![]() However, the Viking presence in North America was short-lived, possibly due in part to clashes with hostile natives. After Leif returned to Greenland with valuable timber cargo, other Norsemen decided to journey to Vinland (Leif never went back). The Vikings then set up camp at a location that possibly was Newfoundland and explored the surrounding region, which Leif named Vinland (“wineland”) because grapes or berries supposedly were discovered there. During his expedition, Leif reached an area he called Helluland (“flat stone land”), which historians think could be Baffin Island, before traveling south to a place he dubbed Markland (“forestland”), thought to be Labrador. Around 1000, Leif sailed off in search of territory that had been spotted years earlier by an Icelander named Bjarni Herjolfsson when his vessel blew off course on the way to Greenland. Believed to have been born in Iceland around 970, Leif later moved to Greenland, where his father, Erik the Red, founded the first Norse settlement. Generally considered the first European to set foot on the North American continent, Leif got there nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus. Leif Eriksson: Beat Columbus to the New World by 500 years In 1000, Olaf was ambushed by his rivals in a battle at sea however, instead of surrendering, he supposedly jumped over the side of his ship, never to be seen again. Olaf’s actions earned him enemies, among them his onetime ally Svein Forkbeard, who wanted to restore Danish rule in Norway, and Erik of Hladir, son of Hakon. As king, Olaf forced his subjects to convert to Christianity before that, most Scandinavians were pagans who worshipped a number of gods. The following year, Olaf used his loot to invade Norway and was made king after its ruler, Hakon the Great, was murdered. In 994, Olaf and his ally Svein Forkbeard, king of Denmark, launched another raid on England and netted themselves more Danegeld. This type of payment became known as Danegeld. Afterward, the English paid off the Vikings in an effort to prevent future attacks, at least temporarily. In 991, Olaf led a Viking invasion of England, which resulted in a victory at the Battle of Maldon. Olaf Tryggvason: Brought Christianity to NorwayĪ grandson of Harald Fairhair, the first king to unite Norway, Olaf was born around 968 and is thought to have been raised in Russia following the death of his father. Exactly why the Norse Greenlanders disappeared is a mystery, although a combination of factors might’ve played a role, including a cooling climate and declining trade opportunities. Following Erik’s death Greenland’s Norse communities continued on before being abandoned in the 14th and 15th centuries. ![]() At its peak, the Greenland colony had an estimated 5,000 residents. ![]() Several years later, Erik returned to Iceland and organized a fleet of 25 ships that carried colonists back to Greenland (only 14 vessels survived the journey), where they founded two main settlements in 986. After leaving home, he sailed west to a vast, uncharted island he eventually dubbed Greenland in an effort to entice future settlers. ![]() There, Erik himself was accused of manslaughter, leading to his exile from Iceland around 982. After Erik’s father was banished from Norway for killing someone, he fled with his family to Iceland. Erik the Red: Founded Greenland’s First Norse Settlementīorn Erik Thorvaldsson in Norway, Erik the Red earned his nickname for his red hair and possibly his hot temper. More than a thousand years after Rollo’s death, Allied troops during World War II landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, beginning the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. William the Conqueror, as he became known, went on to serve as king of England until 1087. In 1066, another one of Rollo’s descendants, William, duke of Normandy, led a successful invasion of England. Rollo later expanded his control of the region, and around the time he died, in about 928, was succeeded by his son, William Longsword. Claire-sur-Epte, Charles the Simple, king of the West Franks, gave Rollo part of the area now called Normandy (for Northman’s land) in an effort to have him protect it from other Viking raiders. This Viking leader, whose origins were either Danish or Norwegian, began conducting raids on France in the ninth century. ![]()
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