Norse Settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows
1000 CE · Medieval
Around 1000 CE, Norse explorers from Greenland established the first known European settlement in North America at L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland. The archaeological site, discovered in the 1960s, has been carbon-dated to approximately 1021 CE and represents the farthest known extent of European exploration before Columbus nearly 500 years later. Leif Erikson, Bjarni Herjólfsson, and Thorfinn Karlsefni were key figures in these early Norse expeditions to what they called Vinland.
Key Figures
Leif EriksonBjarni HerjólfssonThorfinn Karlsefni
Locations
L'Anse aux MeadowsVinlandNorse GreenlandNewfoundland
Topics
vikingl'anse aux meadowsnewfoundlandvinlandgreenlandnorth america
Connected Events — 6 Connections
The establishment of the Norse settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows under Leif Erikson's leadership defined his legacy until his death Death of Leif Erikson
Preceded by Norse contact approximately 500 years earlier Columbus Departs Spain with the Niña, Pinta, and Santa María
Leif's initial reconnaissance expedition directly enabled the establishment of the only verified Viking settlement in North America Leif Erikson Explores North America
Erik's Greenland colony provided the launching point for his son Leif's exploration of Vinland First Viking Settlement in Greenland by Erik the Red
Contemporary Viking Age event, same year Allied Scandinavian Kings Defeat Olaf Tryggvason at Svolder
Parallel long-distance maritime settlement in same era Austronesian Settlers Arrive in Madagascar
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