Leif Erikson (also spelled Leif Eriksson, Old Norse Leifr Eiríksson), nicknamed Leif 'the Lucky', was a Norse Viking who is best known for arguably being the first European to have set foot on North American soil along with his crew c. 1000 CE. Probably born in Iceland around 970-980 CE, Leif was the son of the famous Erik the Red who set up the first Viking settlement in Greenland in the late 980s CE. After his father's death just after 1000 CE, Leif succeeded him as chieftain of Greenland, and because his son Thorkel had succeeded him by 1025 CE it is fair to assume Leif had died by then, though it is unsure exactly when.
More about: Leif EriksonServer Costs Fundraiser 2024
Help our mission to provide free history education to the world! Please donate and contribute to covering our server costs in 2024. With your support, millions of people learn about history entirely for free every month.
$3890 / $18000
Definition
Timeline
-
c. 790 - c. 1100The Viking Age.
-
c. 970 - c. 1030Approximate time-indication of the Vikings' expeditions to Vinland (Newfoundland, North America).
-
c. 970 - c. 980Leif Erikson is born somewhere around this time, probably at Eiríksstaðir in Breidafjord, Iceland.
-
980 - 1020Radiocarbon dates given for the remains of the Viking settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows (Newfoundland, Canada).
-
c. 985Erik the Red founds the Norse Eastern Settlement in Greenland & moves there with his family, including his son Leif Erikson.
-
c. 1003Leif Erikson succeeds his father (now deceased) as paramount chief of Greenland. .
-
1025Leif Erikson's son Thorkel succeeds him as chieftain of Greenland; presumably, Leif has died by this time. .
-
c. 1220 - c. 1280The Saga of the Greenlanders & Erik the Red's Saga, together known as the Vinland Sagas but written independently, are composed in Iceland.
