| Duchy of Greenland Grønland (Greenlandic) Kalaallit Nunaat (Thule) | |||||
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 Map of the Duchy of Greenland in the year 1500
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| Capital | Not specified | ||||
| Languages | Greenlandic, Thule (Kalaallisut, Tunumiit oraasiat), Icelandic, Vinlandic (-1400s), Beothukan (-1400s) Common: Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, English, Gaelic | ||||
| Religion | Roman Catholicism, Inuit religion, Celtic Church, Lollardism | ||||
| Government | Confederal commonwealth monarchy | ||||
| Legislature | Inatsisartut | ||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages / Early Modern | ||||
| - | Settlement by Erik the Red | 10th Century | |||
| - | Discovery of Vinland | c. 1000 | |||
| - | Conquest by Iceland | 1342 | |||
| - | Disestablished | N/A | |||
| Population | |||||
| - | 1340 est. | 9,500 | |||
| Currency | Icelandic króna | ||||
The Duchy of Greenland (Greenlandic: Grønland; Thule: Kalaallit Nunaat) is a nation on the world’s largest island of the same name, located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Kolumbian Arctic Archipelago. It is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Iceland, a member state of the Celtic Union. Though physiographically a part of the continent of Kolumbia, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe, specifically Iceland, Scandinavia, and the British Isles. The majority of its residents are Inuit, whose ancestors migrated from Alaska through Northern Kolumbia, gradually settling across the island by the 13th century.
Greenland was first settled by Europeans around the end of the 10th century. Much of its history during the until the late 1300s is shrouded in mystery and legend, with it hard to discern the historical events prior to a major collapse in the middle of the century, brought on by disease, famine, and warfare, which almost caused the nation to be abandoned. In the late 1300s Greenland became a loose vassal of the nation of Iceland, and subsequently part of the Celtic Union. During the Colonization of the New World and the re-discovery of Vinland, Greenland gained significance as an intermediary for early Northern European explorers.
History[]
- Main article: History of Greenland
It is believed that the first inhabitants of the island died out, and subsequent waves of migration populated the island throughout history. It is estimated that Greenland first became known to Europeans some time in the 10th century, when Icelandic and Norse settlers arrived on the southwestern coast. The modern Inuit Greenlanders of the island migrated to Greenland around the year 1200, arriving from North America into northwestern Greenland. During the Little Ice Age, which is conventionally defined as the period extending from the 16th through 19th centuries, the island experienced harsh temperature shifts and severe depopulation. Greenland's European settlements were preserved thanks in part to Greenland's status as a colony throughout the early modern period, first being subjugated by the nation of Iceland and later the Celtic Confederacy.
Prehistory[]
Map depicting the decline of the Dorset culture and the expansion of the Thule in Greenland (900 to 1500 CE)
Greenland experienced several repeated waves of Paleo-Eskimo immigration from the northern islands of the North American mainland, who in turn are believed to have arrived in the North American Arctic from Siberia thousands of years ago. According to archaelogical evidence, several distinct, isolated cultures arrived in Greenland over the centuries, and subsequently died out over time. The earliest known culture in Greenland was the Saqqaq culture (2500–800 BC), followed by the Independence I culture (2400–1300 BC). It is believed that these cultures descended from two distinct groups that came to Greenland from northern Canada. The so-called Independent II culture arose around the year 800 BC, setting in the region where the Independent I culture had previously inhabited. The early Dorset culture (700 BC–AD 1) subsequently replaced the Independent II culture, although artifacts characteristic of the Independent II culture have been dated as late as the 1st century BC. According to modern studies, the Dorset culture may have been a continuation of the Independant II culture moreso than a distinct new migration, and the two have sometimes been grouped together as the "Greenlandic Dorset". Artifacts dated to this time period have been discovered as far as Inglefield Land on the west coast and the Dove Bugt area on the east coast.
It is believed that Greenland subsequently became uninhabited after the disappearance of the Early Dorset culture around the year AD 1, and would not be repopulated once more until the emergence of the Late Dorset people, who settled on the Greenlandic side of the Nares straight around the year 700. The Late Dorset culture would continue to settle the northern half of Greenland well into the next six centuries, initially unaware of the Norse arrival in the far south of the island that came in 980.
Norse settlement[]
- Main article: Norse colonization of North America
Arrival of Norse settlers on the coast of Greenland, painting by Carl Rasmussen (1841-1893).
According to legend a Norwegian settler in Iceland named Gunnbjörn Ulfsson first sighted Greenland in the late 10th century after being blown off course by a storm. Explorers led by Erik the Red set out from Iceland and became the first Norse settlers on the island some time around the year 982. The island was named "Greenland" by Erik the Red (Grœnland in Old Norse), potentially as a way of luring new settlers to the land, as recounted by the Book of Icelanders (Íslendingabók, a medieval account of Icelandic history from the 12th century onward) and the Saga of Eric the Red (Eiríks saga rauða, a medieval account of his life and of the Norse settlement of Greenland). These sagas provide the earliest accounts of the history of Greenland, and state that Erik the Red had first come to Greenland after being exiled from Iceland for committing murder. He first led an expedition there and explored the coastline, finding the land apparently uninhabited, before eventually returning to Iceland. It is said that in 985 Erik the Red had convinced 25 ships to follow him to Greenland, although only 14 arrived safely and completely intact. Artifacts and human remains discovered at the settlement of Brattahlid seem to confirm this timeline, being dated to around the year 1000.
The Norse primarily settled along Greenland's southwestern fords, which are believed to have been covered with highgrown shrub and surrounded by hulls of grass and bush. If so, the Norse likely deforested much of the land around these early settlements in search of building materials and fuel, and allowed sheep and goats to graze year round, causing damaging soil erosion for the early colonists. According to Greenlander sources and archaeological evidence, the early Greenlanders roughly divided into three centers of settlement: the larger Eastern Settlement (Old Norse: Eystribygð), the Western Settlement (Vestribygð), and an isolated Middle Settlement, which later became Ivigtût. Estimates put the early population of Greenland as fluctuating between 2,000 and 10,000, although likely trending most often toward the lower estimate. Archeologists have indentified approximately 620 farms, 500 of which in the Eastern Settlement, 95 in the Western Settlement, and 20 in the Middle Settlement, dated to prior to the year 1200.
Icelandic Period[]
A 15th-century map depicting the Greenlander connection to Vinland.
The most intact record regarding the history of Greenland throughout the 14th century is the Saga of the Greenlander Jarls, written in the Greenlandic language in approximately the year 1515. Initially hailed as the national epic of Greenland and a comprehensive and true history, especially due to its literary importance as an early Greenlandic text, modern historians have since disputed much of the details of the fantastical elements of the saga. The Saga of the Greenlander Jarls is believed to have been crafted at a time when the discovery of the New World was just beginning, and the territory of Greenland was attempting to legitimize and preserve its existence despite a struggling population. The saga details a series of legendary rulers stemming from Erik the Red who are said to have ruled over a unified Greenland, from which the contemporary leaders of Greenland could stake a claim of descendance to.
Additionally, the saga makes the claim that Greenland had nearly continuous contact with the territory of Vinland throughout the century, and even formed a unified kingdom. Although subsequent studies have found possible links between the two regions, including the existence of trade goods and artifacts present in both Greenland and Vinland, the tale of a unified kingdom is considered legendary, and likely was promoted by the Greenlander government in the hopes of legitimizing a claim to Vinland, which had been newly and definitively discovered around the turn of the 16th century.
According to the saga, the Greenlanders established a unified parliament known as the Inatsisartut in 1306, and settled as far north as “Nuuk”, later known as Godthåb, and the Greenlander government to this day still cites the 1306 date as the year of its government’s creation. However, there is no archaeological evidence to support the existence of such a parliament or a major capital as far north as Godthåb at that time. If an assembly existed it likely operated off the Icelandic model, gathering semi regularly in a central location in the south of the island. There is also evidence to suggest that unlike the portrayed unified kingdom, Greenland was likely ruled by a number of warring chieftains or councils, corresponding to major clusters of settlement. It is said that in the early 14th century the Greenlanders reestablished contact with the settlers of Vinland, who arrived there approximately three centuries earlier under the leadership of Greenlander Leif Eriksson.
Ólafur the Conqueror (1313–1365), the first Icelandic ruler of Greenland.
According to the Saga of the Greenlander Jarls, as well as Icelandic sources, some time around the 1340s the nation of Iceland launched a series of attacks against Greenland, establishing a tenuously held hegemony over the island. According to tradition it was the first Icelandic duke, known as Ólaf II, that built the settlement of Róbertstorg in the Middle Settlement region. It is unknown how extensive the Icelandic occupation of Greenland was, but Greenlander sources characterize the period as a time of immense misfortune. It is said that the wars with Iceland were particularly devastating, and the Icelanders mistook the native Inuits as savages, leading to decades of constant warfare between Greenlanders and Inuit groups. The old settlement of Nuuk is believed to have been settled by this time as a minor trading post and place of ceremonial importance, but quickly died out. Archaeological expeditions in later centuries would uncover the presence of tombs dated to this time period, which according to legend are the resting places of the legendary Greenlander Jarls.
Despite the negative perception of the Icelanders held by native Greenlanders, the Icelander presence would help to modernize Greenland and connect it to the rest of Europe. Iceland, and later the Celtic Union as a whole, would play an important role in populating and preserving the settlements of Greenland in the wake of the Little Ice Age, which otherwise devastated the population and brought Greenland nearly to the brink of collapse.
During the 15th century these new European settlers came to serve as the de facto first class citizens of the territory, despite their historic isolation from other groups. At the same time, increasing involvement with native peoples would lead to the development of a class of people nicknamed the helmingar, from the term for “half”, to describe those of mixed European and indigenous descent, as settlers of the land found it difficult to survive based on the old practices of exclusion. Increasingly lower temperatures across Greenland led to a general migration of native peoples southward, forcing greater integration and cooperation between these peoples and the settlers of the southern coasts. This would lead to the adoption of many crucial technologies in greater numbers, including the dog sled, toggling harpoons, kayaks, and ring seal hunting, and these technologies would prove crucial in supporting Greenland's population.
A Greenlander whaling operation using native techniques, 16th-century
Although farming was possible to a limited degree, livestock became even more common, and above that fishing. Europeans managed to keep caribou and cattle in large number for consumption, and despite initial clashes with the primarily hunter-based cultures of the indigenous, it eventually came to be understood that livestock cultivation and trading of resources would be more beneficial for both groups than simple hunting to extinction. The Greenlanders primarily harvested walruses and narwhals for tusks and collected furs and other goods, which were traded to Europe for much needed supplies. Trade with the Scandinavian countries and with the Celtic Union was considered paramount during this period, and the settlers of Greenland managed to petition their overlords to undertake a major expedition east to ensure that Europeans remained in contact with Greenland throughout the century.
A policy eventually evolved in which troublemakers, criminals, the unwanted, the unlanded, and the poor, were sent to Greenland to bolster the population there and alleviate overcrowding in places like Iceland and Norway. Even among those who were not forced out, there was a major movement of hundreds of people west, as people sought new land and to escape persecution, finding there were towns in Greenland where one could make their own destiny and their own rules for the most part. There were some unintended consequences of this, as a small town near the eastern cape formed of mostly pirates, who found a secluded haven to evade detection.
Non-contemporary depiction of Ingvar Bluebeard, one of the most famous pirates in Greenlander history
Stories of “Ingvar Bluebeard” began to spread, as he arose to become the leader a famed band of pirates around the turn of the 16th century. He would spend much of his wealth that was captured to help the Greenlanders, and he became viewed as more of a hero there than a villain, and was treated like a king in almost any small town on the Greenland coast. According to legends, he managed to capture Tórshavn and the Faroe Islands with only 100 men, but departed with twice as many ships, hundreds of people, and ships full of riches, as well as a bride. The government attempted to hunt Ingvar down, especially as he seemed to threaten the important cod trade. Instead Ingvar made a deal around 1503, in which the Icelanders sanctioned his piracy and even make him an official lord, and in exchange he pledged to never steal food from those who need it or prey on Iceland's towns. This was much needed, as Iceland has become increasingly reliant on cod as crops became harder to grow.
Due to overfishing, ships began to travel more and more westward, stopping in Greenland along the way. Seasonal fishing, whaling, and trading began to be common place in the west Atlantic near the so-called New World. On the Greenlander coast a number of trade posts became established. A rank emerged based on an old title from Scandinavia, called the Lendmenn, which included wealthy landowners or opportunists from Europe, and all those who established properties, claims, and outposts on the Greenlander coast, in order to monopolize the harvesting of resources and the trade in that region. Perhaps the most famous of these lendmenn would be a man from the Isles, who claimed to be a distant relative of the Godwins and the Norwegian nobility, named Inge Bårdsson. Under his leadership, the Greenlanders would stablish Haabets Koloni on Kangeq Island around the year 1502. According to accounts made by Inge's resident scribe, over the course of a year he transplanted supplies and dropped them in caches at the area, and hired numerous people to build a fort there.
When he returned after the winter he found that the fort had failed and the original crew had all died or deserted, so he tried again over the next year. He returned to the site with 30 Greenlanders, 17 Icelanders, and 26 hired men mostly from Britain, and they carried out the plan of transporting goods to the site and slowly building a fort. When they discovered that natives had broken into their caches and had stolen a large number of supplies, Bårdsson decided to track the natives down and make a deal with them rather than make revenge. He returned to the site with 50 natives who sought to help Bårdsson in exchange for goods and gifts, and they settled a camp among the other builders. When Bårdsson returned after the winter in May 1503, he discovered the fort functioning with about 50 Europeans and 85 native or mixed people, and that word has spread along the coast that there was a trade post on the island.
Thus Bårdsson becomes one of the luckiest lendmenn and managed to turn a profit, a tale that convinced many others to follow his lead. However, competition in key areas would be fierce. In the autumn of that year, when Bårdsson learned another trade post was being constructed by some 24 Icelanders some 30 miles to the south, and he set off by kayak with a group of several hunters for the site. The group opened fire on their post, killing or scaring off the entire rival contingent. Allegedly, one of the survivors of this attack was Kuupik, the legendary "King of Greenland", who would swear revenge on Bårdsson. Toward the end of the year Kuupik made a name for himself when he traveled to the Nuup Kangerlua and managed to kill Inge’s son in a duel. By the following year three dozen people would lose their lives to economic wars on the western coast, many of them in fierce battles with Kuupik and his followers.
Legend of Kuupik[]
Despite this violence, settlers continued to be attracted to the “Western Settlement” that lay within the County of Nuuk, and a number of traders interested in the Haabet colony began to inhabit the old town of Nuuk, which they called Godthåb. Much of the former town was found to be in ruin since the chaos of the mid 14th century, although the remains of the once great Tower of Greenland and a mausoleum were discovered, leading some to believe the tails of Jarl Brunhilde were perhaps rooted in fact. Although Godthåb would prove to be one of the most profitable settlements for fishing and whaling, the rest of the province would pail in comparison to the south in population, and especially in amount of farmland, with the entire County of Nuuk possessing less adequate land than even the small Vatnahverfi district to the southeast of Einarsfjord alone. The 16th century also saw the growth of the small town of Ivigtut, as around 1504 a mine was created after some rare minerals were discovered south of the town. Mining caused a small boom in the County of Róbertstorg, with the mining town nearly rivaling the old county capital. The mine remained in close proximity to Skotaland, causing many Scottish immigrants and other British citizens to be the main profiteers of the mining operation.
The Nuup Kangerlua, where Kuupik made his home
The legend of Kuupik would continue to grow across the Vestribygð province in upper Nuuk County over the next few years, until traders traveling into the Nuup Kangerlua had adopted the practice of carrying gifts for him in the unfortunate case they encountered him. It’s said that he took up residence in the old Nuuk ruins, living in the cursed Mausoleum of Brunhilde, that no other man had dared to enter since the mid 14th century. At night he would be seen stalking past the ruined Tower of Greenland, but no one dared to venture into the freezing storms to investigate. On his back he carried a harpoon and a bow, but also a Hanse Waffenfirma firearm, an expensive gun from Germany stolen off the body of an unfortunate rich noble. Later historians would call Kuupik the first of the “Renegade Natives”, a series of native or native-descended killers who terrorized the northern wastes. Long after Kuupik’s death historians would theorize many different tales, wondering if the renegades killed out of some desire to avenge the Thule people, but from the sparse accounts written close to Kuupik, it is believed he was motivated solely by revenge against Lendmann Inge Bårdsson of the Haabets Koloni. This was all unknown to the government as a whole, and around that time they dispatched Claus Paarss with a large contingent of traders to sail into the Nuup Kangerlua and resettle the forgotten ruins.
In May 1505 several Oighear ships arrived at Haabets with these reinforcements. The trade post on the island had been built over with stone over the year. When they arrived there was a caravan outside of a dozen other traders from the interior, carrying fur pelts and ivory tusks, and selling them for bullets, arrows, frozen cod, rope, and sled parts. It was from this caravan that the Paarss expedition learned of Kuupik, and a company of 23 kayaks departed in late May for the mainland, towing behind them two rafts with supplies and enough weapons to hunt down the menace of Nuuk. Claus Paarss landed near the ancient town and took up residence in one of the old stone buildings with earthen insulation, and ordered supplies be stockpiled to make a makeshift fort. A Lendmann named Ivar Erlingsson took four hunters and two native guides by kayak and sailed up the fjord toward Anavik, and were about 30 miles north of the others when they heard gunfire. They investigated the old farm, now mostly frozen over and derelict, but in the center there was a statue of the Moon Man carved in wood, still not quite frozen over with frost, spooking the more superstitious natives. With the sun setting and the men afraid to camp there, they sailed around the bend toward East Laksen, where there was said to be a small village. They came across a few survivors who were barricaded into a stockade in the middle of the peninsula, with most of the farmland having been abandoned, and Erlingsson declared himself the Lendmann there. Unknown to them, that night Kuupik had been seen in Godthåb and had killed two people, with their bodies laid out in front of the once great tower.
The ancient ruins of Nuuk
Claus Paarss and an armed mob tracked tracked him down and entered the cursed mausoleum for the first time, only to find he had vanished. But inside they found a great number of artifacts and tools, indicating someone had inhabited the place for quite some time among the dead jarls of Greenland. The company traveled into the ice the following day, hiring a small group of natives and some dog sleds to investigate. After a few days inland they lost sight of any caravans or native bands, and became alone in the wastes. Weeks later the survivors managed to flee back to Godthåb, relaying that Claus Paarss had been shot and killed by a marksman out on the wastes. There were tales that Kuupik had declared himself King among the natives, and all throughout the summer the native traders told tales of his decrees. He was uniting many of the upper peoples and those from all walks of life, and his army was on the move through the ice sheets, so they claimed. Then came the news that the town of Fiskernæs pledged their allegiance to the “King” in exchange for peace, and they had paid tribute to Kuupik. The town was rewarded with riches seemingly overnight, and this began to scare the Lendmenn. At the end of that year when all warfare seemed to stop, as each settlement waited out the cold, there was a mysterious sight outside Haabets. The locals swore through the snowstorm they could see movement, and it looked like a thousand shadows on the horizon. Then came a man at the front of the fort, demanding that they turn over Inge.
The so-called Siege of Haabets began and lasted into the winter. Within a month 30 people inside had been shot by sharpshooters outside, and no one could seem to confirm they had hit anyone back. Kayaks came and managed to commandeer a ship with supplies, taking all those inside prisoner back north. A slaver took up residence in Lysufjord named Lars Enoksen, preying on those who resisted the King of Greenland, and raiding the southern passes into the Vestribygð. Finally in December the residents rebelled and went to expel Inge Bårdsson, and he left with a handful of men determined to take back the settlement by killing Kuupik. They traveled northward to where the shadows were sighted, desperate for supplies and answers. Nearly ten miles north they crossed over ice to an island to the east, where they came upon the throne. Finally Kuupik got his revenge, shooting Inge square in the face from nearly a 100 feet away. Thus ended the Kuupik War, and all of the Nuup Kangerlua accepted King Kuupik as ruler, hoping that peace and prosperity would return. The legend of Kuupik spread across Greenland, with Kuupik becoming an almost divine mythological figure.
Sometime after the death of Lendmann Inge Bårdsson, his brother-in-law Tryggvi Oleson arrived north from Vatnahverfi to take command of the Haabets trade post. The following summer he ventured in search of his relative’s body to bring him back to the colony, and he set out north with several kayaks into the fjord. His group received word of a disturbance to the northwest, and he traveled across the peninsula toward the trade post of Atangmik, but found it had been abandoned. Soon after they began the journey back to Haabets, but while resting south of Atangmik a large stone was discovered jutting out from the ice. They discovered a tablet with a long passage of runes engraved into it, followed by passages in several other languages. The group would manage to bring the stone with them back south, and Tryggvi deposited it with the leader of Godthåb for examination. Although it would take many years for the discovery to become well known and studied, Tryggvi had discovered something that would greatly aid the study of the Greenlander languages and their interactions with the western hemisphere.
Tryggvi would go back out into the wastes one last time before winter, alongside with a veteran of the frontier named Grímur Svertingsson and 20 other men, hoping to investigate the disturbances that were hurting trade. Several days away from the nearest town, the group would be ambushed by a group of natives, leading to one of the most deadly battles of the period. Tales from the survivors would greatly exaggerate the number of deaths, but historians would estimate that some 50 people were killed. After escaping the native attack with a minor wound, Grímur would be attacked by a bear, being left for dead by the rest of the Greenlanders. Instead he managed to crawl dozens of miles to safety, and was discovered by a passing trader. Tryggvi managed to be saved by a group of armed men who brought him before the legendary Kuupik. For saving his life, Tryggvi would declare him king as well, and spend the rest of his life trying to make such a thing reality. When the group arrived back in Godthåb, Grímur managed to fully recover, but he would swear off adventuring and decide to devote himself to religion.
Ashoona Era[]
Jómika Ashoona, famous bishop and statesmen of the early 16th century.
Around the turn of the 16th century Greenlander politics in the primary cities came to be dominated by the Bishop of Garðar, Jómika Ashoona, who effectively ruled Greenland for two decades following his apointment of regent for Domnhall V in 1496. He would be influential in the decision to create a "restored duchy" following the death of Domnhall V in 1511.
In 1511 Arnar, grandson of Ólafur VI, was created the first reigning Duke of Greenland since the Icelandic conquest, and henceforth Greenland passed to a separate branch of the Icelander royal family, as a close vassal of the King of Iceland. At only eight years old at the time of this proclamation, Arnar was brought to Greenland and raised under the tutelage of a regent, Jómika Ashoona, Bishop of Garðar. Jómika would effectively rule over Greenland for the next eight years in this capacity. Ashoona proved to be an influential figure in Greenlander politics for decades to come, although many of his decisions were highly controversial in his time. He generally oversaw the Greenland's foreign affairs during the early years of the Colonization of the Western Hemisphere, and was influential in sparking Celtic interest in the continent, along with explorers such as Torbjörn Eriksson. Ashoona oversaw the study of the "Nuuk Stone", an ancient monument discovered in northern Greenland which linked the country to Vinland and the New World some time in the 14th century, and he ordered expeditions to Vinland to investigate these claims and establish relations.
Jómika Ashoona is perhaps most famous for his controversial religious policies. He led Greenland during the dawn of the Protestant Reformation, and ensured Greenland would remain Catholic for the next century. However, he also acquired the title of "Patriarch of the New World" under dubious circumstances, leading to a decades-long feud with several Popes other important ecclesiastical figures in Northern Europe. Ashoona appointed numerous bishops, including the first bishops of Vinland and the New World, despite these figures being only partially recognized by the rest of the church. One of Ashoona's apprentices, Grímur Svertingsonn, would be unexpectedly made cardinal in 1509, in what is believed to have been an erroneous and unfortunate series of events. Frustration regarding the promotion of Grímur over himself and the Papacy's inability to promote clergymen that Ashoona requested ultimately led to his decision to promote himself.
While the authority of Jómika Ashoona was strong in the key settlements of the far south, in his time the law in Greenland was few and far between beyond these towns, with communities largely autonomous, especially the further north one traveled from the relatively developed regions of the Eystribygð. As such there were many unclear titles from throughout Greenland’s long and turbulent history. The title of Count of Thule had long since become largely honorary, as the unclear boundaries subscribed to it had largely drifted away. This changed during the reign of Ujurak, as he traveled to the Sound of Ikerasassuaq with a small army of natives and declared the eastern coast east of Eystribygð his domain, despite Thule historically thought to be the interior and all those lands outside the settlements of the coast. This was largely inconsequential at first, for no one was around to take heed of his proclamation. But eventually his small kingdom grew, until he sent men to collect tribute from Ketils Fjord, and they paid their dues, only to be accosted by the rulers of Brattahlid, who thought the settlers there were making up a strange tale of the Thule count in order to get out of paying their share to them.
The Count of Brattahlid organized a posse, led by Styrkár Oddason of Hvalsey and consisting of a dozen other men, and they traveled east to investigate. In the autumn of 1509, Ujurak migrated to Augpilagtoq, and had set up his court in that small homestead of some 100 people. The locals there liked the charismatic man, and he had connections across the Thule, bringing trade to the fjord, where it departed onto boats headed for the east. As many of his Thule liked the bustle of town life, they took up farming as well. When the army from the west arrived, Ujurak had begun to build his palace on a hill overlooking the fjord. It had been feared that a battle would take place, and the townsfolk had taken up arms near the hill prepared to attack the westerners, and many of the investigators likewise itched for battle. However, Styrkár proved to be a capable diplomat, and he managed to diffuse the situation and create a lasting peace. From that day onward the lands of Thule were settled in the east, and Styrkár returned to Brattahlid with gifts and goods, and promises of peace from Ujurak. Spurred on by this event, soon after a reorganization of the assembly was made, and Styrkár became Lawspeaker for all Greenland by Jómika Ashoona.
When Ujurak died his sons divided the lands. They had taken a liking to the feudal ways of the coast people, and his eldest was christened Tulugaq Ujuraksson, Count of Thule-Augpilagtoq, and his youngest, Sivoy Ujuraksson, Count of Thule-Ikigait. In time Sivoy came to be allied with the House of Herjólfr who ruled Herjolfsnes on the southern end of the old eastern settlements. Sivoy had married Nuvua of that clan, and with her he acquired considerable old money and prestige. These men would sponsor the voyages of Hans Egede, who followed the fishermen as they headed west to fish and hunt. Following the coast southward they came upon the place that had been rumored by the fishermen, called Vinland. Although “Vinlandic” and the native tongue of Beothukan had once been official languages in the ancient Jarldom of Greenland, those languages had long since gone extinct in the east, but Hans Egede attempted to communicate with the people there to some success using ancient manuscripts as a guide. On behalf of the Duke of Greenland he established relations with the Vinlanders, proposing that the two nations open trade with one another. He would also discover a ruined site on the coast, which he believed to be “Brunhildetown”, the fabled city once founded by a Greenlander queen in the sagas.
In 1511 the so-called Nuuk Stone reached the eyes of the Bishop, and he had it examined by Greenland’s teachers and scholars from around the duchy. Dr. Torbjörn Eriksson of Uppsala University, who served as the school’s head and grammar teacher, concluded the stone contained carvings of languages from Europe, Greenland, and the New World, some possibly extinct by now. He envisioned a daring expedition to investigate on the heels of Hans Egede. A team of Greenland’s best scholars, consisting of Torbjörn, Grímur Svertingsson, and 10 others, chartered a ship to Vinland to see if they could uncover the truth behind the stone’s languages. They spent much of the year in Vinland helping to study the Vinlandic tongue firstly which would later lead to the first ever book studying the Vinlandic-Greenlandic connection, and how to translate between. The group proceeded south to both Esgigeland and Unamaland, before joining a group of Vinlander traders to depart into the interior. Their expedition proved to be quite dangerous, with many of Greenland’s meager faculty succumbing to the perils of the journey. Grímur kept a precise journal, documenting the interactions with the Vinlanders, natives, and the many sights they saw. Torbjörn would conclude that an Algonquin language was present on the Nuuk stone. The expedition would return two years later, at which point these findings were published and Grímur Svertingsson discovered he had been made a cardinal.
Elsewhere, Jómika Ashoona's legal battle and feud with the church intensified in 1519, as the King of Iceland decided to order the arrest of Jómika and his government. Additionally the King declared his brother Arnar deposed, and set out with an army to attack Greenland. Upon the arrival of Iceland's men, the people of Greenland refused to allow them to land or enforce their orders, and in the matter of Jómika considered him to have immunity from secular powers. The situation effectively boiled over into rebellion, as on paper the King of Iceland had just attacked Greenland with military force, compelling Celtic leaders to step in. However, the Celtic Union was embroiled in ongoing revolts elsewhere and a disastrous war with France, making armed action against Iceland impossible. Henry of Iceland would claim the title of Duke of Greenland and grant it to his newborn son in 1525, however this would be be supported or enforced in Greenland, or even supported in Iceland proper. Instead the supposed seizing of a title of nobility from a legitimate vassal in favor of the king's son was perceived as tyrannical, and worried the Icelander nobility. Worried that the king might attempt to disinherit the ancient clans of Iceland, the most prominent nobles of Iceland banded together to demand that Henry cease.
Iisaja Era[]
Iisaja, Duke of Greenland from 1569 to 1620.
The Ashoona era finally came to a close with the Bishop's death in 1543. Earlier in 1536 Grímur Svertingsonn had died under mysterious circumstances, leading Ashoona to conclude that he had been assassinated and beginning an era of paranoia and surveillance. After his death Duke Arnar the Young ruled in his own right after years of relying on his former teacher's expertise, until his death in 1559. Arnar would be succeeded by his son Erik IV, in one of the only adult successions in Greenland's recent memory. Known as Erik the Wanderer, the new Duke would spend much of his reign traveling across Greenland and abroad. He became the first Duke of Greenland to visit the Nuup Kangerlua and the Nuuk region in perhaps centuries. As part of his travels, he also reached continental Europe, establishing the first relations with several important powers, such as the Hanseatic League.
Eager to improve ties to continental Europe and bolster Greenland's population, prestige, and wealth, Erik IV opened Greenland to German settlers and traders, and took a German noblewoman as his first wife. This polarized the Greenlander and Icelander population, with some viewing Erik's actions as damaging to Greenland's Celtic ties and unique culture. His actions also did not endear him to the kings of Iceland, who were cautious of Greenlander independence after the Ashoona Era. However, Erik's reign came to an abrupt end in 1569, and he was succeeded by his son. Iisaja.
Iisaja would prove to be the longest reigning duke in Greenland's recorded history, and a vastly influential leader throughout the remainder of the century. He greatly strengthened the title of Duke after centuries under the influence of regents, advisors, and foreign dignitaries during the long period of young Icelander dukes and the Jómika Ashoona. He led Greenland through the turbulent Forty Years' War, in which Greenland was stripped from Iceland and the Celtic Union for the first time in centuries.
Elsewhere, Iisaja promoted close ties to Vinland and the colonies of the new world, as he encouraged intermarriage between his children and the nobles of Vinland. At the same time, he carefully balanced the union's interests, hoping to preserve funds and immigration to the fledgling Greenland state as well. Iisaja is also known for his many volumes of poetry, sayings, and short stories, which have imparted on him a reputation as a wise sage, not unlike the biblical King Solomon, and for his great physical size, with his name coming from a mythologized Greenlander giant who was said to have roamed the northern wastes.
During the Forty Years' War, Iisaja donated funds to the war-torn city of Stralsund, which had been partially destroyed in one of the war's most infamous sieges. He also passed an edict of toleration in Greenland in the hopes of attracting greater settlement from the German cities, much to the chagrin of Iceland, and vetoed any attempts to impede on Greenland's religious communities during the war. Like his father, Iisaja allowed many new communities to spring up across Greenland, and he ultimately would sow the seeds for Greenland's later adoption of Jungism under the influence of Denmark-Norway.
Demographics[]
Population[]
The population of Greenland consists of numerous groups, owing to the land’s history as a destination for countless peoples. According to historical records found in Greenland throughout its history, the region had approximately 3,000 Norse settlers in the early 1300s, and eventually rose to an estimated 9,500 inhabitants by 1340. The middle of the 14th century corresponded to a major decrease in population, as numerous wars, famine, plague, and migration to other lands such as Vinland, caused the population to heavily decrease, eventually reaching only an estimated 2,000 by the time of the 1360s. The population would only begin to recover through the introduction of a constant stream of settlers, primarily from Scandinavia and the British Isles.
The largest group on Greenland is the indigenous peoples, who are primarily Inuit or “Thule”. It is estimated that in the 14th century the native population reached 10,000, but outbreak of disease brought on through increased contact with native settlers eventually caused the native population to diminish by at least 25%. Of this number, the vast majority remain nomadic and outside the control of any Greenlander state, although there is contact and trade existing between many indigenous groups and the coast. According to legend, at the time of the height in Inuit population some 1,000 people had been integrated into Greenlander society, which would have been approximately 10% of the native population.
The second largest group is the helmingar, or people of mixed European and indigenous descent. As the European population became more reliant on indigenous aid throughout the 15th century, the helmingar became a major force within the nation, and likely were the majority of people surviving after the mid 14th century plague. Icelanders and other Scandinavians make up the third largest group in Greenland, followed by Europeans from the British Isles.
| Group | 1300 | 1340 | 1360 | 1380 | 1450 | 1500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Incorporated Population | 2,500 | 9,500 | 2,000 | 4,000 | ||
| Unincorporated Natives | 9,000 | 6,000 | 7,400 | 4,000 | 5,000 | 5,400 |
| Incorporated Natives | 0 | 1,000 | 200 | 2,000 | 1,000 | 800 |
| Helmingar | 0 | 2,500 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,200 | 1,500 |
| Scandinavians | 2,500 | 5,000 | 500 | 1,200 | ||
| British | 0 | 1,000 | 50 | 800 |
Language[]
Several languages are spoken among the population of Greenland. The earliest settlers of Greenland spoke Old Norse, a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants from Scandinavia. In Greenland this developed into the Greenlandic Norse dialect, which became distinct from the rest of the Western Norse Dialect, spoken in such places as Iceland. Later rule by Iceland would see the Icelandic language imposed on Greenland, although a distinct dialect managed to remain. The Greenlandic language also came to incorporate a large degree of vocabulary from native languages, further distinguishing it from other Norse languages.
The native languages brought by the Thule are also considered official languages in Greenland. Broadly speaking the “Thule Language” is split between the western Kalaallisut dialect and the eastern Tunumiit oraasiat dialect. The Vinlander language and the Beothukan languages were also legally considered official languages of Greenland, as relics of the earlier union between Greenland and Iceland, however, these languages would die out in Greenland by the late 14th century.
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