History of Iceland - Land of Fire and Ice - 25 Interesting Facts

History of Iceland - Land of Fire and Ice - 25 Interesting Facts

The recorded History of Iceland began with the settlement by Viking explorers and the people they enslaved from Western Europe, particularly in modern-day Norway and the British Isles, in the late ninth century.  Iceland was still uninhabited long after the rest of Western Europe had been settled.  Recorded settlement has conventionally been dated back to 874, although archaeological evidence indicates Gaelic monks from Ireland, known as 'papar' according to sagas, may have settled Iceland earlier.

The land was settled quickly, mainly by Norsemen who may have been fleeing conflict or seeking new land to farm.  By 930, the chieftains had established a form of governance, the Althing, making it one of the world's oldest parliaments.  Towards the end of the tenth century, Christianity came to Iceland through the influence of the Norwegian king Olaf Tryggvason.  During this time, Iceland remained independent, a period known as the Old Commonwealth, and Icelandic historians began to document the nation's history in books referred to as sagas of Icelanders.  In the early 13th century, the internal conflict known as the age of the Sturlungs weakened Iceland, which eventually became subjugated to Norway over the 13th century.  The Old Covenant (1262–1264), and the adoption of Jónsbók (1281) effectively ended the Icelandic Commonwealth.  Norway, in turn, was united with Sweden (1319) and then Denmark (1376).  Eventually all of the Nordic states were united in one alliance, the Kalmar Union (1397–1523), but on its dissolution, Iceland fell under Danish rule.  The subsequent strict Danish–Icelandic Trade Monopoly in the 17th and 18th centuries was detrimental to the economy.  Iceland's resultant poverty was aggravated by severe natural disasters like the Móðuharðindin or "Mist Hardships".  During this time, the population declined.

Iceland remained part of Denmark, but in keeping with the rise of nationalism around Europe in the nineteenth century, an independence movement emerged.  The Althing, which had been suspended in 1799, was restored in 1844, and Iceland gained sovereignty after World War I, becoming the Kingdom of Iceland on 1 December 1918.  However, Iceland shared the Danish Monarchy until World War II.  Although Iceland was neutral in the Second World War, the United Kingdom invaded and peacefully occupied it in 1940 to forestall a Nazi occupation, after Denmark was overrun by the German Wehrmacht.  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 1944, Iceland severed its remaining ties with Denmark (then still under Nazi occupation) and declared itself a Republic.  Following the Second World War, Iceland was a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and joined the United Nations one year after its establishment.

We review a video about the major historical events in Iceland's history and we discuss the major points from it.  As always, we discuss the 25 Interesting Facts about the magical country of Iceland!

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