Columbus Shut Down - Sailing for a Non-Spanish Power?

If my history is correct, Christopher Columbus petitioned both the Portuguese and Spanish royalties before Spain finally mustered up the three ships which led to the "discovery" of the New World. But what if Ferdinand and Isabella, fresh from the Reconquista, decided that it just wasn't in the interests of the kingdom to put forth the resources? Where might Columbus have gone next, if at all? What would the possible outcomes of a Spain-less initial discovery be? Would another western European monarch decide to take up the cause Columbus had laid down? Perhaps France or England?

Of course, perhaps none of them might have...giving the native cultures in America a little more time to develop before someone took up the idea again years down the line.

Any ideas?
 
If my history is correct, Christopher Columbus petitioned both the Portuguese and Spanish royalties before Spain finally mustered up the three ships which led to the "discovery" of the New World. But what if Ferdinand and Isabella, fresh from the Reconquista, decided that it just wasn't in the interests of the kingdom to put forth the resources? Where might Columbus have gone next, if at all? What would the possible outcomes of a Spain-less initial discovery be? Would another western European monarch decide to take up the cause Columbus had laid down? Perhaps France or England?

Of course, perhaps none of them might have...giving the native cultures in America a little more time to develop before someone took up the idea again years down the line.

Any ideas?

Well Venice or Genoa would appear to be likely candidates, failing that there is always England, as there is evidence to suggest that the English were crossing the atlantic well before the voyage of columbus.
 
Columbus meant to go to England, then France. I don't know if he intended to go to Venice or Genoa later, but that would have been useless (both republics were interested in the East Mediterranean, and had no blue water ships.But if Spain had said no, then it's likely he would not get anithing in England or France. If the two mayor christian maritime powers of the time (yes, they were, Portugal first and then Spain. England's preeminence came much later. What, did you think an italian went to beg foregners on a whim?) though the trip was absurd, then no one else would take the risk.The fact is, they were right. Columbus trip was absurd. Despite modern myth, many people -and specially many intellectuals- did believe Earth was round. What the portuguese found unbeliable was Columbus stimations of the distance between Lisbon and China -and they were, waaaay off by many thousand kilometers. It's just luck than there was a continent halfway. The Spanish concellors though the same, but Columbus managed to persuade the queen, so he got the trip. Even then, he had to wait almost ten years, until Granada had been conquered, and he only got a measly three ships.
 
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The fact is, they were right. Columbus trip was absurd. Despite modern myth, many people -and specially many intellectuals- did believe Earth was round.

No they didn't... the roundness of the earth was known to the Greeks, Romans, even the ancient Celts.
 
Chances are the Portuguese would not have helped. Some rich merchants would have probably influeneced the royal court to not help Columbus. Afterall, some Portuguese had alot invested in using the route around Africa. A sudden change in route would be bad for business and destroy there monopoly.

Columbus had gone to most of those nations mentioned by a poster above but he was turned down.

so Columbus concluded that the voyage would be possible. He took his ideas to nobility and the church before taking them to royalty, but they were rejected. He soon went to the Portuguese King in 1488, but the plans were rejected there too. Columbus went to King Ferdinand of Spain but he was preoccupied with expelling the Moors from Spain, and when he looked at the adverse reports of those who had rejected Columbus, the king quickly did the same. Columbus went to Charles VIII of France and Henry VII of England as well, in 1488, accompanied by his brother Bartholomew, but he failed again and again. In 1491, he went again to the Spanish Court,


And some say he was Catalan.
 
Colombus first proposed his voyage to Portugal, where he requested to be made Grand Admiral of the Sea, he was rejected. He was granted an audience again a few years later, and his plan was rejected again.
He then visited Genoa and Venice, who were both uninterested.
Later, he had his brother checking out England while he looked into Spain. By the time England had granted him an audience, he was already talking with Spain.
Only after several years, and at Ferdinand's, not Isabel's, wish, his plan was approved. And we all know what happened afterward.

Had he taken his plan to England, there's not any more chance of them accepting the plan than any other power, so we can't automatically assume that he'd have sailed for England had the invitation came earlier. Still, who know?
 
Actually The English might have well hired Columbus. As a young man, Columbus sailed on an English ship based in Bristol to Iceland. Bristol had a thriving triangular trade going in the late Middle Ages. Wool and manufactured goods were carried to Iceland, traded for dried codfish (Iceland's chief export). The codfish was carried to Portugal and Spain where there was a ready market and wine was bought for sale in England. The Bristol mechants were both wealthy and politically connected and had royal charters from Henry VII. John Cabot's voyage of 1497 to Labrador and Newfoundland was financially backed in part by the Bristol merchants. Since the Icelanders knew of Vinland and the Norse explorations, word could well have leaked out to English sailors at that time.
 

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If the Bristol merchants knew so much about Vinland, then they probably already had plans to explore without some continental upstart trying to muscle in on their action.
 
There is information that Portugese sailors found Brasilia coast in 1472 ('cos Portugese routes to South Africa were just 50-70 miles from South America)
but keep it in great secret.
 
I think it's very probable that the Portuguese knew more than they let on about a lot of things. They were relatively small country with limited resources, trying to build a trade empire. That they would have kept quiet about any lands to the west makes more sense then them announcing it for everyone to know. As far as they knew, they could return to these lands later, after they were fabulously wealthy off trade with the Orient.
 
Actually The English might have well hired Columbus. As a young man, Columbus sailed on an English ship based in Bristol to Iceland. Bristol had a thriving triangular trade going in the late Middle Ages. Wool and manufactured goods were carried to Iceland, traded for dried codfish (Iceland's chief export). The codfish was carried to Portugal and Spain where there was a ready market and wine was bought for sale in England. The Bristol mechants were both wealthy and politically connected and had royal charters from Henry VII. John Cabot's voyage of 1497 to Labrador and Newfoundland was financially backed in part by the Bristol merchants. Since the Icelanders knew of Vinland and the Norse explorations, word could well have leaked out to English sailors at that time.

OK, rolling with this, let's say that Columbis manages to make some kind of deal with the English monarchy and is given a chance to prove himself correct. What might happen? I certainly don't think he'd have wound up in the same place in North America on the initial voyage. And it would depend on what kind of backing he recieved from royalty and what kind of support from private interests such as local merchants.
 
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