Leif Ericson

By: Paige Winterfeldt

970-1020

Early life of Leif Ericson

Leif Erikson was born 970 AD in Iceland

He died in 1020 in Greenland

His nationality was Icelandic and Norwegian

His siblings were Thorvald Ericson, Freydis Ericson and Thorstein Ericson

Family Exile

In 982 Eric the Red, Leif’s father, was exiled from Iceland for three years because he was a murderer.

When Eric the Red was exiled he took his family with him. From Iceland he sailed west and discovered Greenland.

This discovery motivated Leif to explore new lands himself.

Returning to Norway After the exile the family returned to Norway via

Iceland.

Leif was still interested in exploring so he gathered a crew of 35 men and sailed west.

Discovery of New Land

After some weeks Leif Ericson and his crew discovered new land. They originally wanted to sail to Greenland but their ship was blown off course. They named this land Vinland as grapes grew there and the land was green and fertile.

The precise identity of Vinland remains uncertain as not many primary sources exist. However in 1963, archaeologists found ruins of a Viking-type settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows, in northern Newfoundland, which correspond to Leif's description of Vinland.

Ericson found the New World 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

Timeline of Leif Ericson

http://prezi.com/9oex65cm4oga/leif-erikson-timeline/

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