Erik the Red (c. 950-1007) A thousand years ago, the Scandinavian explorers known as the Vikings undertook many journeys and some came to North America to escape the political unrest in Norway. Erik the Red, a descendant of Viking chieftains, established the first European settlement in North America. Around 981, he and his fleet of twenty five ships discovered the land he named Greenland. About twenty years later, Leif Eriksson (Erik’s son), most notable of all the Vikings, discovered Vinland, later to be recognized as North America.

Atlas (Spanish coasts) Petrus Vesconte, c. 1321Parchment stuck onto wood, 14.3 x 29.2 cmBibliothèque municipale, Lyon