Codfish Heroes: Vikings, Basques and the Fishermen Who Changed the World

We often look at history through the actions of great individuals, technological developments and natural events that initiate social, political and economic change. Sometimes animals play a role in those changes - such as the domestication of sheep, cattle and horses thousands of years ago as sources of food and burden or the ability to travel quickly and provide their riders with a battle platform. But despite those benefits, Europeans nevertheless continued to some degree to be constrained in their ability to travel long distances across oceans by the limits of nutritional deficiency- that is to say, disease borne of malnutrition. But all this began to change when the Vikings began to dry and store a fish called the Cod, whose particular makeup was unlike that of other fish. When they introduced it to other Europeans, the Basques in particular began salting the cod, which made the fish even more resistant to spoiling, and allowed them to travel great distances by ship. Tied into this new ability to travel was the discovery by fishermen of America - long before the celebrated explorers that we all learned about in school. These fishermen were feeding the impoverished and famine affected population of Europe with American Cod centuries before their monarchs began their official scramble for control of the New World, and the story of how they came to do it is one not widely known. Moreover, its also not widely known, that the Cod played a substantial role not only in the survival, economy and independence of the colonies of North America, but they facilitated significant social, political and economic progress that has led directly to the formation of the liberal democracies we live in today.
#cod #documentary #vikings #basque #history #columbus #exploration #fishing #conservation #cabot #america #newfoundland #canada #bristol

All footage used in this montage is for educational purposes. It remains the property of its respective creators, and is gratefully acknowledged in the end credits. Copyright Disclaimer- under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use. Please contact us on info@heroesandlegends.com.au if you have any concerns about its use. The concept and some of the data used in the video was drawn from Mark Kurlansky's book: Cod- a biography of the fish that changed the world. Grateful acknowledgement and a great read!

Content:
00:00
0:02:55 Basque Prehistory, Roman and Post Roman History
0:10:05 Eric Thorvaldsson
0:12:45 Leif Erikson and the American Viking Colonies
0:18:47 Basque Cod Fishing during the middle ages
0:23:10 The Hanseatic League
0:25:07 Hy-Brazil & the Croft and Jay expedition of 1480
0:27:55 John Cabot / Giovanni Caboto and his connection to Columbus and Vespucci
0:32:04 Joao Fernandes Lavrador
0:34:57 Pre Columbian Atlantic Crossing by of Alonso Sanchez de Huelva
0:37:12 Jacques Cartier's voyage to Canada
0:39:01 Other Pre-Columbian Atlantic Crossings:
0:55:09 The English move into Canada, Salt Problems and the Portuguese alliance
0:59:30 John Smith, Jamestown and the Pilgrim emigration to Plymouth
1:00:00 New England Cod fishing economy and the Codfish Aristocracy
1:05:08 Caribbean exports and the Molasses Aristocracy
1:07:10 The Trade and Navigation Acts; Stamp Act and road to Revolution
1:11:33 John Adams and the Post Revolutionary claims on Fishing Grounds
1:23:34 19th C. Evolutionary theory and Infinite Resources
1:26:50 Clarence Birdseye
1:29:33 Harry Truman, Continental Shelf Laws and the Icelandic Cod Wars
1:37:00 Decline of American Fisheries and Conclusion

ERRATA / CORRIGENDA:
1. while there's no doubt that Eric was grossly exaggerating the charms of Greenland, we do know that during the medieval warm period some isolated farming was possible. I hope viewers will forgive my "milking the meme" for added humour.
2. Hy-Brazil was an Irish Celtic legend about an enchanted island somewhere off the western coast, shrouded in a dense mist that made it difficult to find. It was said to be a paradise, with music, feasting, and eternal youth, and was ruled by a powerful wizard or druid. In the video I suggested it might have originated with Basque or Viking sailors.
3. Its been pointed out the the Basque language is called Euskera or Euskara, not Euskadi.

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