What if Ogodei Khan's heart attack after the Battle of Paris had happened earlier. Say, before the Sack of Vienna. How much would it have changed history?
Will it really change that much? I mean, there will be a brief delay when the leaders return to Karakorum to elect the new khan, but is there any reason they wouldn't return to Europe in the spring? They've already seen how vulnerable the European states were. Will the delay give the European kings a chance to prepare for the next round of invasion, maybe?
The Khanates are their own worst nightmare in this regard, the reason his conquests where never followed up on after his death was because of the flaws in the Mongol's inheritance system, their empires were balkanized immediately on the death of the Khans.
I don't think anyone can call any portion of a split Mongol Empire balkanized...![]()
OOC: Balkanized in this case should mean something! I propose it came from Persia!I don't think anyone can call any portion of a split Mongol Empire balkanized...![]()
With Ogodei dying before the mongol conquest of Europe, I doubt you will see the emergence of the Northern European thasselocracies. The rape of the low countries saw a tremendous wave of refugees heading to Britain and Scandinavia. These immigrants brought with them an immense store of technical knowledge particularly in textiles, shipbuilding, and trade as well as whatever wealth they could load-up into a cog. When the conquests ended, England and Norway were uniquely positioned to take advantage of the trade opportunities presented by Pax Mongolia transforming them to the trading powerhouses of Europe by the 17th century.