Random Things That Would Have Happened If Christopher Columbus Missed Americas (14 items)

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  (#3) Portugal Would Have Become The Major European Trading Power

  When Columbus set sail to find a western route to Asia, Portuguese explorers had already shown how promising the eastern route might be. In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope. Just a decade later, Vasco da Gama sailed to India. Over the course of the 16th century, Portugal established numerous ports on the coasts of Africa, India, China, and even Japan.

  Without competition from Spain's New World, Portugal would have dominated Europe's trade networks. While the Ottomans and Italians might have maintained their power in the Mediterranean, Portugal would have benefited from the wealth of Asian trade. Recently, Portuguese President Aníbal Cavaco Silva declared, "The routes that the Portuguese created to connect the continents and oceans are the foundation of the world we inhabit today." In the absense of Spanish competition, Portugal's dominance likely would have been even greater.
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  (#13) The Russian Empire Would Have Become The World's Dominant Power

  The year 1492 was an important one for Russia. The king of Poland passed, and his weak successor eventually ceded his Baltic territory to Ivan the Great. Ivan also conquered the Mongols, transforming Central Asia into ripe territory for Russian conquest.

  Russia's strategic position gave it access to Asian trade without having to pass through hostile Ottoman territories. With less competition from Habsburg rulers, the Russians might have expanded their empire even faster, transforming themselves into a dominant world power. For centuries, Russia fought the Ottomans, but the balance might have tipped in Russia's favor with stronger European trade passing through Russian lands. After all, without the resources of the New World, Europeans would still clamor for Asian trade, which the Russians could provide.
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  (#11) It Would Have Been Decades Before Another Ship Crossed The Atlantic

  Christopher Columbus struggled to find a backer for his voyage. He visited the Portuguese, seeking royal patrons, but they turned him down. Columbus also offered to sail for the French or the English, but both declined. 

  By the time Spain funded Columbus's westward journey, the project was barely still alive. Imagine if Columbus, after pleading with every major court in Europe for money, simply sailed off and never returned. It's very likely that Europeans would have invested their wealth into discovering an eastern route to Asia, as the Portuguese did, instead of sending more fruitless voyages west.

  It might have taken decades for another explorer to convince Europe's royalty to bet on Columbus's failed route. 
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  (#10) West African States Would Have Developed Into Their Own Expansive Imperial Powers

  In the 15th century, West Africa was dominated by the Mali Empire. Before Columbus's voyage, Mali dominated a territory larger than Western Europe, applying a sophisticated political system to control its empire. The Mali Empire enriched itself with trade, including important commodities like gold and salt.

  By around 1500, a new dominant power rose in West Africa: the Songhai Empire, which controlled trans-Saharan trade routes. 

  However, West Africa eventually devolved into competing neighboring states, in part because of a new trade network: the Atlantic slave trade. Without European demand for slaves in the New World, West African states like the Mali and Songhai empires would have continued to grow and consolidate power.
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  (#6) China Would Remain A Powerful State And Control Trade In Asia

  China's dominant Ming Dynasty sent out its own voyages of discovery during the 15th century. Under Admiral Zheng He, the Chinese fleet traveled to India and Africa. However, the Ming quickly took an isolationist turn, declaring China the only civilized part of the world.  

  While European traders had a presence in China, they had to acknowledge Chinese superiority. European powers, which would have been weaker without their New World colonies, would have struggled to break into the Chinese market, likely playing an even smaller role in Chinese trade. As a result, China would have continued its role as the dominant power in Asia. With less competition from European powers, especially Portugal and the Dutch, China would have controlled trade throughout Southeast Asia.
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  (#2) The Aztec Empire Would Have Continued To Grow Through Central America

  Over the course of the 15th century, the Aztecs conquered Central Mexico. Their empire successfully subjugated multiple neighboring territories, consolidating their control. However, one territory remained unconquered: Tlaxcala, east of the Aztec capital in Tenochtitlan.

  In 1519, Hernan Cortes allied with the Tlaxcalans to defeat the Aztec Empire. Without their vital support, Cortes almost certainly would have failed to conquer the Aztecs. And without Cortes's presence, which came as a direct result of Columbus's discovery, the Aztecs almost certainly would have continued their conquest of Mexico, expanding throughout Central America.

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