The difficulty of populating and maintaining a thriving population in Greenland is first evidenced in just the second voyage of initial contact made by the Vikings on the island in 985 A.D. The explorer and exile, Eric the Red, set sail with 25 ships, only 14 reached the Greenland’s shores because of hazardous weather and ice conditions. This perilous journey heralded the beginning of a Greenlandic Viking society that would last for over 500 years before its ultimate collapse; signifying the risk that both commences and concludes the civilization’s existence. During the beginning and peak of the Norse settlements in Greenland their ties to Scandinavia remained strong and were necessary for trading purposes and social contact. The raw materials the Norse could acquire locally in Greenland held enough value to sustain trade with their native homeland. For a long period Scandinavia felt it worth their while to continue the import/export exchange with the Greenlanders, estimating the the benefits outweighed the risk. These benefits kept the notice of Scandinavia, and in 1261 Greenland formally joined the Norwegian kingdom, thereby losing their ability to trade independently. This business fell to specialized trading monopolies based in the Norwegian king's trading port in Bergen, where trade goods could be stored safely under the king's protection, in return, of course, for a heavy king's tax. Other historical records from the 14th century foreshadow the extinction of the Greenland colonies. A letter to Pope Alexander VI suggested a ship should be sent to Greenland "because of the very infrequent sailings which were wont to be made to the aforesaid country due to the severe freezing of the seas” (Smithsonian). One speculation as to why trade with Greenland ceased is believed to be due to the traumatic results of the Black Death in A.D. 1348, as well as other plagues and famines (Smithsonian).
Historically, Greenland’s environment has proved to be a challenge for human societies, who have been forced to adapt to the arctic climates. Due to the size of the land, there a many different climates that can be found in Greenland, as well as different wildlife and vegetation. Greenland is one of the world’s coldest regions with no wood other than driftwood, which limits the ability to use fires and caused the settlers to find other means of warmth (La Fay 2000, 122). The average farmer in the settlements on Greenland seem to have lived a fairly marginal lifestyle as far as easily attainable food, clothing, and other household luxuries are concerned. Even acquiring some simple necessities hinged upon the commitment to trade and the eagerness of the Norwegian merchants for the Greenlandic exports. Trade records found are particularly informative in supplying us with a list of the unique products that only Greenland could provide— walrus ivory and walrus and seal skin rope, falcons, polar bear pelts, eider down, narwhale ivory, falcons—and more domestic products such as ox and sheep hide, wool, and homemade fabrics (Smithsonian). When this trade network collapsed in the fourteenth century, due to the new political alliances the Greenland colonies collapsed along with it (Smithsonian). Clearly, there cannot be just a single causal factor in interpreting the downfall of an entire of society, but within the full network of components the nosedive of trade relations with Scandinavia was most definitely an integral causal factor. It is such an integral factor that it creates a defensible argument that the Greenlandic society would not have collapsed entirely if trade support from Scandinavia had been consistent and had not been terminated almost altogether. There are many reasons that can be examined when trying to understand why trade ceased and the effects this had upon the Norse Greenlanders.