In this scenario, a series of events unfolds so that in the 1252-55 a few prominent Jewish leaders in France managed to convince several thousand Jews to undergo a daring exodus based on several texts about the shape of the earth that they had read involving the shape of the earth and so plan "a second exodus" to escape the crap they have to put up with in Europe. They pool their money buy up a few dozen ships, learn how to sail and navigate doing some trade, get some more ships with their profits (and get some more supporters elsewhere among other Jewish communities), buy provisions, food, livestock, seedstock and a few weapons and eventually sail off to the west following the setting sun, carrying their families and other people who with them. Several more groups do a similar thing. Between 1254 and 1260 about 18,000 Jews leave Europe in such a manner before interest wains. The nobility of Europe pay little heed to this, thinking that they will all meet a watery grave.
About half of the passengers die en route due to disease or when ships founder, but half of them make it to the new world, landing on the east coast of what would be the US which they name Chadash Yisrā'el (i apologize if this is not gramatically correct), or in English, New Israel. There is some die off early on which claims another 3,000 due to food shortages and conflicts with the natives in the first years, but the survivors never the less manage to hold their own on the whole and found a small number of settlements, especially after the natives begin dying off from European diseases. After that these colonies begin to grow and interact with each other, using their ships to link them up and establish a loose confederation of city states. By the time Columbus crosses the ocean, these colonies have increased in population to 125,000 people and growing.
The technology of New Israel as of 1500 is largely medieval and their population is largely clustered around six fortified coastal towns/cities with a few satellite farming and fishing villages. There are a few more inland settlements between 25 to 75km of the coastline, but these are fairly small and make up less than tenth the total population of New Israel. The most northerly is on Rhode Island, the most southerly is in South Carolina. Most of the city states are Republics of prominent landowners, merchants, tradesmen and warriors ruling with along with with councils of Rabbis. Each of the states sends a representative to a council every year to discuss matters, but the council has little power.
Wars with Native Americans, the occasional war between the city states and some fears about Christians following them across the Atlantic have led to militarization. Able bodied men in the cities of New Israel are required to train under arms and serve if the need arises. Their armies are mostly composed of light troops armed with slings and bows with axes for a backup weapon and heavier troops clad in cloth armor, helmets and mail and armed with short swords, shields and spears as well as crossbowmen. There is some cavalry, but mostly that's limited to a small number light cavalry archers with a breed of horse that is on the small side that is more often than not used for pulling carts. Shipbuilding is at the level of Holks and Cogs. Naval warfare is limited to boarding actions. There has been some intermarriage with the natives and some natives have converted to Judaism. The native populations trade with the New Israelites frequently, though they have not yet been able to replicate much in the line of their technology.
What happens?
Zor
About half of the passengers die en route due to disease or when ships founder, but half of them make it to the new world, landing on the east coast of what would be the US which they name Chadash Yisrā'el (i apologize if this is not gramatically correct), or in English, New Israel. There is some die off early on which claims another 3,000 due to food shortages and conflicts with the natives in the first years, but the survivors never the less manage to hold their own on the whole and found a small number of settlements, especially after the natives begin dying off from European diseases. After that these colonies begin to grow and interact with each other, using their ships to link them up and establish a loose confederation of city states. By the time Columbus crosses the ocean, these colonies have increased in population to 125,000 people and growing.
The technology of New Israel as of 1500 is largely medieval and their population is largely clustered around six fortified coastal towns/cities with a few satellite farming and fishing villages. There are a few more inland settlements between 25 to 75km of the coastline, but these are fairly small and make up less than tenth the total population of New Israel. The most northerly is on Rhode Island, the most southerly is in South Carolina. Most of the city states are Republics of prominent landowners, merchants, tradesmen and warriors ruling with along with with councils of Rabbis. Each of the states sends a representative to a council every year to discuss matters, but the council has little power.
Wars with Native Americans, the occasional war between the city states and some fears about Christians following them across the Atlantic have led to militarization. Able bodied men in the cities of New Israel are required to train under arms and serve if the need arises. Their armies are mostly composed of light troops armed with slings and bows with axes for a backup weapon and heavier troops clad in cloth armor, helmets and mail and armed with short swords, shields and spears as well as crossbowmen. There is some cavalry, but mostly that's limited to a small number light cavalry archers with a breed of horse that is on the small side that is more often than not used for pulling carts. Shipbuilding is at the level of Holks and Cogs. Naval warfare is limited to boarding actions. There has been some intermarriage with the natives and some natives have converted to Judaism. The native populations trade with the New Israelites frequently, though they have not yet been able to replicate much in the line of their technology.
What happens?
Zor
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