Board Thread:Timeline Discussions/@comment-7257730-20130401130901/@comment-7257730-20130402134836

Remember that I'm not only talking about Constantinople....

Even I think the effect of the POD in Portuguese Crisis of Independence in 1383-1385 is even much more influential in making this "delay", because as long as I know from varied sources, it is when the House of Aviz finally came to consolidated power in Portugal, then the Naval Discovery starts to became a priority for Portugal; as the House of Aviz keep the compromise between the Clergy, the Military Orders, the Dukes, and also of course, the Merchants of Lisboa.

Even the first sailing towards "somewhere outside Europe" begins under King Joao I and later under the famous Dom Infante Enrique (Henry the Navigator) towards Madeira, and later Cape Verde, later into Africa...

If the House of Aviz and Portugal never comes into being, perhaps the idea of sailing will never comes into a priority too - as the Castilleans are always thinking about their Reconquista of Iberia (kicking out the Moors) first, and the English were still held on to their war against their eternal enemies, France.

And again, if Portugal never came into being, Habsburg will never be the Royal Family that controlled both Austria, Luxemburg, Burgundy, and Spain, because the first Royal Marriage is that of Emperor Frederick III and Infanta Eleanor of Portugal, that will later consolidate Habsburg Legal Claim in Iberia....