What if the discovery of America had not belonged to Spain at all — but to the Kingdom of Hungary?

In this episode, we explore one of the most unexpected alternative-history scenarios imaginable: a world in which Christopher Columbus, rejected by both Portugal and Spain, finally finds support at the court of the Kingdom of Hungary. Instead of sailing under the banner of Castile, Columbus crosses the Atlantic in the service of a Central European monarchy standing at the frontier between Christian Europe and the expanding Ottoman–Hungarian Wars.

At first glance, Hungary seems an unlikely candidate for oceanic expansion. It was not a maritime empire, had no Atlantic ports, and focused primarily on defending Central Europe from Ottoman pressure. Yet precisely because of this, the scenario becomes so fascinating. A Hungarian-sponsored disc ...