https://imgur.com/gallery/1500s-ice-age-x9rE1hgLet’s assume that the Little Ice Age from 1350-1850s worsens at the beginning of the exploration era, at first there are only famines and droughts, but as time goes by the winters become extremely cold. Glaciers expand. It all started in the 1470s, the discovery of America is still taking place but by England. In just 130 years. 1470-1600s this devastating event takes place. What will happen to religions? To civilization? Migrations? Genocide?
What if an ice age occurred in the 1500s and was it worse than the Pleistocene glacial maximum?
r/whatif
Comments
Ice age takes centuries to develop. They don’t just happen in a single year.
People survived (poorly?) the year without a summer, is the question “how many more years of famine would have prevented colonization of the americas by the British Empire” or is it “what happens, generally, if it never stops being cold down to middle latitudes in the winter due to cooling”
For A: it was probably a near thing early on, if Roanoke colony collapses more quickly that could discourage follow up missions, which of course means less missionaries and industrialists moving forward.
For B: less interest in a northwest passage changes where people sail? Less Canada more Panama? That would probably put GBE and Spain at odds even earlier about the whole colonialism thing and not just Catholicism.
What if bananas grown in the sun belt become the “golden treasure” Europe needs to extract instead of actual gold. That would be nuts.