What If Columbus Never Found America?

Eight events would have happened if Christopher Columbus had missed the Americas.

Let’s dive into an exciting possibility of what if Columbus would never have returned from the voyage?

What if Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, all three Columbus ships, ran out of water? What if Columbus would have gotten hit by a storm and never returned to Europe? Would Europe still be able to find the Asian route? Or any other country would have taken the lead?

For a second, try to imagine the world’s history without Columbus’s voyage. Yes, it would have been drastically different.

Below are some possibilities of what would have happened if, in 1492, Columbus missed the Americas.

1. Portuguese would have been more dominant, becoming major trading power

If not Columbus, then more likely, any other explorer would have found the Americas at some point in history. But at what point and who?

Many are unaware that the Portuguese were already carrying out voyages, but they were not actively looking for a new world.

In 1500, Pedro Álvares Cabral set out on the journey to India, but strong winds pushed his ship to Brazil. If not for the winds, instead of landing in Brazil, Cabral would have been the first European to reach the Americas.

European history would have been altered if the Portuguese had gotten the opportunity to claim the new world, with immense wealth being poured into the Iberian country.

No doubt, Portuguese explorers showed a promising Eastern route to Asia while Columbus searched for the Western course.

Over the 16th century, the Portuguese set the footings of numerous ports ranging from the African, Indian and Chinese coasts. Portugal’s dominance of Europe’s trade networks was inevitable if they would not have faced Spain’s new world’s competition.

The routes they created back then broadly connect the continents and oceans today — they are foundational routes.

Without Spanish competition, the Portuguese domination, though, would have been much more extensive.

2. China would have become a more massive trading power

Remember China’s dominant dynasty? The Ming Dynasty? Well, this empire had already sent its discovery voyages during the 15th Century.

The fleets traveled to India and Africa. Only if the Ming dynasty would not have had a superiority complex and declared themselves the only civilized in the world, they would have discovered the New World.

Chinese had set up a massive trading market. Chinese were brilliant, but they were not smart enough to look beyond themselves.

If they had found New World, which they could easily have, they would be the dominant over trade routes throughout Southeast Asia.

Interestingly, European traders themselves acknowledged that without New World colonies, they would have never gotten superiority over the Chinese in trading.

It would have been impossible for the Dutch and Portuguese to break into the Chinese market — but the Chinese were just self-obsessed.

3. The Ottomans would have become the discoverers

Talking about the Ottomans, they were obsessed with expansion. In the early modern period, they have sieged Vienna twice but failed.

By 1500, the Ottoman Empire controlled much of the European trade flowing in — the ones coming from the black sea, near East Asia.

They did not face any competition sailing the Mediterranean; no strong rival in central Europe. It just was a matter of time that would have enabled them to march into central Europe and conquer Vienna — but everything is just about the time.

4. The Aztec Empire would have continued towards Central America & Inca to South America

Aztecs emerged as a strong empire from Tenochtitlan, their magnificent capital. They dominated their presence in central Mexico by forming several organizations — religious, social, or political.

By the 15th century, they enjoyed complete control of central Mexico, and they further deployed their troops to consolidate the power of neighboring territories.

But, they could not conquer Tlaxcala, a territory East of their magnificent capital. The Tlaxcala’s defeated the Aztec empire and destroyed them instead.

If Aztecs would not have gotten defeated, then they would have continued their expansion reading central America.

Like the Aztec empire, the Inca empire was expanding, but Spaniards halted their expansion and toppled the kingdom with ruthless tactics.

Inca territory was a massive one. If they would have come under Spanish contact, then they would have conquered South American territory.

5. North American tribes would have consolidated & ruled themselves

We have discussed the possibilities of various external conquests, but what about the internal Native American groups already present?

Before falling under European control, several Native American groups were already transforming into a coalition.

The five nations already existed under The Iroquois Confederacy — the Mohawks, Senecas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Oneidas.

Before the Spanish came, California already housed 300,000 Native Americans grouped into about 100 tribes.

Interestingly, peaceful relations existed between the group, which hinted towards the possibility of future consolidation, maybe over the 17th or 18th century.

Unfortunately, due to European diseases, Native Americans dropped massively in population. The left ones were either displaced owing to forced labor or exterminated.

Without Spanish contact, the natives would have consolidated and ruled their territory.

6. North Americans would have spoken Dutch or French

Apart from the Portuguese, France would have been the European country that potentially could have colonized the new world. Why?

As the French did find a massive territory in North America, they concentrated their efforts on competing with the Spanish.

If they had not competed and colonized just the east coast, then the United States would have been grown out of a french colony rather British. People would have spoken French and not English.

7. The discovery would have been pushed by decades

Nor French or English were willing to commission Columbus’s voyage. If he would not have returned, then no other country, for at least decades, would have gotten convinced to bet on the failed route which Columbus had taken.

Result? The discovery of the New World would have been put off by decades. If it were not for Spain, who funded the Westward journey, other countries would have lost hope and not sent fruitless voyages to the west.

8. England would have faced a hard time colonizing

England was slow, but it did colonize North America. Without Columbus's discovery, it would not have become a significant European power. How so?

Well, North American colonies made a huge chunk of Britain’s overseas empire. The wealth flowing from their American colonies allowed the British to establish control in India.

North American colonies simply fueled Britain’s expansion, making them significant power around the world.

Final thoughts

Columbus's arrival did spark further explorations and colonization, making the World as we know it today. If he would have missed America, would colonization still have happened?

European colonization took several lives, damaging not only various languages but also cultures.

Only if Natives were not oppressed, they would have developed and progressed; and forceful conversion and enslavement of the indigenous population would not have happened via European hands.

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References:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/columbus-confusion-about-the-new-world-140132422/

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1992-10-11-1992285003-story.html