An article in Türkiye Today inspired a bit of what-if wargame fun. In 1484, a few years before Columbus's famous journey to America in 1492, he approached the Ottoman court after being turned down by the Portuguese. He presented his petition to Sultan Bayezid II, asking for ships to sail westward and discover new lands in the sultan's name. Sadly, the sultan was preoccupied with internal and external challenges, not least a challenge from his brother Cem.
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| OpenAI depiction of the meeting. I doubt he would have got to eyeball the sultan! |
But what if he decided to help Columbus? This could have led to the Ottoman colonisation of North America and possibly Central and South America as well. Think of all the countries that speak Spanish today, instead of communicating in Turkish.
British colonists from Elizabeth onwards might have faced attacks from Ottoman garrisons. Think Border Wars with Jannisaries!
Forget the American War of Independence, because there would be more Turkish settlers, as the Ottomans did in some of their Mediterranean and Balkan conquests. They may also have decided to add Canada to the Ottoman Empire, a new War of 1812. Here we have Canadian militia facing Janissaries and Levend infantry.
European migration would have been difficult to stop, and the Ottomans were generally relaxed about it, as long as the migrants were loyal to the state. The Millet system would have been interesting in North America. However, rebellions would be inevitable as nationalism grew in the 19th century. Here we have Nizam and Redif troops attacking a rebel position.
Of course, the problem with counterfactual history is that it breaks down one or more stages after the event. But for fun, we could delve into WW1, and so on. I am tempted to dust down my South American Wars of Liberation figures for a revolt against the Ottoman Empire in South America.
Well, guess I'm adding adding another idea to my "if I win the Lottery" alternate history wargaming project list. Thematically this would balance out the Pike & Shotte Byzantines.
ReplyDeletePike and shot Byzantines! You are definitely a drug dealer. 😂
DeleteSo much to think about…
ReplyDeleteTBH Constantinople did remarkably well to hang on as late as 1453. I’ve just finished Kevin Lygo’s book “The Emperors of Byzantium” - fascinating. What the empire needed time after time was stability plus an Emperor who could juggle various military & political issues, and organise well (particularly the treasury). Once everything was on a downward spiral then it was only a matter of when the Empire would fall. If we’re to see pike & shot Byzantines then it’s presumably gonna take a significant plot change (and, naturally, being a wargamer I’d like to hear it).
Cheers,
Geoff
It's not something I've thought about in years, but I think I was leaning towards 1204 as my point of divergence - a storm sinking the crusaders could have preserved the Empire as at least a regional power.
DeleteThe actual army was going to be sort of a Muscovite/Ottoman hybrid, as they represent the two major inheritors of that legacy, and I definitely see the eastern provinces being culturally Turkified even if the Emperor retains political control.
Hmm, maybe I'll brainstorm up a blog post with more detail, it's fun to think about!
The eastern provinces were certainly lost, and economically that was always going to be difficult to replace. 1204 was certainly another turning point. If they had survived, maybe a Venetian military influence?
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