Essential Facts
- Key People: Erik the Red, Leif Erikson, Martin Frobisher, and John Davis.
- Part of: Age of Exploration, Colonization of the Americas.
- Significance: Greenland is important to American History because of its role in the Age of Exploration. During this era, European explorers mapped Greenland while searching for the fabled Northwest Passage.
Key Details
- Greenland is the world’s largest island, with two-thirds inside the Arctic Circle.
- The Paleo-Inuit people from Canada first settled in Greenland around 2,500 BC.
- Around 986 A.D., Eskimos and Norse settlers arrived in a second immigration wave.
- Erik the Red is credited with the name “Greenland.”
- Christianity reached Greenland in the 11th Century through Leif Erikson.
- Norse Greenland became part of Norway in 1261.
- After 1410, contact with Europe largely ceased.
- English explorers returned in the late 16th Century.
Historical Notes
Geography and Climate
Greenland, the world’s largest island with two-thirds of its territory lying within the Arctic Circle, has been inhabited for at least 3,000 years by Paleo-Eskimo peoples from Canada, followed by Norse settlers.
- The island’s northern point is 500 miles south of the North Pole.
- The climate is harsh, with long, dark winters and short, cool summers.
- A significant portion of Greenland’s surface is covered with ice year-round.
- The sea ice pack surrounds the island in winter, making sea travel difficult.
- The climate is harsh, with long, dark winters and short, cool summers.
- A significant portion of Greenland’s surface is covered with ice year-round.
- The sea ice pack surrounds the island in winter, making sea travel difficult.
AHC Notes
- Norsemen — Scandinavian seafaring peoples who, beginning in the late 8th century, explored and settled parts of the North Atlantic, including Iceland, Greenland, and briefly North America. Skilled in shipbuilding and navigation, they sustained their communities through fishing, hunting, and trade, leaving a legacy of exploration, storytelling, and early transatlantic contact. They are also referred to as “Vikings”
- Iceland — A North Atlantic island settled by Norse explorers in 874, later ruled by Norway and then Denmark. Its history includes the creation of the Althing, a legislative assembly, in 930, the spread of Christianity in 1000, periods of foreign control, and environmental challenges such as epidemics and soil erosion.
Erik the Red
Norwegian navigator Erik the Red, who had been exiled from Iceland for manslaughter, explored and promoted Greenland, leading to the establishment of Norse settlements.
- Erik the Red landed in southwest Greenland in 986 A.D.
- He explored the southwest coast for three winters and recruited colonists from Iceland.
- He named the destination “Greenland” to encourage settlement.
AHC Notes
- The term “Norse” refers to medieval Scandinavians from modern-day Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. They are also referred to as “Vikings.”
- The details of Norse explorations were passed down over time through oral histories known as “sagas.” Roughly 30 major sagas survive today in written form.
- The Greenlanders’ Saga and Erik’s Saga describe the journeys of the Norse from Greenland to “Vinland,” which is believed to have been present-day Newfoundland.
Norse Settlements
The Norse had to utilize various subsistence methods to survive, including trapping, gathering wild plants, berries, and eggs, fishing, and hunting.
- They also managed small farms, practiced agriculture, and raised livestock.
- Coastal grasslands along the fjords are the northernmost arable lands and were crucial for survival in Greenland.
- Archaeologists have discovered at least three settlements, known as the Eastern Settlement, Middle Settlement, and Western Settlement.
- The Norse explored the lands along the East Coast of present-day Canada, including Newfoundland, where they established another settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows.
Leif Erikson
Erik the Red’s son, Leif Erikson, converted to Christianity in 999 A.D. and helped spread his faith to Greenland in the 11th Century.
- Christian missionaries established parishes and monasteries.
- By the 13th Century, Norse colonies had more than 2,000 people and were prosperous.
- Norse Greenland remained a republic until 1261, when the settlers swore allegiance to the King of Norway.
Norse and Indigenous Greenlander Interaction
Although the southwest coast was unoccupied when the Norse arrived, contact with indigenous Greenlanders increased over time, with Inuit hunters acquiring Norse goods such as woolen cloth and chain mail, while the Norse rejected Inuit technology and survival methods.
- Contact between the two cultures increased as each explored new hunting grounds.
- Inuit hunters obtained woolen cloth and fragments of chain mail armor from the Norse.
- The Norse did not show interest in acquiring Inuit goods or technology.
- The Norse did not adopt Inuit fur clothing, harpoons, or seal-hunting methods.
- The refusal or inability to adopt Inuit knowledge may have contributed to the decline of the Norse in Greenland.
Decline of Norse Greenland
Starting in the 14th Century, Norse colonies in Greenland declined due to the impact of the Little Ice Age on farming, which led to worsening malnutrition, reduced trade, and isolation after 1410, when ships from Norway ceased arriving and contact with Europe largely ended, only to be resumed by explorers in the 16th century.
- Norse colonies started to deteriorate in the 14th Century.
- The Little Ice Age (ca. 1250–1860) had a negative impact on farming.
- Malnutrition increased as trade declined.
- A 14th Century court case recorded Norse Greenlanders forcing weather-stranded sailors to buy trade goods.
- After 1410, no more ships sailed from Norway to Greenland.
- Communication with Europe mostly ended after 1410.
- Little is known about Greenland until European explorers returned in the 16th century.
Early English Exploration of Greenland
In the late 16th Century, English explorers Martin Frobisher and John Davis explored and mapped Greenland while seeking the Northwest Passage.
- In 1578, Frobisher landed on Greenland’s southwest coast.
- In 1585 and 1587, Davis mapped much of Greenland’s eastern coast.
- Davis described Greenland as “the Land of Desolation.”
- Reports like these may have discouraged exploration.
- Little exploration of Greenland took place for the next two centuries.
AHC Notes
- Northwest Passage — A legendary sea route through northern North America. During the Age of Exploration, it was widely believed that a water route existed that connected the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, allowing Europeans to reach Asia more quickly than traditional overland routes. Explorers sought the passage for more than 200 years, which contributed to the early exploration of North America and territorial claims of European nations along the Atlantic Coast.
- John Davis (c. 1550–1605) — Davis was one of Queen Elizabeth I’s “Sea Dogs” and led various expeditions in search of the Northwest Passage. He also led expeditions to the East Indies and is credited with discovering the Falkland Islands in 1592.
- Martin Frobisher (1539–1594) — An English explorer, privateer, and naval officer who led three Arctic voyages in the 16th Century, seeking the Northwest Passage and gold. Although unsuccessful, his expeditions marked the first recorded European contact with the Inuit and influenced later British exploration efforts. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1588 for his efforts in defending England from the Spanish Armada. He was also one of the Queen’s “Sea Dogs.”
AP US History Alignment
Greenland is part of the following units, topics, and chapters in the AP US History curriculum:
Unit 1: 1491–1607
Unit 2: 1607–1754
- 2.2 — European Colonization
