Start opening by Europeans North America They put in the second century - for half a thousandth to the first expedition of Christopher Columbus - Normans (Northern people). The movement of the Norwegian colonists to the West, which led to the opening of Greenland, began from Iceland. It is impossible, even approximately set, to what time the first known to west westing from Iceland is attributed to Norwegian Gunbierne Ulfson. Historians of the XIX-XX centuries time this swim in the most different dates, and none of them can be justified: some authors attribute him to the period of the first colonization of Iceland by Norwegians, that is, to the seventies of the IX century, others - by the end of the IX century, the third - By the first quarter of the X century. The earliest of the proposed dates is 870, the most late - 920 years (K. Gassert); F. Nansen carefully indicates the average date - about 900 years. So, between 870 and 920, Norwegian Gunbierne Ulfson, heading to Iceland, was abandoned by a buzzy far to the west and opened a number of small islands, which in Landnamabok ("The Book of Landowners") call "Schkers Gunbiern". Behind them was visible to the mountainous, covered with snow and ice, but Gunbierne could not approach her because heavy ice. The first swimming of Europeans to the shores of Northeast America was performed in 985, made this swimming Norwegian Baryni Herulfson. Barynie said that she also intends to go there; All the warriors supported him, although in Iceland their decision was considered not reasonable, since none of them had not been in the Greenland Sea. They raised sails and went to the west for three days, until they lost sight of the Mountain of Iceland. "Then the verse pass the wind and rose north wind The sea and fever fell, so they did not know where they were, and it lasted many days. Finally, they saw the sun again and could define 8 countries of the world. "Once the weather cleared up, they went to the former Western course. A day later, Barynie saw the land, but it was not Greenland. Going closer, they saw that low and furious forests and eat There are only small hills. Bjarnini ordered to change the course from Western to the North. Two days later, the navigators saw the land again, but this land was covered with forest, and in Greenland - big glaciers, so they raised sails and continued their way. All commentators, Recognizing the accuracy of the story about Bjarnini, converge on the fact that in both cases he and his companions saw the American shores covered with the forest. But what kind of American lands did they see? In this regard, after more than a century-old dispute, the opinions are diverged: the mainland of North America? Peninsula New Scotland? Newfoundland Island? Yes, it is unlikely that this question can be resolved on the basis of a short story alone, not attracting other materials except physical Cote of North America and the map of its vegetation. And other materials are not yet. In antiquity and in the Middle Ages, the seaside peoples of Western and Southern Europe firmly believed in existence in the "Western" (in the Atlantic) Ocean of the islands with wonderful nature and a mild climate; Some of these "blissful" or "happy" islands allegedly served as a shelter for hermites, exile or entire peoples, close conquerors. Already Aristotle (IV century BC. E.) announces the islands in the ocean on the other side of the Hercules column (Gibraltar Strait). Latest authors say that some islands in the ocean, open by the ancient Phoenicians, became a refuge for Carthaginian after the destruction of the Romans of their hometown. In the first century, our era about the Atlantic Islands spoke Pliny, and somewhat later (end I or the beginning of the II century) Plutarch. He places them around Britain, and some "sacred" islands moves much west, for five days. It is likely that these messages were based on the actual discoveries of the ancient navigators not only close to North-West Africa, Canary Islands, but also more distant Madeira, and maybe even Azores, located approximately one and a half thousand kilometers west of the Pyrenean Peninsula. In the XVIII-XIX centuries, you can trace the revival of the legend (more precisely, the legends, because there were several of them) about the "blissful" islands in the West Ocean. As can be seen from the book of the Irish Monk Dicuil, in the monasteries of his countries they read and re-read the writings of ancient authors, looking for direct instructions or hints to the existence of distant happy islands. Stories about the actual swimming in Irish Asketov to the islands in the northern part Atlantic Ocean Mixed with messages of ancient authors about the paradise islands in the central part of the West Ocean. So it is possible to explain the emergence of the legend about the wanders of the "Holy" Brandan and about the island's open island. At the end of the 16th century, Brandan sailed allegedly from the shores of Ireland in the western direction along with the group of his followers and students, wandered in the ocean, found some wonderful remote island, lived there and returned to his homeland after a long lack of. This legend, embellished and bloomed by folk fantasy, bypassed almost all Western European countries. Medieval cartographers showed the island of St. Brandan in the most deserted parts of the West Ocean. He was applied first to the west of Ireland. Later, in the XIV-XV centuries as the lands that do not have anything in common with their nature were actually opened in a moderate and subtropical ocean strip. paradise islandsAs they were described in the legend, the island of St. Brandan "slipped" on the maps is farther to the south. At the Venetian map of 1367, this island stands at the Madeira place, and Martin Behaimim on his globe (1492) shows it already west of the islands of green cape, near the equator. In other words, the island of St. Brandan became the "wandering" island and in the end completely disappeared, not giving his name for any real land. Hashe was the fate of another mysterious "wandering" island - Brazil. Born in the Middle Ages is unknown to whose fantasy and approved by the Cartographs earlier south-west of Ireland, the Island of Brazil was moved to the south and west of the European coast, while (at the beginning of the XVI century) did not give his name to the imaginary island of the new world, located at the equator himself, It was the eastern part of the South American continent. The name of this fantastic island "Okrestili" in the XVI century a huge Portuguese colony (Brazil). To the west of the Gibraltar Strait, medieval fantasy (probably in the XVIII-XIX centuries) approved the "Island of seven cities." According to the Spanish-Portuguese legend, after Muslims (Maur) broke the head of Christians in the battle of Jerez and distributed its power to the news of the Pyrenean Peninsula (beginning of the XVIII century), one Archbishop along with six bishops fled to a distant Atlantic island, where they founded seven Christian cities. On the maps, this fantastic island appears only at the beginning of the 15th century, sometimes close to another, even a more mysterious island with an undelivered name - Antiha. The opening of new Atlantic lands in the XIV-XV centuries pushed these fantastic islands far to the west. Different was their further fate. In the middle of the XVI, Spanish conquistadors were in vain sought "seven cities" to the north of New Spain (Mexico), that is, in the center and in the west of the mainland, followed by North America in the second half of the XVI century. The legendary name Antliavel has survived so far for quite real Islands (Big and small Antille Islands). For the first time they are named so on the map of Kantino 1502. These Mirage played a big role in the history of great discoveries. Applied according to the instructions of medieval cosmographs on the cards, they seemed to be H. Columbus in drawing up its project with reliable stages on the Western sea route from the coast of Europe to Indies. And the search for "seven cities" led, as we will see, to the opening of the Spaniards in the middle of the XVI century internal regions of North America - the Mississippi River and Colorado pools.
Early Paleo Eskimo Cultures
The history of ancient Greenland is the history of repeating migrations of Paleo Eskimos from the Arctic Islands of North America. A common feature of all these cultures was the need for survival in the extremely adverse conditions of the most remote edge of the Arctic at the very border of the range of arole. Even small climate fluctuations turned intimately favorable conditions into incompatible with human life and led to the disappearance of insufficiently adapted crops and devastating entire regions as a result of migrations and extinction.
Archaeologists stand out in Greenland four Paleo-Eskimo cultures, which existed before the discovery of the island of Vikings, but the terms of their existence are determined very approximately:
- Sakkak culture: 2500 BC e. - 800 BC e. in southern Greenland;
- Culture Independence I: 2400 BC e. - 1300 BC e. in the north of Greenland;
- Culture Independence II: 800 BC. e. - 1 BC. e. mainly in the north of Greenland;
- Early Dorset Culture, Dorset I: 700 BC. e. - 200 n. e. In the south of Greenland.
These cultures were not unique to Greenland. As a rule, they arose and developed in the territories of Arctic Canada and Alaska long before their penetration to Greenland, and could be maintained in other places of the Arctic after their disappearance from the island.
After the decline of culture, the island remained unnecessary over the centuries. The carriers of the Inito culture of Tula, the ancestors of modern indigenous people of Greenland, began to penetrate the north of the island at the beginning of the XIII century.
Settlements Viking
The last written certificate of Greenland Vikings - a wedding entry in the church of Khwali belongs to 1408. The ruins of this church are one of the most well-preserved monuments of the culture of Viking.
There are many theories regarding the reasons for the disappearance of Norwegian settlements in Greenland. Jared Daimond, author of the book "Collapse: Why some societies survive, while others die," lists five factors that could contribute to the disappearance of the Greenland colony: environmental deterioration, climatic changes, enmity with neighboring peoples, isolation from Europe, the inability to adapt. The study of these factors is devoted a large number of scientific research and publications.
Environmental deterioration
Greenland vegetation belongs to the tundra type and consists mainly of sources, fluffy and lichen; The trees are almost completely absent, with the exception of a dwarf birch, willow and alder who grow in some places. There are very few fertile lands, which, as a result of the absence of forests, suffer from erosion; In addition, the short and cold summer makes farming almost impossible, so the Norwegian settlers were forced mainly to engage in cattle breeding. Excessive exploitation of pastures in an extremely sensitive tundra medium with unstable soils could enhance erosion, lead to worsening pastures and falling their performance.
Climate change
Running results ice ice Allow to know about the climatic situation in Greenland over the centuries. They show that during the medieval climatic optimum there was indeed some mitigation of the local climate from 800 to 1200 years, but at the beginning of the XIV century began cooling; The "Small Ice Age" reached his peak in Greenland in about the 1420s. The lower layers of garbage near the oldest Norwegian settlements contain significantly more bones of sheep and goats than pigs and coarse livestock; However, in the sediments of the middle of the XIV Art. Near the rich dwellings are only bones of cattle and deer, and near the poor are almost solid bone seals. The version of the decline of cattle breeding as a result of cooling and changes in the nature of the nutrition of the Greenland Vikings is also confirmed by studies of skeletons from cemeteries near Norwegian settlements. Most of these skeletons are traces of pronounced rickets, characterized by deformation of the spine and chest, in women - pelvic bones.
Enhance with neighbors
During the foundation of the Norwegian settlements, Greenland was completely devoid of local population, but later the Vikings were forced to contact inuita. Inuit of Culture Tula began to arrive in Greenland from Elsmir Island at the end of the XII - early XIII century. Researchers know that the Vikings called Inuita, as well as Aboriginalov Winland, english (Norv. Skræling). "Icelandic Annals" is one of the few sources, which indicate the existence of contacts between the Norwegians and Inuit. They are told about the attack of Inuit on Norwegians, during which eighteen Norwegians died, and two children were captured. There are archaeological evidence that the Inuites led to the Norwegians trade, because during the excavations of the Initov parking lots, many products of Norwegian work are found; However, the Norwegians, apparently, were not very interested in inuita, at least, the findings of the Initian artifacts in the settlements of Vikings are unknown. The Norwegians also did not adopt the kayak construction technology and receptions of hunting for Killed Nerpen from Inuit. In general, it is believed to be the relationship of Norwegians with Inuitis were quite hostile. From archaeological evidence, it is known that by 1300 the winter parking lots of Inuit existed already on the shores of the fjords near the Western settlement. Somewhere between 1325 and 1350. Norwegians completely left the Western settlement and its surroundings, due to the unsuccessful opposition to the attacks of Inuit.
Kirsten Siemer in his book "Frozen echo" is trying to bring that Greenland has had a much stronger health and fed better than it was thought, and therefore denies the version of the extinction of the Greenland colony from hunger. She probably claims that the colony died as a result of the attack of the Indians, pirates or the European military expedition, which history did not save information; It is also likely to relocate the Greenland in Iceland or in Wellands in search of a more favorable house.
Contacts with Europe
With quiet winter weather, the ship carried out a 1400-kilometer trip from Iceland to the south of Greenland in two weeks. Greenland should have supported relations with Iceland and Norway to trade with them. Greenlandians could not build ships themselves, because they did not have forests, and depended on the supply of Icelandic merchants and from expeditions for wood to Winland. Sagi talk about Icelandic merchants who flood to trade in Greenland, but trade was in the hands of the holders of large estates. They traded themselves with the commercial merchants, and then resold the goods to small landowners. The main article of Greenland exports were walrus. In Europe, they were used in decorative art as a ivory replacement, whose trade was designed during hostility with the Islamic world in the era of crusades. It is considered likely that as a result of improving the relations of Europe with the world of Islam and with the beginning of Transshar caravan trade in ivory, demand for walrus beeves has fallen significantly, and this could contribute to the loss of interests of merchants to Greenland, reduce contacts and the final decline of the Norwegian colony on the island.
However, the cultural influence of Christian Europe felt in Greenland quite well. In 1921, Danish historian Paul Norland was digging the burial of the Vikings at the church cemetery near the Eastern settlement. The bodies were dressed in European medieval clothing XV century and did not have signs of rickets and genetic degeneration. Most had crucifixions on the neck and drawn up in a prayer gesture.
From records of papal archives, it is known that in 1345, the Greenlandians were exempt from the payment of the church decade due to the fact that the colony was seriously suffering from poverty.
The last vessel, which was visited by Greenland somewhere in the 1510th year, was an Icelandic ship that took the West storm. His team did not come into contact with any inhabitants of the island.
At about the same time, about 1501, the Portuguese expedition was visited in the Greenland area. The re-discovery of the Europeans of Greenland, as it is believed to have been committed about 1500 by the Portuguese expedition of the cortyaria brothers. It is usually attributed to the re-opening of Greenland by Europeans.
Danish expeditions to Greenland in the XV century
From this time, Greenland became a territory, quite well known worldwide. Various English expeditions in search of the north-western passage studied its shore at least 75 ° north latitude.
Strategic value
Autonomous Greenland proclaimed himself by the state of the people of Inuit. Danish geographical names were changed to local. The country began to be called Calallit Nunat. The administrative center of the island, Gothob, became Nuuk, the capital of almost sovereign country, and in 1985 the Greenland flag was adopted. However, the movement for the independence of the island is still weak.
Thanks to the progress of the latest technologies, especially the development of aviation, Greenland has now become much more affordable for the outside world. In 1982, local television broadcasts began.
In 2008, in Greenland, a referendum was held on the issue of self-government, following which on May 20, 2009, the Denmark Parliament adopted the law on the extended autonomy of Greenland. Extended autonomy of Greenland was proclaimed on June 21 of the same year. Both inside Greenland and outside it, there are people who consider the expansion of autonomy as a step towards the independence of Greenland from Denmark
Greenland is the largest island in the world in the world located north-east of North America and washed by the waters of the Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean. Translated "Greenland" means " Green Island" There are two versions of the origin of the name of the island. According to one version, the island was named with the Viking Points due to the large number of Green grass-free land on the glaciers free from the glaciers, on the other - such a name was given to the island intentionally, in order to attract a large number of wishes to move to new land.
Near Greenland is a large number of smaller islands and rocks. The greatest is the island of Disco ( geographical coordinates: 69 ° 47'46 "p. sh. 53 ° 05'54 "s. d.), located in the sea of \u200b\u200bBuffin western coast Greenland. The east coast has a number of islands with dimensions less, it is, above all, Shannon Islands, Clavering, Ens Munk, Trell, Storm Collemp, Hovgor and others.
Greenland and the adjacent islands and rocks are part of the Kingdom of Denmark and is its autonomous unit.
As a result of archaeological excavations, it was possible to establish that before the opening of Greenland Vikings, starting from about 2400 to our era, peoples belonging to Paleo-Eskimo cultures lived on its territory. Gradually, these cultures were declining, and people left the island, which explain to a sharp deterioration in the climate in the populated areas.
In 982, Eric Rauda (redhead), the leader of one of the Viking tribes, which before that settled the island island, for the killing of the neighbor was punished with a three-year term of expulsion and together with his family, servants and livestock sailed in the western direction in search of an unknown land, which was mentioned in Sagah. The unknown land was quite quickly opened, but the floating ice was interfered by the coast, which forced the Vikings to overtake the southern tip of the island and land in Julianhobe (cocaton). Further studies of the Vikings of the island showed that he is uninhabited.
In 986, Raudi returned after expulsioning to Iceland and gathered quite a lot of wishes to move on again open landAccording to Sagam, their number exceeded 350 people. Upon arrival, two large colonies Western and Eastern were founded on the island, in which the number of residents during the heyday reached five thousand people.
Approximately 1000 Laif Erickson from Greenland, having 35 people under the team, reached the coast of the Labowor Peninsula and Newfoundland Islands, thereby opening America long before Columbus.
In 1261, Greenland, which before that was actually independent, adopted the power of the Norwegian crown. And after the Union of Norway and Denmark, the island actually entered the Danish kingdom.
the worst of the climate and the epidemic of the plague significantly devastated Greenland, which, after all the nail and cataclysms, was almost deserted and began to settle in Inuita (Eskimos), which came from the north of Canada.
In 1500, Greenland was re-opened by the Portuguese expedition of the cortyaria brothers.
During the Middle Ages, Greenland was constantly the subject of territorial disputes between Norway and Denmark.
In 1940, after the occupation of Denmark, Germany, Greenland refused to recognize the Danish puppet government and began to close with the United States and the United Kingdom, giving them the opportunity to build military bases and airfields on their territory. During the Second World War, Cape Falliel suffered an accident or 4 German and 1 British submarine were swaming.
In 1968, a strategic bombarder with a hydrogen bomb on board was crashed in the area of \u200b\u200bone of the US Air Force Bases, the accident almost caused ecological catastrophe in the region.
Greenland's status, as the Colony of Denmark, was canceled in 1953, at this time Greenland was recognized as an integral part of the Danish kingdom. And in 2009, after the referendum is held on the island, the Denmark Parliament expanded the autonomous powers of Greenland, which, according to many, was the first step towards the independence of the island.
Greenland Island is large enough in the area, so its geographical coordinates are customary to show in general, namely: 72 ° 00's.sh., 40 ° 00'z.
Cape Maurice-Jesup is the most northernmost point of Greenland (83 ° 37'39 "with. Sh. 32 ° 39'52" z. D.), Which until 1921 was considered the very northern plot of sushi, until the moment was discovered alternately Cuffextubben Islands and ATOW1996, captured the palm of the championship. Cape Farwell (59 ° 46'23 "s. Sh. 43 ° 55'21" z. D.), Which is a surface rock, is considered to be the most southernmost point of Greenland, not even loyalty to the fact that it is located on the island of Eggers. Cape Norostrunningen Cape is considered the most western point, and the Eastern itself - Cape Alexander (78 ° 11 's. Sh. 73 ° 03' z. D.), Located in the west of the Hays peninsula.
The total area of \u200b\u200bsushi island is more than 2.1 million square kilometers. The coast along the entire length of the coastline is very severely cut by fjords, all sorts of bays and bays. In the south-west, the island is washed by the waters of the Labrador Sea, in the West - Devisov Strait and the Sea of \u200b\u200bBuffin (in the area of \u200b\u200bBuffhin Island, the Land), the Bay of Disco (in the Disco Island District), as well as the Gulf of Melville, in the North-West (in the area of \u200b\u200bElsmir Island ) - A number of straits Smith, Kane Besin, Robson, in the north of Lincoln and Ventel Bay, in the north-east - the Greenland Sea, in the East - Danish Strait (separates Greenland and Iceland). The coast of the island is customary to divide into areas by analogy with Antarctic, which are referred to as "lands." So, on the east coast of the island, the land of King Frederick VI, King Christian King IX, King Christian X and King Frederick VIII, on the North - Earth Piri and the land of Knuda Rasmussen, on the Western - Shore of Laug Koch and the shore of the Western settlement.
Relief island of Greenland, if you exclude an ice shield, mostly plain, and closer to the center - even the lowered. In the east and south of the island, there is a Range of Watkins, in the east of which almost on the shore of the Danish Strait is located the highest point Greenland - Mount Gunbrian, reaching a height of about 3,700 meters above sea level.
Greenland Island and a number of small islands adjacent to it fully lie in the northern part of the Canadian shield on the geological platform, which indicates the mainland origin of the island, which was formed by separating from the continent of North America.
The geological structure of the island is represented mainly by Gneis, basalts, quartzites, marble and granites. From minerals on the island, deposits of cryolite, marble, graphite, brown coal, there are some gas and oil.
Most of the island's surface is covered with ice shield, which covers an area of \u200b\u200bmore than 1,800 square kilometers. The thickness of the glacial cover in some low-lying places is about 2300 meters. In the depressions in the center of the island, under the layer of ice are frozen lakes. It is estimated that the wondering Greenland glaciers would raise the World Ocean Level of about 7 meters.
The Atlantic Ocean, which today is a great dear shipping, in ancient times was an insurmountable aquatic desert between East and West. In three places, however, geographic conditions favored the intersection of the ocean. On both sides of the Equator Passat and the flow caused by them are directed from the old light to the shores South America and West Indies. Favorable to shipping Water spaces lying south of the equator have never been used any substantially: the peoples of Africa were on a too low level of development in order to master them. The use for shipping waters lying north is associated with the name of Columbus. Water located along the line passing through the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland, were used for shipping before all the others, the Scandinavian countries generated a generation of seafarers, which was the first of the peoples of Europe. open Ocean. True, it did not lead to such practical results as the discovery of Columbus, and precisely because European culture in those early times was still not ripe to cope with the serious danger of shipping in northern Seas.
In this way, geographical position Greenland is the reason that this country fell into the field of view of Europe in more than five centuries before Columbus landed in America. The opening of Greenland is a natural link of marine hikes during the time of Vikings. The first period of these trips refers to the time of about 800. For a short period of time, it led to the creation of Scandinavian possessions from Ireland and Normandy to the heart of Russia; Vikings penetrated the White Sea and Constantinople. After the unification of Norway, Iceland was opened. Following this, the first, even inaccurate information about Greenland appeared at the same time. According to the old Icelandic written source of Landnamabok, even then (about 875), Greenland, saw "Gunbjurn, Son Ulf to Krak, when he was abandoned by a storm to the north-west of Iceland and opened the islands of Gunbørn." Apparently, it was about a group of small islands near the modern shopping point Angmagsalik.
Opening of Greenland Eric Torvaldsen (Red)
Following the relatively tenth century, the spark of enterprise suddenly broke out again. In the north, the path to Greenland and Winland was found. The peasant Eric Torvaldsen, on the nickname of the Redhead, who in childhood, together with his father, moved from his homeland of Norway in Iceland, where he was convicted of murder for three years, decided to find a country that Gunbørne saw from published. From Cape Snefelsnessed, he took a course to the West and saw the eastern coast of Greenland "at the middle glytchcher in the place where he is called the Bloss"; Natural conditions apparently prevented by landing in this place where the coast for most of the year is completely blocked floating ice. Then he changed the course to the south, in order to find out whether the earth is suitable for habitat, and, having encouraged Cape Farwell, landed, apparently in the area of \u200b\u200bthe present settlement of Julianhob, near the southern tip of the island. It was the first white person who entered the Earth of the New World! He gave the country name Greenland, as he believed that it would attract people if the country would have attractive title"," So reportedly after a context of the years in the oldest source about the opening of Greenland - in the book of Ardes Frode "Islandbok". Eric intended to introduce a new link to the chain of widely expanded settlements of Scandinavians and used his three years of expulsion for detailed studies that spread to more northern territories, up to the current district of Gothob.
First settlements in Greenland
In the next summer, after returning to Iceland, he again went into swimming, having at least 25 vessels in Kilwater, of which, however, only 14 reached the promised land. The settlers settled in two districts - Estherbügden (East settlement) and Westerbügden (Western settlement); The first of them was located in the area of \u200b\u200bthe present Julianhoba and the southern part of the Frederikshob County, the second - in the present district of Gothob.
The settlers led the harsh life in this country, where even unpretentious barley does not ripen. The struggle of Scandinavians for existence led to the fact that they gradually familiarized themselves with the surroundings of settlements, and these knowledge was subsequently forgotten and restored only in the XVIII century.
The study of the Scandinances of Greenland in a greater part is the result of summer trips in order to collect the fin (precious in this flavoring country) and hunting for seals, walries and whales. Places of fishery extended north up to the Bay of Disco. Some industrialists reached even more northern places. In the extreme north, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe present colony of the Supernavik, near the stone pyramids on the island of KingigtorSuck, a small stone was found with Rounic letters. Judging by the language rank, the signature refers to about 1300 g.
It is possible that Normans have penetrated further. One of the Icelandic sources reports a trip to the country to study to the north of commercial seats in the summer of 1265 or 1266. As researchers have penetrated, it is impossible to establish because there is no possibility to determine the distance specified in the book; However, it is not eliminated that researchers reached Melville Bay. But little of this. In the northern part of the Tula District, at the Marshall Bay, between the Strait of Smith and the Gumboldt Glacier, during the excavations of the ancient Eskimo Razvalin, various items of Scandinavian origin were found, including the remnants of the mail. It is possible that these items were delivered as a result of exchange trade with Eskimos; However, if you compare the finds and vague legends of polar Eskimos about many militant white people who arrived in large rowing vessels without masts, it is unlikely that you can hardly deny the possibility that the scandinavians really visited these extreme northern places.
Studies of the Eastern Coast of Greenland
In contrast to the Western, the eastern coast of Greenland due to the presence of drifting ice remained mainly unexplored scandinances. There is an indication that they knew the terrain in the vicinity of the Zvsbi Bay, which, despite the northern position, is still one of the most affordable parts of the coast. In any case, it is probably necessary to seek the Scandinavian Svalbard settlement, regardless of the fact that in later times, this name was transferred to the island of Spitsbergen. Basically, apparently, the east coast visited only by people who were shipwreck.
Then, by the end of the Middle Ages, the darkness of the unknown is applied to Greenland and there are scandinavia. The tragedy walked here is reflected in the summary reports that have been reported to us about the period that becomes more and more scarce. It may seem incomprehensible that from Scandinavia, it was done so little in order to support the message. It is still necessary to note that Greenland has never been completely forgotten. Directly following the cessation of ancient marine hikes follows the period during which unsuccessful attempts to study Greenland.
An incentive for such studies was friendly relations that existed in the XV century between the yards of Denmark and Portugal, the birthplace of great geographical discoveries. Portuguese prince House Enrique, or, as Danes called, Heinrich Navigator, according to the fictional medieval description of the journey that came to us, came to the thought that it was possible to find a seaway leading directly from Norway to China and India. His cousin was married to the Danish king by Eric Pomeransky, and Scandinavia at the time was considered the carrier of old traditions of marine trips to Greenland and Winland. For this reason, the prince established cooperation with Denmark. Danish nobles were invited at the beginning to participate in dangerous travel along the African coast, after which in the Danish itself they took preparation for swimming north. In the summer of 1473, Crystien I equipped an expedition, which can be called the first Danish polar expedition. Two Admirals - Dietrich Pinging and Hans Pothorst were appointed as managers. An expedition navigator, or the "navigator", apparently, was a scandinavine named Ion Slip (Iohannes Ocolvus), a portuguese Joao also took part in the campaign. It is known about the travel itself extremely few. The initial item, apparently, was Norway, the expedition was in Iceland for some time, from there the way continued towards the eastern coast of Greenland, where the compass was carved on Mount the "Compass", that is, a sign that, in all likelihood, in Portuguese sample It should have denoted that the country is busy. In his book "Marina Map, written in 1539, and later in his descriptions of the Northern countries, the Swedish archbishop Olaus Magnus gave a drawing of a" compass ", which, of course, is made by imagination. In all likelihood, the expedition experienced strong storms and, perhaps, even suffered shipwreck; It is also known that the expedition had a fight with Eskimo "marine robber".
But still, the expedition was carried out, and the greatest achievement was that she penetrated to the West and south of Greenland and, undoubtedly, opened Newfoundland.
There was no practical value expedition. However, the desire to once again master Greenland did not stall, although all Danish expeditions undertaken in the next century ended unsuccessfully. An expedition was abolished by Archbishop, the expedition was canceled due to the fact that the Archbishop quarreled with King Cold Christian II, and when the king later took this company to his own hands, then the Swedish uprising of 1520 was broken out, at the end of the restless period of feudal interdesquets and reforms that prevented the equipment Expeditions, other complications arose. The expedition-free king Frederick II - one in 1579 under the leadership of the Englishman Oldey and the other in 1581 under the leadership of a native Faroe Islands Mogenas Haynessen - turned out to be unsuccessful, as they came across the impassable wall of drifting ice from the east coast and were forced to return without results.
The robbery and military campaigns of Vikings in England and France, as well as expeditions to the Mediterranean Sea, during one of which, for example, 62 vessels under the guidance of the legendary Hahashtein in 895 reached Byzantium, far from fully characterize them to achieve them as navigators. The navigation arts of the Vikings and the seaworthiness of their vessels testify to the navigation, ended with the settlement of Iceland and Greenland and the discovery of America.
The first Norwegians appeared on the Hebrid Islands around 620. Almost 200 years later, in 800 g. They settled on Faroe ("Sheep") islands, and in 802 - on Orkney and Shetland. In 820 in Ireland, they created a state that was located in the area of \u200b\u200bmodern Dublin, and existed until 1170.
Information about Iceland Vikings delivered the Swede Gardar Swalfarson, who in 861 transported the inheritance of his wife from Hebrid Islands. During the transition, his ship was a storm to the northern coast of Iceland, where he overreed with the team. When in 872, Harald beautifully created a great kingdom in Norway, Iceland became the goal for those Norwegians who did not want to obey the king. It is believed that up to 930 in Iceland moved from 20,000 to 30,000 Norwegians. With you, they were brought homemade household items, seeds and domestic animals. Fishing, agriculture and cattle breeding were the main classes of Vikings in Iceland.
Icelandic sagas transmitted from generation to generation and recorded only in the XIII and XIV centuries recorded only in the XIII and XIV centuries are the most important sources of viking information. Sugi inform us about Viking settlements in Greenland and the opening of America, called Wellands.
So, in a saga about the Eirik Raud (Redhead), which was recorded about 1200 Hawuk Erlandssson, it was said that in 983, Eica, expelled from Iceland for three years for the murder, swam in search of the country, which Gunbonn saw when swimming in " West Sea. " Eica Redhead reached Greenland and settled there with a group of Icelanders. The settlement was named brutalid. There lived Bard Herulifson. In 986, his son Bjarni sailed from Iceland with the intention to get to Greenland. During swimming, he stumbled three times on an unfamiliar land, until finally found his father who lived in the southern tip of Greenland. Upon returning to Norway, Bjarni spoke about his swimming at the courtyard of King Eika. The son of Eika Red - Leif Ericsson - acquired the ship from Baryni and swam on it with 35 people in Brattalid. After careful preparation, they first repeated the journey of Baryni on the Labrador ps. Having reached it, they turned to the south and followed along the coast. According to the Greenland Saga, recorded in 1387 by Yon Todarsson from Flatheibuk, they reached the terrain called by them Winland - the country of grapes. There, the wild grapes are growing rapidly, Mais, salmon met in the rivers. South Salmon Spread Border approximately corresponded to 41 ° latitude. The northern border of wild grapes took place around the 42nd parallels. Thus, Leif with his team at about 1000 reached the places where Boston is currently located (Fig. 1).
Brother Leif - Torvald - after his story on the same ship with 30 people, also reached Winland, where he lived for two years. During one of the skits with local residents Torvald was mortally wounded, and the Vikings left the settlement. Later, the second brother of Leif - Torstain - on the same ship wanted to reach Wilan, but could not find this land.
On the coast of Greenland in some places there were settlements of Icelanders, just 300 yards. Large difficulties for living there arose due to lack of forest. The forest grew on Labrador, located closer to Greenland than Iceland, but the swimming for the Labrador, the Labrador, due to the harsh climate, were dangerous. Therefore, Vikings who lived in Greenland had to carry everything they need from Europe on the courts, which were like ships from Skullayev. This is confirmed by the excavations of burials in Greenland, in which the remains of the courts are found. In the XIV century Viking settlements in Greenland ceased to exist.
Notes:
In the XI century Normans in addition to England captured Sicily and South Italy, founding here at the beginning of the XII century. "Kingdom of both Sicili." The author mentions exclusively the grip and military trips of Danov and Norwegians and says nothing about the Swedes, the expansion of which was directed mainly on Eastern Europe, including Rus.
The decisive battle between Harald and his opponents in Hafrsfid occurred shortly before 900 g. And, therefore, there was no direct connection between relocation in Iceland and political events in Norway.
Currently there are about forty hypotheses about the location of Winlands. Equally, the hypothesis of the Norwegian ethnologist X is not indisputable. Ingestad, who in 1964 opened the ruins of the settlement defined by him as Winland Normanov on Newfoundland. A number of scientists believe that this settlement belongs to Eskimo Dorset culture. In addition, in the sagas, the climate of Wilan is estimated as soft, which does not correspond to the harsh subarctic climate of Newfoundland.
