Viking Settlement: Greenland Colonies (985 CE)
by Anonymous
Erik the Red, banished from Iceland, chose to settle Greenland's fjords. The name 'Greenland' was deliberately misleading marketing. The colony survived 500 years before climate change and isolation killed it.
Settle Greenland's Fjords
985 CE
year
Southwestern Greenland fjords
location
Marginal — Medieval Warm Period helped
climate
Chosen — survived ~500 years, then collapsed
outcome
Return to Scandinavia
985 CE
year
Norway/Denmark
location
Familiar
climate
Not chosen — Erik was banished
outcome
Settle Further West (Vinland)
~1000 CE
year
Newfoundland (L'Anse aux Meadows)
location
Better but hostile natives
climate
Attempted — abandoned within decades
outcome
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