Settlement of Iceland

Settlement of Iceland
Name	Settlement of Iceland
Date	c. 870–930 AD
Participants	Norsemen, Celts, Vikings
Outcome	Establishment of the Icelandic Commonwealth

Settlement of Iceland. The settlement of Iceland, known in Old Norse as landnám, was the large-scale migration by Norsemen from Scandinavia and the British Isles during the Viking Age. This process, traditionally dated from around 870 to 930 AD, established a new society that would evolve into the Icelandic Commonwealth. The primary sources for this period are the medieval Icelandic sagas and the foundational text Íslendingabók.

Background and early exploration

According to Íslendingabók and Landnámabók, the first known visitor to Iceland was the Norseman Naddodd, who was blown off course sailing from Norway to the Faroe Islands. The Swedish sailor Garðar Svavarsson later circumnavigated the island, naming it Garðarshólmi. The Norwegian Flóki Vilgerðarson is credited with giving Iceland its current name after a difficult winter. Early explorers like these reported back to Scandinavia, describing the vast uninhabited lands. These accounts, combined with political pressures in Norway under kings like Harald Fairhair, spurred subsequent migration.

Norse settlement

The traditional date for the start of permanent settlement is 874 AD, when the chieftain Ingólfr Arnarson arrived with his family and established his farm at Reykjavík. He was followed by a wave of settlers, primarily from western Norway, who were seeking new land and freedom from the consolidation of royal power. Many settlers also came from Norse-Gaelic communities in the British Isles, bringing Celtic slaves and spouses. Major early settlers included Skalla-Grímr Kveldúlfsson and Helgi Magri, whose descendants are recorded in the Landnámabók.

Age of the Sagas

The settlement era provided the historical backdrop for the later Icelanders' sagas, literary masterpieces written in the 13th and 14th centuries. These sagas, such as Egils saga and Laxdæla saga, recount the lives, conflicts, and journeys of the founding families. While their historical accuracy is debated, they preserve invaluable details about social structures, Old Norse religion, and early contact with regions like Greenland and Vinland. The Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, compiled by Snorri Sturluson, also preserve the mythology of the settlers.

Governance and the Commonwealth

As the available land was claimed, the settlers established a unique system of governance. Around 930 AD, the ruling chieftains founded the Althing, one of the world's oldest parliamentary institutions, at Þingvellir. This marked the beginning of the Icelandic Commonwealth, a stateless society governed by a complex web of law and chieftaincies. The legal code was memorized and recited by the Lawspeaker, an official elected at the Althing. This period lasted until the Old Covenant and submission to the Norwegian crown in the 13th century.

Archaeological evidence

Modern archaeology has substantiated and refined the saga accounts. Excavations of early settlement sites like Hofstaðir and the Reykjavík 871±2 exhibition have provided precise dating through tephrochronology, linking layers of volcanic ash to specific eruptions. Investigations at Þjórsárdalur and the farm Stöng reveal details of longhouse architecture and daily life. DNA analysis of modern Icelanders confirms the mixed Norse and Celtic ancestry of the population, supporting historical records of migration from the British Isles.

Environmental impact

The landnám had a profound and immediate effect on Iceland's fragile ecosystem. The settlers cleared vast areas of native birch woodland for fuel and pasture. The introduction of grazing animals like sheep and the resulting soil erosion, combined with a cooling climate, led to significant deforestation. This environmental transformation is clearly recorded in the pollen record and studies of soil erosion. The loss of woodland was a pivotal event that shaped Iceland's subsequent agricultural history and landscape.

Category:History of Iceland Category:Viking Age Category:Human migration