The first settlements

Iceland were colonized by Norwegian and Celtic immigrants in the 800-900s. According to one of the old Icelandic sagas, Ingólfur Arnarson was the first settler on the island, and he had come here from Norway with his wife, Hallveig Frodedatter, their two children, slaves and others.

As the tradition dictated, Arnarson put finely carved high-seat supports in the water, and precisely where they drifted ashore he would build his farm. The farm was built on the peninsula where Reykjavik is today.

In the area there were then, as at present, a number of hot springs that rose from the ground and made such a great impression on the inhabitants that they named their town afterwards. Reykjavik means the smoking bay.

 

The world’s oldest parliament

Outside of Reykjavik, at Thingvellir, the political Icelandic tradition started as early as 930 with the country’s first parliament.

Around the year 1000, the country declared itself Christian under pressure from the Norwegian king, and in 1056 the country’s first bishopric was established in Skalholt outside Reykjavik. In this way, essential institutions were established early in the history of the colony, and parliament is the oldest to continue to exist; today in modern edition in the capital itself.

 

The Sturlung period

1220-1264 is called the Sturlung period after the lineage that reigned while Iceland was free. One of the lungs was Snorri Sturluson, one of the authors of the world-famous Icelandic sagas.

By expanding the family’s position of power, the lords came to dominate large parts of the island, creating internal quarrels between them and local chiefs as well as other leaders.

In 1241 Snorri Sturluson was killed on his farm, and after a few decades of struggle the Norwegian king in 1262 placed Iceland under Norway.

The Gissurars Treaty was signed, making the union between Norway and Iceland a reality. With the agreement, Iceland was to pay taxes to the Norwegian king, and in return the people were guaranteed peace, code of law and regular transport between Iceland and Norway. Icelanders and Norwegians also achieved equal rights in both countries.

The Union was confirmed by the Gamli sáttmaat agreement in 1302, and for the following 642 years Iceland was in union with not least Denmark.

During this time the church had good conditions. The bishops of Hólar and Skálholt received great tithes, and they gradually acquired much land from local chiefs.

 

Hard times in the 1300s

The 1300s foretold hard times for the Icelanders. A so-called small ice age broke through and resulted in shorter growing seasons for the already marginal agriculture on Iceland’s latitudes.

The important harvest of barley was not successful, and Iceland’s trade with continental Europe increased. As export goods, the island developed during this period dried cod, which was a popular eating in Europe and which continues to contribute to the Icelandic economy today.

The volcano Hekla also erupted several times during this period. A one-year outbreak of 1300-1301 killed 500 people, which at that time was a large part of the population, and outbreaks in 1341 and 1389 caused, among other things, great damage to the surrounding agriculture.

 

Iceland becomes Danish and Protestant

With the death of King Olav IV in 1380, the male Norwegian succession ceased, and the Norwegian monarchy and with it the state also came to an end.

In 1397 the Kalmar Union was entered into between Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and thus also Iceland. The monarch was first the Danish Queen Margrethe I and then the Danish kings. Thus, Denmark was the dominant force in the Union, which in various editions joined Iceland and Denmark together until 1944.

Shortly after the Union’s conclusion, the plague ravaged Iceland. During the years 1402-1404 the disease ravaged Reykjavik and Iceland, and a third of the population perished.

The economy was also bad for Iceland, which no longer had a large domestic market for fish exports in Norway, and with Denmark’s agricultural production and fishing, the Icelandic goods were no longer in demand, which reduced trade and shipping on the island.

The wealth and power of the Church stood for decline as the 1400-1500s progressed. The reformation was completed in Denmark, and King Christian III wanted the same in Iceland. The Catholic bishops, Jón Arason and Ögmundur Pálsson, opposed the king, and while Ögmundur was deported, Arason ended up being executed in 1550. With his death, Iceland was Protestant.

 

The trade monopoly

Iceland had previously had a lively trade with Europe, but this was stopped in 1602 when a trade monopoly was established on the Icelandic trade. The monopoly meant that Iceland was only allowed to trade with Denmark, and this was done through Danish merchants and trading stations around Iceland; among others also in Reykjavik. The monopoly was intended to strengthen Danish merchants vis-à-vis northern German merchants in the Hanseatic League, but for Iceland the scheme placed restrictions on economic opportunities.

 

Reykjavik grows

At the beginning of the 18th century, 50,000 lived in Iceland, and Reykjavik was still one of many villages. In the middle of the century, however, a major development started in the well-settled settlement.

It was, for example, the local order enforcer and contractor Skúli Magnússon, which through the establishment of wool production and processing undermined the existing trade monopoly. When Magnússon built his business in 1752, Reykjavik’s first real street was built on it.

Reykjavik obtained commercial property rights in 1786, but the new status notwithstanding, Reykjavik remained a village in many ways; not least in size. The population was 167, of which some were Danes who worked here as merchants or officials.

After the city gained marketplace rights, various political and religious institutions were established in Reykjavik. Among other things, the construction of the Protestant cathedral started in 1796, and the bishop’s seat was moved there from Skálholt two years later.

 

Capital and self-government

The end of the 18th century had again been tough times for Iceland with the eruption of the volcano Lakis in 1783. 12.5 km³ of lava flowed out, and both 9,000 Icelanders and about 80% of the animal team were killed. In addition, about a quarter of the population died in the ensuing famine. In the 19th century, the climate moved toward the worse, and emigration to North America occurred in a larger style.

Along with depopulation and harsh living conditions, national consciousness grew in Iceland during this time. At the Peace in Kiel in 1814, Denmark lost Norway, while Iceland formally became part of the Danish Empire.

In 1843 the Icelandic everything was set up and in the following years there was a strengthening of the island’s movement towards its own rule. It happened under the leadership of Icelandic intellectuals; who was educated in Denmark. In the lead was Jón Sigurðsson. The gathering was held in Reykjavik, which had now established itself as Iceland’s capital.

In 1855, Iceland removed its continued international trade barriers, and in 1874 a proposal for a proper Icelandic constitution was drawn up in connection with the country’s self-government that year.

Reykjavik’s cultural life was given a huge boost through a number of initiatives for activities and buildings that could create the framework for the Icelandic art forms.

 

20th Century and the Independent Iceland

Throughout the beginning of the 20th century, there was considerable activity in Reykjavik with the relocation and establishment of major buildings and institutions. For example, the city’s university was founded in 1911, and around 12,000 residents now live in Reykjavik.

After World War I, Iceland became an autonomous part of the Danish Empire. The country was now in principle independent in personnel union with Denmark, which was in charge of foreign and defense policy. With the new status, Reykjavik’s political position had once again been strengthened.

In 1944, Iceland became detached from the Danish krone when it declared independence and introduced the republic. Sveinn Björnsson was elected as the country’s first president with a residence in Reykjavik, which had now become a capital, where there was a great need for a whole host of new institutions and for services that had previously been performed in Copenhagen.

After World War II, Reykjavik’s largest population development began. This was not least due to the English and later US occupation of the island and subsequent investments in, among other things, an air base, which led to improved economy and job opportunities in the Reykjavik area. This led many Icelanders from the countryside to the capital.

 

Reykjavik today

Today’s Icelandic capital is home to the majority of the country’s population, and in a few centuries it has grown from a small village to more than 200,000 residents in the metropolitan area. Large investments in infrastructure tie the city’s vast suburbs together effectively, and the center meets new and old after a strong growth in the economy in the years after the year 2000. Growth stopped before the end of the decade, but it is a clearly modern Icelandic capital that today can be experience.