16-02-2018, 08:41 PM
Quote:Unless you can find evidence that was impossible for medieval ships to cross the Atlantic
It is most probable that the Vikings were crossing over the Atlantic more than four hundred years before Columbus.
However, they were only able to travel via the lengthy north Atlantic route (Faroes / Iceland / Greenland / Canada). This would have ruled out constant travel and commerce, and there was no reason for them to have travelled down to central / south America (a very long journey with no possible recompense).
Why could they not directly cross over from Europe to America? Firstly, political reasons - they had no base off north Africa to start the voyage (the Spanish only managed it because they had colonies in the Canary Isles to resupply the ships).
Secondly, the small ships of the time were simply unable to carry sufficient supplies to reach the coast.
Until there was a mixture of supply bases and large enough ships, it was simply impossible to use the north African Atlantic currents to sail to central America (and use the winds to get back).
A further consideration - had the Vikings, or other Europeans pre-15th century, met with American natives, they would have fought on an equal basis. It was only gunpowder, and Spanish arms forged in the Moorish conflicts, that allowed Europeans to dominate when they eventually arrived. A Viking ship coming from Greenland further south would have no defense against attack, and no real ability to obtain an economic advantage from the exploration.