Ericson's Vinland

Leif Ericson was the first European to land in North America. He discovered Vinland (Newfoundland) in the year 1003. This event is the timeline's POD - Lief Ericson returns to Greenland to encourage the settlement of Vinland.

Settlement of Greenland (982-1002)
In 982, Eiríkr rauði, or Erik the Red, was exiled from Iceland for 3 years. He sailed to the west coast of Greenland and spent his three years in exile there. Erik returned to Iceland after his exile and convinced people to come to this land that he called "Greenland" in order to attract people to settle. He then convinced many Icelanders, especially "Vikings living on poor land," to return to Greenland with him. In 985, Erik and his colonists established two colonies in Greenland. Eventually, the settlement grew to about 5000 people.

Discovery of Markland and Vinland (1003)
Erik's son, Lief Ericson, was born in Iceland around 970 AD. Lief converted to Christianity while he was in Norway to serve the king. He heard stories about a land far west of Iceland from Bjarni Herjólfsson and bought his boat in order to explore it. He left in 1003 with 35 crew members, and followed Bjarni's route. Lief first found Helluland, an island covered with shiny rocks. Then Lief found Markland, or "Wood-land", a forested land with sandy beaches. He sailed further and found Vinland, a place that he deemed hospitable enough for settlement. Ericson's company stayed there over the winter and then set out for Greenland to bring word of this bountiful new land.

Greenlandic Settlers (1004-1010)
Lief is able to lead a large group of Greenlandic settlers to Vinland. He establishes a settlement on the northern tip of the island. Harsh conditions in Greenland cause a majority of the people there to settle Vinland. The settlement's population grows to around 3,000. Ericson is declared "paramount chieftain" of Vinland.

Expansion (1011-1015)
Conflicts with the local Indians, or "skraelings" as the Norse settlers called them, impeded the expansion of Norse settlements throughout Vinland during the first few years of the colony. After several battles against the Beothuk people, the Norse are able to negotiate peace. They are able to expand southward and occupy around 1/3 of the island.

Icelandic Settlers (1020-1045)
Lief Ericson dies. His son, Thorkell Leifsson, succeeds him as paramount chieftain of Vinland. One of his first initiatives is to send men to Iceland to promote further immigration. They are largely successful in convincing many poorer Icelanders to settle Vinland, and the population more than doubles by 1045. Several small settlements are established in Markland.

Further Expansion (1055-1107)
Jón Thorkellson succeeds his father. Bolstered by the Icelandic immigrants, Vinlanders plan to expand southward. their main motivation is farmland - Vinland already had around 300 farms before the Icelandic immigrants arrived. They are met with resistance from the Beothuks, but are largely successful in their campaign. They establish control over the entire island. The few small settlements in Markland are attacked by the Dorset people, who destroy most of them. Vinland's Althing is founded in 1070. Thorkellson orders an offensive against the Dorsets in Markland. Sigurður Ólafsson leads a group of Vinlanders and defeats the indian tribes in Markland. Another wave of Icelanders and some Vinlanders settle there. Thorkellson is suceeded by his nephew Sæmundr.

Bishop of Vinland and Norwegian Immigration (1110-1150)
Norway recognizes the value of the colonies of Vinland and Markland as trade between the colonies and Europe increases. He installs the first bishop of Vinland after he returned from the First Crusade. Several thousand Norwegians migrate to Vinland and Markland and the population grows to about 17,000. The population of the town of Liefsborg (founded by Lief Ericson) is around 5,000.

Peace (1150-1225)
Vinland prospers as a North American colony.

Age of the Sturlungs (1226-1264)
The chieftains of Iceland begin a series of battles. This escalated into a civil war in the commonwealth. While these events caused a few small conflicts in Vinland, the fighting in Iceland did not affect the politics of Vinland for the most part. Several hundred Icelandic peasants moved to Vinland as a result of the fighting. At the end of the conflict, the Gissurarsáttmáli agreement united Iceland and Norway. The King of Norway wanted to sign a similar agreement with the Icelanders, who had been relatively isolated from events in Europe. They refused, and a breakdown in relations between Vinland and Norway started.

Conflict with Norway (1299-1305)
The Norwegian king Haakon V sent over 3,000 men via Iceland to Vinland. He attempts to convince the Vinlanders to unite with Norway. The Vinlanders had by then established their own language and culture which was distinct from that of European Scandanavians because of their long period of isolation. The Norwegians land in Liefsborg in 1301 but are easily defeated by the end of the year. Preoccupied with the war against Denmark, Haakon breaks off relations with Vinland and makes further trade with Vinland illegal. Vinland gains de facto independence.

Isolation (1306-1500)
Vinland, abandoned by Norway, is isolated from Europe. In 1310, Þórarinn Ólafsson, a powerful chieftain of Liefsborg, defeats or makes treaties with the lesser chieftains of Vinland and later Markland. He establishes the Kingdom of Vinland in 1315. His descendants rule the kingdom for the next three hundred years. Vinland only trades with Greenland, which has several thousand inhabitants that mostly live around the prosperous settlement of Eystribygð. John Cabot, an Italian explorer, lands at Vinland in 1497 but does not encounter any Vinlandic settlements and leaves the same year.

Encounters with Europeans (1501-1583)
Portuguese fishermen establish a small fishing settlement at the eastern edge of Vinland. When Vinlandic fishermen encounter these foreigners, they alert the king and he sends a fleet to destroy them. Eastern Vinland is then patrolled by a fleet of Vinlandic ships. In 1527, John Rut, an English mariner, sailed to Vinland and encountered the Norse ships. They attacked him on sight, and even though his ship had superior technology it was sunk. During the mid-16th century, Vinlanders destroyed or captured any fishing ships they encountered. In 1583, the English explorer Humphrey Gilbert sails to Vinland. Gilbert plans to declare possession of what he called "Newfoundland" for the British crown. Vinlandic ships attack him before he lands but his ship survives and he sails back to England to report hostile "vikings" in the area.