What is the history of Iceland?

Question

Please give a short history of Iceland?
Where did the population of Iceland originate ?What about their language ?

Answer 1

Early history
Thule as Tile on the Carta Marina by Olaus Magnus.
Thule as Tile on the Carta Marina by Olaus Magnus.

Iceland is, in geological terms, a young island. It started to form about 20 million years ago from a series of volcanic eruptions on the Mid-Atlantic ridge. The oldest rock samples found in Iceland date back 16 million years. The Iceland hotspot is likely partly responsible for the island's creation and continued existence.

Iceland remained one of the world's last larger islands uninhabited by humans. It has been suggested that the land called Thule by the Greek merchant Pytheas was actually Iceland, although it seems highly unlikely considering Pytheas' description of it as an agricultural country with plenty of milk, honey, and fruit. The exact date that men first reached the country is uncertain. Roman coins dating to the 3rd century AD have been found in Iceland, but it is unknown whether they were brought there at that time, or came later with Viking settlers, having circulated as currency already for centuries.

There is some literary evidence that Irish monks had settled in Iceland before the arrival of the Norse. However, there is no archaeological evidence to support such settlement. The 12th century scholar Ari Þorgilsson wrote in his book, Íslendingabók, that small bells, corresponding to those used by Irish monks, were found by the settlers. No such artifacts have been discovered by archaeologists, however. Some Icelanders claimed descent from Kjarvalr Írakonungr at the time of the Landnámabók's creation.

[edit] Age of Settlement (874-930)

Main article: Settlement of Iceland
A page from a skin manuscript of Landnámabók in the Árni Magnússon Institute in Reykjavík, Iceland
A page from a skin manuscript of Landnámabók in the Árni Magnússon Institute in Reykjavík, Iceland

According to Landnámabók, Iceland was discovered by Scandinavian sailor Naddoddr, who was sailing from Norway to the Faroe Islands, but got lost and drifted to the east coast of Iceland. Naddoddr named the country Snæland (Snowland). Swedish sailor Garðar Svavarsson also accidentally drifted to the coast of Iceland. He discovered that the country was an island and named it Garðarshólmi (literally Garðar's Island) and stayed for the winter at Húsavík. The first Scandinavian who deliberately sailed to Garðarshólmi was Flóki Vilgerðarson, also known as Hrafna-Flóki (Raven-Flóki). Flóki settled for one winter at Barðaströnd. It was a cold winter, and when he spotted some drift ice in the fjords he gave the island its current name, Ísland (Iceland).

The first permanent settler in Iceland is usually considered to be a Norwegian chieftain named Ingólfur Arnarson. According to the story he threw two carved pillars overboard as he neared land, vowing to settle wherever they landed. He then sailed along the coast until the pillars were found in the southwestern peninsula, now known as Reykjanesskagi. There he settled with his family around 874, in a place he named Reykjavík (Bay of Smokes) due to the geothermal steam rising from the earth. This very place would eventually become the capital and the largest city of modern Iceland. It is recognized, however, that Ingólfur Arnarson may not have been the first one to settle permanently in Iceland — that may have been Náttfari, a slave of Garðar Svavarsson who stayed behind when his master returned to Scandinavia.

It should be noted that all of the above information comes from Landnámabók (Book of Settlement), a book that Icelandic historians mostly eschew as a scholarly source, due to many inconsistencies, but in many ways remains a primary historical source. However, archeological findings in Reykjavík seem to confirm the date given there: there was a settlement in Reykjavík around 870.
Haraldur the Fair-haired receives the kingdom of Norway from his father
Haraldur the Fair-haired receives the kingdom of Norway from his father

Ingólfur was followed by many more Norse chieftains, their families and slaves who settled all the inhabitable areas of the island in the next decades. These people were primarily of Norwegian, Irish and Scottish origin, the Irish and Scots being mainly slaves and servants of the Norse chiefs according to the Icelandic sagas and Landnámabók and other documents. A common explanation for this exodus from Norway is that people were fleeing the harsh rule of the Norwegian king Haraldur Harfagri (Harald the Fair-haired), who is believed to have been uniting some parts of modern Norway during the period. It is also believed that the western fjords of Norway were simply overcrowded in this period. The settlement of Iceland is thoroughly recorded in the aforementioned Landnámabók, although it should be remembered that the book was compiled in the early 12th century when at least 200 years had passed from the age of settlement. Ari Þorgilsson's Íslendingabók is generally considered more reliable as a source and is probably somewhat older, but it is far less thorough. It does say that Iceland was fully settled within 60 years, which likely means that all territory had been claimed by various settlers.

Answer 2

The Book of the Icelanders, was written between A.D. 1122 and 1133 while the Book of Settlements might have been written in the 12th century, but is only attested to from the 13th century. In all of these documents, it is apparent that the Vikings were not alone in their interest in these islands, and that early settlers came from the British Isles as well, and some attribute the discovery and settlement of the Faeroes and Iceland to the Celts.

Dicuil
Around A.D. 825, an Irish monk named Dicuil wrote a book, Liber de Mensura Orbis Terrae, (Measure/description of the sphere of the earth) in which he states, " [A] set of small islands, nearly all separated by narrow stretches of water; in these for nearly a hundred years hermits sailing from our country, Ireland, have lived. But just as they were always deserted from the beginning of the world, so now because of the Northman pirates they are emptied of anchorites, and are filled with countless sheep and very many diverse kinds of seabirds." The physical description of these islands fits the Faeroes well, as does the name, which means Sheep Islands. It seems likely that the Irish had reached the Faeroes first, and that the Vikings came to these lands after raiding and trading in the Western Isles, instead of by accident as the sagas suggest.

Dicuil also describes another island, Thule, beyond the Faeroes, where the water is mostly ice-free and the sun barely dips below the horizon around the summer solstice (making it bright enough at midnight that a man can "pick the lice out of his shirt...as in broad daylight.") This description certainly fits Iceland well, and early maps often label Iceland as 'Thule.' If this is a reference to Iceland, how does an Irish monk writing 50 years before the settlement of Iceland by Vikings know so much about it? Dicuil says that priests had been staying on this island during the summer months for 30 years (i.e. around A.D. 795).

Book of the Icelanders

A well respected priest named Ari the Wise Thorgilsson compiled the Book of the Icelanders in the early 12th century. In addition to describing the first settlement, it includes a discussion of the conversion to Christianity, the development of the Althing, and lists all the lawspeakers until that time. According to Ari, the creation of the Althing was a novel solution to the problem of deciding on a system of laws in a newly created country. Dividing the country into four administrative districts with representatives chosen from each district created a national legislative body. Yearly meetings of these representatives at the Althing further refined the laws of the new Icelandic nation.

Though Ari does not explain the origin of this system, historians researching other medieval legal codes have found some interesting parallels. The early legal codes in both the Gulathing district of southwestern Norway and on the Isle of Man share similarities with the Icelandic system. It is likely that the laws were modeled on the Norwegian system, while the Isle of Man provided an organizational template.

Book of Settlements
The Book of Settlements tells that the first to discover Iceland were Vikings that had been blown off course, and that the name Iceland was given by a Norwegian Viking named Floki Vigerdason. The first settler, Ingolfur, was a fervent believer in the Old Norse gods, and was killed by his Irish slaves, who fled to the Vestmaneyar just off the coast of Iceland. It then goes on to list the names of all the original settlers, and the districts in which they settled. While the overall narrative suggests that this colonization was a Scandinavian venture, about 60 of the 400 names were distinctly Celtic. Both the Book of Icelanders and Book of Settlements also refer to Irish slaves accompanying the Viking settlers.

Answer 3

It was discovered by Irish monks. These monks would go there to live and after a few centuries were all murdered by Vikings. The "Icelandic Sagas " are the oldest I think books of their kind. THey are stories of the fueds between various families who settled Iceland I think about 1000, This ain't what your looking for but check them out. THey are facinating and little know

Answer 4

First there was a body of water and it froze, creating a big chunk of ice (God had a plan to call it Body of Water land but decided against it for marketing reasons).
On the second day he called it Iceland (even though he included quite a bit of rock in the mix).

The people flocked there from Jutland and Shetland as it was too warm in these places. Many of them were called Agnes.

They added an 'M' to their name to try and hide their country of origin and so became Magnes (Magnus) they had offspring and called them son of Magnus (Magnusson) and they all had the first name Magnus.

Soon the whole poulation was called Magnus Magnusson which made reading the register at school very easy but was a ***** for the poor Post Office staff.

Anyway, one day the talent show ' TV Host Idol' came to Iceland to audition for their 35th series and they unearthed a real talent by the name of ..........Magnus Magnusson He went on to become the host of Mastermind but was extradited from Iceland for calling his daughter Sally...............what was he thinking !

Today the land is fertile and the tobacco and banana plantations keep all the Magnussons employed 365 days a year.

Thankyou for reading

Answer 5

I think the population of our local Iceland are mostly from round here. They all appear to speak English.

Answer 6

They were Norwegians, who chose to leave Norway after a series of enforced land reforms by the king.

There had in fact been a colony of Irish monks living there before, but they had either died out or were forced to leave. The Norwegians then took it over.

They spoke Norse (which is now called "Old Norse").

The best recent book is "Viking Age Iceland" by Jesse Byock, published (in the UK, at least) by Penguin.

Answer 7

Id like to answer you but its not so simple. Read the Icelandic sagas. They are one of the most exciting histories you will ever read.

Answer 8

just go to the visit Iceland website and follow the links on the site, and if you ever visit take your swimming gear, 4 degrees Celsius, but swimming in the blue lagoon at about 59 degrees Celsius fantastic. cant wait to go again, next time when we will be able to see the northern lights. and will eat the fried puffin next time

Answer 9

You could take a look here for lot's on info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland

Answer 10

They originated from Greenland cos they couldn't stand the cold there. They speak Green-ices.
lol