The European Discovery of America ** Terms and concepts of special importance are marked by a double asterisk. Q: What does the term "Norse" mean? Scandinavian **Q: When were the Norse in America? The 10th-15th centuries Q: Where is Iceland and who discovered it and settled there? Iceland is located in the middle of the Atlantic and was first discovered by Irish monks and settled by the Norse. Q: Where is Greenland and who lived there? Greenland is just east of Canada and was the home of the Inuit and later the Norse - who were eventually destroyed by climate change during the "Little Ice Age" (AD 1500 to 1850). They didn't adapt to the changing environment or adopt the Inuit lifeways. Q: Where is Baffin Island? Baffin Island is the large island in Canada 240 miles west of Greenland and is part of North America. It is quite barren, cold, and desolate, but has good stamps. Q: What are the Icelandic Sagas? Norse accounts or stories of their oral history written down sometimes centuries after the events took place. Q: What did Eric the Red do in 982 AD? A: Discovered Greenland Q: What were the Greenland settlements called? Brattahlid in the SW and the Western Settlement in the North Q: How do we know of the Norse in America? The Vinland Sagas written 200 years later and archaeological excavations. Q: Who was Bjarni Herjolfsson? In AD 986 he was windblown and sailed along the coast of North America without landing. Q: What did the Saga of the Greenlanders say? Bjarni Herjolfsson got lost on his way from Iceland to Greenland and saw land before turning North and East reaching Greenland. People were upset he didn't land. The Greenlander Saga describes 6 trips to North America before the mid 13th century. Q: Where is the island of Newfoundland? The island of Newfoundland is off the east coast of Canada at the Gulf of St Lawrence. Labrador on the mainland, and the island of Newfoundland together make up the Canadian province of Newfoundland. **Q: What did Leif Eiriksson do? He built a settlement in Vinland. (Founded a colony?) In the 990's (15 years after Bjarnni) he left on a journey of exploration and wintered in North America finding grapevines and timber (a scarce commodity in Greenland). **Q: Where is "Vinland" and why is it important? The Gulf of St. Lawrence area. The Norse had a settlement there. Q: Where is "Markland?" The central coast of Labrador Q: Where is "Helluland?" Baffin Island or northern Labrador **Q: Where is L'Anse aux Meadows? The northern tip of the island of Newfoundland **Q: What was found at L'Anse aux Meadows? A Norse settlement with iron, and sod and timber buildings. The style of the 8 buildings had the same characteristics of those found in Greenland. The timbers were from Labrador. They lived there several years and the thin midden (trash dump) looks like they were there off and on for 4 years. Q: According to the Sagas, who was Thorvald Eriksson? He wintered at Leif's houses and described Indian people. Q: Who was Thorstein Eriksson? He never reached North America Q: Who was Thorfinn Karlsefni? He spent two years at Leif's houses in Vinland. Q: Who was Freydis Eirksdottir? A woman who spent a year at Leif's houses. Q: What is "The Vinland Map?" A map that shows the island of Newfoundland that might be authentic. Q: What is the Norse penny? A Norse coin found in Maine that was probably traded into the area where it was found. Q: Where have the westernmost Norse artifacts been found in North America? People at West Hudson Bay and Ellsmere Island have found copper and bronze Norse objects that were probably traded into the area. Q: Did the Vikings make it to Minnesota and carve the Kennsington Runestone? Ummm...Nope. Its a fraud. Like a rubber spider that you keep stepping on though, it keeps springing back to life. Q: Who was John Cabot? The English explorer who sailed to Newfoundland in 1496. Q: Who was Martin Frobisher? He traveled to Baffin Island looking for the Northwest Passage to Asia and excavated two mines thus making the first impact on the North American landscape by Europeans. Q: When did the Portugese voyage to America? 1470's-the early 1500's e.g. Gaspar Real. They are alluded to but there is no written account. They were interested in commercial exploitation not colonies. Q: Who were the Beothuk Indians? They lived in central Labrador and 56 of them were enslaved by the Portugese. Many explorers brought Indians to Europe. The Pilgrims were greeted by an Indian who spoke English and Ponce de Leon was greeted by an Indian who spoke Spanish. Q: Who was Giovanni da Verrazzano? A French explorer who sailed up the east coast of the U.S. gathering information on the Indians. They were friendly until Newfoundland where they were hostile from earlier contacts with Europeans. Q: Who was Jacques Cartier A French explorer who in 1534 went up the St. Lawrence River and described the Huron Indians in a palisaded community growing maize (and French fishing boats that had already been there ahead of him). Q: What was Hochelaga? The Huron fortified settlement at Montreal. Q: Who was Sir Richard Grenville? An Englishman who in 1585 tried to colonize Virginia. Q: What was Jamestown? The early community on Chesapeake Bay founded in 1607 by English colonists. Q: Who was Samuel de Champlain? He founded the colony at Quebec in 1608. Q: When did the major Spanish explorations/presence take place in the southern US? 1510-1670 Q: What was the idea of the Spanish Borderland? The area of the southern US including placing forts in Florida could be a buffer to protect the riches found in Mexico, etc. Q: Who was Juan Ponce de Leon? In 1513 he led the first official Spanish exploration in the area of the SE USA looking for the Fountain of Youth. Spanish slave traders and shipwrecks had already been there. European disease wiped out much of the concentrated native population. **Q: Who was Hernando de Soto? From 1539-1542 this cruel Spanish explorer went with 600 men throughout the SE USA. Three years later he and 1/2 his men died. **Q: What were the Seven Cities of Cibola? A myth of wealthy cities that caused the Spanish to explore the southern USA and devastate native people they came across. Q: Who was Alvar de Vaca? He was a Spanish soldier who survived the de Soto expedition by who walking from Texas to New Spain. Q: Who was Fray Marcos de Niza/Esteban? In the late 1530's he described the Zuni pueblos. **Q: Who was Francisco Coronado? From 1540-1542 Coronado led a Spanish exploration into the SW USA describing the Zuni, Hopi pueblos and the Grand Canyon Q: Who was Hernando Alvarado? Alvarado led a Spanish exploration onto the plains. Go To The Index Page
** Terms and concepts of special importance are marked by a double asterisk.
Q: What does the term "Norse" mean? Scandinavian
**Q: When were the Norse in America? The 10th-15th centuries
Q: Where is Iceland and who discovered it and settled there? Iceland is located in the middle of the Atlantic and was first discovered by Irish monks and settled by the Norse.
Q: Where is Greenland and who lived there? Greenland is just east of Canada and was the home of the Inuit and later the Norse - who were eventually destroyed by climate change during the "Little Ice Age" (AD 1500 to 1850). They didn't adapt to the changing environment or adopt the Inuit lifeways.
Q: Where is Baffin Island? Baffin Island is the large island in Canada 240 miles west of Greenland and is part of North America. It is quite barren, cold, and desolate, but has good stamps.
Q: What are the Icelandic Sagas? Norse accounts or stories of their oral history written down sometimes centuries after the events took place.
Q: What did Eric the Red do in 982 AD? A: Discovered Greenland
Q: What were the Greenland settlements called? Brattahlid in the SW and the Western Settlement in the North
Q: How do we know of the Norse in America? The Vinland Sagas written 200 years later and archaeological excavations.
Q: Who was Bjarni Herjolfsson? In AD 986 he was windblown and sailed along the coast of North America without landing.
Q: What did the Saga of the Greenlanders say? Bjarni Herjolfsson got lost on his way from Iceland to Greenland and saw land before turning North and East reaching Greenland. People were upset he didn't land. The Greenlander Saga describes 6 trips to North America before the mid 13th century.
Q: Where is the island of Newfoundland? The island of Newfoundland is off the east coast of Canada at the Gulf of St Lawrence. Labrador on the mainland, and the island of Newfoundland together make up the Canadian province of Newfoundland.
**Q: What did Leif Eiriksson do? He built a settlement in Vinland. (Founded a colony?) In the 990's (15 years after Bjarnni) he left on a journey of exploration and wintered in North America finding grapevines and timber (a scarce commodity in Greenland).
**Q: Where is "Vinland" and why is it important? The Gulf of St. Lawrence area. The Norse had a settlement there.
Q: Where is "Markland?" The central coast of Labrador
Q: Where is "Helluland?" Baffin Island or northern Labrador
**Q: Where is L'Anse aux Meadows? The northern tip of the island of Newfoundland
**Q: What was found at L'Anse aux Meadows? A Norse settlement with iron, and sod and timber buildings. The style of the 8 buildings had the same characteristics of those found in Greenland. The timbers were from Labrador. They lived there several years and the thin midden (trash dump) looks like they were there off and on for 4 years.
Q: According to the Sagas, who was Thorvald Eriksson? He wintered at Leif's houses and described Indian people.
Q: Who was Thorstein Eriksson? He never reached North America
Q: Who was Thorfinn Karlsefni? He spent two years at Leif's houses in Vinland.
Q: Who was Freydis Eirksdottir? A woman who spent a year at Leif's houses.
Q: What is "The Vinland Map?" A map that shows the island of Newfoundland that might be authentic.
Q: What is the Norse penny? A Norse coin found in Maine that was probably traded into the area where it was found.
Q: Where have the westernmost Norse artifacts been found in North America? People at West Hudson Bay and Ellsmere Island have found copper and bronze Norse objects that were probably traded into the area.
Q: Did the Vikings make it to Minnesota and carve the Kennsington Runestone? Ummm...Nope. Its a fraud. Like a rubber spider that you keep stepping on though, it keeps springing back to life.
Q: Who was John Cabot? The English explorer who sailed to Newfoundland in 1496.
Q: Who was Martin Frobisher? He traveled to Baffin Island looking for the Northwest Passage to Asia and excavated two mines thus making the first impact on the North American landscape by Europeans.
Q: When did the Portugese voyage to America? 1470's-the early 1500's e.g. Gaspar Real. They are alluded to but there is no written account. They were interested in commercial exploitation not colonies.
Q: Who were the Beothuk Indians? They lived in central Labrador and 56 of them were enslaved by the Portugese. Many explorers brought Indians to Europe. The Pilgrims were greeted by an Indian who spoke English and Ponce de Leon was greeted by an Indian who spoke Spanish.
Q: Who was Giovanni da Verrazzano? A French explorer who sailed up the east coast of the U.S. gathering information on the Indians. They were friendly until Newfoundland where they were hostile from earlier contacts with Europeans.
Q: Who was Jacques Cartier A French explorer who in 1534 went up the St. Lawrence River and described the Huron Indians in a palisaded community growing maize (and French fishing boats that had already been there ahead of him).
Q: What was Hochelaga? The Huron fortified settlement at Montreal.
Q: Who was Sir Richard Grenville? An Englishman who in 1585 tried to colonize Virginia.
Q: What was Jamestown? The early community on Chesapeake Bay founded in 1607 by English colonists.
Q: Who was Samuel de Champlain? He founded the colony at Quebec in 1608.
Q: When did the major Spanish explorations/presence take place in the southern US? 1510-1670
Q: What was the idea of the Spanish Borderland? The area of the southern US including placing forts in Florida could be a buffer to protect the riches found in Mexico, etc.
Q: Who was Juan Ponce de Leon? In 1513 he led the first official Spanish exploration in the area of the SE USA looking for the Fountain of Youth. Spanish slave traders and shipwrecks had already been there. European disease wiped out much of the concentrated native population.
**Q: Who was Hernando de Soto? From 1539-1542 this cruel Spanish explorer went with 600 men throughout the SE USA. Three years later he and 1/2 his men died.
**Q: What were the Seven Cities of Cibola? A myth of wealthy cities that caused the Spanish to explore the southern USA and devastate native people they came across.
Q: Who was Alvar de Vaca? He was a Spanish soldier who survived the de Soto expedition by who walking from Texas to New Spain.
Q: Who was Fray Marcos de Niza/Esteban? In the late 1530's he described the Zuni pueblos.
**Q: Who was Francisco Coronado? From 1540-1542 Coronado led a Spanish exploration into the SW USA describing the Zuni, Hopi pueblos and the Grand Canyon
Q: Who was Hernando Alvarado? Alvarado led a Spanish exploration onto the plains.
