Abstract
Scandinavia’s North Atlantic outpost was first settled by Irish monks in the early 9th century but migrants from Scandinavia and Norse settlements in the British Isles drove them out in 874. A ruling class of chieftains, known as the godar, established the first ever democratic national assembly, the Alþingi (Althing), in 930. Primarily an adjudicating body, it also served as a legislature and a fair. In 1000 it adopted Christianity by majority decision as Iceland’s official religion. Bishoprics were established at Skálholt in 1056 and at Hólar in 1106. In the mid-13th century the godar were persuaded to swear allegiance to the king of Norway, bringing Iceland under Norwegian rule but leaving it with relative autonomy. When Norway was joined with Denmark in 1380, Iceland retained the Althing and its own code of law.
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Further Reading
Statistics Iceland, Landshagir (Statistical Yearbook of Iceland).—Hagtíðindi (Monthly Statistics)
Central Bank of Iceland. Economic Statistics Quarterly.—The Economy of Iceland. May 1994
Byock, Jesse, Viking Age Iceland. Penguin, London, 2001
Hastrup, K., A Place Apart: An Anthropological Study of the Icelandic World. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1998
Karlsson, G., The History of Iceland. Univ. of Minnesota Press, 2000
Lacy, T., Ring of Seasons: Iceland—Its culture and history. University of Michigan Press, 1998
McBride F. R., Iceland. [Bibliography] 2nd ed. ABC-Clio, Oxford and Santa Barbara (CA), 1996
Smiley, Jane, (ed.) The Sagas of Icelanders: A Selection. Penguin, London, 2002
Turner, Barry, (ed.) Scandinavia Profiled. Macmillan, London, 2000
National statistical office: Statistics Iceland, Bogartúni 21a, IS-150 Reykjavík.
Website: http://www.hagstofa.is
National library: Landsbókasafn Islands.—Háskólabókasafn, Reykjavík, Librarian: Sigrún Klara Hannesdóttir.
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© 2004 Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
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Turner, B. (2004). Iceland. In: Turner, B. (eds) The Statesman’s Yearbook 2005. The Statesman’s Yearbook. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230271333_181
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230271333_181
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