Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [15]
850–930 Norse settlers from Norway and Sweden arrive, call the island Snæland (Snow Land), then Garðarshólmi (Garðar’s Island), and finally Ísland (Iceland). Scattered farmsteads rapidly cover the country.
871 Norwegian Viking Ingólfur Arnarson, credited as the country’s first permanent inhabitant, sails to the southwest coast and makes his home in a promising-looking bay that he names Reykjavík (Smoky Bay).
930 The world’s oldest existing parliament, the Alþing, is founded at Þingvellir. The Icelanders’ law code is memorised by an elected law speaker, who helps to settle legal matters at the annual parliamentary gatherings.
1000 Iceland officially converts to Christianity under pressure from the Norwegian king, though pagan beliefs and rituals remain. Leif the Lucky lands in Newfoundland, the first European to reach America.
1100–1200 Iceland’s literary Golden Age, during which the Old Norse sagas are written. Several are attributed to Snorri Sturluson – historian, poet and the shrewdest, most renowned political operator of this era.
1200 Iceland descends into anarchy during the Sturlung Age. The government dissolves and, in 1281, Iceland is absorbed by Norway.
1300, 1341 & 1389 Hekla erupts, causing death and destruction. The first eruption is the second largest since settlement began, with tephra covering a 30,000 sq km area; the second causes widespread livestock deaths and starvation.
1397 On 17 June the Kalmar Union is signed in Sweden, uniting the countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark under one king. As part of this treaty, Iceland comes under Danish control.
1402–04 The Black Death sweeps across Iceland, 50 years after first spreading across mainland Europe, and kills around half of the population.
1550 King Christian III’s attempts to impose Lutheranism finally succeed after the Catholic bishop Jón Árason is captured in battle and beheaded at Skálholt along with two of his sons.
1602 Denmark imposes a crippling trade monopoly, giving Danish and Swedish firms exclusive trading rights in Iceland. This leads to unrestrained profiteering by Danish merchants and Iceland’s slow impoverishment.
1627 The ‘Turkish Abductions’ take place: Barbary pirates raid the east of Iceland and the Vestmannaeyjar, taking hundreds prisoner and killing all who resist.
1783–84 The Laki crater row erupts, pouring out poisonous gas clouds that kill 25% of the population and more than 50% of livestock. The haze covers Europe, leading to freak weather conditions, flooding and famine.
1855–90 Iceland moves towards independence, with the restoration of free trade and a draft constitution. Not everyone sticks around to see it: during this period, many emigrate to start life afresh in North America.
1918 Denmark’s grip on Iceland gradually loosens. Following Home Rule in 1904, the Act of Union is signed on 1 December 1918, making Iceland an independent state within the Kingdom of Denmark.
1940–41 After the Nazi occupation of Denmark, the UK sends British troops to invade and occupy neutral Iceland, concerned that Germany might acquire a military presence there; a US base is later established at Keflavík.
1944 A majority of Icelanders vote for independence from Denmark, and the Republic of Iceland is formally established on 17 June. King Christian X telegrams his congratulations.
2006 The controversial US military base at Keflavík closes down after 45 years in service; the government also approves resumption of commercial whaling.
2008 The worldwide financial downturn hits Iceland particularly hard, precipitating the worst national banking crisis ever when all three of the country’s major banks collapse.
2009 Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir is appointed prime minister, becoming the world’s first openly gay leader. Her coalition government applies for EU membership on 17 July.
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The Culture
* * *
THE NATIONAL PSYCHE
LIFESTYLE
POPULATION
SPORT
MEDIA
RELIGION
ARTS
* * *
THE NATIONAL PSYCHE
Centuries of isolation and