Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
history of Iceland
References
Images
World map highlighting NATO member countries in dark blue, Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council countries in light blue, NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue partners in purple, Istanbul Cooperation Initiative partners in pink, and global partners in teal. Brussels, Belgium, is marked as NATO headquarters. A timeline below the map shows the years each member joined NATO from 1949 to 2024.
Britannica AI Icon

history of Iceland

Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

World map highlighting NATO member countries in dark blue, Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council countries in light blue, NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue partners in purple, Istanbul Cooperation Initiative partners in pink, and global partners in teal. Brussels, Belgium, is marked as NATO headquarters. A timeline below the map shows the years each member joined NATO from 1949 to 2024.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization: members and partners Map and timeline of the member countries and partner countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Iceland's history begins with its settlement by Norse people around 870 CE, primarily from Norway, during the Viking Age. These settlers established a society with a unique political system centered around chieftains called godar and a general assembly known as the Althing. By the late 10th century, Iceland adopted Christianity peacefully.12

The medieval period saw the creation of the famous Icelandic sagas, heroic prose narratives detailing the lives of prominent families between 930 and 1030 CE. These sagas are celebrated for their realism and tragic dignity.3

In the 20th century, Iceland experienced significant progress, becoming a modern welfare state with a strong fishing industry and high Internet penetration. The country gained home rule in 1904 and became a separate state under the Danish crown in 1918. Full independence was achieved on June 17, 1944, when Iceland established itself as a republic.45

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
5 Britannica Sources
  1. Icelanders’ sagas
  2. Iceland - Settlement ( c. 870– c. 930)
  3. Iceland - Defense
  4. Iceland - Christianization
  5. Iceland - Home rule and sovereignty (1904–44)

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.