Ok, here is what i think might have happened if galicia was in portuguese hands,
1st: A backstory: Yes, there was a kingdom of leon in the region, wich rose to power after the fall of the asturias kingdom , and a muslim power change. It eventually merged with castille to form the kingdom of leon and Castile, and eventually the leonese dropped out leaving Castile in complete control of galicia and the northern central-central iberian peninsula. Portugal was its left neighbor, and Aragon as its right neighbor. Eventually all 3 went on a reconquista inspired war of reclaiming land from the taifas'. In 1479, to unite ther cause and kingdoms, Queen Isabel de Castile and King Ferdinand de Arago IOTL married and the sovereign state of Spain was formed with its power stretching from southern italy, sicily, a few other small mediteranean islands, as well as the canary islands, and of course, galicia. The newlyweds then vowed to force any non-catholic off the peninsula and continued on with the reconquista, until spain owned all land on the peninsula except portugal, and 98%-99% of the peninsula was practicing Roman Catholism. That is our history of spain. And for the most part, it has stayed in the same borders. Only nce in the late 1500s did portugal merge foor a few years while suffering from depression, and the reindependence when times got better.
2nd: Now for the fun. As our histry knows, King Ferd. And queen Isabel, turned down columbus because his voyage costed too much and they were in the middle of a war with muslims(like all of the world has been in) and therefore couldn't pay for his voyage. What if their thinking turned around and considered selling galicia to portugal to pay for his voyage which they knew may be able to i time make spain so rich that they didn't need galicia.
Or....another theory: Castile was a large kingdom, compared to the other kingdoms on the peinsula. This had good sides and bad. Portugal was a thin strip, as it is today. Both were fighting the same enemy, but Castile had to fight on a bigger front.Therefore Castile would have to pay more for war costs and its state of econmoy had to repair. Portugal on the other hand, had only a little strip all the way down to the med. coast to fight for, Therefore less costly o its people, country, and economy.and its military would be less worn out, especially onsidering the muslim presence was weaker than say around granada and gibraltar.This might lead Portugal to invade galician castille so as to boost its port capacity, relations with england, and have complete control of the direct atlantic seaboard. Castilian forces would be streched thin, making it hard to retaliate, and considering that even in Roman times galicia was considered close to portugal in culture, economical, and geography. So much in fact, that the romans grouped the together. This similarity, even today is seen. That being said, galicians may have opened themselves to portuguese rule, especialy considering that the portuguese counry had been around longer than castile and it shared cultures. Maybe Portugese agents could have sturred a rebellion in galicia making invasion easier. Either way, lets say portugal wins a war for galicia, what might happen next?
Part 3:There are many outcomes, but i want to follow this one: Portugal helps galicia in the Galician-Castile War of succesion and annexes the new territory when it wins. Castile blames Portugal for everything, yet can't fight back, because it is still in the middle of reconquista with aragon. And deriving troops to galicia would set back the reconquista and aragonese proposal of unification due to he newly seen unstability of government to keep power on farther regions. Spain may never have been formed, or at least postponned.Yet for the sake of less overcomplexity and controversy, considering this subject has way to many anyway...Lets say that spain is still formed, yet later. This gives southern italy and a few of those med, islands time to rebel against aragon, making castile and aragon equal in embarrassment , both realizing this unify under one dynasty to become "stronger when together", The new spain might arise around 1495 due to so many setbacks. By then, the reconquista is over and former aragonese and castillians want revenge on southern italy, sicily, and of course portugal. (Now i know,I didn't forget the veecian columbus. columbus would have been turned away so many times due to wars taking presidence over him, he quit trying in this history). Both Isabel and ferdinand, now married older than before, would agree portugal was easier to conquer first and quickly mobilize to retake galicia while also trying to capture lisbon. Now, while this is going on, galicians hae been enjoying portugal's age of prosperity and don't miss the warring spaniards. Word leaks out of imposing invasion and galicia as well as the rest of portugal mobilize and prepare.A secret draft is instilled as portuguese prepare. on March 6. 1497 Spanish forces from toledo cross the souther border of portugal due the lack of mountains and ease of mobilty. They are met with with heavy resistance by 3 portuguese infantry armies, one calvary unit , 2 artillery units, and the local evora militia. The spanish have a army of slighty larger proportions and defeat the portuguese bt at cost. Yet Spanish thirst for the new reconquista as royal propoganda says is enough for new recruits to join the spanish ranks. As the spanish army slowly pushes towards lisbon, a second force of spaniards invades galicia, yet can't cross heavy mountain artillary resistance. Calvary is ineffective. With a certain victory in galicia, the Portuguese army stationed there, mobilizes part of its forces to flank the southern spanish forces. And considering that in this alternate histroy we want galicia to stay portuguese, the portuguese army does flank the spaniards before they reach lisbon, trapping the spaniards and forcing surrender. Due to the failure of the Galician campaign, the citizens of spain force the monarchy to stop the war or deal with a revolt and revolution.
Spain signs the treaty of Porto in August 18, 1501. Portugal receives further territory stretching to burgos, spain, and more land on the southern coast. They also receive the canary islands. Spain is forced to pay for the war sending them into a depression, in which muslim powers seize the oppurtunity to exploit as well as its neighbor france and navarre. Portugal emerges a sea power along with britain and the two share rivalries. Although by this time, Cabot of england has discovered N.America And Portugal has discovered S.America. Both Are now rivals in the colinization of the New World. Portuguese culture Now dominates southern and central america, and in a few centuries, portugal, france, and britain lead the industrial revolution. And due to the major increase in power, portugal and france divide and conquer what is left of the iberian peninsula and drive the muslims out. Becuase of the so many outcomes there can be as we move away from the starting point, I am going to end this AH here. Please PM me for any ideas on further expansion of thistopic, or place a new thread below, or quote me. Thank you for reading.
1st: A backstory: Yes, there was a kingdom of leon in the region, wich rose to power after the fall of the asturias kingdom , and a muslim power change. It eventually merged with castille to form the kingdom of leon and Castile, and eventually the leonese dropped out leaving Castile in complete control of galicia and the northern central-central iberian peninsula. Portugal was its left neighbor, and Aragon as its right neighbor. Eventually all 3 went on a reconquista inspired war of reclaiming land from the taifas'. In 1479, to unite ther cause and kingdoms, Queen Isabel de Castile and King Ferdinand de Arago IOTL married and the sovereign state of Spain was formed with its power stretching from southern italy, sicily, a few other small mediteranean islands, as well as the canary islands, and of course, galicia. The newlyweds then vowed to force any non-catholic off the peninsula and continued on with the reconquista, until spain owned all land on the peninsula except portugal, and 98%-99% of the peninsula was practicing Roman Catholism. That is our history of spain. And for the most part, it has stayed in the same borders. Only nce in the late 1500s did portugal merge foor a few years while suffering from depression, and the reindependence when times got better.
2nd: Now for the fun. As our histry knows, King Ferd. And queen Isabel, turned down columbus because his voyage costed too much and they were in the middle of a war with muslims(like all of the world has been in) and therefore couldn't pay for his voyage. What if their thinking turned around and considered selling galicia to portugal to pay for his voyage which they knew may be able to i time make spain so rich that they didn't need galicia.
Or....another theory: Castile was a large kingdom, compared to the other kingdoms on the peinsula. This had good sides and bad. Portugal was a thin strip, as it is today. Both were fighting the same enemy, but Castile had to fight on a bigger front.Therefore Castile would have to pay more for war costs and its state of econmoy had to repair. Portugal on the other hand, had only a little strip all the way down to the med. coast to fight for, Therefore less costly o its people, country, and economy.and its military would be less worn out, especially onsidering the muslim presence was weaker than say around granada and gibraltar.This might lead Portugal to invade galician castille so as to boost its port capacity, relations with england, and have complete control of the direct atlantic seaboard. Castilian forces would be streched thin, making it hard to retaliate, and considering that even in Roman times galicia was considered close to portugal in culture, economical, and geography. So much in fact, that the romans grouped the together. This similarity, even today is seen. That being said, galicians may have opened themselves to portuguese rule, especialy considering that the portuguese counry had been around longer than castile and it shared cultures. Maybe Portugese agents could have sturred a rebellion in galicia making invasion easier. Either way, lets say portugal wins a war for galicia, what might happen next?
Part 3:There are many outcomes, but i want to follow this one: Portugal helps galicia in the Galician-Castile War of succesion and annexes the new territory when it wins. Castile blames Portugal for everything, yet can't fight back, because it is still in the middle of reconquista with aragon. And deriving troops to galicia would set back the reconquista and aragonese proposal of unification due to he newly seen unstability of government to keep power on farther regions. Spain may never have been formed, or at least postponned.Yet for the sake of less overcomplexity and controversy, considering this subject has way to many anyway...Lets say that spain is still formed, yet later. This gives southern italy and a few of those med, islands time to rebel against aragon, making castile and aragon equal in embarrassment , both realizing this unify under one dynasty to become "stronger when together", The new spain might arise around 1495 due to so many setbacks. By then, the reconquista is over and former aragonese and castillians want revenge on southern italy, sicily, and of course portugal. (Now i know,I didn't forget the veecian columbus. columbus would have been turned away so many times due to wars taking presidence over him, he quit trying in this history). Both Isabel and ferdinand, now married older than before, would agree portugal was easier to conquer first and quickly mobilize to retake galicia while also trying to capture lisbon. Now, while this is going on, galicians hae been enjoying portugal's age of prosperity and don't miss the warring spaniards. Word leaks out of imposing invasion and galicia as well as the rest of portugal mobilize and prepare.A secret draft is instilled as portuguese prepare. on March 6. 1497 Spanish forces from toledo cross the souther border of portugal due the lack of mountains and ease of mobilty. They are met with with heavy resistance by 3 portuguese infantry armies, one calvary unit , 2 artillery units, and the local evora militia. The spanish have a army of slighty larger proportions and defeat the portuguese bt at cost. Yet Spanish thirst for the new reconquista as royal propoganda says is enough for new recruits to join the spanish ranks. As the spanish army slowly pushes towards lisbon, a second force of spaniards invades galicia, yet can't cross heavy mountain artillary resistance. Calvary is ineffective. With a certain victory in galicia, the Portuguese army stationed there, mobilizes part of its forces to flank the southern spanish forces. And considering that in this alternate histroy we want galicia to stay portuguese, the portuguese army does flank the spaniards before they reach lisbon, trapping the spaniards and forcing surrender. Due to the failure of the Galician campaign, the citizens of spain force the monarchy to stop the war or deal with a revolt and revolution.
Spain signs the treaty of Porto in August 18, 1501. Portugal receives further territory stretching to burgos, spain, and more land on the southern coast. They also receive the canary islands. Spain is forced to pay for the war sending them into a depression, in which muslim powers seize the oppurtunity to exploit as well as its neighbor france and navarre. Portugal emerges a sea power along with britain and the two share rivalries. Although by this time, Cabot of england has discovered N.America And Portugal has discovered S.America. Both Are now rivals in the colinization of the New World. Portuguese culture Now dominates southern and central america, and in a few centuries, portugal, france, and britain lead the industrial revolution. And due to the major increase in power, portugal and france divide and conquer what is left of the iberian peninsula and drive the muslims out. Becuase of the so many outcomes there can be as we move away from the starting point, I am going to end this AH here. Please PM me for any ideas on further expansion of thistopic, or place a new thread below, or quote me. Thank you for reading.