An idea I have toyed with for ages: What if there was a 8th or more Ming era Treasure Fleet voyage that made it to Europe?
Imagine the effect of a fleet of 50 or more ships, some maybe 100+m long, and perhaps 20,000+ people arriving in Europe say in the 1440s.
For context, these were the 7 voyages recorded:
- 1405-07: composed of 317 ships, including perhaps as many as sixty huge Treasure Ships, and nearly 28,000 men
- 1407-1409: 68 ships
- 1409-1411: 48 large ships and 30,000 men
- 1413-15: 63 ships and over 28,000 men
- 1417-1419:
- 1421-1422: 41 ships
- 1431-33: more than one hundred large ships and over 27,000 men
For further context, this was Europe in the mid 1440s (CFBV):