Alternative History --- The Vikings Prosper in North America

I'll just contribute randomly, but I don't think the Vikings were sociopoliticoeconomically ready for a major colonisation - we're predating the nation state (at least in the west). Small groups 'emigrated' to Greenland but it was a less than successful attempt.

Vikings plundered other places and returned home. But there just wasn't much plunder in northern america - skip forward 400 years and the Spanish find gold in Central/Southern America - and even then there was no real economic drivers to colonise and form bases from which to produce and export agricultural or mineral wealth.

Well, I think that present day "alternative history" Americans would eat at Mc Sven's, where they would enjoy McSmogasbordnuggets, washed down with a quart of Kronenborg.

Intermarriage would surely occur, especially if the group is cut off from the homeland (After all, hingehead already mentioned that it is unlikely the vikings would make a serious colonising effort.)
If it didn't occur, after all, the settlement would have died out without regular new blood.
So I reckon that over 500 years, the original viking colony will be lost or abandoned, since the inhabitants will have 'assimilated' into the semi-nomadic lifestyle of neighbouring indian tribes.
Once again, without contact from the homeland, the language barrier and lack of knowledge of the surrounding area, I doubt whether Iron weaponry would continue to be used. So I reckon the knowledge of how to make iron weapons will be lost. I doubt whether the Vikings brought along horses on their trip. Not usually, but these people were trying to find new lands to settle after all...
If they did bring enough, and they breed succesfully, horses will probably remain, since their use is readily apparent and the obvious advantage of having a steed will make the indians adapt to them quickly.
If the settlement is succesfull for a while, several new disease strains are likely to be introduced among the indian population, making them more disease resistent when the colonists arrive. (Further on, a new disease might turn the local indians hostile towards the new settlers...)
Undoubtedly the existence of the viking outpost would be remembered in legends and or songs, so the indians might not be completely taken aback at the introduction of the new european colonists.

Now, in your topicpost you suggest a different path, but I doubt something like that would happen. Colonisation is a huge step, and it takes some form of pull from the new land, but a push from the homeland as well. No clash between intolerant beliefs. No push because of civic war, hunger or population pressure... The time wasn't right for a colonising move with such numbers the settlement could thrive and expand.

Naj

I find it fascinating that the Vikings were able to colonize and FARM in Greenland and Iceland during the Eighth Century AD. Does anyone know of any explanation for the climate being so warm at that time?

Iceland was not settled by the vikings until about 870 and Greenland over 100 years later. People still farm in these places, just like they do in Norway, it is not so amazing. The diference lies only in how many people the land could support. The cold period known as the Little Ice Age led to a strong reduction in the population of Iceland and the Greenland colony died out after contact with Europe was lost (because the Hanseatic league, who had the monopoly on that trade route decided that it wasn't profitable anymore, and because the worsening climate drove the Inuit population south where they clashed with the vikings at their northernmost settlement). The colony suffered from inbreeding and lost among other things the ability to work iron. Since the were no trees to speak of on Greenland they could not build ships to travel to Europe themselves (or to sail to Markland to get the timber for the ship).

Paaskynen- Thank You- I am sure that you know that the little ice age also changed the growing season in England.My concern is with the radical change in the weather despite the lack of industrialization.If I read the news correctly, the industrial output of Co2 is responsible for the Warming trend we are having lately,yet there was what is termed a warming period in the Eighth Century in Iceland and Greenland.

Why?

As far as I know climate changes over such long periods are usually ascribed to cosmic influences, like the sun diminishing/increasing in brightness, cosmic dust, changes in Earth's orbit or things like that.

I read that at the height of the warm period grapes were grown in England.
Would've been nice to try English wine

You first - doesn't sound appealing to me at all!

Yes, you are correct and when the Little Ice Age came, the Thames going through London froze in mid winter. In fact, accounts told that the French wer complaining that the new English wines were cutting into the sales of the French product.

Even 1, 200 years later, economic rivalries have not changed much!!!

You can still try English wine

http://www.englishwineproducers.com/

bm

What kind of a learned response is that from Professor Nimh? Shame--shame

bm indeed!

Ooh - great salvo bernie - I bet that really hurt.