Pierre d'Aubusson (The New Holy Land)

Pierre d'Aubusson (1423 – 3 July 1503) was a Grand Master of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, notable for funding the voyages of Christopher Columbus and presiding over the discovery and early colonisation of the Santerres.

Pierre was born in 1423 in Le Monteil in central France, the fifth son of Jean d'Aubusson and had joined the Knights of Saint John in 1444 at 21, and then left for Rhodes.

In 1476 Pierre was elected to the Grand Priorship of the Langue d'Auvergne, and soon after the Grand Master of the whole order.

The Siege of Rhodes 1480
As in OTL

In 1489 Pierre was rewarded by the Pope for his leadership during the siege of Rhodes with a cardinalship and authority over the remaining assets of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre and Order of Saint Lazarus, two of the other remaining crusader orders.

Columbus' Voyages 1492-1502
Having been dismissed by the Spanish monarchs, Christopher Columbus arrived in Rhodes in April 1492 and received an audience with Pierre in May. After a month of discussions, during which Columbus demonstrated his research and theory of a western route to reach the Indies and Spice islands, bringing potentially huge benefit. Pierre agreed to fund a single voyage and furnish two ships for Columbus, which sailed in August 1492.

Once Columbus returned with news of his discoveries, Pierre d'Aubusson made a decision of pivotal importance and which is still disputed by historians today. He agreed to fund three more voyages and sent out letters publicly announcing the