This is atimeline ofIcelandic history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Iceland and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, seehistory of Iceland.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 860 | Naddoðr discovers Iceland. He was heading to theFaroe Islands but drifted off course and landed nearReyðarfjörður in Iceland. As he returned to his boat it started to snow and thereby he reputedly named the landSnæland (lit. Snowland).[citation needed] |
| Garðarr Svavarsson discovers Iceland. Blown from a storm near theOrkney Islands. He circumnavigated Iceland, thus the first to establish that the landmass was an island. He stayed for one winter inSkjálfandi. He praised the new land and called itGarðarshólmi (lit.Garðar's Islet).[citation needed] | |
| <870 | Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson becomes the firstScandinavian to deliberately sail to Iceland as news of a country in the west reached Norway.[1][2] When Hrafna-Flóki climbed a mountain inVatnsfjörður he spotted drift ice in a fjord that inspired the name of the country,Ísland (lit. Iceland).[3] |
| 874 | Ingólfr Arnarson becomes the first permanentNordic settler of Iceland.[4] Thesettlement of Iceland begins.[5] |
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 930 | TheIcelandic Commonwealth is founded with the establishment of the Icelandicparliament (Althing), which hadlegislative andjudicial power,[6]executive power divided between several independentchiefdoms.[7] |
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1000 | TheChristianisation of Iceland is initiated due to pressure from theKing of Norway.[8] |
| > 1000 | TheFifth Court is established as anappellate court for thequarter courts of Iceland.[9] |
| 1056 | Ísleifur Gissurarson becomes the firstbishop of Skálholt.[10] |
| 1096 | Atithe is instigated by the church authorities.[11] |
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1104 | The volcanoHekla erupts, resulting in the devastation ofÞjórsárdalur.[12] |
| 1106 | Jón Ögmundsson becomes the firstBishop of Hólar.[13] |
| 1112 | Þingeyraklaustur is founded as the firstcloister inIceland. Jón Ögmundsson,Bishop of Hólar, founded the cloister in 1112 but it was not formally established until 1133.[14] |
| 1122 | Ari Þorgilsson begins to write the historical workBook of Icelanders.[15] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1208 | 9 September | TheBattle of Víðines takes place.Kolbeinn Tumason is mortally wounded.[16] |
| 1238 | 21 August | TheBattle of Örlygsstaðir takes place.[17]Sturla Sighvatsson andSighvatr Sturluson are killed.[18] |
| 1244 | 25 June | TheBattle of the Gulf takes place.[19] |
| 1246 | 19 April | TheBattle of Haugsnes takes place.[20] |
| 1253 | 22 October | TheFlugumýri Arson takes place.[21] |
| 1258 | Unknown | Gissur Þorvaldsson is appointedJarl of Iceland by theKing of Norway. The appointment aimed to further solidify the king's control over Iceland which was still independent. Gissur Þorvaldsson was also given domain overSouthern farthing,Northern farthing andBorgarfjörður which had previously been seceded to the king by their respectivechieftains.[22] |
| 1262 | Unknown | TheOld Covenant is delivered to Iceland. The agreement made Icelanders subjects of theKing of Norway and gave Icelanders and Norwegians equal rights in each other's countries. It received its first signatures in 1262 and went into effect in 1264 after receiving its final signatures.[23] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1397 | 17 June | TheKalmar Union is established. The kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and their respective dependencies joined in apersonal union.[24] |
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1402 | TheBlack Death hits Iceland for the first time.[25] It is estimated that half of the population died in the years 1402–1404.[26] |
| 1433 | Jöns Gerekesson,bishop of Skálholt, is killed.[27] |
| 1494 | TheBlack Death hits Iceland for the second time.[25] It is estimated that half of the population died in the years 1494–1495.[26] |
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| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1501 | English merchants plunderBessastaðir.[citation needed] |
| 1513 | Leiðarhólmsskrá.[citation needed] |
| 1522 | Sveinsstaðafundur.[citation needed] |
| 1539 | Gissur Einarsson is made bishop.[28] |
| 1541 | TheSkálholtsee turnsLutheran.[citation needed] |
| 1550 | BishopJón Arason and his sons are beheaded in Skálholt.[citation needed] |
| 1551 | TheHólarsee turns Lutheran.[citation needed] |
| 1559 | The English are driven fromVestmannaeyjar.[citation needed] |
| 1571 | Guðbrandur Þorláksson becomes bishop of Hólar.[citation needed] |
| 1584 | Guðbrandsbiblía, the firstIcelandicbible, is published.[citation needed] |
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1602 | TheKing of Denmark grantsDanish merchantsmonopoly on trade with Iceland.[citation needed] |
| 1615 | TheSlaying of the Spaniards take place.[citation needed] |
| 1625 | The first person,Jón Rögnvaldsson, is burnt alive forwitchcraft.[citation needed] |
| 1627 | TheTurkish Abductions occur. Hundreds of Icelanders are kidnapped byBarbary pirates.[29] |
| 1639 | Brynjólfur Sveinsson becomes bishop of Skálholt.[citation needed] |
| 1656 | Kirkjuból witch trial.[30] |
| TheFlateyjarbók manuscript is sent to Denmark.[citation needed] | |
| 1662 | Icelanders are made to accept the absolute monarchy of the King of Denmark.[citation needed] |
| 1666 | The Passion Psalms are composed byHallgrímur Pétursson.[citation needed] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1703 | First Icelandiccensus.[citation needed] | |
| 1707 | TheBubonic plague spreads in Iceland. A quarter of the population dies.[citation needed] | |
| 1712 | Jarðabók is completed.[citation needed] | |
| 1720 | The manuscripts ofÁrni Magnússon are moved to Denmark.[citation needed] | |
| 1760 | Icelanders start exporting salted fish toSpain.[citation needed] | |
| 1783 | TheMist Hardships occur. A volcanic eruption atLaki destroys a great deal of the livestock in Iceland, causing famine and misery. 20-25% of Iceland perishes.[31][32][33] | |
| 1787 | Danish trade monopoly ceases.[citation needed] | |
| 1800 | 6 June | TheAlthing is abolished.[citation needed] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1801 | The bishoprics of Skálholt and Hólar are united, located inReykjavík.[citation needed] | |
| 1805 | TheBessastaðaskóli is founded.[34] | |
| 1807 | Trade with Danish Iceland all but disappears due to the invasion of the English and their capture of the neutral Danish fleet at Copenhagen; they had credible intelligence that Napoleon using theContinental System was going to seize that fleet and invade England.[35][36] It was part of theNapoleonic Wars. | |
| 1809 | Jørgen Jørgensen seizes power in Iceland and declares independence, but is deposed by the Danes shortly afterwards.[citation needed] | |
| 1835 | The first copy ofFjölnir is published.[citation needed] | |
| 1841 | Jón Sigurðsson starts publishingNew Associated Writings.[citation needed] | |
| 1843 | 8 March | The King of Denmark orders the Althing to be resurrected.[citation needed] |
| 1845 | 1 July | The Althing is resurrected, and the house of theMenntaskóli í Reykjavík is opened.[citation needed] |
| 1851 | National Assembly of 1851.[citation needed] | |
| 1855 | The Danes grant Icelanders free trade.[citation needed] | |
| 1871 | TheDanish Parliament passes theStöðulög laws.[citation needed] First women's secondary schoolKvennaskólinn í Reykjavík is founded byThora Melsted. | |
| 1874 | The King of Denmark visits Iceland and grants Icelanders a constitution. 1000 years of settlement celebrated throughout the country.[citation needed] | |
| 1875 | First session of the restored Althing which has the power to pass laws. TheAskja volcano erupts.[citation needed] The women's associationThorvaldsensfélagið is founded. | |
| 1880 | The climate grows much colder, driving many Icelanders to emigrate to theNew World.[citation needed] | |
| 1894 | Foundation of theHið íslenska kvenfélag and the start of the women's movement on Iceland. |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1907 | Foundation of theIcelandic Women's Rights Association. | |
| 1915 | Universal suffrage.[citation needed] | |
| 1916 | The political partiesSocial Democratic Party andProgressive Party are founded.[citation needed] | |
| 1918 | 1 December | Iceland becomes a sovereign, independent nation. The Danish King remains head of state.[citation needed] |
| 1922 | Jarðræktarlögin.[citation needed] | |
| 1929 | The IcelandicIndependence Party is founded.[citation needed] | |
| 1930 | 20 December | TheIcelandic Communist Party is founded. The IcelandicState Radio begins broadcasting.[citation needed] |
| 1939 | Following theoccupation of Denmark byNazi Germany, a national emergency government is formed underSveinn Björnsson.[citation needed] | |
| 1940 | 10 May | TheBritishinvade, violating Icelandic neutrality.[citation needed] |
| 1941 | 7 July | TheUnited States Army, still officially neutral, replaces the Britishoccupation force.[citation needed] |
| 1944 | 17 June | Iceland becomes an independentrepublic, severing the last political ties to Denmark.Sveinn Björnsson becomes president.[citation needed] |
| 1946 | TheKeflavik Agreement.[citation needed] | |
| 1948 | Iceland receivesMarshall Aid from theUnited States.[citation needed] | |
| 1949 | 30 March | Riots break out onAusturvöllur.[citation needed] |
| 4 April | Iceland joins theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization.[citation needed] | |
| 1951 | The United States Army establishes a base inKeflavík.[citation needed] | |
| 1952 | 1 August | Exclusive economic zone extended to 4 nautical miles.Ásgeir Ásgeirsson becomes president.[citation needed] |
| 1958 | Exclusive economic zone extended to 12 nautical miles.[citation needed] | |
| 1963 | 14 November | Volcanic eruption formsSurtsey.[citation needed] |
| 1966 | 30 September | The IcelandicState Television begins its first broadcasts.[citation needed] |
| 1968 | 1 August | Kristján Eldjárn becomes president. Collapse of the fishing industry.[citation needed] |
| 1970 | 1 January | Iceland joins theEuropean Free Trade Association.[citation needed] |
| 1972 | Exclusive economic zone extended to 50 nautical miles.[citation needed] | |
| 1973 | 23 January | Volcanic eruption inVestmannaeyjar.[citation needed] |
| 1975 | Exclusive economic zone extended to 200 nautical miles.[citation needed] | |
| 1980 | 1 August | Vigdís Finnbogadóttir becomes president of Iceland, the first woman in the world to become elected head of state.[citation needed] |
| 1994 | 1 January | Iceland joins theEuropean Economic Area.[citation needed] |
| 1996 | 1 August | Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson becomes president.[citation needed] |
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 17–21 June | Southern Iceland is hit by twoearthquakes, the first 6.6ML and the second 6.5ML. There were no fatalities but a few people were injured and there was some considerable damage to infrastructure. |
| 2004 | 2 June | The president of Iceland,Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, refuses to sign a bill from theparliament for the first time in the nation's history.[citation needed] |
| 2005 | 21 March | Bobby Fischer moves to Iceland after being granted an Icelandic passport and full citizenship.[37][38] |
| 2006 | 30 September | TheUnited States Army abandons the military base inKeflavík, thus ending a 55-year U.S. military presence in Iceland.[citation needed] |
| 2008 | 29 May | Adoublet earthquakestrikes southern Iceland with a composite magnitude of 6.1MW.[39] |
| September | Iceland facesfinancial crisis following the collapse of the country's three majorcommercial banks.[citation needed] | |
| 2009 | 26 January | After months of rallies outside the parliament building, the Icelandic government resigns.[citation needed] |
| 1 February | After the collapse of the government,Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir becomes the first femalePrime Minister of Iceland and the world's first openly gay head of government of the modern era.[40] | |
| 16 July | The parliament narrowly passes a bill authorising the government to apply for EU membership.[citation needed] | |
| 2010 | 5 January | The president of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, refuses tosign a bill from the parliament for the second time in the nation's history.[citation needed] |
| 20–23 March | Volcanic eruption ofEyjafjallajökull.[41] | |
| 2011 | 20 February | The president of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, refuses tosign a bill from the parliament for the third time in the nation's history.[citation needed] |
| 21–28 May | Volcanic eruption ofGrímsvötn.[42] | |
| 2016 | 4 April | Panama Papers reveal that Prime MinisterSigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson had links to private companies dealing in offshore tax havens, resulting in a call for a snap election.[43] |
| 1 August | Guðni Th. Jóhannesson becomes president of Iceland. | |
| 2024 | 1 June | Halla Tómasdóttir won the2024 Icelandic presidential election and assumed office in August.[44] |
Tilvist landsins í vestri spurðist út á vesturströnd Noregs og hélt Flóki Vilgerðarson, norskur maður, af stað til að finna landið.
Fyrri ferð sína til Íslands hefur Flóki átt að fara um eða skömmu fyrir árið 870 samkvæmt Landnámabók.
Flóki gekk upp á fjall eitt í Vatnsfirði og sá þá ofan í annan fjörð, líklega Arnarfjörð, og var hann fullur af hafís. Í 2. kafla Landnámu segir að eftir þetta hafi Hrafna-Flóki og menn hans nefnt landið Ísland.
Ingólfur Arnarson was said to be the first settler. He was a chieftain from Norway, arriving in Iceland with his family and dependents in 874.
During the next 60 years or so, Viking settlers from Scandinavia and also from Norse colonies in the British Isles – Ireland, Scotland and the Scottish Isles – settled in the country.
In the year 930, at the end of the settlement period, Althingi (legislature and judiciary) was established and a legal code was adopted.
There were also four local courts and a system of regional assemblies, led by the chieftains.
Christianity was peacefully adopted in Iceland at Althingi in the year 1000. The main reason for this conversion was most likely pressure from the king of Norway.
Skömmu eftir árið 1000 var stofnaður svokallaður fimmtardómur sem náði til landsins alls. Þangað mátti skjóta málum sem dæmd höfðu verið í fjórðungsdómi. Hefur hugmyndin líklega verið sú að stuðla að réttareiningu í landinu.
Ísleifur Gissurarson var fyrsti biskup Íslendinga, árin 1056–1080.
Tekjustofnar sveitarfélaga voru ákveðnir í svokölluðum tíundarlögum sem sett voru árið 1097 að forgöngu Gissurar Ísleifssonar biskups.
An eruption at Hekla volcano in 1104, devastated the inhabited Thjorsardalur valley.
Jón Ögmundsson er einn frægasti kirkjumaður Íslandssögunnar. Hann varð fyrsti biskup Hólabiskupsdæmis árið 1106 og beitti sér mjög fyrir eflingu kristinnar trúar í landinu.
Jón Ögmundsson, biskup á Hólum stofnaði klaustur að Þingeyrum árið 1112 en engar heimildir eru til um klausturlíf þar fyrr en 1133, þegar Vilmundur Þórólfsson var vígður fyrsti ábóti þess.
Íslendingabók var samin á árunum 1122–32 af prestinum Ara Þorgilssyni sem hlaut viðurnefnið hinn fróði (1068–1148).
Víðinesbardagi var háður í Hjaltadal í Skagafirði. Nokkrir höfðingjar sóttu með 360 manna lið að Guðmundi biskupi Arasyni og mönnum hans. Í bardaganum féllu tólf menn, þeirra á meðal Kolbeinn Tumason, 35 ára. Sagt er að á banadægri sínu hafi Kolbeinn samið sálminnHeyr himna smiður.
Örlygsstaðabardagi var háður 21. ágúst 1238 í Skagafirði austanverðum á stað sem var kallaður Örlygsstaðir, skammt fyrir norðan Víðivelli en nokkru lengra fyrir sunnan Miklabæ.
Feðgarnir Sighvatur og Sturla voru báðir drepnir.
25. júní 1244 Flóabardagi, eina verulega sjóorrusta Íslendinga, var háður á Húnaflóa.
Haugsnessfundur, mannskæðasta orrusta á Íslandi, var háð í Blönduhlíð í Skagafirði.
22. október 1253 Flugumýrarbrenna. Sturlungar brenndu bæinn á Flugumýri í Skagafirði, en þar stóð brúðkaup.
Árið 1258 var Gissur með Hákoni konungi Hákonarsyni í Noregi. Þá gaf konungur honum jarlsnafn og sendi hann til Íslands í því skyni að leggja landið undir konung. Um leið skipaði konungur hann yfir Sunnlendingafjórðung, Norðlendingafjórðung og Borgarfjörð. Nokkrir íslenskir höfðingjar höfðu þá afsalað sér til konungs héraðsvöldum, því sem upphaflega var goðavald.