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a short history of Iceland

Brief History of Iceland

It is believed that the first people who have inhabited the territory of todays Iceland were either Irish monks or hermits who came to the area during the eight century. Later these first inhabitants left when the Norsemen arrived and settled in the district around 870-930 AD. As the first permanenet settler is considered Ingolfur Arnarson who built a house in Reykjavik in the far year of 874, to be later followed by many other emigrants mainly Norsemen with their Irish slaves. By year 930 a legislative and judiciary parliament was founded, serving after that as basis for the foundation of the Icelandic Commonwealth. In year 1000 Christianity was adopted. This configuration lasted until 1262 when some internal struggles occurred between the first settlers and the Icelandic chieftains. As result of these the Old Covenant document was signed and that brought Iceland under the rule of the Norwegian crown. Two centuries later when the kingdoms of Norway and Denmark were united in what is known as the Kalmar Union, Iceland passed to their possession. In the years that followed, Iceland was one of the poorest countries in Europe not only because of its dependence but also because of erupting volcanoes, infertile soil and bad climate. For two periods of time, between 1402 1404 and 1494 1495, the Black Death killed almost half of the population in Icland.

In the middle of the 16th century, the Danish King Christian III started imposing Lutheranism on all his subjects, including those in Iceland. Since then this remained and still is the dominant religion in Iceland. During the 17th and the 18th centuries, Iceland was imposed on very harsh trade restrictions by Denmark. At the same time pirates from Spain, England and Algeria raided its coasts. In the 18th century happened yet two other disasters in Iceland, a smallpox epidemic broke out and killed one third of the countrys population and the Laki volcano erupted leaving the country devastated. In the years after the volcano eruption more than half of the livestock died and the population was sentenced to starvation. In year 1814, after the Napoleonic Wars, the union between Norway and Denmark was broken after the Treaty of Kiel. As a result of that Iceland remained under Danish dependency. At that time an independence movement arose led by Jon Sigurosson, who was strongly influenced by the nationalists and romantic ideas in Europe. Iceland got is home rule in 1874 and that exoanded some years later, in 1904.

At the end of 1918, Denmark signed the Act of Union, an agreement with Denmark that recognized Iceland as entirely sovereign state under the Danish king. Living in Iceland at that time was difficult and that is why in the lastdecades of the 19th century many Iceanders emigrated to Canada and North America. When Denmark was occupied by the Geran Nazi troops during the Second World War, the communications between Iceland and Denmark were impossible. At that time the parliament of Iceland declared thet the government should choose an authority that will replace the Kind of Denmark and will organize the issues thatw ere previously done by Denmark. Only a month after that the British troops invaded Iceland and thus violated its neutrality.

This occupation lasted through the entire war. In year 1941, the occupation of Iceland was handed over to the United States. In the very end of 1943, the Act of Union agreement expired and in May the following year a voting was organized on whether the union with Denmark to proceed or to be terminated and a republic to be established. The vote was very clear as it showed that 95 % of the people wasnted a new republic to be formed.In June 1944, Iceland became an independent republic and for its first president was chosen Sveinn Bjornsson. In March 1949, the country became a member of NATO despite the domestic riots and two years later a defense agreement was signed with the United States. At that point the American troops came back to Iceland and defended the country along the Cold War years and until the autumn of 2006. The period after the Second World War was characterized by economic growth, rebuilding and industrialization of the fishing industry. The economy was truly liberalized in year 1992, when Iceland entered the European Economic Area.