something similar. Relocation is common almost anywhere civilized, you tranquilize an animal, then relocate it. NOT in Norway! Just call some fuckin musketeer, and BANG! A lost moose? BANG! A badger? BANG. Birds? BANG! Aw, a fox, how cu-BANG!
It's that Viking blood flaring up. See, if Sweden hadn't fucked everything up after the Napoleonic Wars, Norway would still be a part of Denmark and Denmark could keep you guys in line.
Black plague took 50% of our population, from 1 million down to half a mill. It also killed our royal line, and this helped submit us to Denmark. Then migrations to America, where Norway was 2nd (after Ireland) most reduced in terms of population, 50% again, from 2 mill back down to 1. Neither Sweden nor Denmark suffered anywhere similar losses -
Technically speaking, Iceland deserves that honor (IIRC, the first Scandinavians to reach America were Icelandic) but since Iceland rightfully belongs to Denmark, Denmark should be able to claim North America or, at the very least, Newfoundland and Vinland.
Icelanders, at the time, were Norwegian colonizers. It was only into the 1400s, that Icelanders begun to feel like Icelanders, separate from Norwegians (this directly related to collapse of Norwegian influence with destruction of royal line). Iceland came under direct Danish rule as late as the 1800s
Denmark takes way too much credit for Iceland as well as Greenland >:I
As for Vinland, Denmark had *nothing* to do with that >:I That was all Norway! Norwegian settlers in Iceland, who were seeking to expand further. Denmark had nothing to do with Iceland for at least 800 more years, and once they did, Iceland pretty much ran towards independence
My mom's a native Dane. I'm half-Danish, and Denmark has always been my "in case of inescapable horribleness happening, go here" country. Plus, I read about Scandinavian history, and Denmark gets screwed at the start of the 19th century and it doesn't start going uphill again until the middle of the 20th century.