The German takeover of Norway left Iceland highly exposed; Britain decided it could not risk a German takeover of Iceland. The Proto Cod War (19521956) revolved around Iceland's extension of its fishery limits from 3 to 4 nautical miles. Iceland demanded Britain allow it to trade with Germany, to no avail. 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. The First Cod War (19581961) was fought over Iceland's extension from 4 to 12 nautical miles (7 to 22km). The formal conversion of Iceland began when King Olaf Tryggvason sent Thangbrand, a German priest, to the island. [33], With war looming in the spring of 1939, Iceland realized its exposed position would be very dangerous in wartime. Photo byWikimedia,Creative Commons, by Olaus Magnus. Aside from the prevailing hunger, many would die from extreme heat or the toxic gas that filled the air. However, this is merely a guess. Iceland then became a member of the European Economic Area in 1994. Archeological findings in Reykjavk are consistent with the date given there: there was a settlement in Reykjavk around 870. Gunnar's own book A Brief History of Iceland (2010) has 33 chapters with considerable overlap in dates. Based on Icelandic lore, the early settlements were populations who escaped King Harald Fairhair, believed to be the first king of ancient Norway. 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. Sverre Bagge, Michael H. Gelting, Frode Hervik, Thomas Lindkvist & Bjrn Poulsen (Oslo 2012), 10118. Iceland remained independent until 1262, when it entered into a treaty which established a union with the Norwegian monarchy. The Royal Navy was sent to the contested waters in the last three Cod Wars, leading to highly publicized clashes. The Alingi is sometimes said to be the world's oldest existing parliament. [48][50], The Cod Wars were a series of militarized interstate disputes between Iceland and the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the mid-1970s. [30] Iceland's competent governance of internal affairs and relations with other stateswhile relations with Denmark were interrupted during the warshowed that Iceland was capable of acquiring further powers, which resulted in Denmark recognizing Iceland as a fully sovereign state in 1918. The Kingdom of Denmark (1814-1979) The Home Rule of Greenland (since 1979) Part of the Kingdom of Norway, from 1261 to 1814 [ edit] Greenland as an integral part of Norway under the Monarchy of Norway From the 1260s, the Norse colony on Greenland recognised the King of Norway as their overlord. Long before the dawn of humankind, this plume caused a series of underwater eruptions that quickly began to sculpt the island we know today. Read on for all you need to know about queer history, Reykjavi Guide to Iceland | The Story of the Leading Travel Agency of Iceland, The Complete Guide to the Midnight Sun in Iceland, Top 20 Most Beautiful Waterfalls in Iceland, The Ultimate Guide to Gay Iceland | LGBT+ History, Rights and Culture, Life in Early Iceland & the Adoption of Christianity, Icelands Civil War: The Age of Sturlungs, Fascinating History of Icelandic Architecture, Wikimedia,Creative Commons, by Olaus Magnus, 10 Reasons Icelanders are Proud of Iceland, Wikimedia,Creative Commons, by Johan Peter Raadsig, Wikimedia,Creative Commons, by the Arni Magnusson Institute. On top of this, Laki erupted in 1783, spitting out 12.5 cubic kilometres (3.0cumi) of lava. At the local level, three godar usually held a joint assembly in late spring at which a local court operated, again with judges nominated by the godar. In March 2006, the United States announced that it intended to withdraw the greater part of the Icelandic Defence Force. The airport was eventually returned to the Iceland Defense Force in 1951, though the U.S. Navy maintained Keflavik Naval Air Station until 2006. He was later killed by his slaves after settling at Mount Hjorleifshofoi, just east of modern-day Vik. Home rule was introduced in 1904, and in 1918 Iceland became an independent and sovereign state in personal union with Denmark. [26], 1,245 Icelanders, Icelandic Americans, and Icelandic Canadians were registered as soldiers during World War I. However, Iceland became more isolated during World War I and suffered a significant decline in living standards. Before the long period of growth, Iceland would soon experience, the settlement had grown so large that a new legislative body was in order; the ruling chiefs, therefore, established the Althingi, which is believed by many to be the worlds oldest nation-wide parliament. Gissur did much to push the Kings efforts, and finally, in 1262, the Gamli Sattmali or Old Covenant was signed. One theory suggests that those monks were members of a Hiberno-Scottish mission, Irish and Scottish monks who spread Christianity during the Middle Ages. Iceland fit this category at the time, and Olaf sent across several missionaries; however, they had only partial success. In 1843, a new Althing was founded as a consultative assembly. He decided that the country should convert to Christianity as a whole, but that pagans would be allowed to worship privately. The settlement of Iceland is thoroughly recorded in the aforementioned Landnmabk, although the book was compiled in the early 12th century when at least 200 years had passed from the age of settlement. When the two kingdoms of Denmark and Norway were separated by the Treaty of Kiel in 1814 following the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark kept Iceland, as well as Faroe and Greenland, as dependencies. The Icelandic constitutional referendum was held in 1944 as the closing chapters of the war began to materialize. Iceland joined the European Economic Area in 1994, thus strengthening its position on the international financiers stage. The incorporation of Iceland into the Norwegian Realm", "Politics and Courtly Culture in Iceland, 12001700", "What Did They Eat? Norway (and thus Iceland) then became part of the Kalmar Union, along with Sweden and Denmark, with Denmark as the dominant power. According to the early Icelandic sources, some Irish monks were living in Iceland when the Nordic settlers arrived, but the monks soon left because they were unwilling to share the country with heathens. As legend has it, Ingolfur threw overboard two carved pillars and pledged to settle wherever they landed. Much of the information on Inglfr comes from the Landnmabk, written some three centuries after the settlement. Some settlers coming from the British Isles were "Hiberno-Norse," with cultural and family connections both to the coastal and island areas of Ireland and/or Scotland and to Norway. After centuries of building pressure, Eyjafjallajokulls eruption would go on to shape Icelands future, causing an enormous ash cloud that halted air traffic over mainland Europe while simultaneously triggering the countrys burgeoning tourist industry. 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. Learn about the most famous waterfalls in Iceland, the best waterfalls to visit, and the stories behind them. These same forces can still be seen in volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. 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]. Consider the ice-capped volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, which erupted in 2010 after a 200-year silence. In the wake of the 2008-2011 credit crunch, this proved to be a short-lived, reckless dream. Theyre neither myth, nor epic, nor romances or folktales, but stories of vengeance, wealth, power, and love. Floods, ash, and fumes killed 9,000 people and 80% of the livestock. 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. 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. The ensuing starvation killed a quarter of Iceland's population. This is just one example of the level of detail found in these medieval sources. [20] Iceland established its own flag. Photo fromWikimedia,Creative Commons, byHaukurth. According to this account, the previous inhabitants, a few Irish monks known as the Papar, left the island since they did not want to live with pagan Norsemen. According to stipulations in the 1918 DanishIcelandic Act of Union, the two countries would maintain strong ties, with Iceland still falling under the territorial dominion of the Danish Monarchy. The Norwegian king's power of Iceland increased over the course of the 13th century. The history of Iceland is rich with legend and lore, ranging from the first settlement that was established here over a thousand years ago to the prosperous, liberal, and modern Scandinavian nation that it is today. [7], Iceland remained, for a long time, one of the world's last uninhabited larger islands (the others being New Zealand and Madagascar). Discover the most beautiful waterfalls in Iceland. This refers to Sturla rarson and his sons, Sighvatr Sturluson, and Snorri Sturluson, who were one of two main clans fighting for power over Iceland, causing havoc in a land inhabited almost entirely by farmers who could ill-afford to travel far from their farms, across the island to fight for their leaders. Iceland was still uninhabited long after the rest of Western Europe had been settled. A great deal of development was undertaken throughout this period, namely Keflavik International Airport, Reykjavik Domestic Airport, harbors, hospitals, and road networks. [15] In particular, it took stronger actions to stop the involvement of English traders with Iceland. 10 women of Icelandic descent and 4 women born in Iceland served as nurses for the Allies during World War I. In the 1990s, the Independence Party set a drastic reform of Icelands economy into motion. In spite of this decision, the godar retained their political role, and many of them probably built their own churches. The settlers of Iceland were predominantly pagans and worshiped the Norse gods, among them Odin, Thor, Freyr, and Freyja. Harald Fairhair is portrayed in both Icelandic and Norwegian sagas, mostly dating from the 12 and 13th centuries CE, as the first King of Norway. Iceland is positioned directly between mainland Europe, to its east, and North America, to its west, and looms over the Atlantic Ocean. [17] The Germans did not engage in much fishing themselves, but they owned fishing boats, rented them to Icelanders and then bought the fish from Icelandic fishermen to export to the European Continent. [17] The trade has been credited with raising Icelandic living standards. During the 11th and 12th centuries, the centralization of power had worn down the institutions of the commonwealth, as the former, notable independence of local farmers and chieftains gave way to the growing power of a handful of families and their leaders. Growing at a rate of 4 percent per year on average, the Icelandic economy diversified its industries not to be overly reliant on fishing. It became more difficult to raise barley, the primary cereal crop, and livestock required additional fodder to survive longer and colder winters. They acquired such fine things as gems, silver, jewelry, and wine from Byzantium. 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. This position had left Iceland, a neutral country, in a rather precarious position. From the time of Harald Fairhair until the present day, Norway has had more than 60 named sovereigns. The first people to settle in Iceland were probably Irish monks who came in the 8th century. Are courses available in English, and how many higher education facilities are there in the country? Given that Nazi Germany still occupied Denmark in 1944, many Danes felt it inappropriate to hold such an election. 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? 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