Norse colonization of North America - wikipedia Norse colonization of North America Part of a series on European colonization of the Americas First wave of European colonization British Couronian Danish Dutch French German Hospitaller ( Maltese ) Norse Portuguese Russian Scottish Spanish Swedish Colonization of Canada Colonization of the United States Decolonization Colonialism portal The Norse colonization of North America began in the late 10th century AD when Norsemen explored and settled areas of the North Atlantic including the northeastern fringes of North America. Viking houses were found at L'Anse aux Meadows near the northern tip of Newfoundland in 1960. This discovery aided the reignition of archaeological exploration for the Vikings in the North Atlantic. The Norse colony in Greenland lasted for almost 500 years. Continental North American settlements were small and did not develop into permanent colonies. While voyages, for example to collect timber, are likely to have occurred for some time, there is no evidence of any lasting Norse settlements on mainland North America. Contents 1 Norse Greenland 1.1 Western trade and decline 1.2 Climate and Norse Greenland 2 Vinland 2.1 Leif 's winter camp 2.2 Thorvald 's voyage ( 1004 AD ) 2.3 Karlsefni 's expedition ( 1009 AD ) 3 Pseudohistory 3.1 Horsford 's Norumbega 4 Duration of Norse contact 5 Aftermath 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Norse Greenland Main article : History of Greenland A map of the Eastern Settlement on Greenland, covering approximately the modern municipality of Kujalleq. Eiriksfjord ( Erik 's fjord ) and his farm Brattahlid are shown, as is the location of the bishopric at Gardar. According to the Sagas of Icelanders, Norsemen from Iceland first settled Greenland in the 980s. There is no special reason to doubt the authority of the information that the sagas supply regarding the very beginning of the settlement, but they can not be treated as primary evidence for the history of Norse Greenland because they embody the literary preoccupations of writers and audiences in medieval Iceland that are not always reliable. Erik the Red ( Old Norse : Eiríkr rauði ), having been banished from Iceland for manslaughter, explored the uninhabited southwestern coast of Greenland during the three years of his banishment. He made plans to entice settlers to the area, naming it Greenland on the assumption that `` people would be more eager to go there because the land had a good name ''. The inner reaches of one long fjord, named Eiriksfjord after him, was where he eventually established his estate Brattahlid. He issued tracts of land to his followers. Map showing the extent of the Norse world At its peak the colony consisted of two settlements. The Eastern was at the southwestern tip of Greenland, while the Western Settlement was about 500 km up the west coast, inland from present - day Nuuk. A smaller settlement near the Eastern Settlement is sometimes considered the Middle Settlement. The combined population was around 2,000 -- 3,000. At least 400 farms have been identified by archaeologists. Norse Greenland had a bishopric ( at Garðar ) and exported walrus ivory, furs, rope, sheep, whale or seal blubber, live animals such as polar bears, supposed `` unicorn horns '' ( in reality narwhal tusks ), and cattle hides. In 1126, the population requested a Bishop ( headquartered at Garðar ), and in 1261, they accepted the overlordship of the Norwegian King. They continued to have their own law and became almost completely independent after 1349, the time of the Black Death. In 1380, the Norwegian Kingdom entered into a personal union with the Kingdom of Denmark. Western trade and decline There is evidence of Norse trade with the natives ( called Skraelings by the Vikings ). The Norse would have encountered both Native Americans ( the Beothuk, related to the Algonquin ) and the Thule, the ancestors of the Inuit. The Dorset had withdrawn from Greenland before the Norse settlement of the island. Items such as comb fragments, pieces of iron cooking utensils and chisels, chess pieces, ship rivets, carpenter 's planes, and oaken ship fragments used in Inuit boats have been found far beyond the traditional range of Norse colonization. A small ivory statue that appears to represent a European has also been found among the ruins of an Inuit community house. The colony began to decline in the 14th century. The Western Settlement was abandoned around 1350, and the last bishop at Garðar died in 1377. After a marriage was recorded in 1408, no written records mention the settlers. It is probable that the Eastern Settlement was defunct by the late 15th century. The most recent radiocarbon date found in Norse settlements as of 2002 was 1430 ( ± 15 years ). Several theories have been advanced to explain the decline. The Little Ice Age of this period would have made travel between Greenland and Europe, as well as farming, more difficult ; although fishing and seal hunting provided a healthy diet, there was more prestige in cattle farming, and there was increased availability of farms in Scandinavian countries depopulated by famine and plague epidemics. In addition, Greenlandic ivory may have been supplanted in European markets by cheaper ivory from Africa. Despite the loss of contact with the Greenlanders, the Norwegian - Danish crown continued to consider Greenland a possession. Not knowing whether the old Norse civilization remained in Greenland or not -- and worried that if it did, it would still be Catholic 200 years after the Scandinavian homelands had experienced the Reformation -- a joint merchant - clerical expedition led by the Dano - Norwegian missionary Hans Egede was sent to Greenland in 1721. Though this expedition found no surviving Europeans, it marked the beginning of Denmark 's re-assertion of sovereignty over the island. Climate and Norse Greenland Norse Greenlanders were limited to scattered fjords on the island that provided a spot for their animals ( such as cattle, sheep, goats, dogs, and cats ) to be kept and farms to be established. In these fjords, the farms depended upon byres to host their livestock in the winter, and routinely participated in the culling of their herds in order to survive the season. The coming warmer seasons meant that livestocks were taken from their byres to pasture, the most fertile being controlled by the most powerful farms and the church. What was produced by livestock and farming was supplemented with subsistence hunting of mainly seal and caribou as well as walrus for trade. The Norse mainly relied on the Nordrsetur hunt, a communal hunt of migratory harp seals that would take place during spring. Trade was highly important to the Greenland Norse and they relied on imports of lumber due to the barrenness of Greenland. In turn they exported goods such as walrus ivory and hide, live polar bears, and narwhal tusks. Ultimately these setups were vulnerable as they relied on migratory patterns created by climate as well as the well - being of the few fjords on the island. A portion of the time the Greenland settlements existed was during The Little Ice Age and the climate was, overall, becoming cooler and more humid. As climate began to cool and humidity began to increase, this brought longer winters and shorter springs, more storms and affected the migratory patterns of the harp seal. Pasture space began to dwindle and fodder yields for the winter became much smaller. This combined with regular herd culling made it hard to maintain livestock, especially for the poorest of the Greenland Norse. In spring, the voyages to where migratory harp seals could be found became more dangerous due to more frequent storms, and the lower population of harp seals meant that Nordrsetur hunts became less successful, making subsistence hunting extremely difficult. The strain on resources made trade difficult, and as time went on, Greenland exports lost value in the European market due to competing countries and the lack of interest in what was being traded. In addition, it seemed that the Norse were unwilling to integrate with the indigenous Thule of Greenland, either through marriage or culture. There is evidence of contact as seen through the Thule archaeological record including ivory depictions of the Norse as well as bronze and steel artifacts. However, there is essentially no material evidence of the Thule among Norse artifacts. In older research it was posited that it was not climate change alone that lead to Norse decline, but also their unwillingness to adapt. For example, if the Norse had decided to focus their subsistence hunting on the ringed seal ( which could be hunted year round, though individually ), and decided to reduce or do away with their communal hunts, food would have been much less scarce during the winter season. Also, had Norse individuals used skin instead of wool to produce their clothing, they would have been able to fare better nearer to the coast, and would n't have been as confined to the fjords. However, more recent research has shown that the Norse did try to adapt in their own ways. Some of these attempts included increased subsistence hunting. A significant number of bones of marine animals can be found at the settlements, suggesting increased hunting with the absence of farmed food. In addition, pollen records show that the Norse did n't devastate the small forests and foliage as previously thought. Instead the Norse ensured that overgrazed or overused sections were given time to regrow and moved to other areas. Norse farmers also attempted to adapt. With the increased need for winter fodder and smaller pastures, they would self - fertilize their lands in an attempt to keep up with the new demands caused by the changing climate. However, even with these attempts, climate change was not the only thing putting pressure on the Greenland Norse. The economy was changing, and the exports they relied on were losing value. Current research suggests that the Norse were unable to maintain their colonies because of economic and climatic change happening at the same time. Vinland Main articles : Vinland, L'Anse aux Meadows, and Point Rosee Leif Erikson discovers North America Christian Krogh ( 1893 ). According to the Icelandic sagas -- Eirik the Red 's Saga, Saga of the Greenlanders, plus chapters of the Hauksbók and the Flatey Book -- the Norse started to explore lands to the west of Greenland only a few years after the Greenland settlements were established. In 985 while sailing from Iceland to Greenland with a migration fleet consisting of 400 -- 700 settlers and 25 other ships ( 14 of which completed the journey ), a merchant named Bjarni Herjólfsson was blown off course, and after three days ' sailing he sighted land west of the fleet. Bjarni was only interested in finding his father 's farm, but he described his discovery to Leif Erikson who explored the area in more detail and planted a small settlement fifteen years later. The sagas describe three separate areas discovered during this exploration : Helluland, which means `` land of the flat stones '' ; Markland, `` the land of forests '', definitely of interest to settlers in Greenland where there were few trees ; and Vinland, `` the land of wine '', found somewhere south of Markland. It was in Vinland that the settlement described in the sagas was founded. Three of Erik the Red 's children visited the North American continent : his sons Leif and Thorvald, and their sister ( or half - sister ) Freydis. Thorvald died there. This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. ( April 2016 ) Leif 's winter camp The Skálholt Map Using the routes, landmarks, currents, rocks, and winds that Bjarni had described to him, Leif sailed from Greenland westward across the Labrador Sea, with a crew of 35 -- sailing the same knarr Bjarni had used to make the voyage. He described Helluland as `` level and wooded, with broad white beaches wherever they went and a gently sloping shoreline. '' Leif and others had wanted his father, Erik the Red, to lead this expedition and talked him into it. However, as Erik attempted to join his son Leif on the voyage towards these new lands, he fell off his horse as it slipped on the wet rocks near the shore ; thus he was injured and stayed behind. Leif wintered in 1001, probably near Cape Bauld on the northern tip of Newfoundland, where one day his foster father Tyrker was found drunk, on what the saga describes as `` wine - berries. '' Squashberries, gooseberries, and cranberries all grew wild in the area. There are varying explanations for Leif apparently describing fermented berries as `` wine. '' Leif spent another winter at `` Leifsbúðir '' without conflict, and sailed back to Brattahlíð in Greenland to assume filial duties to his father. Thorvald 's voyage ( 1004 AD ) In 1004, Leif 's brother Thorvald Eiriksson sailed with a crew of 30 men to Vinland and spent the following winter at Leif 's camp. In the spring, Thorvald attacked nine of the local people who were sleeping under three skin - covered canoes. The ninth victim escaped and soon came back to the Norse camp with a force. Thorvald was killed by an arrow that succeeded in passing through the barricade. Although brief hostilities ensued, the Norse explorers stayed another winter and left the following spring. Subsequently, another of Leif 's brothers, Thorstein, sailed to the New World to retrieve his dead brother 's body, but he died before leaving Greenland. Summer in the Greenland coast circa year 1000 by Jens Erik Carl Rasmussen ( 1841 -- 1893 ) Karlsefni 's expedition ( 1009 AD ) In 1009 Thorfinn Karlsefni, also known as `` Thorfinn the Valiant '', supplied three ships with livestock and 160 men and women ( although another source sets the number of settlers at 250 ). After a cruel winter, he headed south and landed at Straumfjord. He later moved to Straumsöy, possibly because the current was stronger there. A sign of peaceful relations between the indigenous peoples and the Norsemen is noted here. The two sides bartered with furs and gray squirrel skins for milk and red cloth, which the natives tied around their heads as a sort of headdress. There are conflicting stories but one account states that a bull belonging to Karlsefni came storming out of the wood, so frightening the natives that they ran to their skin - boats and rowed away. They returned three days later, in force. The natives used catapults, hoisting `` a large sphere on a pole ; it was dark blue in color '' and about the size of a sheep 's belly, which flew over the heads of the men and made an ugly din. The Norsemen retreated. Leif Erikson 's half - sister Freydís Eiríksdóttir was pregnant and unable to keep up with the retreating Norsemen. She called out to them to stop fleeing from `` such pitiful wretches '', adding that if she had weapons, she could do better than that. Freydís seized the sword belonging to a man who had been killed by the natives. She pulled one of her breasts out of her bodice and struck it with the sword, frightening the natives, who fled. Pseudohistory Purported runestones have been found in North America, most famously the Kensington Runestone. These are generally considered to be hoaxes or misinterpretations of Native American petroglyphs. There are many claims of Norse colonization in New England, none well - founded. Monuments claimed to be Norse include : Stone Tower in Newport, Rhode Island The petroglyphs on Dighton Rock, from the Taunton River in Massachusetts The runes on Narragansett Runestone Horsford 's Norumbega Main article : Eben Norton Horsford § Viking The nineteenth - century Harvard chemist Eben Norton Horsford connected the Charles River Basin to places described in the Norse sagas and elsewhere, notably Norumbega. He published several books on the topic and had plaques, monuments, and statues erected in honor of the Norse. His work received little support from mainstream historians and archeologists at the time, and even less today. Duration of Norse contact Settlements in continental North America aimed to exploit natural resources such as furs and in particular lumber, which was in short supply in Greenland. It is unclear why the short - term settlements did not become permanent, though it was likely in part because of hostile relations with the indigenous peoples, referred to as Skrælings by the Norse. Nevertheless, it appears that sporadic voyages to Markland for forages, timber, and trade with the locals could have lasted as long as 400 years. Evidence of continuing trips includes the Maine Penny, a Norwegian coin from King Olaf Kyrre 's reign ( 1067 -- 1093 ) allegedly found in a Native American archaeological site in the U.S. state of Maine, suggesting an exchange between the Norse and the Native Americans late in or after the 11th century ; and an entry in the Icelandic Annals from 1347 which refers to a small Greenlandic vessel with a crew of eighteen that arrived in Iceland while attempting to return to Greenland from Markland with a load of timber. Aftermath For centuries it remained unclear whether the Icelandic stories represented real voyages by the Norse to North America. The sagas first gained serious historic respectability when, in 1837, the Danish antiquarian Carl Christian Rafn pointed out the possibility for a Norse settlement in, or voyages to, North America. North America, by the name Winland, first appeared in written sources in a work by Adam of Bremen from approximately 1075. The most important works about North America and the early Norse activities there, namely the Sagas of Icelanders, first reached written form only in the 13th and 14th centuries. Evidence of Norse west of Greenland came in the 1960s when archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad and her husband, outdoorsman and author Helge Ingstad, excavated a Norse settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland. The location of the various lands described in the sagas remains unclear, however. Many historians identify Helluland with Baffin Island and Markland with Labrador. The location of Vinland poses a thornier question. Most believe that the L'Anse aux Meadows settlement represents the Vinland settlement described in the sagas ; others argue that the sagas depict Vinland as warmer than Newfoundland and therefore lying farther south. In 2012 Canadian researchers identified possible signs of Norse outposts in Nanook at Tanfield Valley on Baffin Island, as well as on Nunguvik, Willows Island and Avayalik. Unusual fabric cordage found on Baffin Island in the 1980s and stored at the Canadian Museum of Civilization was identified in 1999 as possibly of Norse manufacture ; that discovery led to more in - depth exploration of the Tanfield Valley archaeological site. Archeological findings in 2015 at Point Rosee, on the southwest coast of Newfoundland, were originally thought to reveal evidence of a turf wall and the roasting of bog iron ore, and therefore a possible second 10th century Viking settlement in Canada. Findings from the 2016 excavation suggest the turf wall and the roasted bog iron ore discovered in 2015 were the result of natural processes. The possible settlement was initially discovered through satellite imagery in 2014, and archaeologists excavated the area in 2015 and 2016. Birgitta Linderoth Wallace, one of the leading experts of Viking archaeology in North America and an expert on the Viking settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows, is unsure of the identification of Point Rosee as a Norse site. Archaeologist Karen Milek was a member of the 2016 Point Rosee excavation and is a Norse expert. She also expressed doubt that Point Rosee was a Norse site as there are no good landing sites for their boats and there are steep cliffs between the shoreline and the excavation site. The Skálholt Map, made by an Icelandic teacher in 1570, depicts part of north - eastern North America mentioning Helluland, Markland and Vinland. See also Settlement of the Americas Timeline of pre-Columbian trans - oceanic contact Point Rosee References Jump up ^ Pálsson, Hermann ( 1965 ). The Vinland sagas : the Norse discovery of America. Penguin Classics. p. 28. ISBN 0 - 14 - 044154 - 9. Retrieved 2010 - 04 - 15. Jump up ^ Fitzhugh, William W, ' Vikings : The north Atlantic saga ', Anthronotes museum of natural history publication for education, available at www.anthropology.si.edu. Jump up ^ Irwin, Constance ; Strange Footprints on the Land ; Harper&Row, New York, 1980 ; ISBN 0 - 06 - 022772 - 9 Jump up ^ Grove, Jonathan. 2009. ( 1 ), in Norse Greenland : Selected Papers of the Hvalsey Conference 2008, Journal of the North Atlantic Special Volume 2, 30 -- 51 Jump up ^ He remained there making explorations for three years and decided to found a colony there ( Anderson, Rasmus B. ( February 18, 2004 ) ( 1906 ). Hare, John Bruno, ed. `` Norse voyages in the tenth and following centuries ''. The Norse Discovery of America. Retrieved 2008 - 08 - 27. ). Jump up ^ Reeves, Arthur Middleton ; Anderson, Rasmus B. ( 1906 ). `` Discovery and colonization of Greenland ''. Saga of Erik the Red. Retrieved 2008 - 08 - 27. The first winter he was at Eriksey, nearly in the middle of the eastern settlement ; the spring after repaired he to Eriksfjord, and took up there his abode. He removed in summer to the western settlement, and gave to many places names. He was the second winter at Holm in Hrafnsgnipa, but the third summer went he to Iceland, and came with his ship into Breidafjord. Jump up ^ Íslendingabók at Wikisource. ^ Jump up to : Wernick, Robert ; The Seafarers : The Vikings, ( 1979 ), 176 pages, Time - Life Books, Alexandria, Virginia : ISBN 0 - 8094 - 2709 - 5. Jump up ^ Lynnerup, N ( 2014 ). `` Endperiod Demographics of the Greenland Norse ''. Journal of the North Atlantic. 7 ( sp7 ) : 18 -- 24. doi : 10.3721 / 037.002. sp702. ^ Jump up to : Wahlgren, Erik ( 1986 ). The Vikings and America. New York : Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0 - 500 - 02109 - 0. Jump up ^ Stockinger, Günther ( 10 January 2012 ). `` Archaeologists Uncover Clues to Why Vikings Abandoned Greenland ''. Der Spiegel Online. Retrieved 12 January 2013. ^ Jump up to : Pringle, Heather ( 1997 - 02 - 14 ). `` Death in Norse Greenland ''. Science. 275 ( 5302 ) : 924 -- 926. doi : 10.1126 / science. 275.5302. 924. ISSN 0036 - 8075. ^ Jump up to : Dugmore, Andrew J. ; McGovern, Thomas H. ; Vésteinsson, Orri ; Arneborg, Jette ; Streeter, Richard ; Keller, Christian ( 2012 ). `` Cultural adaptation, compounding vulnerabilities and conjunctures in Norse Greenland ''. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 109 ( 10 ) : 3658 -- 3663. doi : 10.1073 / pnas. 1115292109. JSTOR 41507015. PMC 3309771. ^ Jump up to : Berglund, Joel ( 1986 ). `` The Decline of the Norse Settlements in Greenland ''. Arctic Anthropology. 23 ( 1 / 2 ) : 109 -- 135. JSTOR 40316106. ^ Jump up to : McGovern, Thomas H. ( 1980 ). `` Cows, Harp Seals, and Churchbells : Adaptation and Extinction in Norse Greenland ''. Human Ecology. 8 ( 3 ) : 245 -- 275. doi : 10.1007 / bf01561026. JSTOR 4602559. Jump up ^ McGovern, Thomas H. ( 1991 ). `` Climate, Correlation, and Causation in Norse Greenland ''. Arctic Anthropology. 28 ( 2 ) : 77 -- 100. JSTOR 40316278. ^ Jump up to : `` Why did Greenland 's Vikings disappear ? ''. Science AAAS. 2016 - 11 - 07. Retrieved 2018 - 03 - 05. Jump up ^ `` The Fate of Greenland 's Vikings - Archaeology Magazine Archive ''. archive.archaeology.org. Retrieved 2018 - 03 - 06. Jump up ^ Sephton, J. ( 1880 ). `` The Saga of Erik the Red ''. Icelandic Saga Database. Retrieved 2010 - 08 - 11. ^ Jump up to : Oxenstierna, Eric ; The Norsemen ( 1965 ), 320 pages, New York Graphic Soc. : ISBN 1 - 122 - 21631 - 9 ^ Jump up to : Magnusson, Magnus ; Palsson, Hermann ( 1965 ). The Vinland Sagas. Penguin Books. ISBN 978 - 0 - 14 - 044154 - 3. Jump up ^ Annette Kolodny, `` Fictions of American Prehistory : Indians, Archeology, and National Origin Myths '', American Literature 75 4 : 693 -- 721, December 2003 full text at Project MUSE Jump up ^ Christopher Klein, `` Uncovering New England 's Viking connections '', Boston Globe, November 23, 2013 ( 2 ) Jump up ^ Robin Fleming ( 1995 ). `` Picturesque History and the Medieval in Nineteenth - Century America ''. The American Historical Review. 100 ( 4 ) : 1079 -- 82. doi : 10.1086 / ahr / 100.4. 1061. JSTOR 2168201. Jump up ^ Eben Norton Horsford ; Edward Henry Clement ( 1890 ). The discovery of the ancient city of Norumbega : A communication to the president and council of the American Geographical Society at their special session in Watertown, November 21, 1889. Houghton, Mifflin. p. 14. Retrieved 1 September 2011. Jump up ^ `` Did Leif Erikson once live in Cambridge, Massachusetts ? ''. The Straight Dope. Retrieved 2009 - 02 - 10. Jump up ^ Steven Williams, Fantastic Archaeology : The Wild Side of North American Prehistory, 1991. Jump up ^ Gloria Polizzotti Greis `` VIKINGS on the CHARLES or The Strange Saga of Dighton Rock, Norumbega, and Rumford Double - Acting Baking Powder ''. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved 2012 - 02 - 18... Needham Historical Society Jump up ^ Diamond, Jared : Collapse : How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed Jump up ^ Murrin, John M ; Johnson, Paul E ; McPherson, James M ; Gerstle, Gary ( 2008 ). Liberty, Equality, Power : A History of the American People, Compact. Thomson Wadsworth. p. 6. ISBN 978 - 0 - 495 - 41101 - 7. Retrieved 2010 - 11 - 24. Jump up ^ Schledermann, Peter. 1996. Voices in Stone. A Personal Journey into the Arctic Past. Komatik Series no. 5. Calgary : The Arctic Institute of North America and the University of Calgary. Jump up ^ Sutherland, Patricia. 2000. `` The Norse and Native Norse Americans ''. In William W. Fitzhugh and Elisabeth I. Ward, eds., Vikings : The North Atlantic Saga, pp. 238 -- 47. Washington, DC : The Smithsonian Institution. Jump up ^ `` Markland and Helluland ''. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. pp. Archeology page and following. Retrieved 2008 - 08 - 14. Jump up ^ Pringle, Heather ( 19 Oct 2012 ). `` Evidence of Viking Outpost Found in Canada ''. National Geographic News. National Geographic Society. Retrieved 2013 - 01 - 28. Jump up ^ Pringle, Heather ( November 2012 ). `` Vikings and Native Americans ''. National Geographic. 221 ( 11 ). Retrieved 2013 - 01 - 28. Jump up ^ The Nature of Things ( 22 Nov 2012 ). `` The Norse : An Arctic Mystery ''. CBC Television. Retrieved 2013 - 01 - 29. Jump up ^ Strauss, Mark ( March 31, 2016 ). `` Discovery Could Rewrite History of Vikings in New World ''. National Geographic. Jump up ^ Pringle, Heather ( March 2017 ). `` Vikings ''. National Geographic. 231 ( 3 ). Retrieved May 14, 2017. Jump up ^ Kean, Gary ( September 30, 2017 ). `` Update : Archaeologist thinks Codroy Valley may have once been visited by Vikings ''. The Western Star. Retrieved March 13, 2018. Jump up ^ Kean, Gary ( April 2, 2016 ). `` Update : Archaeologist thinks Codroy Valley may have once been visited by Vikings ''. The Western Star. Jump up ^ Strauss, Mark ( March 31, 2016 ). `` Discovery Could Rewrite History of Vikings in New World ''. National Geographic. Jump up ^ Barry, Garrett ( April 1, 2016 ). `` Potential Viking site found in Newfoundland ''. CBC. Jump up ^ Bird, Lindsay ( September 12, 2016 ). `` On the trail of Vikings : Latest search for Norse in North America ''. CBC. Jump up ^ Ingstad, Helga ; Ingstad, Anne Stine ( 2001 ). The Viking Discovery of America : The Excavation of a Norse Settlement in L'Anse Aux Meadows, Newfoundland. Facts on File. p. 111. ISBN 978 - 0816047161. Retrieved 11 December 2016. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Norse colonization of the Americas. L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site of Canada website Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage website Norse exploration of the Americas Explorers Erik the Red Leif Erikson Thorvald Eiriksson Freydís Eiríksdóttir Gunnbjörn Ulfsson Snæbjörn Galti Bjarni Herjólfsson Thorfinn Karlsefni Helgi and Finnbogi Places Greenland Vinland Eastern Settlement Western Settlement Middle Settlement Markland Helluland L'Anse aux Meadows Gunnbjörn 's skerries Great Ireland Point Rosee Skræling Tanfield Valley Kingdom of Saguenay Norumbega Artifacts Maine penny Skálholt Map Accounts and study Literature Saga of Erik the Red Grœnlendinga saga Flateyjarbók Hauksbók Gesta Hammaburgensis ecclesiae pontificum Book of Icelanders Researchers Adam of Bremen Carl Christian Rafn Helge Ingstad Anne Stine Ingstad Disputed sources Kensington Runestone Vinland map In popular culture Leif Erikson Day Vinland Saga album manga `` Immigrant Song '' Pathfinder Related topics Viking ship Norwegian penning Pre-Columbian trans - oceanic contact History of Greenland History of Nunavut History of Newfoundland Iceland Norway Former colonies and territories in Canada Norse Named Territories Vinland Markland Helluland Sites L'Anse aux Meadows Point Rosee French Claims New France Acadia Isle St - Jean Île Royale Canada Domaine du roy Louisiana Pays d'en Haut Terre Neuve Important sites Port Royal Quebec Trois - Rivières Montreal Louisbourg Plaisance List of towns List of Forts Spanish Claims New Spain Important sites Fort San Miguel, Nootka Sound Expeditions Newfoundland Pacific Northwest Scottish Claims Nova Scotia ( 1621 ) Sites Port Royal Colony Russian Claims Russian America American Claims Oregon Country English & British Claims Newfoundland ( 1583 ) New Albion ( ? ) Rupert 's Land Nova Scotia ( 1710 ) Quebec Lower and Upper Canada New Brunswick Prince Edward Island Cape Breton United Canada New Caledonia Columbia District Queen Charlotte Islands Vancouver Island British Columbia ( 1858 -- 66 ) British Columbia ( 1866 -- 71 ) Stickeen North - Western Territory ( districts ) Red River Important sites Cuper 's Cove Avalon ( 1620 ) York Factory Halifax Victoria Fort Langley List of HBC sites Norwegian Claims Sverdrup Islands Related Territorial evolution after 1867 Areas disputed by Canada and the United States Proposed provinces and territories of Canada Population of Canada Category Portal WikiProject European colonization of North America British Danish Dutch French Norwegian Russian Spanish Swedish Article also discusses colonization in Central and South America and Asia Polar exploration Arctic Ocean History Expeditions Research stations Farthest North North Pole Barentsz Hudson Marmaduke Carolus Parry North Magnetic Pole J. Ross J.C. Ross Abernethy Kane Hayes Polaris Polaris C.F. Hall British Arctic Expedition HMS Alert Nares HMS Discovery Stephenson Markham Lady Franklin Bay Expedition Greely Lockwood Brainard 1st Fram expedition Fram Nansen Johansen Sverdrup Jason Amedeo F. Cook Peary Sedov Byrd Airship Norge Amundsen Nobile Wisting Riiser - Larsen Ellsworth Airship Italia Nautilus Wilkins ANT - 25 Chkalov Baydukov Belyakov `` North Pole '' manned drifting ice stations NP - 1 Papanin Shirshov E. Fyodorov Krenkel NP - 36 NP - 37 Sedov Badygin Wiese USS Nautilus USS Skate Plaisted Herbert NS Arktika Barneo Arktika 2007 Mir submersibles Sagalevich Chilingarov Iceland Greenland Pytheas Brendan Papar Vikings Naddodd Svavarsson Arnarson Norse colonization of the Americas Ulfsson Galti Erik the Red Christian IV 's expeditions J. Hall Cunningham Lindenov C. Richardson Danish colonization Egede Scoresby Jason Nansen Sverdrup Peary Rasmussen Northwest Passage Northern Canada Cabot G. Corte - Real M. Corte - Real Frobisher Gilbert Davis Hudson Discovery Bylot Baffin Munk I. Fyodorov Gvozdev HMS Resolution J. Cook HMS Discovery Clerke Mackenzie Kotzebue J. Ross HMS Griper Parry HMS Hecla Lyon HMS Fury Hoppner Crozier J.C. Ross Coppermine Expedition Franklin Back Dease Simpson HMS Blossom Beechey Franklin 's lost expedition HMS Erebus HMS Terror Collinson Rae -- Richardson Expedition Rae J. Richardson Austin McClure Expedition HMS Investigator McClure HMS Resolute Kellett Belcher Kennedy Bellot Isabel Inglefield 2nd Grinnell Expedition USS Advance Kane Fox McClintock HMS Pandora Young Fram Sverdrup Gjøa Amundsen Rasmussen Karluk Stefansson Bartlett St. Roch H. Larsen Cowper North East Passage Russian Arctic Pomors Koch boats Willoughby Chancellor Barentsz Mangazeya Hudson Poole Siberian Cossacks Perfilyev Stadukhin Dezhnev Popov Ivanov Vagin Permyakov Great Northern Expedition Bering Chirikov Malygin Ovtsyn Minin V. Pronchishchev M. Pronchishcheva Chelyuskin Kh. Laptev D. Laptev Chichagov Lyakhov Billings Sannikov Gedenschtrom Wrangel Matyushkin Anjou Litke Lavrov Pakhtusov Tsivolko Middendorff Austro - Hungarian Expedition Weyprecht Payer Vega Expedition A.E. Nordenskiöld Palander USS Jeannette De Long Yermak Makarov Zarya Toll Kolomeitsev Matisen Kolchak Sedov Rusanov Kuchin Brusilov Expedition Sv. Anna Brusilov Albanov Konrad Wiese Nagórski Taymyr / Vaygach Vilkitsky Maud Amundsen AARI Samoylovich Begichev Urvantsev Sadko Ushakov Glavsevmorput Schmidt Aviaarktika Shevelev Sibiryakov Voronin Chelyuskin Krassin Gakkel Nuclear - powered icebreakers NS Lenin Arktika class Antarctic Continent History Expeditions Southern Ocean Roché Bouvet Kerguelen HMS Resolution J. Cook HMS Adventure Furneaux Smith San Telmo Vostok Bellingshausen Mirny Lazarev Bransfield Palmer Davis Weddell Morrell Astrolabe Dumont d'Urville United States Exploring Expedition USS Vincennes Wilkes USS Porpoise Ringgold Ross expedition HMS Erebus ( J.C. Ross Abernethy ) HMS Terror ( Crozier ) Cooper Challenger expedition HMS Challenger Nares Murray Jason C.A. Larsen `` Heroic Age '' Belgian Antarctic Expedition Belgica de Gerlache Lecointe Amundsen Cook Arctowski Racoviță Dobrowolski Southern Cross Southern Cross Borchgrevink Discovery Discovery Discovery Hut Gauss Gauss Drygalski Swedish Antarctic Expedition Antarctic O. Nordenskjöld C.A. Larsen Scottish Antarctic Expedition Bruce Scotia Orcadas Base Nimrod Expedition Nimrod French Antarctic Expeditions Pourquoi - Pas Charcot Japanese Antarctic Expedition Shirase Amundsen 's South Pole expedition Fram Amundsen Framheim Polheim Terra Nova Terra Nova Scott Wilson E.R. Evans Crean Lashly Filchner Australasian Antarctic Expedition SY Aurora Mawson Far Eastern Party Imperial Trans - Antarctic Expedition Endurance Ernest Shackleton Wild James Caird Ross Sea party Mackintosh Shackleton -- Rowett Expedition Quest IPY IGY Modern research Christensen Byrd BANZARE BGLE Rymill New Swabia Ritscher Operation Tabarin Marr Operation Highjump Captain Arturo Prat Base British Antarctic Survey Operation Windmill Ketchum Ronne Expedition F. Ronne E. Ronne Schlossbach Operation Deep Freeze McMurdo Station Commonwealth Trans - Antarctic Expedition Hillary V. Fuchs Soviet Antarctic Expeditions 1st Somov Klenova Mirny 2nd Tryoshnikov 3rd Tolstikov Antarctic Treaty System Transglobe Expedition Fiennes Burton Lake Vostok Kapitsa Farthest South South Pole HMS Resolution J. Cook HMS Adventure Furneaux Weddell HMS Erebus J.C. Ross HMS Terror Crozier Southern Cross Borchgrevink Discovery Barne Nimrod Shackleton Wild Marshall Adams South Magnetic Pole Mawson David Mackay Amundsen 's South Pole expedition Fram Amundsen Bjaaland Helmer Hassel Wisting Polheim Terra Nova Scott E. Evans Oates Wilson Bowers Byrd Balchen McKinley Dufek Amundsen -- Scott South Pole Station Hillary V. Fuchs Pole of Cold Vostok Station Pole of inaccessibility Pole of Inaccessibility Station Tolstikov Crary A. Fuchs Messner Greenland articles Greenland is a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark History Timeline Paleo - Eskimo Dorset culture Thule people Norse Colonization Eastern Settlement Western Settlement Language Skræling Hans Egede Treaty of Kiel Erik the Red 's Land World War II Thule accident Home rule Autonomy ( self - rule ) Cartographic expeditions Geography Climate change Fjords Geology Glaciers Ice sheet Islands Mountains National park Rivers Straits Towns and villages Wildlife Politics Administrative divisions Elections Independence movement Foreign relations Greenland and the EU High Commissioner Inatsisartut ( Greenlandic Parliament ) Law enforcement LGBT rights Military Political parties Prime Minister Territorial claims Economy Bank Companies Krone ( currency ) Fishing industry Mining National Bank Caribou hunting Taxation Telecommunications Tourism Transport airports Society Demographics Inuit Inughuit Kalaallit Tunumiit Danes Danish Suicide Culture Art ( Artists ) Cuisine Greenlandic Danish Jante Law Mythology Language Greenlandic Music Public holidays Religion Sports Symbols Coat of arms Flag National ( civic ) anthem Royal anthem Outline Index Category Portal Pre-Columbian North America Periods Lithic Archaic Formative Classic Post-Classic Archaeological cultures Adena Alachua Ancient Beringian Ancient Pueblo ( Anasazi ) Baytown Belle Glade Buttermilk Creek Complex Caborn - Welborn Calf Creek Caloosahatchee Clovis Coles Creek Comondú Deptford Folsom Fort Ancient Fort Walton Fremont Glacial Kame Glades Hohokam Hopewell List of Hopewell sites La Jolla Las Palmas Leon - Jefferson Mississippian List of Mississippian sites Mogollon Monongahela Old Cordilleran Oneota Paleo - Arctic Paleo - Indians Patayan Plano Plaquemine Poverty Point Red Ocher Santa Rosa - Swift Creek St. Johns Steed - Kisker Tchefuncte Tocobaga Troyville Archaeological sites Angel Mounds Anzick Clovis burial Bandelier National Monument Blue Spring Shelter The Bluff Point Stoneworks Cahokia Candelaria Cave Casa Grande Chaco Canyon Coso Rock Art District Crystal River Archaeological State Park Cuarenta Casas Cueva de la Olla Eaker El Fin del Mundo El Vallecito Effigy Mounds National Monument Etowah Indian Mounds Eva Folsom Site Fort Ancient Fort Center Fort Juelson Four Mounds Site Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument Glenwood Grimes Point Holly Bluff Site Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Huápoca Kimball Village Kincaid Mounds Kolomoki Mounds Lake Jackson Mounds L'Anse aux Meadows Marksville Marmes Rockshelter Meadowcroft Rockshelter Mesa Verde Moaning Cavern Moorehead Circle Morrison Mounds Moundville Mummy Cave Nodena Site Ocmulgee National Monument Old Stone Fort Orwell Site Paquime Parkin Park Pinson Mounds Portsmouth Earthworks Poverty Point Pueblo Bonito Recapture Canyon Rock Eagle Rock Hawk Russell Cave National Monument Salmon Ruins Serpent Mound Sierra de San Francisco Spiro Mounds SunWatch Taos Pueblo Toltec Mounds Town Creek Indian Mound Turkey River Mounds Upward Sun River site Velda Mound West Oak Forest Earthlodge Winterville Wupatki National Monument Human remains Anzick - 1 Arlington Springs Man Buhl Woman Kennewick Man La Brea Woman Leanderthal Lady Minnesota Woman Spirit Cave mummy Miscellaneous Aridoamerica Black drink Ceremonial pipe Chunkey Clovis point Container Revolution Eastern Agricultural Complex Eden point Effigy mound Falcon dancer Folsom point Green Corn Ceremony Horned Serpent Kiva Medicine wheel Metallurgy Mi'kmaq hieroglyphic writing Mound Builders N.A.G.P.R.A. Norse colonization of North America Oasisamerica Piasa Southeastern Ceremonial Complex Stickball Three Sisters agriculture Thunderbird Underwater panther Water glyphs Related Genetic history Portal of Indigenous peoples of North America Pre-Columbian era Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Norse_colonization_of_North_America&oldid=841442730 '' Categories : Colonization of the Americas History of Greenland Pre-Columbian trans - oceanic contact Viking exploration of North America Pre-Reformation dioceses in Nordic Europe Viking Age populated places Populated places established in the 10th century Sagas Sagas of Icelanders 10th century in North America 15th century in North America Medieval Norway Norwegian Empire Hidden categories : Articles to be expanded from April 2016 All articles to be expanded Articles using small message boxes All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from June 2017 Articles with unsourced statements from August 2015 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Dansk Deutsch Eesti Español Esperanto Français Galego 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano Lietuvių Magyar 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Svenska 中文 12 more Edit links This page was last edited on 15 May 2018, at 21 : 41. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when did the vikings first come to north america
Answer: the late 10th century AD