Failed Colonies - Dreamy Empires explores the history of unsuccessful and partly forgotten explorers and conquerors who set off for America from England, France or German countries. The book shows what plans they forged, how they dealt with setbacks and how their colonial failure resulted Empires paved the way. The beginnings of European expansion not only consisted of the disastrous rise of the Iberian colonial empires for indigenous cultures, it was also the story of the loss-making failure of people who set out from England, France or German countries with high expectations to become Discoverer or conqueror to become famous. This book offers an overall history of their unsuccessful colonial projects in North and South America. It combines the representation of political intrigues, mutinies, battles at sea and intercultural encounters with an analysis of the processing, concealment or even denial of shit tern. Particular attention is paid to indigenous actors who have influenced the history of colonial projects for more than a hundred years through knowledge transfer, trade, boycotts or violence. The study shows that unsuccessful Europeans also shaped the ideas of the new world and thus paved the way for colonial empires.