Most of the settlers came from Norway, but some came from other Nordic countries and from the Norse Viking Age settlements in the British Isles. Denmarks Christian III challenged the open religious practices of Icelanders and imposed Lutheranism on the people, and to this day, most religious Icelanders remain Lutheran. Every day, it seems this city, country, and population are changing. As hunger set in and the weather patterns began to take a life of their own, social order in Iceland broke down, and looting became frequent. Which mountainsare the most beautiful mountains in Iceland, where are they located and what kind of mountains can you find in Iceland? On 31 December 1943, the Act of Union agreement expired after 25 years. The Third Cod War (19751976) was fought over Iceland's extension of its fishery limits to 200 miles (370km). In addition to this, the country received the most Marshall Aid per capita of any European country in the immediate postwar years (at US$209, with the war-ravaged Netherlands a distant second at US$109). Church fast days increased demand for dried codfish, which was easily caught and prepared for export, and the cod trade became an important part of the economy.[16]. The formal conversion of Iceland began when King Olaf Tryggvason sent Thangbrand, a German priest, to the island. This revival was spearheaded by the Fjlnismenn, a group of Danish-educated Icelandic intellectuals. Dav Oddsson was Icelands longest-serving Prime Minister and held the job from 1991 until 2004. It dated to around 874 A.D., which is about the time researchers believed that the Vikings settled in Iceland. From Greenland, Icelanders would import walrus ivory, fur, and skins. Erik and Leif are credited with being the first Europeans to settle Greenland and North America respectively. (At the time, Iceland had a population of around 120,000. During this time, the population declined. But was Iceland ever at threat from the Axis powers in the first place? Shall probably be too late! The invasion plan known as Operation Fork was conducted haphazardly en route. Iceland joined the European Economic Area in 1994, thus strengthening its position on the international financiers stage. During the course of the 19th century, Icelanders strove for emancipation from Denmark, and gradually the country achieved greater independence. During World War Two, the royal couple were very popular and acted as national symbols. Photo from Wikimedia,Creative Commons, byGuerber, H. A. Take Holuhraun lava field, for example, where eruptions originating at Baroarbunga stratovolcano occurred in 2014 and 2015. [9] Many of the early settlers were Thelir, fleeing the recent union of Norway under Harald Fairhair and came from Telemark. The Alingi is sometimes said to be the world's oldest existing parliament. Some were ordained, and as a group they seem to have closely controlled the organization of the new religion. A layer of tephra (volcanic ash) that in many places coincides with the earliest remains of human habitation in Iceland has been identified in Greenland ice and dated to about 870. Gissur Thorvaldsson, himself a chieftain and one of the former opponents of Sturla, was made a chief by the Norwegian king. Given that Nazi Germany still occupied Denmark in 1944, many Danes felt it inappropriate to hold such an election. The occupation of Iceland lasted throughout the war. [17] The Icelandic trade was important to some British ports; for example, in Hull, the Icelandic trade accounted for more than ten percent of Hull's total trade. Children fathered by foreign troops were known as astandsborn (children of the situation). Discover the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland. According to the 1951 NATO Defense Treaty, the United States is responsible for defending Iceland for an undisclosed length of time. Iceland fit this category at the time, and Olaf sent across several missionaries; however, they had only partial success. Still, the last King of Iceland, Kristjn X, sent a message of congratulations to the Icelandic people. [64], Iceland's economy stabilized under the government of Jhanna Sigurardttir, and grew by 1.6% in 2012,[65][66] but many Icelanders remained unhappy with the state of the economy and government austerity policies; the centre-right Independence Party was returned to power, in coalition with the Progressive Party, in the 2013 elections. The German takeover of Norway left Iceland highly exposed; Britain decided it could not risk a German takeover of Iceland. Iceland has retained strong ties to the other Nordic countries. A Scandinavian sailor, Floki Vilgeroarson, gave Iceland its name after he spotted some drift ice in the fjords during a ferocious winter. Once the church garnered complete control in Iceland, these practices were quickly banned. This vote occurred only four years after Denmark had succumbed to the invading German army. Are you wondering how the country's geography, climate, and position in the world affected its development, and what were some of the most positive and negative chapters in Iceland's history? [1] Due to the island's strategic position in the North Atlantic, the Allies occupied the island until the end of the war, with the United States taking over occupation duties from the British in 1941. In 930, the ruling chiefs established an assembly called the Alingi (Althing). For a short time, Icelanders considered banking their new modus operandi. This eradicated unemployment in Iceland and raised wages considerably. During the war, the British and Canadian troops in Iceland would eventually fall to the wayside in favor of U.S. From left, Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark; Finland president Tarja Halonen; King Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden; Queen Sonja and King Harald of Norway; and First Lady of Iceland Dorrit Mousaieff and president of Iceland . As you can see, Icelands volcano history goes way back. Home rule was introduced in 1904, and in 1918 Iceland became an independent and sovereign state in personal union with Denmark. This caused widespread protests in Iceland, to little avail, but did cement in the Icelandic psyche a distrust of widespread foreign intervention and the willingness to protest policies they considered opposed to the countrys value systems. Unlike Norway, Denmark did not need Iceland's fish and homespun wool. Ten men were taken as prisoners of war by the Germans. Learn key facts and statistics about Iceland. While covered in ice, Iceland's icefalls, fjords and valleys were formed. Dined and worked. In A.D. 999, after another unsuccessful conversion attempt, Olaf shut off all trade routes to Iceland, refusing the Icelandic merchant vessels entry to Norwegian ports. Areas near the Arctic Circle such as Iceland and Greenland began to have shorter growing seasons and colder winters. [35] They behaved accordingly, and there were no mishaps. Iceland became a charter member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on 30 March 1949, with the reservation that it would never take part in offensive action against another nation. Later the Icelanders began to write sagas, which were to reach their pinnacle of literary achievement in the next century. [37], At the peak, the British had 25,000 troops stationed in Iceland,[35] all but eliminating unemployment in the Reykjavk area and other strategically important places. This is a list of rulers of Iceland, ruling from 1262 to 1944. . Recorded settlement has conventionally been dated back to 874, although archaeological evidence indicates Gaelic monks from Ireland, known as papar according to sagas, had settled Iceland earlier. Codification of the law was begun in 111718. Journal of Medieval and Renaissance Studies 40:2 (Autumn 2009), 15170. 10 women of Icelandic descent and 4 women born in Iceland served as nurses for the Allies during World War I. Towards the end of the tenth century, Christianity came to Iceland through the influence of the Norwegian king Olaf Tryggvason. The next day, April 10, the Icelandic Parliament declared that Denmark could not fulfill its duties supporting Iceland and thus transferred all powers to the domestic government. The government's fiscal policy was strictly Keynesian, and their aim was to create the necessary industrial infrastructure for a prosperous developed country[citation needed]. The airport was eventually returned to the Iceland Defense Force in 1951, though the U.S. Navy maintained Keflavik Naval Air Station until 2006. [36] At the time, Icelanders and the Danish King considered this state of affairs to be temporary and believed that Iceland would return these powers to Denmark when the occupation was over. According to traditions current in Norway and Iceland in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, he reigned from c. 872 to 930 and was the first King of Norway. According to a 2018 study in the Scandinavian Journal of History, Iceland benefited massively from its relationship with the United States during the Cold War. This five-part medieval manuscript tells the story of the Norsemen discovering and settling the country in the 9th and 10th centuries. Norway's consolidation of power in Iceland was slow, and the Althing intended to hold onto its legislative and judicial power. What once resembled an overgrown Scandinavian village has given way to the hurried construction of luxury hotels, visitor centers, and tourist stops. The volcanic activity is attributed to a hotspot, the Iceland hotspot, which in turn lies over a mantle plume (the Iceland Plume) anomalously hot rock in the Earth's mantle which is likely to be partly responsible for the island's creation and continued existence. In 1991, the Independence Party, led by Dav Oddsson, formed a coalition government with the Social Democrats. Though less consequential, there have been countless other eruptions and earthquakes over the years. [26], 1,245 Icelanders, Icelandic Americans, and Icelandic Canadians were registered as soldiers during World War I. On the other hand, there was no central authority to ensure that the farmers would be able to exercise their right in a democratic way. Norway, in turn, was united with Sweden (1319) and then Denmark (1376). G105 (Earth: Our Habitable Planet) Chapter 13: Evolution of Continents and Oceans", "Frskaparsetur Froya: Megindeildin fyri nttruvsindi og heilsuvsindi. He decided that the country should convert to Christianity as a whole, but that pagans would be allowed to worship privately. This left enough room for windows and doors, but these homes were rarely warm and required great fires in the center of the room, which often caused respiratory problems. Already, the city of Reykjavik has taken on a new face. This position had left Iceland, a neutral country, in a rather precarious position. The First King was a legendary figure who lived during the Dawn Age. Harald I Fairhair (Old Norse: Haraldr inn hrfagri [hrldz in hrfre]; Norwegian: Harald hrfagre; Modern Icelandic: Haraldur hrfagri [haraltr haurfar]; putatively c. 850 - c. 932) is portrayed by the Icelandic sagas as the first King of Norway. He argued that further diplomatic efforts with the Icelandic government would likely reveal British invasion plans to the Germans; hence it was a more strategic move to invade without any prior warning. Having recovered financially and outmatched the GDP of previous years, Icelands future has never looked brighter. By 930, the chieftains had established a form of governance, the Althing, making it one of the world's oldest parliaments. This would have consequences regarding soil arability that has lasted until today. The total value of Icelandic exports fell from 74 million kronur in 1929 to 48 million kronur in 1932, and did not rise again to the pre-1930 level until after 1939. In 1949, Iceland joined as one of the founding members of NATO, while only a year before, the country had begun to receive Marshall Aid from the United States. As of 2017, it's again the intention of the U.S. military to build a modern airbase on the Reykjanes Peninsula. As the end of the first millennium grew near, many prominent Icelanders had accepted the new faith. Iceland was still uninhabited long after the rest of Western Europe had been settled. Gaining independence meant that Iceland had to reinvent its position on the world stage as culturally separate from the Danish and its relationship with the rest of mainland Europe. See also: Icelandic Literature for Beginners According to tradition the first Viking to discover Iceland was a man named Naddoddur who got lost while on his way to the Faeroe Islands. and the Greek explorer Pytheas who documented his travels. Among other things, the union meant a . Harald Halfdansson (Old Norse: Haraldr Hlfdanarson; c. 850 - c. 932), better known as Harald Hrfagre English: Harald Fairhair), was remembered by medieval historians as the first King of Norway. This archaeological find may also indicate that the monks left Iceland before the Norse arrived.[12]. While the Icelandic government did follow through on its threat to break off diplomatic relations with the UK during the Third Cod War, it never went through on its threats to close the U.S. base or to withdraw from NATO. Disaster struck Iceland with the violent eruption of the Laki volcano in the 18th century, beginning June 1783 and ending Feb. 1784, killing 9,000 Icelandic citizens. Following elections in May 2007,[59] the Independence Party, headed by Haarde, remained in government, albeit in a new coalition with the Social Democratic Alliance. This should come as little surprise; after all, Icelandic society might be moving rapidly, but the countrys strategic positioning above the Atlantic is as important today as it ever has been. Jhannesson became the new president of Iceland. 1,030 likes, 11 comments - World History Encyclopedia (@whencyclopedia) on Instagram: "Selja monastery has been considered one of the most sacred sites in Norway for . These plates spread at a rate of approximately 2.5 centimeters per year. However, a new national consciousness was revived in Iceland, inspired by romantic nationalist ideas from continental Europe. It became more difficult to raise barley, the primary cereal crop, and livestock required additional fodder to survive longer and colder winters. In 1602, Iceland was forbidden to trade with countries other than Denmark, by order of the Danish government, which at this time pursued mercantilist policies. He was later killed by his slaves after settling at Mount Hjorleifshofoi, just east of modern-day Vik. It should be understood that Icelands position on the globe is one of enormous strategic importance for any party engaged in international warfare. To mark the occasion, he brought his pagan idols to a waterfall and threw them in the abandonment of faith. Jon Sigurosson bravely led a group of Icelandic intellectuals towards an independence movement, recreating an autonomous Icelandic government. [36], Iceland turned down British offers of protection after the occupation of Denmark, because that would violate Iceland's neutrality. In 930, the ruling chiefs established a republican constitution and an assembly called the Althingthe oldest parliament in the world. Within a century, it's thought that Iceland was entirely deforested. The recorded history of Iceland began with the settlement by Viking explorers and the people they enslaved from the east, particularly Norway and the British Isles, in the late ninth century. [16] A serfdom-like institution called the vistarband developed, in which peasants were bound to landowners for a year at a time. For the latter half of the 20th century, unemployment was low, industries were prospering, and life in Iceland was good, particularly for the most part, save for years when the annual harvest proved insufficient. The other main source, Landnmabk (The Book of Settlements), of 12th-century origin but known only in later versions, states explicitly that the first permanent settler, Inglfr Arnarson, came from Norway to Iceland to settle in the year 874. Following him, a Swede named Gardar Svavarsson . Little changed in the decades following the treaty. [39] Most were killed on cargo and fishing vessels sunk by German aircraft, U-boats or mines. Settlements from that era have been found in southwest Greenland and eastern Canada, and sagas such as Saga of Erik the Red and Greenland saga speak of the settlers' exploits. Iceland is a relatively young island in the geological sense, being formed about 20 million years ago by a series of volcanic eruptions in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, but it is still growing from fresh volcanic eruptions. By A.D. 930, it's thought that all arable land in the country had been settled. "[13] These people were primarily of Norwegian, Irish, and Scottish origin. Archeological findings in Reykjavk are consistent with the date given there: there was a settlement in Reykjavk around 870. History. [69] On 30 November 2017, Katrn Jakobsdttir became Iceland's new prime minister despite the fact her party, Left-Green Movement, came second in the election - behind the Independence Party. Iceland is very remote, and so has been spared the ravages of European wars but has been affected by other external events, such as the Black Death and the Protestant Reformation imposed by Denmark. In the years preceding and immediately after independence, a wave of Icelandic nationalism had begun to find its footing in the Icelandic psyche, a cultural invention rooted mainly in the sagas. Historiography prefers the term 'free state'. The sheep also yielded wool, and homespun cloth became the chief export. Discover the complete history of Iceland in this detailed account. [71], After the 2021 parliamentary election, the new government was, just like the previous government, a tri-party coalition of the Independence Party, the Progressive Party and the Left-Green Movement, headed by Prime Minister Katrn Jakobsdttir.[72]. Only a few decades before that, it had become subject to the modernism that followed World War IIthe theaters, the restaurants, the museums, and the bars. Given its staggering age, the Landnamabok provides incredible detail regarding this period, presenting over 1,400 settlements and 3,000 characters, anecdotal tales, family trees, and stories of the Norse Pantheon. In the first half of the 10th century, English armies led by the descendants of Alfred of Wessex began reconquering Scandinavian areas of England; the last Scandinavian king, Erik Bloodaxe, was . Vigdis Finnbogadottir assumed Iceland's presidency on August 1, 1980, the third elected female head of state in the world.[2]. An independence movement developed under the leadership of a lawyer named Jn Sigursson. This period is referred to therefore as the jveldisld or goaveldisld (National or Chieftain State) period by Icelandic authors, and the Old Commonwealth or Freestate by English ones. It was then that various agencies in Iceland, including the government and tourist board, rallied around the concept of boosting the country as a must-see travel destination. In geological terms, Iceland is a young island. Saw several broods of ducklings.. Many have noted its a country still grappling with its place in the world, trying to figure out precisely what it is and how it got here. His story is also told in the ancient Landnamabok. Was there a particular chapter in history you'd like to know more about? According to stories written down some 250 years after the event, the country was discovered and settled by Norse people in the Viking Age. Find out everything you need to know about the. For a long time, Iceland was one of the largest uninhabited islands. [61][62] Elections took place in April 2009, and a continuing coalition government consisting of the Social Democrats and the Left-Green Movement was established in May 2009. These were some of Icelands original inhabitants. Harald I, byname Harald Fairhair or Harald Finehair, Norwegian Harald Hrfager, Old Norse Harald Hrfagri, (born c. 860died c. 940), the first king to claim sovereignty over all of Norway. It does say that Iceland was fully settled within 60 years, which likely means that all arable land had been claimed by various settlers. Much of Harald's biography is uncertain. Our 2-in-1 Bundle is a fantastic mix of Viking history and their mythology- a combination . [15] The end of the Icelandic Commonwealth is typically dated to the signing of the Old Covenant (12621264) or to the adoption of Jnsbk in 1281. According to this contract, the Americans would leave Iceland following the end of World War II, transferring control of Keflavik Airport in the process. 860 set out on a voyage from Denmark, where he had made his home, to the Hebrides, to claim some land his wife had inherited. [39][40], The occupation of Iceland by the British and the Americans proved to be an economic boom, as the occupiers injected money into the Icelandic economy and launched various projects. Its economy grew rapidly largely through fishing, although this was marred by disputes with other nations. He set about conquering the various petty kingdoms in Norway throughout his early youth through a series of battles and was crowned King of Norway by the time he was 20. [citation needed]. They may also have been hermits. Disrupting the monsoon cycles of Africa and India, the eruption caused widespread famine in Egypt (resulting in a loss of of the population). All farmers were legally obliged to belong to a chieftaincy (godord) but theoretically were free to change their allegiance from one godi to another; the godar were allotted a corresponding right to expel a follower. This page was last edited on 9 April 2023, at 11:48. Another eruption occurred at Grimsvotn volcano in 2011, and even last year, 2017, the Icelandic population observed as the ground beneath Hekla began to show signs of an upcoming eruption. Economic stability increased and previously chronic inflation was drastically reduced. No edits made. Nonetheless, the Christian clergy had unique opportunities to accumulate wealth via the tithe, and power gradually shifted to ecclesiastical authorities as Iceland's two bishops in Sklholt and Hlar acquired land at the expense of the old chieftains. As luck would have it, the worlds eyes were already on Iceland, particularly the dark and spewing ash cloud permeating from it. For the Allies during World War Two, the ruling chiefs established a republican constitution and an assembly the! A group of Danish-educated Icelandic intellectuals the Third Cod War ( 19751976 ) was over. Icelands volcano history goes way back consequences regarding soil arability that has lasted until today,,. 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