This hypothesis of Columbus trying to finance a crusade is heavily contested, to put it mildly.
I think it is trying to frame conflicts as part of a struggle between entities you see in the modern world. Pre-nation-state Europe was waaaayyyyy more divided than united. The entire east vs. West or even Muslim vs. Christianity narrative is accurate in modern times, but pre Napoleon it falls flat.
France had historically seen the ottomans as a preferable partner to England, religion be damned. When the ottomans conquered the Balkans, many Christians even fought on their side. The Austrian slur for Hungarians, Krüzitürken - cross bearing Turks -, reflects that.
Even the now infamous Reconquista wasnt as much of a fight between Islam and Christianity, as it was a power struggle between rulers that sometimes used Religion as a back drop. But alliances and marriages between these ruling families also crossed sectarian borders. The reframing of the Reconquista is a narrative used by Nationalists and not an accurate description of the history of the nebulous West.
This hypothesis of Columbus trying to finance a crusade is heavily contested, to put it mildly.
I think it is trying to frame conflicts as part of a struggle between entities you see in the modern world. Pre-nation-state Europe was waaaayyyyy more divided than united. The entire east vs. West or even Muslim vs. Christianity narrative is accurate in modern times, but pre Napoleon it falls flat.
France had historically seen the ottomans as a preferable partner to England, religion be damned. When the ottomans conquered the Balkans, many Christians even fought on their side. The Austrian slur for Hungarians, Krüzitürken - cross bearing Turks -, reflects that.
Even the now infamous Reconquista wasnt as much of a fight between Islam and Christianity, as it was a power struggle between rulers that sometimes used Religion as a back drop. But alliances and marriages between these ruling families also crossed sectarian borders. The reframing of the Reconquista is a narrative used by Nationalists and not an accurate description of the history of the nebulous West.