americas began with the conquest of the Canaries in the 15th century. Further discovery and colonization of uninhabited islands (Madeira was found in 1418 and became an extremely profitable colony, the Azores were discovered in 1427) ensured European interest in the Atlantic. Again, early European expansion into the Atlantic before Columbus was not about Indonesia, but about these islands that were potential sources of unimaginable wealth if properly colonized. Even Columbus's charter itself specifies islands as a fallback if he failed to reach Asia.
 
Did the Age of Exploration really begin just so Europeans could reach Indonesia? Not really. European expansion into the Atlantic world was more about short-term benefits, both economical and geopolitical.

In West Africa actual commercial expansion was gradual. This is why it took 54 years after the first doubling of Cape Bojador (which meant Europeans could easily reach Sub-Saharan Africa) to the actual arrival on the Cape of Good Hope. First, Europeans moved south to tap the slave trade and to reach the well-known African gold mines. After reaching gold-rich and slave-rich coasts of the Senegal area and trying to find allies against Muslim North Africans, they learned about nearby areas that produced melegueta pepper and other popular commodities (the Pepper Coast) and moved south to find these places. From here, the Europeans luckily found more gold-producing areas not far to the east (the Gold Coast). And from the Gold Coast, Europeans discovered nearby pepper-producing kingdoms such as Benin. You can see that European expansion in West African seas (a big part of the Age of Exploration, IMO) was essentially unrelated to the Spice Trade and driven by "let's go just a little more south/east since they say there's gold not far away" and not "let's go on a wild goose chase, maybe we'll catch a wild goose."

To the west, the early expansion into the Atlantic that allowed Columbus to reach the Americas began with the conquest of the Canaries in the 15th century. Further discovery and colonization of uninhabited islands (Madeira was found in 1418 and became an extremely profitable colony, the Azores were discovered in 1427) ensured European interest in the Atlantic. Again, early European expansion into the Atlantic before Columbus was not about Indonesia, but about these islands that were potential sources of unimaginable wealth if properly colonized. Even Columbus's charter itself specifies islands as a fallback if he failed to reach Asia.
I think it depends when you define the beginning of the AoE to occur. There is not really any clear definition. I would argue that the AoE began with the Dias expedition of 1487, when people began to sail truely far affield to find new sea routes to the East. The colonization of Macaronesia to me falls more under the tradition of continual conquest of the Iberian peninsula and the surrounding region going all the way back to 711.
 
The colonization of Macaronesia to me falls more under the tradition of continual conquest of the Iberian peninsula and the surrounding region going all the way back to 711.

That's what I like about this site- learn a new word every day. Wiki says it's 'modern'. When did it come into use?
 
For a micro PoD, butterfly away Henry the Navigator and have Pero da Covilha die on his expedition.

Although we treat the Portuguese discovery of Asia as a slightly smarter accident than Columbus' bumbling, Pero da Covilha went to Asia and basically sussed out the probable oceanic routes while traveling by land, all the while sending missives back to Lisbon via Cairo. This was probably the most vital reconnaissance mission in Early Modern History -- it set the stage, along with Portugal's nautical innovations and lack of Reconquista distractions, for the opening of the Indian Ocean markets.

Heck, if you can keep Portugal distracted or non-existent, while also keeping Castille distracted, you could easily prevent royal funding from going to Pero da Covilha or to various navigators.
 
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