A World Without Columbus- Canahuase
It is not known if Christopher Columbus and his fleet were lost at sea, or if they reached the New World. The failure of the Columbus expedition killed off interest in westward routes to the Indies. At least, for only a while. With the Portuguese monopolization of the trade networks in the Indian Ocean, and the accidental discovery of Camarú (Brazil) by Afonso de Albuquerque in 1503, the Spanish Crown became even more desperate to organize a comeback. In 1509, Rodrigo de Bastidas landed on the coast of Ibinara (Florida) and turned northward, discovering the Bay of Martyrs (Chesapeake Bay) and Mojecato River (the Hudson River), claiming these new lands of the Indies for the Crown of Spain.
Sebastián Caboto, for Spain, voyaged further north of the Mojecato, and discovered what became known as modern Boréalie (Canada and New England) and the Saint-Louis River (the St. Lawrence River) before founding La Juana in Ibinara. Subsequent Spanish explorers claimed lands further south, such as the Antilles and Mesoalfonsina (Mesoamerica) for themselves. The Portuguese sounded the alarm, citing violations of the old north-south spheres of influence set out by the Treaty of Alcáçovas. The Spanish pled to the Pope for mediation. The Venetian Pope Gregory XII decreed by papal bull a meager modification of the line with the Treaty of Cuéllar. The new dividing line between Portuguese and Spanish spheres went from immediately south of the Canary Islands to south of the island of Cobán (Cuba).
The initial areas of colonization by the Iberian powers centered on New Spain (the eastern coast of the United States), Camarú (northern Brazil) and the All-Saints’ Sea (the Caribbean), far away from the Aztecs and Incans. And without Columbus’ sensationalist lies about the riches he found; a more truthful series of explorers spurred a more slow-drip colonization of the Alfonsinas. Portuguese influence in Mesoalfonsina and the Hurim Mountains (the Andes) in the form of trading posts and missions evolved into outright conquests of the Aztecs and Incans in the 17th century. Portugal became the eminent power of the world- dominating the East and the West.
In Europe, Spain became weaker in the short term without the vast wealth of Aztecs and Incans. But the Trastámaras survive. And no Hapsburg succession meant no costly interventions in England and the Holy Roman Empire. The result is a stronger Spain in the long term, with less of its colonial wealth escaping to northern Europe, considerably less economic stagnation, and a record of development more closely mirroring that of Britain and France.
The butterflying of Martin Luther resulted in more uncompromising breaks with the Catholic Church. A bloodier Reformation tore the Holy Roman Empire apart, with the “Reformed” churches being limited to Germany and the Alps thanks to fewer princely conversions. The Low Countries remained in Catholic Hapsburg hands. A Catholic England under Arthur I and a still-strong Tudor dynasty, forged a close centuries-long alliance with Spain against the French.
Back to the New World, the French, ignoring the demarcations set forth by the Treaty of Cuéllar, colonized New France- which would become Boréalie. In New Spain, the focus of the colonies became direct settlement along coasts, which struggled with creating a viable tobacco economy. The increased demand for sugar in Europe soon resulted in the southern colonies’ significant cultivation in the eighteenth century and an intensification in the usage of slavery. In time, the brutality of colonialism would be washed away in the First Age of Revolutions.
The world is roughly fifty years behind, technology-wise from OTL. The delayed plundering of precious metals in the lands of the Aztecs and Incans means a delay in the transfer of wealth to Europe and to Asia, delaying developments in both global trade and industrial capitalism. The introduction of syphilis to Europe is delayed, as is the potato. The New World is browner, with the much-delayed conquests of the most advanced native polities, the slower settler colonization, and the greater indigenous adaptability to disease and European warfare over time. It is blacker too, with Portugal’s near-monopoly of the African slave trade fueling its Alfonsinian colonies.
Chapter 12: Canahuase from Politics of Latin America: The Power Game, Sixth Edition, by William Ables and Stéphane Massis
Introduction
In the second decade of the twenty-first century, Canahuase is a country beset with a host of complex problems. Although a formal constitutional democracy with an extensive history of civilian rule, Canahuase’s political regime has often been restrictive in character and even today fails to provide effective guarantees of basic civil rights and liberties to all its citizens. Since the onset of the Great Revolutionary Wars and the severing of old markets in Europe, it faces a still-ongoing economic recession, a growing inflation crisis, three established urban insurrectionary movements, vicious reactionary militia groups, and copious interference from the three polarities in its domestic politics.
Alongside these seemingly intractable problems, however, Canahuase is notable for the dynamism of its cities and the entrepreneurial spirit of its people. In the cultural realm, its artists demonstrate impressive creativity, ranging from the Jensen Prize-winning novelist Santiago Colgrave Jáuregui and the world-renowned painter/sculptor Luis Pinedo Berlanga to the actress Paulina Pérez and the popular music sensations Faustino and Daniela del Valle. The political arena itself is striking for the sheer valor of many nonviolent political activists, the historical capacity for compromise of political elites, and the notable ability of ordinary citizens to “muddle through” repeated crises.
Canahuase is located on the eastern coast of North Alfonsina, adjoining the Atlantic Ocean, the Straits of Ibinara, and the Gulf of Tectetan, and sharing borders with Jordania, Pelatepe, and Machasen. At 318,000 square standard miles in area, it is the sixth-largest country in North Alfonsina. Its geography is dominated by the Atlantic coastal lowlands and the rolling uplands of the Falda Hunerica, both of which enter the country through its northern border with Machasen and run southwards. Past the Falda Hunerica lie the Huneras Mountains, denoting the border with Pelatepe, and birthing Canahuase’s many flowing rivers. The majority of Canahuasans live in cities and towns strewn along the coasts and the fall line separating the coastal plains from the Falda Hunerica.
Canahuase’s population of 24 million is the third-largest among the Hispanic Alfonsinian countries, exceeded by Jordania, Pelatepe, and La Evangelista. Most Canahuasans are mestizos, that is, of mixed indigenous and European origin, with substantial numbers of Caucasians, Afro-Canahuasans, indigenous peoples, mulattos, and zambos. Spanish is the principal language, although indigenous languages are still spoken in some regions and are recognized as official by the 2017 constitution. The vast majority of Canahuasans identify themselves as Roman Catholic, with small Reformed and Jewish communities.
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