Earliest successful European colony

For Europe? Somewhere between 1100 and 1200 if we assume Crusader era level zealotry on the part of the colonizers and the North Sea route (Iceland & Greenland) under the control of a powerful empire. A much longer lasting North Sea Empire could be able to pull if off and start colonizing with Norse, Anglo-Saxons, and various other types of Germanic settlers. And if the new colonies get successful enough, it wouldn't take long for the rest of Europe to catch wind of the new continent.
 

raharris1973

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For Europe? Somewhere between 1100 and 1200 if we assume Crusader era level zealotry on the part of the colonizers and the North Sea route (Iceland & Greenland) under the control of a powerful empire. A much longer lasting North Sea Empire could be able to pull if off and start colonizing with Norse, Anglo-Saxons, and various other types of Germanic settlers. And if the new colonies get successful enough, it wouldn't take long for the rest of Europe to catch wind of the new continent.

What would be the speed with which a royally supported colony starting in Canada between 1100-1200 could expand southward?

Might cooling conditions as we move from the medieval to renaissance eras lead to some pressures for colonists to move south, and either make transatlantic contact more tenuous or force development of ships and techniques to handle more southerly routes?

I imagine that germs and steel and horses will spread south much faster than European settlers and DNA, so the altered Amerindian cultures are sort of a blank slate to write on.
 
I would say a highly motivated Norse colony at the turn of the 10th and 11th century. At this point they have the tech to at least island hop across the Atlantic but without a motive other than short term profit and the lack of numbers of otl potential settlers, Vinland is too far.

Up the motivation and you might make it work. The only motive I could see (not saying it's the only one) is to make the Christianization of the North Atlantic and Norway less about the threat of economic boycott, hostage taking, threatened violence backed up by 'examples' and more a case of violent conquest and large scale population displacement.

The fact that the Norse are relatively 'low tech' actually works in their favor because if they have regular timber, bog iron and livestock they can be economically self sufficent in "Vinland" fairly easily. Put 5 to 10,000 Vinlanders on the ground and they can ethnically dominate at least Newfoundland easily, thus making it 'European'. And yes, give 30,000 Icelanders alone+Faroese+ Shetlanders+Orkney islanders+Norweigens the choice of flee or face a Northern Crusade they cannot realistically repulse, such a population is doable.
 
Carthaginians trade with and explore West Africa more heavily, and accidentally discover Brazil and gradually the rest of South America. The Romans or Veneti follow in North America.
 

Lusitania

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Carthaginians trade with and explore West Africa more heavily, and accidentally discover Brazil and gradually the rest of South America. The Romans or Veneti follow in North America.
The issue is not arriving in south or North America. Accidental discovery is very possible due to east to west currents from Africa to northern South America / Caribbean. The issue is sailing home with ancient technology ships trying to sail against the currents and winds.

Columbus used this same route to discover Caribbean islands but he then used Gulf Stream to sail north for bit before sailed east towards the Açores islands which he knew where they were. Before he sailed to Lisbon and finally to Spain.
 
What the earliest north America could be successfully colonized by a European or Asian countries?
West European Colonialism usually refers to a specific economic and administrative model starting in the Early Modern Ages (16th Century)lasting until the 20th Century. Colonies however existed for longer. As for colonies in NA obviously people will Point out Vinlander Norse, for Greenland already had been a Norse colony. I suggest Basque possibility, as a seafaring whale hunting people they Had been active in the whole Northern Atlantic and possibly discoverd NA very early.
 
Maybe the Quisquereme noted by Columbus could evolve from Iberian refugees fleeing Muslim conquests and landing on OTL Hispanola?

Rome, Carthage, and perhaps even Byzantium could do so though sustained contact might not be viable...
 
Rome, Carthage, and perhaps even Byzantium could do so though sustained contact might not be viable...

I would say they are shipwreck victims/small enough group to be eventually easily assimilated and IMHO, not count. I suspect there were a few people like that otl that we never heard of.
 

Lusitania

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There have been stories over the centuries of people finding Roman, Greek or Carthage coins. Some stories go back to colonial America. So lost ships arriving along American east coast be very feasible but the number of people would of been insignificant and either died of variety of reasons or been assimilated into native tribes without any major impact than we can see.
 
They couldn't, they lack the knowledge of winds, currents, even the ships to make transatlantic voyages.

They had a large freighter that supposedly inspired the Roman Corbata. There is also evidence they may have visited at least a few Atlantic islands.

I would say they are shipwreck victims/small enough group to be eventually easily assimilated and IMHO, not count. I suspect there were a few people like that otl that we never heard of.

1982 wreck find in Rio De Janiero...? Granted, Brazil literally was said to have buried it, but for good reason
 
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