arctic navigation in the XVth century

How much seafaring was there in the Arctic Ocean in the 15th century? By whom and Where? What was traded?

How could it have been increased, barred a warmer climate?
 
After the MWP, it was probably essentially reduced to Pomors (northern Russians hunters), and Scandinavian sailing to Iceland. As for trade...With who? Most of the interest of Pomors in the region was about hunting in the accessible archipelagos, maybe as far as Svalbard.

Apart from a warmer climate, I don't see what could have done the trick : the "sluggish sea" provided virtually no real interest, was a real obstacle to sailing, Most of the IOTL interest on Arctic Ocean in the XVIth came from the hope that, maybe, there was a way to Asia. When it was obvious there wasn't, people stopped to care until the XIXth, except for what mattered whale-hunting.
 
One silly side effect I once saw of a Song Industrial Revolution was an earlier Northwest Passage. Hrm.
 
After the MWP, it was probably essentially reduced to Pomors (northern Russians hunters), and Scandinavian sailing to Iceland. As for trade...With who? Most of the interest of Pomors in the region was about hunting in the accessible archipelagos, maybe as far as Svalbard.

Apart from a warmer climate, I don't see what could have done the trick : the "sluggish sea" provided virtually no real interest, was a real obstacle to sailing, Most of the IOTL interest on Arctic Ocean in the XVIth came from the hope that, maybe, there was a way to Asia. When it was obvious there wasn't, people stopped to care until the XIXth, except for what mattered whale-hunting.
Thanks for your feedback!
I had thought about Pomors. Didn`t Scandinavians also interact with them?
Two things haunting my head:
1.) The Kalmar Kingdoms were often at odds with the Hansa, the Teutonic Order and Novgorod. If a war had gone better for the former and the Öresund is either effectively closed for the latter, or only passable at prohibitive toll rates, how plausible is a shifting of Northern Baltic (e.g. from the lands of the Livonian Order) trade with Western Europe to a route through Karelia and then along Scandinavia´s Northern coast?
2.) In the XVIth century, as you already alluded to, there were expeditions looking for a passage to Asia, among them Willem Barents`. Were they all inspired by Columbus` discovery of America, or could they have occurred a century earlier, too?
 
I had thought about Pomors. Didn`t Scandinavians also interact with them?
Trough Baltic Sea, which was clearly less of a pain in the ass to sail on than Artic Sea.

1.) The Kalmar Kingdoms were often at odds with the Hansa, the Teutonic Order and Novgorod. If a war had gone better for the former and the Öresund is either effectively closed for the latter, or only passable at prohibitive toll rates, how plausible is a shifting of Northern Baltic (e.g. from the lands of the Livonian Order) trade with Western Europe to a route through Karelia and then along Scandinavia´s Northern coast?
I'm not sure, but such a trade rout would have been so impraticable (litterally so for whole months), in regions so underdevelloped...that it would have required a trade policy from the Kalmar Union so prohibitive that it would have been tantamount to forbid Hansa crossing the Kattegat. Which would probably ends up with an outright war that an empoverished Kalmar Union would have trouble really winning while everyone around suggesting that the scandinavian elite stop drinking white spirit as an appetizer.

2.) In the XVIth century, as you already alluded to, there were expeditions looking for a passage to Asia, among them Willem Barents`. Were they all inspired by Columbus` discovery of America, or could they have occurred a century earlier, too?
Colombus or De Gama; but it really became a thing with America being a thing for every court in Europe.
 
Trough Baltic Sea, which was clearly less of a pain in the ass to sail on than Artic Sea.

Not exclusively. In the end of XV century there definitely was some amount of trade through Kholmogory. However before 1492 when Ivan III sent several ships with grain and an embassy through Kholmogory it looks like the amount of this trade was very limited

1.) The Kalmar Kingdoms were often at odds with the Hansa, the Teutonic Order and Novgorod. If a war had gone better for the former and the Öresund is either effectively closed for the latter, or only passable at prohibitive toll rates, how plausible is a shifting of Northern Baltic (e.g. from the lands of the Livonian Order) trade with Western Europe to a route through Karelia and then along Scandinavia´s Northern coast?

The thing is that when Novgorod was independent of Moscow it also controlled the White Sea coast so the arctic trade would still have to be with Novgorod or at least through Novgorodian territory. Also even when Novgorod was independent it wasn't in a position to seriously restrict Scandinavian trade with Muscovy - Novgorod was heavily dependent on Muscovite grain and thus in a unfavorable position in any major trade conflict with Muscovy
 
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