Paul Knutson

Count Paul Knudson, actually Pål Knutsson, was a Norwegian officer in Bergen and officer of the guard of the Swedish king Magnus Eriksson, who was also king of Norway from 1319 to 1355.

Paul Knudson expedition

Magnus had a call for help of the Norwegian Grænlendingar obtained, which had been inhabited since 982 Greenland and 1261 have been the subject of Norway, however, were forgotten since the beginning of the 14th century. The pious king, concerned about the situation of the Christian communities in Greenland, then commissioned in 1354 Knudson, To walk in search of this Norwegian settlements. The King's written order has been preserved and is kept in the Copenhagen Royal Museum.

With a Knorr and alongside some of Sweden, of mainly Norwegians crew sailed Knudson 1355 from Bergen to Greenland. The former West settlement they found wrecked and abandoned before what Knudson suggested that Grænlendingar had taken refuge from attacking Inuit on the west mainland opposite ( Vinland ). The Hjalmar Rued Holand Skandinavisten (1872-1963) According to Knudson should have reached in search of the fugitives the North American continent, without having found it. Along with search teams that he be sent to the country, including Knudson was henceforth regarded as lost.

Holand brought the Kensington Runestone in connection with the Knudson expedition, whose inscription was found, however, later as a forgery. 1362, at the time of the supposed dating of the inscription, the remnants of the expedition were already returned to Iceland. 1363 or 1364, they returned to Sweden. Norway was now at Magnus's son Haakon VI. fallen, the new king stopped the connections to Greenland. Håkons wife and successor Margaret I ( from 1380 ) finally forbade to start off Greenland.