Norse America

Vinland, Vineland or Winland (Old Norse: Vínland) is the area of coastal North America explored by Norse Vikings, where Leif Erikson first landed in c. 1000, approximately five centuries prior to the voyages of Christopher Columbus and John Cabot. Vinland is the name given to North America as far as it's been explored by the Vikings, including both Newfoundland and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence as far as northeastern New Brunswick (where the eponymous grapevines are famous), as far south as Heitr land, and as far west as the Nytr River or Flatrland, although Vikings tend not to speak of that area as it's full of hordes that roam and pillage without governance. Today, there's Vinland the country and Vinland the continent (equivalent of OTL Eastern/Central North America). Although the vikings have been majorly focused on areas East of the Nytr River (OTL Mississippi River), they had settled but eventually lost their colonies on the west coast because of the lightness of settlement there (called Varmrland do to it's hot and humid climate), mixed aboriginal/viking races likely still exist and mingle on that side of the continent.
== Founding ==
The main sources of information about the Norse voyages to Vinland are two Icelandic sagas, the Saga of Eric the Red and the Saga of the Greenlanders. These stories are preserved by oral tradition, although they were written down some 250 years after the events they describe. The existence of two versions of the story shows some of the challenges of using traditional sources for history, because they share a large number of story elements but use them in different ways. A possible example is the reference to two different men named Bjarni who are blown off course. A brief summary of the plots of the two sagas, given at the end of this article, shows other examples.
The sagas report that a considerable number of Vikings were in parties that visited Vinland. Thorfinn Karlsefni's crew consisted of 140 or 160 people according to Saga of Eric the Red, 60 according to the Greenland Saga. Still according to the latter, Leif Ericson led a company of 35, Thorvald Eiriksson a company of 30, and Helgi and Finnbogi had 30 crew members.
According to the Saga of Erik the Red, Þorfinnr "Karlsefni" Þórðarson and a company of 160 men, going south from Greenland traversed an open stretch of sea, found Helluland, another stretch of sea, Markland, another stretch of sea, the headland of Kjalarnes, the Wonderstrands, Straumfjörð and at last a place called Hóp, a bountiful place where no snow fell during winter. However, after several years away from Greenland, they chose to turn back to their homes when they realised that they would otherwise face an indefinite conflict with the natives.
This saga references the place-name Vinland in four ways. First, it is identified as the land found by Leif Ericson. Karlsefni and his men subsequently find "vín-ber" near the Wonderstrands. Later, the tale locates Vinland to the south of Markland, with the headland of Kjalarnes at its northern extreme. However, it also mentions that while at Straumfjord, some of the explorers wished to go in search for Vinland west of Kjalarnes.
=== 1000-1250 ===
For 250 years Vinland began it's growth, from a meek couple hundred people to nearly 2500. Trade with Greenland progressively faded by 1100 until all of the Greenlandic vikings moved to Vinland, do to the increasingly cold climate in Greenland, in an 1134 migration. This second wave of Norsemen led to the first real explosion of population in Vinland; while those Greenlanders themselves only numbered around 250, they helped revitalize Vinland and eventually led to the nearly 2500 people the colony had by 1250. By 1250 Vinland stretched down the Eastern Seaboard, from Labrador to the largest settlement thus far, containing nearly 1000 of the 2500 people, Ericson, in OTL Savannah, Georgia.
=== 1250-1500 ===
This was the golden age of Vinland. Not only did the last remnants of the Norse from Scandinavia move to Vinland, making a stop in Greenland and lightly settling the area once again, then rekindling with their fellow Vikings in Vinland. According to the Second Saga, these vikings from Scandinavia spoke with a "funny accent" as the language across the Atlantic had apparently changed. In 1325 Erikson expanded rapidly and grew to a population of nearly 3000, more than all the people who had lived in Vinland 75 years prior. Early explorations inland led to the discovery of the Grjotbjorg (OTL Appalachians) and North of those to the discovery of the storr vatns (great lakes) and some major settlement of the Erik Lowlands (considered a colony of Vinland) between the lakes, being the second population hotspot after the Southlands, where Erikson lay. While the black death hit Europe, Vinland prospered, and the lakes provided all the fresh water to the Lowlands after the first dam was built in 1482 diverted a tad bit of water from the southern-most vatn, which collected in ponds and swamplands throughout the southern Lowlands. Early water-pumps were invented in 1497, allowing for all of the Lowlands, including even the western-most portion of Vinland (the country), to get water from these reservoirs.
=== 1500-1750 ===
Vinland reached 25,000 people by 1750, but during this period bigger explorations were made. According to the Third Saga, the Flatrland was first explored in 1543, when Jarold Varlisn led a small expedition past the Grjotbjorg to see what lay beyond. He also reportedly witnessed other darker Europeans in the distance to the south, but layed-low as to not be detected. Slowly, people used Varlisn Pass (an area where one could cross the Grjotbjorg by horse do to less steepness) to settle the Flatrland in small numbers, forming ungovernable lawless territories where they could plunder all they'd like (basically the Wild West of OTL). In the north around the storr vatns the vikings living there experienced the harshest winter in their history in 1601, with coldness not seen since the days of the Greenland colony. In the Southlands Erikson City absorbed numerous nearby settlements and gained the status of capital of Vinland, taking the title away from the city of Vinland in OTL Newfoundland. In 1731 the first contact between vikings and their south-western neighbors, the Spanish, were recorded. The contact led to a brief war between the Hordes of central Vinland and the Spanish of what was now deemed southern Vinland (in the context of the continent) in which the Hordes, having horses and advanced weaponry adapted for Vinland's climate, pillaged enough villages to settle some of OTL northern Mexico and some even went as far west as possible, reaching Varmrland (OTL Nevada and California) in 1748. The Hordes were increasingly independent of Vinland proper, even though that's where all of the Horde's people were from, and by 1750 one could hardly call them Vinlandic people.
=== 1750-1800 The Golden Age Of Piracy ===
Off the coast of Vinland the first pirate activity occurred long before the Golden Age began, some three hundred years before in fact. These pirates, who were both Vinlanders and Europeans alike, plundered along the coast while making small port-cities across the Caribbean islands. At the dawn of their golden age piracy ran so rampant that Viking trade ships refused to leave Vinland's ports for fear of the Pirates. Vinland decided the easiest way to deal with the pirates was to build up an incredible navy, and whatever money Vinland have went into this navy to smash what amounted to a Pirate blockade. In 1797, with the completion of the navy, Vinland openly declared war on the pirates and smashed through the de-facto blockade, vowing to wipe out piracy in it's entirety, during the period of 1797-1803.
=== 1800-1900 ===
Category:Norse America