Cultural Impact of Viking Colonization of Vinland.

Driftless

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Early Norse colonial site depends on what the Norse have come for and what they hope to gain by remaining.

If furs are the key trade item by Norse and the various Indian groups, then as far up the St Lawrence as practical makes sense, though that comes with a fair amount of risk as the French found in the 1600's. That situation did take patience and with the good work of the Coureur des bois building local relationships over time.

If timber, fish, better farmland (than Iceland/Greenland) then Nova Scotia - Halifax to be specific, appears to be a better bet to me. For seafaring people, Halifax offers a much better base for trading down the coast.

If the colony gets a healthier start than OTL, then additional locations become a realistic option.
 
Early Norse colonial site depends on what the Norse have come for and what they hope to gain by remaining.

If furs are the key trade item by Norse and the various Indian groups, then as far up the St Lawrence as practical makes sense, though that comes with a fair amount of risk as the French found in the 1600's. That situation did take patience and with the good work of the Coureur des bois building local relationships over time.

Given the problematic relationship between the Skraelings and the Vikings in Newfoundland in OTL, I wouldn't bet on that.

If timber, fish, better farmland (than Iceland/Greenland) then Nova Scotia - Halifax to be specific, appears to be a better bet to me. For seafaring people, Halifax offers a much better base for trading down the coast.

And if they do decide to explore down the coast, and there is no reason to assume that they won't, they will eventually hit the site of New York. They'd have to come down with a serious case of the stupid virus to not want to settle there.

If the colony gets a healthier start than OTL, then additional locations become a realistic option.

As I said on the previous page, if their initial colony is well sited and survives, I can see them establishing a colony at Montreal or Quebec City eventually which would give them relatively easy access to the Great Lakes. Once they get on to the Great Lakes, they can go virtually anywhere in North America, but given that the Vikings are a predominantly seafaring people, I don't see Montreal or Quebec City as being their first colony.
 
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Driftless

Donor
We don't have much of a sample size for these interactions, do we?

Yup. With the small sample, we can only guess if a little more everyday diplomacy may have served well. The Churchillian idea "To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war"?

One of the (un-intended?) keys to later French success was the Coureurs des bois, unlicensed French fur traders who went "native", often to the disgust and annoyance of the local French authorities. However, those runners-of-the-woods also frequently served as intermediaries between the Indians and the French authorities

http://international.loc.gov/intldl/fiahtml/fiatheme2b2.html

From about 1610 young Frenchmen such as Étienne Brulé wintered among the Algonquins or the Hurons in order to become interpreters, or “go-betweens.” After 1650 with the expansion of the fur trade on the shores of the Great Lakes, a second generation of coureurs de bois appeared. Some 500 young men wintered in the French posts or in native villages annually and attached themselves to Amerindian girls.

One could also see the reasons for the success of the French political alliance, with the coureurs de bois often playing an essential intermediary role between the colonists and the Indians.

A similar integrative role from some the Norse Vinlanders could have aided the survival of a larger colony. If fighting occurs, then it's all in the family:)

*edit*

IF a Vinland colony got off to a slow but steady start, with some level of intermarriage, what would it's political form look like? At first I was thinking of how French Canada was slowly settled, but the French model was very hierarchical. I don't see that happening with the Greenlander/Icelandic origins of the colony. Maybe that comes later, with other immigrants?
 
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That still means that Halifax is more suited to the Vikings' needs than Montreal. First, Halifax Harbor and Bedford Basin don't freeze, which was a big inducement for the Royal Navy to build a series of fortresses and a naval base at Halifax starting in 1749.
Yes, but the French did not. (They picked Louisbourg).
The fact that Halifax remains ice-free in winter also meant that it was declared to be Canada's official winter port in 1867. Second, Bedford Basin offers, a large, deep and easily secured natural anchorage, which affords plenty of room for lots of trading ships to winter over if necessary.
Depth and size that 18th century Royal Navy needed, but Norse had no use for. For example, HMS Victory, launched 1765, draws 29 feet of water. Skuldelev 1, with draught of 5 feet loaded, was probably the deepest-drawing ship that 11th century Norse operated. The rest were even shallower, like Skuldelev 3 or Gokstad ship drawing 3 feer.
So, Bedford Basin is simply too big, open and exposed for a Norse port. If they use Chebucto Bay, Northwest Arm has all the depth and size they need.
Finally, Halifax is the most easterly harbor on the great circle route back to Europe.
Um, no. Saint John in Newfoundland is. And that´s if the Norse use great circle route to "Europe". If, however, they sail for Eastern Settlement of Greenland first, then the route northeast across Labrador Sea would be somewhat shorter from a port further northwest along the northeast coast of Newfoundland.
That and the fact that ships wintering over in Montreal would have to wait for the spring thaw, which traditionally doesn't happen until the middle of April is another mark against a colony at Montreal, along with the fact that you're saving yourself an additional thousand miles, just to get to the Gulf of St. Laurence.

What´s the use of sailing early from Halifax, Louisbourg or Sydney if you are then stopped by ice from entering the Eastern Settlement of Greenland?
 

yourworstnightmare

Banned
Donor
If we go by the Saga of the Greenlanders there are a couple of things to point out:

a) there seem to have been both good and bad relations with the Skraelings, both trade and hostilities

b) Norse settlements were temporary, they came to reap as much benefit as possible of the land, usually over Winter, then returning to Greenland come spring.

c) There seem to have feuds among the Norse, that lead to different camp of Norsemen and women to kill eachother.
 
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