Talk:Fish-Eating Norse

Intentions With This Timeline
The goal of this timeline is to create a history where the colonization of Greenland and Vinland by the Norse succeeded rather than failed, and the U.S. and Canada are likely replaced by a Norse state. I've made a number of assumptions:


 * The Greenlanders' clinging to European ways significantly contributed to the failure of the Nordic colonies in the New World. Of the various ways in which that tie could be cut off, the most effective seems to me to be a refusal to adopt Christianity.


 * If the Greenlanders had made an effort to settle Vinland with sufficient commitment while they still had most of the armor and weapons their fathers had when they arived in Greenland, they could have succeeded there. Especially if the Indians were weakened by disease (see below).


 * Due to luck and living in colder climates, the Greenlanders apparently did not infect the Indians with any significant European diseases. With greater and more prolonged contact, infection would have been likely and cleared the way for more Norse settlements.


 * Given sufficient external enemies (such as the Indians and Christians) the Greenlanders would have been less plagued by internal strife and more prepared to fight the Inuit.


 * Wanting the Vinlanders to not be wiped out by Europeans in the 16th century, I've hypothesized continued rading on Iceland. This would have allowed the Vinlanders to almost keep up with European technology, particularly the invention of cannon.  It also would have assured a sporadic supply of some items hard for the Vinlanders to produce, such as cloth.

--Josh

Ramifications
Based on my reading of medieval history, surprisingly the loss of Greenland and Iceland off the map would not have significantly affected European events, except perhaps in causing the Danish to seize some Norweigan possessions a bit sooner (as in this timeline). These far-flung Norse colonies, despite representing the first European toehold on the New World, were insignificant to European society. So there would be little effect on European history until the 1400s.

The effect on the Indians and Inuit would be rather more dramatic. Inuit domination of the North would be halted at Baffin Island. Indians would be disposessed of Eastern Canada and New England much sooner. The Indians would be exposed to weaker forms of European diseases sooner, so that by the time the Spanish arrive, the Indians of North America would have recovered their numbers and have some resistance to smallpox. It probably would not have extended this benefit to mesoamerica or the Incas at all, though, given the tiny trickle of trade across the Southwestern Desert.

Odinism would remain alive and not vanish into history. Over time, it would likely grow into an institutionalized state religion designed to uphold the power of the Norse chiefs, with rituals and temples. Odin would probably become a "father god" and the other dieties his servants, compromising pure polytheism in favor of a hybrid monotheism.

The effect of European exploration of the New World in the 15th and 16th century is harder to guess. In OTL, Southern Europe was largely unaware of the Greenland colony's existance, and those who did know knew of its failure. Hence the Genoese's lack of enthusiasm for Christopher Columbus' exploration plans. If there were a known thriving colony on the other side of the Atlanic, though, ideas of a crossing may have been regarded differently.

Most likely, I think, is that a Crusade would have been organized in the 16th century to attack the "Western pagans." This crusade would have followed the Northern route since it was known, and might have been devastated by icebergs since the Little Ice Age had made the Northern Atlantic largely impassable. The result could have been disaster for the Europeans, followed by another century of no contact.

Quite likely, Columbus' expedition never would have happened. Instead, Ferdinand Magellan would have sought a "Southern route to Vinland" and discovered the Caribbean twenty years later. Thus the Spanish might have been cut out of New World history entirely.

--Josh

TODO

 * Names: I don't know much Old Norse.  We need likely names for colonies, places, people, and battles.  Particularly, the Vinlanders would have stopped calling the Indians "skraelings" when they normalized trade relations with them, and would have come up with some other name.  But what?


 * Events After 1400: By the 15th century, European politics should start to affect Vinland again. But I need much more research ... help?


 * Layout, Linking: I can't figure out how TOC etc. works.  Pointers?