HOME | DD

Description
Requested by 3D4D
---
History can often have different flavors depending on how you look at it. And certainly, many people look back at history as it is and wonder how things might have been different. When it comes to the discovery of Vinland, the questions are often how things would have been different had a state like England or Spain found it first, or perhaps France, one of the great and mighty states at the outset of the Age of Exploration. Instead, it took on a distinctly Norse flavor, driven by a single expedition more than 300 years prior.

As Leif Erikson continued to return to Vinland time and again, he was able to attract away many who had come to Greenland seeking farmland and fine opportunities for livelihoods, and had been disappointed by the glacial reality of the island. Slowly, a network of travel between Norway, Iceland, and through to Greenland before proceeding to Markland, Vinland, and Helluland, and later the fourth land of Leifland. And slowly, a strong population began to grow, bolstered by intermingling with the natives and the creation of a distinct society that soon became Christianized not only through the efforts of Leif Erikson himself, but also through further missionaries who came with the settlers. A whole world was opening up.

A world, though, that was soon to be severed. What had once been a warmer period soon gave way to colder winters and frigid waters, and soon the passage between the "Four Lands" and Europe became too hazardous to traverse safely. To make matters worse, the collapse of the settlements in Greenland proved to be a fatal blow to the transit routes, and the Four Lands were effectively isolated from all of Europe for the next 200 years. And in that time, greater concerns came to the fore. Europe was soon harassed by Mongols and Turks and Ayyubids alike, drawing their attentions eastward as the Crusades began.

Two centuries came and went, and soon all knowledge of the Four Lands were lost. But not forgotten. Through the stories of the Icelandic Sagas, the Norse soon decided to pick up where they had left off, especially once King Magnus III of Norway, better known as Magnus the Great, achieved his life's ambition to unify all of Scandinavia under his rule from Ánslo. With a united Kingdom of Scandinavia, he sent his ships westward to reclaim the Four Lands of Leif Erikson. And to the delight of them all, there they were. Still alive, still Christian, still surviving. Even barren Helluland, the most frigid and harshest of the Four Lands, had pulled through.

Once they were found again, all that was needed was to pick up from where they had left off. The transit routes were re-plotted, the new ships of the age able to make the long voyage from Iceland to Markland without Greenland as an intermediary. And this time, all of Europe would know. The trade brought from the Four Lands brought them many rich furs and ivory, goods desired by Europe in an age of cold temperatures. Hearing of this new wealth, many Europeans began to sail themselves, pushing beyond even Leifland and settling lands such as Cabotia, New Castile, and New Caledonia. One thing was for certain, though. The first and most established of the lands were Norse, and would be for all time. All from a single man pushing the limits of the world.

Description
Requested by 3D4D
---
History can often have different flavors depending on how you look at it. And certainly, many people look back at history as it is and wonder how things might have been different. When it comes to the discovery of Vinland, the questions are often how things would have been different had a state like England or Spain found it first, or perhaps France, one of the great and mighty states at the outset of the Age of Exploration. Instead, it took on a distinctly Norse flavor, driven by a single expedition more than 300 years prior.

As Leif Erikson continued to return to Vinland time and again, he was able to attract away many who had come to Greenland seeking farmland and fine opportunities for livelihoods, and had been disappointed by the glacial reality of the island. Slowly, a network of travel between Norway, Iceland, and through to Greenland before proceeding to Markland, Vinland, and Helluland, and later the fourth land of Leifland. And slowly, a strong population began to grow, bolstered by intermingling with the natives and the creation of a distinct society that soon became Christianized not only through the efforts of Leif Erikson himself, but also through further missionaries who came with the settlers. A whole world was opening up.

A world, though, that was soon to be severed. What had once been a warmer period soon gave way to colder winters and frigid waters, and soon the passage between the "Four Lands" and Europe became too hazardous to traverse safely. To make matters worse, the collapse of the settlements in Greenland proved to be a fatal blow to the transit routes, and the Four Lands were effectively isolated from all of Europe for the next 200 years. And in that time, greater concerns came to the fore. Europe was soon harassed by Mongols and Turks and Ayyubids alike, drawing their attentions eastward as the Crusades began.

Two centuries came and went, and soon all knowledge of the Four Lands were lost. But not forgotten. Through the stories of the Icelandic Sagas, the Norse soon decided to pick up where they had left off, especially once King Magnus III of Norway, better known as Magnus the Great, achieved his life's ambition to unify all of Scandinavia under his rule from Ánslo. With a united Kingdom of Scandinavia, he sent his ships westward to reclaim the Four Lands of Leif Erikson. And to the delight of them all, there they were. Still alive, still Christian, still surviving. Even barren Helluland, the most frigid and harshest of the Four Lands, had pulled through.

Once they were found again, all that was needed was to pick up from where they had left off. The transit routes were re-plotted, the new ships of the age able to make the long voyage from Iceland to Markland without Greenland as an intermediary. And this time, all of Europe would know. The trade brought from the Four Lands brought them many rich furs and ivory, goods desired by Europe in an age of cold temperatures. Hearing of this new wealth, many Europeans began to sail themselves, pushing beyond even Leifland and settling lands such as Cabotia, New Castile, and New Caledonia. One thing was for certain, though. The first and most established of the lands were Norse, and would be for all time. All from a single man pushing the limits of the world.