The Settlement of Iceland
The Settlement of Iceland marks the beginning of permanent
inhabitation of the country and is considered one of the most important
chapters in Icelandic history.
The settlement began in the latter part of the 9th century,
when Norse seafarers sailed west across the ocean and established farms
on an uninhabited island in the North Atlantic.
According to early historical sources,
Ingólfur Arnarson
is regarded as the first permanent settler of Iceland.
He settled around the year 874 at the site that later became
Reykjavík.
In the decades that followed, many settlers arrived,
primarily from Norway but also from the British Isles.
Many of the settlers fled political unrest and power struggles
in their homelands, particularly after
Harald Fairhair
united Norway under a single monarchy.
Iceland offered freedom, independence and new opportunities
to those who wished to live beyond the authority of kings.
The settlers divided the land among themselves,
built farms and established agriculture throughout the country.
Within a relatively short time, a new society emerged,
based on family ties, mutual agreements and shared laws.
By around the year 900, Iceland is believed to have been largely
fully settled.
The most important written source on this period is the
Book of Settlements (Landnámabók),
which records the origins of the settlers,
their farms and the first generations of Icelanders.
Although written several centuries later,
it remains one of the nation’s most valuable historical documents.
The settlement period laid the foundation for the
Icelandic Commonwealth
and the establishment of the
Althing
in the year 930.
The society formed during the settlement age became the basis
of Icelandic language, culture and national identity,
which continue to endure today.
The Settlement of Iceland therefore stands not only as a historical event,
but as the beginning of the Icelandic nation —
a society founded on freedom, cooperation and a deep connection
to the land itself.