Well, it would be surprising if the Ottomans had discovered and colonised the Canary Islands (not to mention Cape Verde or the Azores), which were used by Colum

Well, it would be surprising if the Ottomans had discovered and colonised the Canary Islands (not to mention Cape Verde or the Azores), which were used by Columbus in his voyages to the Americas. I suppose the question is why wasn't there an empire that spread across the European continent at the time of Columbus.