WI: Norwegian Atlantic colonies in the 17th-19th centuries?

Obviously Norway as an independent entity didn't exist at that time, but what are the possibilities of colonies predominantly inhabited by Norwegians in the Atlantic during the 17th-19th centuries?

I ask since myself and a bunch of other AltHistory users are running a forum game set on a fictional New World continent to the east of the Americas, in which players join as indigenous peoples or colonizers, and someone asked if they could be Norwegians. I figured if it's plausible then sure. Hence why this thread exists to gauge that plausibility.
 
Ehhhhhh. You could have an individual Norwegian end up on a ship to the New World.

Also, I think something important you could add to your OP is that Africans were also transported to the New World en masse, and thus should be playable as well.
 
Also, I think something important you could add to your OP is that Africans were also transported to the New World en masse, and thus should be playable as well.
It is possible for someone to join as one or more slaves (presumably seeking to free themselves from slavery) once European powers arrive and start extending slavery to the continent. Obviously doesn't make much sense for someone to join as every single slave in a colony though.

Just like players can join as workingmen eventually, but they wouldn't be playing every single worker, just a bunch who want to set up the continent's (or colony's) first trade union or labor press or something.
 
Have Jens Munk's expedition be more succesful and the land around the Hudson river becomes the danish-norwegian colony of New Denmark, a good amount of the population may be norwegian since they made up most of the naval crew in the atlantic.
 
Have Jens Munk's expedition be more succesful and the land around the Hudson river becomes the danish-norwegian colony of New Denmark, a good amount of the population may be norwegian since they made up most of the naval crew in the atlantic.
Just replying to say thanks for your reply.

Anything more about the role of Norwegians in New World colonization and shipping would be welcome.
 
It’s completely possible to come up with a scenario for a small settlement, but bear in mind the Norwegian population in 1700 was like half a million people so it’s not going to be a colonial juggernaut. However since OTL we had Scots and Courland and Danes colonising in the Caribbean a small settlement of Norwegians seems plausible. Likely they end up swamped by French, English, Dutch and other large countries eventually but who knows how things could play out
 
It’s completely possible to come up with a scenario for a small settlement, but bear in mind the Norwegian population in 1700 was like half a million people so it’s not going to be a colonial juggernaut. However since OTL we had Scots and Courland and Danes colonising in the Caribbean a small settlement of Norwegians seems plausible. Likely they end up swamped by French, English, Dutch and other large countries eventually but who knows how things could play out
Yeah that's what I assume would happen: if a predominantly Norwegian settlement does exist, it'll have to engage in some skilled diplomacy to prevent being absorbed by other colonial powers.

Would a Norwegian-inhabited colony exhibit any significant differences from a Danish-inhabited colony? Or would it be basically the same? (As noted it'd still be under the rule of Denmark-Norway, just inhabited by Norwegians)
 
You know, Prince Edward Island doesn't seem like a bad choice. The first Europeans (French) didn't begin settlement until 1719, and even then the European population was only around 700 by 1750, which gives the Norwegians a pretty good window of opportunity to settle a hospitable island.
 
We would probably need a much stronger Denmark-Norway emerging from the 15th and 16th centuries to encourage substantial colonies across the Atlantic. If you can find ways for Denmark-Norway to continuously have the upper hand over Sweden, maintain firm control over the Øresund and their sound tolls, and begin to exert their own influence over the North Sea.

Perhaps Denmark-Norway is able to land a Colombus or Cabot to sail west for them after hearing about how much money the Portuguese are making with their Asian sea trade. They end up in the Maritimes and slowly begin exploring further inland and southward, with a good possibility of reaching modern New England. They realize the kind of fortune they can make with the abundant fishing and logging.
 
Top