Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
formerly divided groups a semblance of national unity, and soon the first bishoprics were
set up at Skálholt in the southwest and Hólar in the north.
Over the following years, the two-week national assembly at Þingvellir became the so-
cial event of the year. All free men could attend. Single people came looking for partners,
marriages were contracted and solemnised, business deals were finalised, duels and execu-
tions were held, and the Appeals Court handed down judgements on matters that couldn't
be resolved in lower courts.
The Althing at Thingvellir, by Helmut Lugmayr, explains the role and history of the oldest
parliament in the world and includes a section on Þingvellir's unique geology.
Anarchy & the Sturlung Age
The late 12th century kicked off the Saga Age, when epic tales of early settlement, family
struggles, romance and tragic characters were recorded by historians and writers. Much of
our knowledge of this time comes from two weighty tomes, the Íslendingabók, a historical
narrative from the Settlement Era written by 12th-century scholar Ari Þorgilsson (Ari the
Learned), and the detailed Landnámabók, a comprehensive account of the settlement.
Despite the advances in such cultural pursuits, Icelandic society was beginning to deteri-
orate. By the early 13th century the enlightened period of peace that had lasted 200 years
was waning. Constant power struggles between rival chieftains led to violent feuds and a
flourishing of Viking-like private armies, which raided farms across the country. This dark
hour in Iceland's history was known as the Sturlung Age, named for the Sturlungs, the
most powerful family clan in Iceland at the time. The tragic events and brutal history of
this 40-year era is graphically recounted in the three-volume Sturlunga Saga .
As Iceland descended into chaos, the Norwegian king Hákon Hákonarson pressured
chieftains, priests and the new breed of wealthy aristocrats to accept his authority. The
Icelanders, who saw no alternative, dissolved all but a superficial shell of their government
and swore their allegiance to the king. An agreement of confederacy was made in 1262. In
1281 a new code of law, the Jónsbók, was introduced by the king, and Iceland was ab-
sorbed into Norwegian rule.
Norway immediately set about appointing Norwegian bishops to Hólar and Skálholt and
imposed excessive taxes. Contention flared as former chieftains quibbled over high of-
 
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