In the year 1381, the Danish prince Harald went on a journey with some fishermen, interested in their tales of lands in the west. They landed in OTL Newfoundland (named Prince-Haralds-Land, eventually shortened to Haraldsland), meeting some Indians. Prince Harald claimed the land in the name of the Danish king, returned to Europe together with some Indians, presenting them to the astonished courts of Europe. In the following years, several other ships would go to the New World, return with plants and animals. After the first curiosity had ebbed, people in Europe mostly didn't care about any more, though. A few fishermen made settlement on Prince-Haralds-Land, Cape Cod and Manhattan Island, but that was all for the moment.