In 1986, Iceland hosted the Reykjavik Summit, a meeting between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, regarding nuclear disarmament. In the early thirteenth century, the internal conflict known as the age of the Sturlungs weakened Iceland, which eventually became subjugated to Norway over the 13th century. It should be understood that Icelands position on the globe is one of enormous strategic importance for any party engaged in international warfare. 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. For a long time, Iceland was one of the largest uninhabited islands. [4] the Azores (on the same ridge) about 8 million years,[5] and Hawaii less than a million years. Born in Iceland around A.D. 970, Erikson sailed to Norway around A.D. 1000 . "How and why is the history of Iceland divided into periods?". Its origins are thought to lie over 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) inside the Earths mantle. Economic stability increased and previously chronic inflation was drastically reduced. A similar argument explains the name of Greenland from Grenland, neighbouring Telemark and also populated by Thelir. At the time of Icelands settlement, Norse people worshipped gods whom they called sir (singular ss), and this religion left behind an extensive mythology in Icelandic literature. [22][23] The treasury became highly indebted, and there was a shortage of food and fears over an imminent famine. 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 Norway royal power gained strength in the early 13th century when the king set out to unite all Norwegian Viking Age settlements under his reign. 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. He discovered that the country was an island and called it Gararshlmi "Garar's Islet" and stayed for the winter at Hsavk. 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. Are courses available in English, and how many higher education facilities are there in the country? When the force finally did come, the British were surprised to find the Icelanders rather accommodating, even helping the soldiers unload supplies from their ship. [16] A serfdom-like institution called the vistarband developed, in which peasants were bound to landowners for a year at a time. 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. How Hard Is It To Speak The Icelandic Language? It started to form in the Miocene era about 20 million years ago from a series of volcanic eruptions on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where it lies between the North American and Eurasian plates. To avoid a civil war in Iceland, the pagan lawspeaker Thorgeir Thorkelsson was elected to decide whether Iceland should become a Christian country. Civil war and the end of the commonwealth, Iceland under Norwegian and Danish kings (12621944), NATO membership, US defense agreement, and the Cold War, "Iceland was therefore peacefully occupied by Britain on 10 May 1940," says, The 9th-century Irish monk and geographer, Solrun B. Jensdottir Hardarson, "The 'Republic of Iceland' 194044: Anglo-American Attitudes and Influences,", Learn how and when to remove this template message, United Kingdom invaded and peacefully occupied it, Denmark was overrun by the German Wehrmacht, Iceland severed its remaining ties with Denmark, Iceland's strategic importance during the Cold War, "Vigdis Finnbogadottir, the world's first elected female president", "Jrgen Schieber, University of Indiana. This government continued with free market policies, privatising two commercial banks and the state-owned telecom Landssminn. [citation needed]. On top of this, Laki erupted in 1783, spitting out 12.5 cubic kilometres (3.0cumi) of lava. The parliament convened each summer at ingvellir, where representative chieftains (Goorsmenn or Goar) amended laws, settled disputes and appointed juries to judge lawsuits. All water went tepid and light blue in color, and gravel slides turned grey. In October 2008, the Icelandic banking system collapsed, prompting Iceland to seek large loans from the International Monetary Fund and friendly countries. "[13] These people were primarily of Norwegian, Irish, and Scottish origin. By that time about 10 powerful godar, belonging to some five families, held almost all the chieftaincies in Iceland, and by mid-century these chieftaincies were engaged in a bloody struggle for power. Thankfully, the Icelandic language is largely unchanged from Old Norse, meaning they're just as accessible today to native speakers as they were nearly 1,000 years ago. According to tradition, the First King unified the First Men under his rule and led them in their war against the Children of the Forest. During the war, the British and Canadian troops in Iceland would eventually fall to the wayside in favor of U.S. 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. The roofing was often turf as the house was built into the hillsides, and they frequently had to be repaired due to rain damage. [22][23][24], Iceland was part of neutral Denmark during the war. For a short time, Icelanders considered banking their new modus operandi. 860, was settled by Norwegian Vikings in the years 870-930. [33], With war looming in the spring of 1939, Iceland realized its exposed position would be very dangerous in wartime. From an 18th century manuscript of an Icelandic saga about King Gylfi. [26], 1,245 Icelanders, Icelandic Americans, and Icelandic Canadians were registered as soldiers during World War I. Greek and Roman literature mentions the land of Thule, and some have speculated this may have referred to Iceland. The airport was eventually returned to the Iceland Defense Force in 1951, though the U.S. Navy maintained Keflavik Naval Air Station until 2006. Iceland remained independent until 1262, when it entered into a treaty which established a union with the Norwegian monarchy. 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. When Danish adventurer Jrgen Jrgensen declared himself King of Iceland for a few days in summer 1809 (the dog days), he posted an announcement on the streets . The sheep also yielded wool, and homespun cloth became the chief export. History. 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. The . Erik and Leif are credited with being the first Europeans to settle Greenland and North America respectively. As with most significant changes, it took some time to acclimate, but the economy began to grow again strongly and swiftly after a brief recession. Because of the country's dependence both on reliable fish catches and foreign demand for fish products, Iceland's economy remained unstable well into the 1990s, when the country's economy was greatly diversified[citation needed]. A large magma pocket sits beneath the island and is thought to have been the catalyst that started this process. Swedish sailor Garar Svavarsson also accidentally drifted to the coast of Iceland. It dated to around 874 A.D., which is about the time researchers believed that the Vikings settled in Iceland. One theory suggests that those monks were members of a Hiberno-Scottish mission, Irish and Scottish monks who spread Christianity during the Middle Ages. The latter, concluded in 1297, saw a significant shift of wealth and power from the aristocracy to the Church, which was increasingly independent of secular influence. Iceland's history has also been marked by a number of natural disasters. Modern Icelanders know the sagas and their colorful characters like the back of their hand, having been taught them throughout their childhood. The depression hit Iceland hard as the value of exports plummeted. [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. The British had called upon the then neutral United States to take over control of Iceland as their forces were badly needed on other fronts. In spite of this decision, the godar retained their political role, and many of them probably built their own churches. To mark the occasion, he brought his pagan idols to a waterfall and threw them in the abandonment of faith. The eruption had widespread consequences outside of Iceland; its influence reached such far-flung corners as North America, the Sahel of Africa, and Europe. [39] Most were killed on cargo and fishing vessels sunk by German aircraft, U-boats or mines. Later the Icelanders began to write sagas, which were to reach their pinnacle of literary achievement in the next century. [20] Iceland established its own flag. The First King was a sovereign who once reigned supreme over all First Men and led them to Westeros, according to legends from the north. During this time, the population declined. 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. Iceland enjoyed a mostly uninterrupted period of growth in its commonwealth years. In the late 14th century Norway and Denmark entered into a union. However, this is merely a guess. This has led to gaining a deep understanding of how evidence based solutions can be successfully formed from quantitative and qualitative analysis. 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. 1940-1946: During the Second World War, the United Kingdom occupies the officially neutral Kingdom of Iceland in order to secure a naval foothold against Axis forces in the North Atlantic. There was some agriculture, but grain was always imported. According to stories written down some 250 years after the event, the country was discovered and settled by Norse people in the Viking Age. Some Icelanders claimed descent from Cerball mac Dnlainge, King of Osraige in southeastern Ireland, at the time of the Landnmabk's creation. Archeological evidence strongly suggests that the timing is roughly accurate; "that the whole country was occupied within a couple of decades towards the end of the 9th century. Among other things, the union meant a . In spite of the seeming abundance, the end was coming for an independent Icelandic commonwealth. This is a highly advantageous spot for tacticians who understand that whoever operates military bases in Iceland, be they ports or airfields, has dominion over sea and air traffic in that vast and vulnerable stretch of ocean, as well as easy access to both landmasses. According to this contract, the Americans would leave Iceland following the end of World War II, transferring control of Keflavik Airport in the process. Were Not in Kansas anymore. The same could easily be applied to Iceland, a country that knows a thing or two about rapid growth. Sverre Bagge, Michael H. Gelting, Frode Hervik, Thomas Lindkvist & Bjrn Poulsen (Oslo 2012), 10118. Its economy grew rapidly largely through fishing, although this was marred by disputes with other nations. Today, Surtsey is classified as a protected reserve, with only the academics studying it allowed to set foot on the island. The United States provided extensive economic patronage, advocated on Iceland's behalf in international organizations, allowed Iceland to violate the rules of international organizations, and helped Iceland to victory in the Cod Wars. This ultimately unsuccessful meeting of mindsthe issues would, thankfully be resolved in the next yeartook place at Hofoi House, marking a new era. The Icelanders built large turf-clad houses on bulky timber frames, and some of the churches were built entirely of timber. The constitution was revised in 1903, and a minister for Icelandic affairs, residing in Reykjavk, was made responsible to the Althing, the first of whom was Hannes Hafstein. The Landnamabok refers to Irish monks, known as the Papar, as the first inhabitants of Iceland, having left behind books, crosses, and bells for the Norse to later discover. The monk Dicuil wrote in the second half of the 8th century about clerics who had lived on the island. This would have consequences regarding soil arability that has lasted until today. A system of individual transferable quotas in the Icelandic fisheries, first introduced in the late 1970s, was further developed. Thor seems to have been the most popular of the pagan gods in Iceland, although Odin is thought to have been the highest in rank. 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