Alternate Colonial Powers

archaeogeek

Banned
If we can get a unified Scandinavia, they might make a good colonial power. Denmark had the US Virgin Islands for a long time, and it still has Greenland. It could probably make the leap to Canada if it acts fast enough, and maybe scoop up a few extra Caribbean islands. Sweden had its colony along the Delaware-Pennsylvania-New Jersey tri-state area, too. Maybe a united Scandinavia could expand all the way across the northeastern Atlantic seaboard.

A united Scandinavia is still a relatively low population country and is trying to sneak in colonies . The main problem for New Sweden really is that it was colonized late and never really a very active colony, it was outnumbered by New England, Virginia and New Holland even at the time, and it's basically in the regions none of the wealthier regions really wanted :p
Colonial Sweden is realistic, Colonial Sweden-wank is, well... Too little too late
 

yourworstnightmare

Banned
Donor
A united Scandinavia is still a relatively low population country and is trying to sneak in colonies . The main problem for New Sweden really is that it was colonized late and never really a very active colony, it was outnumbered by New England, Virginia and New Holland even at the time, and it's basically in the regions none of the wealthier regions really wanted :p
Colonial Sweden is realistic, Colonial Sweden-wank is, well... Too little too late
I agree that Scandinavian population is too low for large settler colonies. However a few more Caribbean plantation islands and some more fortresses on the African coast would not be too ASB.
 
I agree that Scandinavian population is too low for large settler colonies. However a few more Caribbean plantation islands and some more fortresses on the African coast would not be too ASB.

Indeed, Swedish Africa has always tickled my fancy, moreso than Danish or Polish or anything else. I support a notion to give Sweden a slice of the Berlin Conference (and by that I mean more than a seat at the negotiating table, as I think it had OTL).
 

yourworstnightmare

Banned
Donor
Indeed, Swedish Africa has always tickled my fancy, moreso than Danish or Polish or anything else. I support a notion to give Sweden a slice of the Berlin Conference (and by that I mean more than a seat at the negotiating table, as I think it had OTL).
If Sweden had some trading outposts and fortresses along the African Continent during the Berlin Conference, they'd have a good claims on those parts of Africa.
 
A united Scandinavia is still a relatively low population country and is trying to sneak in colonies . The main problem for New Sweden really is that it was colonized late and never really a very active colony, it was outnumbered by New England, Virginia and New Holland even at the time, and it's basically in the regions none of the wealthier regions really wanted :p
Colonial Sweden is realistic, Colonial Sweden-wank is, well... Too little too late

I wouldn't say that...

Admittedly Scandinavia is sparsely populated, but there's a possibility there anyway in that historically New Sweden was populated mostly by Finns displaced from Swedes settling along the Finnish coast. If Sweden or United Scandinavia goes for a serious Norsification of Finland all the indigenous Finns have to go somewhere, and sending them to America to act as colonials is kind of a win-win situation in many regards. Kind of like how displaced Irishmen and Scots from Britain ended up in the new world, but at a larger scale relatively speaking.

Scandinavia does suffer from not having many prevalent religious fringe cults like the Brits did to send away however.
 

archaeogeek

Banned
I wouldn't say that...

Admittedly Scandinavia is sparsely populated, but there's a possibility there anyway in that historically New Sweden was populated mostly by Finns displaced from Swedes settling along the Finnish coast. If Sweden or United Scandinavia goes for a serious Norsification of Finland all the indigenous Finns have to go somewhere, and sending them to America to act as colonials is kind of a win-win situation in many regards. Kind of like how displaced Irishmen and Scots from Britain ended up in the new world, but at a larger scale relatively speaking.

Scandinavia does suffer from not having many prevalent religious fringe cults like the Brits did to send away however.

The displaced Irish and Scots only left for the new world in the 18th and 19th century, until the 19th century they were very much an insignificant minority of the america ncolonies.
 

yourworstnightmare

Banned
Donor
I wouldn't say that...

Admittedly Scandinavia is sparsely populated, but there's a possibility there anyway in that historically New Sweden was populated mostly by Finns displaced from Swedes settling along the Finnish coast. If Sweden or United Scandinavia goes for a serious Norsification of Finland all the indigenous Finns have to go somewhere, and sending them to America to act as colonials is kind of a win-win situation in many regards. Kind of like how displaced Irishmen and Scots from Britain ended up in the new world, but at a larger scale relatively speaking.

Scandinavia does suffer from not having many prevalent religious fringe cults like the Brits did to send away however.
But there aren't enough Norsemen to efficiently replace all the Finns, and the Finns would be loyal Christian taxpayers to the Crown, and no Crown (during this era) ever goes after loyal taxpayers. Disloyal tax evaders is another matter.
 
But there aren't enough Norsemen to efficiently replace all the Finns, and the Finns would be loyal Christian taxpayers to the Crown, and no Crown (during this era) ever goes after loyal taxpayers. Disloyal tax evaders is another matter.

Well that's the problem. It'd require a very different population history of Scandinavia to achieve this. But it's possible.

Although what you just said gives me another idea: what about conquered Russian subjects? They wouldn't be of the same church as the Scandies, nor would they necessarily pay taxes as they should. Of course it would require Sweden/Scandinavia to conquer (more) Russian territory, which requires more successful wars against Russia and those didn't really begin until the other colonial powers were already well established in the new world.

It'd require quite a lot of contrived circumstances for Sweden to become a successful American coloniser, I guess.
 
Top