So, before we get started, lets all accept one premise: That the Suez Canal (a proper one, connecting the Red and Med directly) is technologically feasible in earlier eras. I've run numbers on it, and its not outside the realm of possibility. There's obviously plenty of reasons it wasn't built earlier, but its not as though we're suggesting a bunch of technological leaps to dig it. It is a topic worth debating, but lets please save that for another thread.
All on the same page? Great!
Our scenario is that the Ottomans decide to build a Suez Canal in response to the Portuguese and Spanish voyages of exploration. They do so at some point in the 16th century (obviously after the conquest of Egypt). This will, of course, lead to massive butterflies all throughout history, but I'd like to focus on just one aspect. With a direct connection to the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal, how might the slave trade be impacted?
We have two largely independent slave-trading networks: on in the Atlantic Ocean, with largely West African slaves, and one in the Indian Ocean, with largely East African slaves. The Atlantic Slave Trade would be really taking off shortly after this canal is completed, though slave trade in the Indian Ocean is a bit more mature. These two are now much more closely linked. Would we likely see some interchange between them?
All on the same page? Great!
Our scenario is that the Ottomans decide to build a Suez Canal in response to the Portuguese and Spanish voyages of exploration. They do so at some point in the 16th century (obviously after the conquest of Egypt). This will, of course, lead to massive butterflies all throughout history, but I'd like to focus on just one aspect. With a direct connection to the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal, how might the slave trade be impacted?
We have two largely independent slave-trading networks: on in the Atlantic Ocean, with largely West African slaves, and one in the Indian Ocean, with largely East African slaves. The Atlantic Slave Trade would be really taking off shortly after this canal is completed, though slave trade in the Indian Ocean is a bit more mature. These two are now much more closely linked. Would we likely see some interchange between them?