Why the Vikings didn't colonize North America (8 photos)

They called these lands "Vinland", but they never became their masters.





In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered America and opened the way for large-scale colonization. In which nimble Europeans populated most of the Western Hemisphere.



Christopher Columbus

Well, later it turned out that Columbus and Co. were not the first, before them in the 9th-11th centuries in America the legendary Vikings left their mark.





Scientists are still arguing about why the harsh northerners ended up so far from home. Some say that the Vikings wanted to plunder new lands, while others believe that the long and dangerous journey was set off by renegades - the second sons of chieftains who had no inheritance, title or honors at home.

According to surviving texts, some Vikings believed that the migration gave the second sons of the chieftain an opportunity. In the new land, they could be leaders, not a backup option, - says historian Kevin Smith.



The incredible adventures of the Vikings in America are mentioned in the "Saga of Eric the Red." Judging by it, the Norwegians quickly encountered the indigenous population of the continent. And they gave them a good beating. Well, several squads of bearded men could not compete with numerous squads of Indians. Therefore, it was decided to sail home.



There are also several other factors:

A difficult route: it was necessary to sail across the North Atlantic, with its cold and storms. Getting to America on Viking ships was already a great success, not to mention regular flights there and back.



Money: the Scandinavian countries were not very developed in terms of financial system and politics. And they would not have been able to direct resources to large-scale development of another continent. And they would not have had enough people for this.

Disagreements: the Vikings loved to knock everyone left and right. Typically - both their own and others. And squabbles between them arose constantly and often completely out of nowhere. So there was no talk of any unification to solve such a difficult and long-term task as the development of America.



Everything was close at hand: it was much easier and faster for them to raid Europe. And to terrorize the same France and England, than to drag themselves to the ends of the earth with an unpredictable result.



Therefore, the Scandinavians had no chance of an overseas colony and it was eventually "developed" by other characters - who then cruelly dealt with the local population and took over all the resources.