Map Contest/Archive 13

Map Contest 13 (Open): By Odin's Beard

Challenge: Create a map of the world where the Vikings created large successful colonies in the New World. Be sure to include a back-story and a map.

Time Frame: Two weeks, January 18 - February 1

I Know Nothing of the Little Ice Age! - Imp

In the map, them in their full glory in 1879.

The Viking colonies were flourishing in the north. Finally the Vikings could have the space to expand upon they so badly desired. And then ... a bad storm hit. It was unsure what was going to happen next as the future of the colonies, and the whole empire, hung in the balance. And then? The Sun came out, and the Empire of the Vikings never looked back.

Under whom would the empire flourish? Cnut (Ka-nuut) the Great, of course. He would lead the longboats to all around the North Sea, and would become responsible for the large influx of Norse into the Northumbrian and the Lowlands regions. Under him, the Vikings would begin to flourish like no other state in history had after the Roman Empire, but while Rome moved on land, the Vikings were lords of the seas. He would become the first Viking King to set foot on "Vinland" and the first major city on the new landmass would be named after him, while earning the reputation on whom luck always smiled. He was able to gain influence with the Pope and the Byzantine Emperor and became to be seen as a devout Christian - helping his cause on the British Isles where he managed to expand the hold of the Vikings to its greatest point. Because of him, the Bastard of Normandy never managed to establish complete control over England and so was restricted to the south. Various wars would be fought over the centuries with the Vikings, however. Yet, in his long life, he would not let the old Norse gods die out, instead incorporating them into Christianity, making them into God's angels and creating a new church - the Norse Church. But history would remember this leader as Cnut the Immortal, for his contributions. One of his soldiers would comment on his deathbed - "if Jesus was the son of god, he was the saviour of his people", marking him as a major figure in the Norse Church.

His successors would be competent and would lead to the continuation of an (albeit Christian) Viking Empire. When the Crusades came, the Christians thank their stars the Vikings were on their side. They would become the greatest trading empire in history, and in their glory have a world under their control. Well apart from the Chinese - and perhaps the Inca. Others did follow the Vikings westward, but not many managed to establish colonies. However, in this age of the Vikings, there would be something that would support their transformation into a major power early on. You see, a Christian monk was peacefully approached by the Vikings in a bid to find out if the rumour that he held ancient knowledge was true or not, and eventually yielded that he did possess (Roman) knowledge which they traded it with the Vikings for security and brought about a boom in technology and science before the age of rebirth (look at Vsauce to see what actually happened - mistakes video). I know, it's a pretty cool world. XD

Comments:

• I assume you mean Vsauce, not Vsource
• Soz, yes I do. :) 
• Mmm ... this map ... I can't stop looking at it. It is exquisite and immaculate. Well done. (Labels would be nice, but that's my only complaint). Cour (talk) 20:40, January 29, 2014 (UTC)
• This isn't the final version lol - only a stopgap. XD  Imp ^{(Say Hi?!)} 22:05, January 29, 2014 (UTC)

Votes:

• Cour (talk) 20:40, January 29, 2014 (UTC)
• el scraw 18:04, February 2, 2014 (UTC)
• CrimsonAssassin- I have special eyes 03:33, February 4, 2014 (UTC)

Seafarers of Midgard - Bfoxius

What if the great Norse kingdom under the Danish king Cnut had not split apart with the rebellious English and Norwegians each rebelling? What, if in fact, instead of marrying two wives, Cnut married an Anglo-Saxon, and had a son, thus cementing his leadership over both England and Denmark? Let us also say that he was less harsh with the Norwegians, prompting them to not leave his great kingdom. The world today is very different.

With a great united realm, the Norse Kingdom, let's call it Nororifit, or "North Land" was able to levy enough troops to repel Duke William's invasion of England, forever exiling him to a backwater portion of old Gaul. Without the hybrid Norse-Latin culture of the Normans, Europe was divided between the Latin south, and the Norse north. Meanwhile, with the fertile fields of England to supply them, voyages resumed. The cities of Novgorod, and Kiev remained Norse, and with trade from across the world to supply them, the voyages continued. The Vikings, not the Normans conquered Sicily, and it became a vassal state of the vast northern realm.

Eventually the good weather in the northern seas ended, and great bergs of ice covered waters that were once clear. The inhabitants of Greenland and parts of Iceland looked home. Their home was becoming crowded with too many people. Then they looked west, rediscovered the old sagas of Erik the Red's son who settled in the vast woods of Vinland. Yes, there they would find a better life. So with the favor of the king, and the food and wealth that he controlled, they were granted the ability to go west and settle a new Jarldom in the name of the king. Settlements were established on the island of Vinland, and eventually new, better lands were found to the south, on the mainland. They had good harbors and fishing, thick forests, and less cold winters. The lands were named Nyrgard.

Soon, the vast forests of Nyrgard fueled the settlers' want to sail the vast seas on a more southerly route to the old kingdom, avoiding the ice of the north. Contact with Nororifit was re-established and the wealth of the new lands continued to fill the coffers of the king. Eventually, however, the good times began to end. Rebellious lords, on the fringes of the vast realm of the Norsemen, were building great armies to remain independent of the king. Over many years, however, that was not a problem, as the king could just hire mercenaries from across the world with the fabled Norse coffers. Trade, however, had slowed recently and the king had been forced to raise taxes. This was unpopular amongst the ever-rebellious Norse lords, and many revolted. Thus began the Great Nordic Insurrection. Battles were fought across the known world, but eventually a treaty was hammered out between the Kingdom and the rebels.

Comments:

Votes:

Brœðr Muno Beriaz ~ Ms

The Atlantic Region in the year 1750.

Brœðr Muno Beriaz, Brothers Will Fight, is a universe where many Norse colonies in the New World managed to survive for years after their OTL collapse. 

 Timeline 

• 865 - Danish raiders arrive on the English mainland intending to settle there. Led by brothers Halfdan and Ivar the Boneless, they winter in East Anglia, where they demand and receive tribute in exchange for a temporary peace.
• From East Anglia the Danish raiders move north and attack Northumbria, already in the midst of a civil war between the deposed king Osberht and the usurper Ælla. The Danes use the civil turmoil as an opportunity to capture York, which they sack and burn.
• 867 − Following the loss of York, Osberht and Ælla form an alliance against the Danes. They launch a counterattack, but in the ensuing battle the Danish raiders manage to slay both Osberht and Ælla and set up a puppet king on the Northumbrian throne.
• In response to the successful Danish campaign in Northumbria, King Æthelred of Wessex, along with his brother Alfred, march against the Danes, who were positioned behind fortifications in Nottingham, but were unable to draw them into battle. In order to establish peace, King Burhred of Mercia cedes Nottingham to the Danes in exchange for leaving the rest of Mercia undisturbed.
• 869 − Ivar the Boneless returns to the British Isles and demands tribute from King Edmund of East Anglia.
• 870 − King Edmund refuses, and Ivar the Boneless defeats and captures Edmund at Hoxne, adding East Anglia to the area controlled by the invading Danes. King Æthelred and Alfred attacks the Danes at Reading, but are repulsed with heavy losses and followed south by the Danish.
• 871 - The Danes and Wessex do battle on multiple occasions over the next few months.
  • January - Æthelred and Alfred meet the Danish invaders at Ashdown. Alfred leads the army into battle and defeats the Danish, killing five Danish jarls.
  • The Danes retreat and set up fortifications at Basing in Hampshire, fourteen miles from Reading. Æthelred attacks the Danish fortifications but is routed.
  • March - Following the Danish victory at Basing the invaders follow Æthelred to then achieve victory at Meretum.
  • April - King Æthelred dies and Alfred takes the throne of Wessex. For the rest of the year Alfred concentrates on attacking with small bands against isolated groups of Danes. He was moderately successful in this endeavour and was able to score minor victories against the Danes, but his army becomes on the verge of collapse.
• Alfred pays off the Danes in order for a promise of peace. During the peace the Danes turned north and attacked Mercia, which they finished off in short order, and captured London in the process. King Burgred of Mercia fights in vain against Ivar the Boneless and his Danish invaders for the next three years.
• Ivar dies during his campaign and is succeeded by Guthrum the Old. Guthrum quickly defeats Burgred and places a puppet on the throne of Mercia. The Danes now controlled East Anglia, Northumbria and Mercia, with only Wessex continuing to resist.
• 875 − The Danes settle in Dorset, well inside of Alfred’s Kingdom of Wessex, but Alfred quickly makes peace with them.
• 876 − The Danes break the peace with the capturing of the fortress of Wareham, followed by a similar capture of Exeter in 877.
• 878 − In January Guthrum leads an attack against Wessex seeking to capture Alfred while he wintered in Chippenham. Another Danish army lands in south Wales and moved south with the intent of intercepting Alfred should he flee from Guthrum’s forces. However, they stop during their march to capture a small fortress at Countisbury Hill, held by a Wessex ealdorman named Odda. The Saxons, led by Odda, attack the Danes while they slept and defeat the superior Danish forces, saving Alfred from being trapped between the two armies. Alfred is forced to go into hiding for the rest of the winter and spring of 878 in the Somerset marshes in order to avoid the superior Danish forces.
• In the spring Alfred is able to gather an army and attacked Guthrum and the Danes at Edington. The Danes are defeated and retreat to Chippenham, where the English pursue and lay siege to Guthrum’s forces. The Danes are unable to hold out without relief and soon surrender. Alfred demanded as a term of the surrender that Guthrum become baptised as a Christian, which Guthrum agrees to do, with Alfred acting as his godfather. Guthrum would remain true to his word and settle in East Anglia, at least for a while.
• 884 − Guthrum attacks Kent, but was defeated by the English. This leads to the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum, which established the boundaries of the Danelaw and allowed for Danish self-rule in the region.
• 954 − King Eric is driven out of Northumbria, with his death marking the end of the prospect of a Northern Viking Kingdom stretching from York to Dublin and the Isles.
• Eiríkr rauði, Erik the Red, and his wife Thjodhild (Þjóðhildr), move to Haukadal (Hawksdale) and construct a farm. After a group of thralls start a landslide on the neighboring farm belonging to Valthjof (Valþjófr). Valthjof's friend, Eyiolf the Foul (Eyjólfr saurr), kills the thralls. In return, Erik kills Eyjiolf and Holmgang-Hrafn (Hólmgöngu-Hrafn). Eyiolf's kinsmen demand his banishment from Haukadal.
• 980's - Erik moves to the island of Öxney (Iceland), asking Thorgest (Þórgestr) to keep his setstokkr, which his father had brought from Norway, while he constructed his home.
• 982 - Erik returns to Breidabolstad to take back Thorgest's setstokkr, to which Thorgest gave chase. In the ensuing fight over the item, Erik slays both Thorgest's sons and a few other men. The dispute was resolved at an assembly, the Thing, with the result that Erik was outlawed for three years.
• Erik the Red sets sail for Gunnbjarnarsker ("Gunnbjörn's skerries") and a mysterious land to the west. He eventually reaches a part of the coast that appears ice=free and seems to have conditions similar to those of Iceland. Erik explores this land for three years, spending the first winter on the island of Eiriksey, the second winter in Eiriksholmar (close to Hvarfsgnipa), and in the final summer he explored as far north as Snaefell and into Hrafnsfjord.
• 985 - After spending the winter in Iceland, Erik returns to Greenland with a large number of colonists and establishes the colonies of Eystribyggð and Vestribyggð. The colonies become successful and during the summers, when the weather favored travel more, each settlement would send an army of men to hunt in Disko Bay above the Arctic Circle for food and other valuable commodities such as seals, ivory from Walrus tusks, and beached whales.
• 999 - Leif Eriksson leads a crew from Greenland to Norway. After being blown off course to the Hebrides and staying for much of the summer, he arrives in Norway and becomes a hirdman of King Olaf Tryggvason. After converting to Christianity himself, Leif is given the task of introducing the religion to Greenland.
• 1000 - While traveling back to Greenland Leif Eriksson is blown off course and sights a land described by the merchant Bjarni Herjólfsson to the west of Greenland. He continues to Greenland.
• 1003 - Leif Eriksson purchases his ship and leads an expedition of thirty five men west. Following Bjarni's route in reverse Leif landed first on a rocky and desolate place he named Helluland (Flat-Rock Land). After venturing farther by sea, he landed the second time in a forested place he named Markland (Forest Land). Finally, after two more days at sea, he landed in a place he named Vinland. There he and his crew built a small settlement, which was called Leifsbúðir (Leif's Booths) by later visitors from Greenland. After having wintered over in Vinland, Leif returned to Greenland in the spring with a cargo of grapes and timber. On the return voyage, he rescues an Icelandic castaway and his crew, earning him the nickname "Leif the Lucky".
• Leif returns to the family estate of Brattahlíð on Greenland, and begins preaching Christianity to the Greenlanders. His father Erik reacted coldly to the suggestion that he should abandon his religion, while his mother Thjóðhildr quickly became a Christian and builds a church called Thjóðhild's Church.
• 1004 - Leif Eriksson leads a large group of Greenlandic settlers to Vinland, establishing a permanent settlement. With harsh conditions driving many from Greenland, Vinland's population increases to 3000, with Eriksson as its chief.
• Conflict erupts with the skrælingjar ("skraelings" or barbarians), hindering the Norse settlement in some areas. Finally relative peace is negotiated with the native Beothuk people in order to ensure Vinland's initial growth. During this time Straumfjörð is settled by Þorfinnr "Karlsefni" Þórðarson, and Furðustrandir, the Wonderstrands, is explored and lightly settled.
• Following the death of Leif Eriksson the role of chieftaincy of Eiríksfjǫrðr and Vinland is passed on to Thorkell. Under his leadership Vinland continues to grow as many are attracted to its milder climate and easier farming opportunities.
• 1066 − Harald Hardrada lands with an army, hoping to take control of York and the English crown. He is victorious at the decisive Battle of Stamford Bridge. The same year William II of Normandy, himself a descendant of Danish or Norwegian Vikings, lands an invasion on the British Isles.
• 1069 − Sweyn II of Denmark lands with an army, in much the same way as Harald Hardrada. He takes control of York after defeating the Norman garrison and inciting a local uprising.
• 1075 − One of Sweyn's sons, Knut, sets sail for England to support an English rebellion, scoring another decisive blow to the Normans in the south.
• 1085 − Knut, now king, finally defeats William, becoming the sole king of Danish England, with York as its capital.
• 1397 - Denmark enters into a personal union with Norway and Sweden under Margaret I.

Comments:

• The doubt is strong with this one. ~Scraw
• I like the illustrations. Good touch. What do you mean, Scraw? Tr0llis (talk) 13:27, January 22, 2014 (UTC)
• Meaning it looks too professional for any one user. ~Scraw
• "Tell Scraw that I did indeed make that map." -MS (here)
• I don't think you will be allowed to circumvent wiki rules like that. Like how banned players can not get other players to post for them in a Map Game (*cough* personal experience *cough*), I would think the same rules would be put into effect on the wiki. ~Imp
• With what program, Mr. Map God? I assume this is at least taken from a base map. ~Scraw
• Thank you for your interest in my map. To answer your question, I hand drew that map in a program called Paint.net. The base map I used was a blank, uncolored map of the northern hemisphere. The drawings were based on ones by Olaus Magnus and his work, the Carta Marina. Mscoree (talk) 23:48, February 2, 2014 (UTC)
• Shouldn't this map have won? It's been more than a month. Tr0llis (talk) 02:23, March 2, 2014 (UTC)

Votes:

• Tr0llis (talk)
• RazorFangZ14 (talk) 14:06, February 3, 2014 (UTC)1
• Millgy (talk) 14:13, February 3, 2014 (UTC)
• NonEuclidean ツ (Talk)
• User:Edboy452 (talk) 00:54, February 11, 2014 (UTC)

Thorfinn Karlsefni Survives His First Meal - LightningLynx89

In our world Thorfinn Karlsefni and his party had been killed by a native raiding party after his bull had reportedly gotten loose and escaped the camp and frightened the local natives coming to trade with his crew. However, what if those natives had decided not to kill Karlsefni and his crew and had somehow captured Karlsefni's bull and returned it to him?

With Karlsefni seeing the honor of the natives willing to return his prized bull back to him, he began expanding more trade with the natives than he was given permission to, as he felt he needed to repay the debt. With this, the Viking populations had begun hearing more and more of this place called 'Vinland', a place of prosperity and virgin land untouched and ready to be settled and natives willing to trade goods that were alien to the Europeans. The Viking population over the next 200 years would settle the coast of the Hudson Bay and would set up permanent settlements. The native population had been exposed to European sicknesses, but at a leisurely pace which allowed generations to adapt and become affected by the Vikings carrying these diseases.

However, with the Catholic Church's influence increasing in Europe, the Vikings were forced into a war by the kingdoms of Norway and Sweden. The cost of war hurt the dispersed clans people as they were fighting a nation united under a king and a strong religion. The effects of the war forced the Vikings to leave their homeland of Scandinavia and forced them into Greenland and into Vinland to hopefully find a place to rebuild.

Comments

• I really do like this one as well, but I only have one vote ... Cour (talk) 02:29, February 4, 2014 (UTC)

Votes