Hi, this is a timeline where (among other things), Venice is interested in a new route to India, internal Castilian politics prevents Spain from coming into existence, and Charles VIII eats a bad oyster. This is my first TL so please be gentle. And now, I give you The Lion’s Paw!
1463: (first point of divergence) King Henry IV of Castile, realizing his unpopularity among the gentry and the supposed illegitimacy of his daughter, decides to eliminate another potential claimant. His plot to murder the nine-year-old Princess Isabella succeeds flawlessly, however, Castile will have to endure a Civil War in the 1480s.
1486: Realizing that despite a friendly state of affairs with the Ottomans, new sources of revenue must be explored, Venetian Doge Angostino Barbarigo becomes interested in alternate routes to the Indies. He quickly discovers that one man is trying to reach the Orient by sailing west. His name: Cristoforo Colombo, or as we know him, Christopher Columbus!
1486, continued: Columbus convinces the Dodge wholeheartedly, and Angostino agrees to equip him with six ships as soon as an Atlantic port can be located.
1487: War finally breaks out in Castile upon Henry IV's death. His daughter, Queen Joanna of Castile defends her throne from a powerful coalition of nobles, who spread rumors about Joanna's legitimacy, and back her cousin Alfonso. Venice uses this opportune moment to conquer Castile’s erstwhile vassal, the Moorish emirate of Granada. Granada finally capitulates in 1491. This not only secures for Venice control of Granada's large treasury and fertile land, but also its access to Gibraltar and the Atlantic.
To be continued…