WI ASBs separate Europe from Asia and Africa by 100-200 mile minimums in most places & down to 50 in the Caucasus in 700 AD?

[Buba]

In the 1350 AD scenarios, both the aural-Caspian sea version and the Euro-Siberian version, I suspect that Muscovy will still be clearly marching east like OTL to the Caspian shore and taking the Urals by 1550-1600 ish. From there, it will have every incentive to start building a trade and war fleet to press on to communicate with the Asian side. That is even with it not having a monopoly and having Italian, Greek, Turkish, Persian competitors at different times. In the ‘Siberia comes with’ version’ also East Asian fleets or pirates at times.

No.
1 - the rise of Muscovy is not a given. Here the Golden Horde - for which Muscovy was enfrcer/tax collector - is very likely to collapse. This means that other duchies and Lithuanians can kick Muscovite ass. And Eastern Rus remain fragmented or are united by smebody else - Tver, Suzdal, whoever ...
2 - I do not expect any of the "normal" Rus polities to go into ships. That's outside their mentality - they wll be happy with port tolls. Novgorod - these could develop a fleet of their own, although AFAIK in OTL they did not have one.

Something that has just come up to mind: What would be the effects of a wider, more connected Mediterranean in regards to storms and the like?

IMO impossible to guess.

 

[gral]

Probably more storms?

Kind of my guess as well - it would be nastier than our Mediterranean. How much nastier I'm not able to estimate.

 

[Agent23]

No.
1 - the rise of Muscovy is not a given. Here the Golden Horde - for which Muscovy was enfrcer/tax collector - is very likely to collapse. This means that other duchies and Lithuanians

Yeah, I doubt the Lituanians amount to much, other leftover Rus principalities will ahve more legitimacy.

can kick Muscovite ass. And Eastern Rus remain fragmented or are united by smebody else - Tver, Suzdal, whoever ...

Or somebody farther south that gets rid of their Turk and Byzantine problems...

2 - I do not expect any of the "normal" Rus polities to go into ships. That's outside their mentality - they wll be happy with port tolls. Novgorod - these could develop a fleet of their own, although AFAIK in OTL they did not have one.

Um, I think that given their tradition of river piracy some will hop to the chance of becoming "true" pirates.

In any case, while not as positive as the 700 PoD, this one will also be of great benefit to Bulgaria.

With the danger of Byzantine and Turkish raids gone we can focus on taking the European parts of Byzantium and finally dealing with the thrice-damned Serbs, whose fathers were al leprous pigdogs and whose mothers were fat, ugly hookers that make Lizzo look attractive, may the Black Earth Open And Swallow Them Whole!™
Obligatory Balkan nicety ends here.

This, and the open corridor to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean will improve the Second Bulgarian Empire's position greatly.

Sadly this will not stop the Second plague pandemic - Wikipedia which will still ravage much of Europe, with the brand new port cities possibly getting hit harder.

 

[Buba]

Um, I think that given their tradition of river piracy some will hop to the chance of becoming "true" pirates.

Good reminder. As I said - Novgorod.
Or private enterprise - the Cossaks were pirates too.