Just had a thought.
What about an unusually successful Justinian? What if the Byzantines early on recaptured and held Italy and North Africa, and later successors captured Iberia and maybe Southern France in a restored Roman Empire? This kind of state would have very little desire to explore westward, because trade east profits them more in their own borders, on land. Plus, other states near them that would be otherwise positioned to explore west, like whatever comes out of France and Germany, would be distracted by the giant Rome. The only people that could have any impetus to explore would be those in the British Isles and maybe Scandinavia.
The North could contact North America in a staggered sort of way that could introduce the disease to the continent (where it would quickly spread through trade routes), and it would be noncommittal enough that there would probably be a lot of recovery time for the Native American peoples. Plus, a series of staggered trade parties on the East Coast/Newfoundland would be enough to transmit a variety of diseases, and could maybe even trade some livestock.
What about an unusually successful Justinian? What if the Byzantines early on recaptured and held Italy and North Africa, and later successors captured Iberia and maybe Southern France in a restored Roman Empire? This kind of state would have very little desire to explore westward, because trade east profits them more in their own borders, on land. Plus, other states near them that would be otherwise positioned to explore west, like whatever comes out of France and Germany, would be distracted by the giant Rome. The only people that could have any impetus to explore would be those in the British Isles and maybe Scandinavia.
The North could contact North America in a staggered sort of way that could introduce the disease to the continent (where it would quickly spread through trade routes), and it would be noncommittal enough that there would probably be a lot of recovery time for the Native American peoples. Plus, a series of staggered trade parties on the East Coast/Newfoundland would be enough to transmit a variety of diseases, and could maybe even trade some livestock.
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