The History of Iceland

Iceland's story is one of the most unusual in Europe. Settled by Norse voyagers in the ninth century, this small volcanic island in the North Atlantic developed one of the world's first parliaments, produced a literary tradition that still influences writers today, and survived centuries of isolation, famine, and foreign rule. Most people know it for volcanoes and Vikings, but there is far more to the history than that. This book traces Iceland from its earliest settlers through the saga age, the long period of Norwegian and Danish control, devastating natural disasters, and the twentieth century path to independence. It covers the cultural achievements that made Iceland punch well above its weight, the medieval sagas, the preservation of the Old Norse language, and a national identity forged under some of the harshest conditions in Europe. The Norse settlement of Iceland and the founding of the Althingi, one of the oldest parliaments in the world. The saga age and how a small island produced some of medieval Europe's greatest literary works. Centuries under Norwegian and Danish rule, volcanic eruptions, famines, and plagues that nearly wiped out the population.