What if Christopher Columbus gained the sponsorship of king Henry VII Of England
- Thread starter RedKing
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Lusitania
Donor
The idea is that Columbus is trying to find a way to India and Asia. Finding no gold, lots of rock, trees and snow will not provide any assurances or enthusiasm to continue.
Iotl Europeans discovered North America and Canada northern areas starting in the early 16th century and took them almost a century to start exploiting it. Columbus finding it 20 years earlier will do nothing to speed it it might actually slow it down.
Europeans wanted the riches from orient and Columbus brought a little gold with promise of a lot more which led to funding of larger expeditions. Nothing here to warrant another expedition.
Iotl Europeans discovered North America and Canada northern areas starting in the early 16th century and took them almost a century to start exploiting it. Columbus finding it 20 years earlier will do nothing to speed it it might actually slow it down.
Europeans wanted the riches from orient and Columbus brought a little gold with promise of a lot more which led to funding of larger expeditions. Nothing here to warrant another expedition.
The plan was that Columbus gets the backing in the lates 80s or early 90s and then sails around spring when it is warm. He then meets some natives who have beaver furs which Columbus collects and brings back to England. Henry VII would then try and exploit the new fur supply and send Columbus to collect more with a trade out post in the mid 1490s.
Lusitania
Donor
Ok, but Columbus was selling the idea of sailing to orient. That what they wanted and while furs might be nice that not what they wanted. I doubt that Columbus would get the funding for a second expedition like he did with Spain.
Remember what was purpose of Columbus expedition. Not to find new lands or furs but to find a way to India and Asia.
When Cabot explorered Canada east coast he met natives and got furs but that did not interest the English who were looking for their own route to roentgen.
Lusitania
Donor
Listen you can think it wrong but look up Cabot that was best example. He sailed for England in 1497 and yes the English ignored Canada and north America because it was not the orient.
John Cabot - Wikipedia
Lusitania
Donor
Yes gold and riches that was where the $$ was then sugar plantations of Caribbean. The furs was something later in the 2nd half of the 16th century. That was what happen in iOTL.
Lusitania
Donor
Sorry but before Columbus sailed west many thought they fall off the earth. So any expedition would sail straight west, maybe a far south as mid US east coast. The English not have access to the Azores or the Canaries which the Portuguese and Spanish did.
Early explorers had no knowledge of what lay out there, and expeditions cost $. The English might sponsor second or third expedition and in those he would sail south and might reach Florida and Bahamas but not in the first expedition. There is a reason Columbus reached the Caribbean first and not North America or Brazil it all had to do with currents and winds which in Columbus case were sailing for England were going against him.
Lusitania
Donor
There was no sugar there. The Caribbean provided heat and rain which was what sugar cane needed. Sugar cane came from Mediterranean and was brought by Spanish who had already started growing it in southern Spain and canaries.
The gold was received from the natives who lived in Bahamas and they had traded it with other natives. So Columbus under Spain brought news of lands and that there was gold in the area. He took natives back to Spain and gold.
He speculated that the islands were close to Asia and that if he got another expedition he would sail to orient and also get the gold. So the Spanish wanting the riches of the orient and more gold sponsored bigger second and third expedition.
Unfortunately none of the things that Columbus found would be found sailing to Newfoundland or New England.
We just had another thread asking if Bahamas not settled by natives would Columbus get sponsored for another expedition ?
