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Timeline of Icelandic history

{{short description|None}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}

This is a timeline of Icelandic history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Iceland and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see history of Iceland.

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Overview

{{Simple Horizontal timeline

|from=874

|to={{CURRENTISOYEAR}}

|inc=50

|row1=note

|row1-1-at=930

|row1-1-text=Althing

|row1-2-at=1262

|row1-2-text=Old Covenant

|row1-3-at=1397

|row1-3-text=Kalmar Union

|row1-4-at=1523

|row1-4-text=Denmark–Norway

|row1-5-at=1814

|row1-5-text=Treaty of Kiel

|row1-5-lift=-1.2em

|row1-5-shift=-7px

|row1-6-at=1874

|row1-6-text=Constitution

|row1-7-at=1918

|row1-7-text=Sovereignty

|row1-7-lift=-1.2em

|row1-7-shift=-7px

|row1-8-at=1960

|row1-8-text=EFTA

|row1-9-at=1994

|row1-9-text=EEA

|row2=timeline

|row2-height=3em

|row2-bordertop= 1px solid #000;

|row2-borderbottom= 1px solid #000;

|row2-1-text=Settlement

|row2-1-colour=#DDDDDD

|row2-1-to=930

|row2-2-text=Commonwealth

|row2-2-colour=#FF8D8D

|row2-2-to=1262

|row2-3-text=Norwegian rule

|row2-3-colour=#7FFFD4

|row2-3-to=1397

|row2-4-text=Danish rule

|row2-4-colour=#72B8FF

|row2-4-to=1918

|row2-5-text=King-
dom

|row2-5-colour=#EDBB64

|row2-5-to=1944

|row2-6-text=Republic

|row2-6-colour=#A0B1FF

|row3=note

|row3-1-arrow= 

|row3-1-at=874

|row3-1-text=874

|row3-2-arrow= 

|row3-2-at=930

|row3-2-text=930

|row3-3-arrow= 

|row3-3-at=1262

|row3-3-text=1262

|row3-4-arrow= 

|row3-4-at=1397

|row3-4-text=1397

|row3-5-arrow= 

|row3-5-at=1523

|row3-5-text=1523

|row3-6-arrow= 

|row3-6-at=1814

|row3-6-text=1814

|row3-7-arrow= 

|row3-7-at=1874

|row3-7-text=1874

|row3-8-arrow= 

|row3-8-at=1918

|row3-8-text=1918

|row3-9-arrow= 

|row3-9-at=1944

|row3-9-text=1944

}}

9th century

class="wikitable" style="width: 100%;"
style="width: 30px;"|Year||Event
rowspan="2" style="text-align: right;"|860Naddoðr discovers Iceland.
He was heading to the Faroe Islands but drifted off course and landed near Reyðarfjörður in Iceland. As he returned to his boat it started to snow and thereby he reputedly named the land Snæland (lit. Snowland).{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
Garðarr Svavarsson discovers Iceland.
Blown from a storm near the Orkney Islands. He circumnavigated Iceland, thus the first to establish that the landmass was an island. He stayed for one winter in Skjálfandi. He praised the new land and called it Garðarshólmi (lit. Garðar's Islet).{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|<870Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson becomes the first Scandinavian to deliberately sail to Iceland as news of a country in the west reached Norway.{{Cite web

|url = http://visindavefur.hi.is/svar.php?id=6729

|title = Hver gaf Íslandi það nafn?

|date = 30 October 2000

|publisher = University of Iceland

|language = is

|trans-title=Who gave Iceland its name?

|access-date = 19 March 2011

|quote = Tilvist landsins í vestri spurðist út á vesturströnd Noregs og hélt Flóki Vilgerðarson, norskur maður, af stað til að finna landið.}}{{Cite web

|url = http://visindavefur.is/svar.php?id=65235

|title = Var Hrafna-Flóki til í alvöru?

|date = 16 September 2013

|publisher = University of Iceland

|language = is

|trans-title=Did Hrafna-Flóki exist for real?

|access-date = 19 April 2015

|quote = Fyrri ferð sína til Íslands hefur Flóki átt að fara um eða skömmu fyrir árið 870 samkvæmt Landnámabók.}} When Hrafna-Flóki climbed a mountain in Vatnsfjörður he spotted drift ice in a fjord that inspired the name of the country, Ísland (lit. Iceland).{{Cite web

|url = http://visindavefur.hi.is/svar.php?id=6729

|title = Hver gaf Íslandi það nafn?

|date = 30 October 2000

|publisher = University of Iceland

|language = is

|trans-title=Who gave Iceland its name?

|access-date = 19 March 2011

|quote = Flóki gekk upp á fjall eitt í Vatnsfirði og sá þá ofan í annan fjörð, líklega Arnarfjörð, og var hann fullur af hafís. Í 2. kafla Landnámu segir að eftir þetta hafi Hrafna-Flóki og menn hans nefnt landið Ísland.}}

style="text-align: right;"|874Ingólfr Arnarson becomes the first permanent Nordic settler of Iceland.{{Cite web

|url = http://iceland.is/history-and-culture/History/

|title = History

|publisher = Registers Iceland

|access-date = 19 March 2011

|quote = Ingólfur Arnarson was said to be the first settler. He was a chieftain from Norway, arriving in Iceland with his family and dependents in 874.

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110522162355/http://www.iceland.is/history-and-culture/History/

|archive-date = 22 May 2011

|url-status = dead}} The settlement of Iceland begins.{{Cite web

|url = http://iceland.is/history-and-culture/History/

|title = History

|publisher = Registers Iceland

|access-date = 19 March 2011

|quote = During the next 60 years or so, Viking settlers from Scandinavia and also from Norse colonies in the British Isles – Ireland, Scotland and the Scottish Isles – settled in the country.

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110522162355/http://www.iceland.is/history-and-culture/History/

|archive-date = 22 May 2011

|url-status = dead}}

10th century

class="wikitable" style="width: 100%;"
style="width: 30px;"|Year||Event
style="text-align: right;"|930The Icelandic Commonwealth is founded with the establishment of the Icelandic parliament (Althing), which had legislative and judicial power,{{Citation

|url = http://iceland.is/history-and-culture/History/

|title = History

|publisher = Registers Iceland

|access-date = 19 March 2011

|quote = In the year 930, at the end of the settlement period, Althingi (legislature and judiciary) was established and a legal code was adopted.

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110522162355/http://www.iceland.is/history-and-culture/History/

|archive-date = 22 May 2011

|url-status = dead}} executive power divided between several independent chiefdoms.{{Cite web

|url = http://iceland.is/history-and-culture/History/

|title = History

|publisher = Registers Iceland

|access-date = 19 March 2011

|quote = There were also four local courts and a system of regional assemblies, led by the chieftains.

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110522162355/http://www.iceland.is/history-and-culture/History/

|archive-date = 22 May 2011

|url-status = dead}}

11th century

class="wikitable"
style="width: 40px"|Year||Event
style="text-align: right;"|1000The Christianisation of Iceland is initiated due to pressure from the King of Norway.{{Cite web

|url = http://iceland.is/history-and-culture/History/

|title = History

|publisher = Registers Iceland

|access-date = 19 March 2011

|quote = Christianity was peacefully adopted in Iceland at Althingi in the year 1000. The main reason for this conversion was most likely pressure from the king of Norway.

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110522162355/http://www.iceland.is/history-and-culture/History/

|archive-date = 22 May 2011

|url-status = dead}}

style="text-align: right;"|> 1000The Fifth Court is established as an appellate court for the quarter courts of Iceland.{{Cite web

|url = http://haestirettur.is/control/index?pid=423

|title = Sagan

|publisher = Supreme Court of Iceland

|language = is

|trans-title=History

|access-date = 21 April 2015

|quote = Skömmu eftir árið 1000 var stofnaður svokallaður fimmtardómur sem náði til landsins alls. Þangað mátti skjóta málum sem dæmd höfðu verið í fjórðungsdómi. Hefur hugmyndin líklega verið sú að stuðla að réttareiningu í landinu.}}

style="text-align: right;"|1056Ísleifur Gissurarson becomes the first bishop of Skálholt.{{Cite web

|url = http://skalholt.is/frodleikur/biskupar/isleifur_gissurarson/

|title = Ísleifur Gissurarson

|publisher = Skálholtsstaður

|language = is

|access-date = 21 April 2015

|quote = Ísleifur Gissurarson var fyrsti biskup Íslendinga, árin 1056–1080.

|archive-date = 18 February 2017

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170218175915/http://skalholt.is/frodleikur/biskupar/isleifur_gissurarson/

|url-status = dead

}}

style="text-align: right;"|1096A tithe is instigated by the church authorities.{{Cite web

|url = http://samband.is/verkefnin/stjornsysla-sveitarfelaga/sveitarstjornarlog/saga-sveitarstjornarlaga/

|title = Saga sveitarstjórnarlaga

|publisher = Icelandic Association of Local Authorities

|language = is

|trans-title=History of the Local Government Act

|access-date = 21 April 2015

|quote = Tekjustofnar sveitarfélaga voru ákveðnir í svokölluðum tíundarlögum sem sett voru árið 1097 að forgöngu Gissurar Ísleifssonar biskups.}}

12th century

class="wikitable"
style="width: 30px"|Year||Event
style="text-align: right;"|1104The volcano Hekla erupts, resulting in the devastation of Þjórsárdalur.{{Cite web

|url = http://volcanolive.com/hekla.html

|title = Hekla Volcano, Iceland – John Seach

|last = Seach

|first = John

|access-date = 22 April 2015

|quote = An eruption at Hekla volcano in 1104, devastated the inhabited Thjorsardalur valley.}}

style="text-align: right;"|1106Jón Ögmundsson becomes the first Bishop of Hólar.{{Cite web

|url = http://visindavefur.is/svar.php?id=3546

|title = Hver var Jón Ögmundsson?

|date = 2 July 2003

|publisher = University of Iceland

|language = is

|trans-title=Who was Jón Ögmundsson?

|access-date = 22 April 2015

|quote = Jón Ögmundsson er einn frægasti kirkjumaður Íslandssögunnar. Hann varð fyrsti biskup Hólabiskupsdæmis árið 1106 og beitti sér mjög fyrir eflingu kristinnar trúar í landinu.}}

style="text-align: right;"|1112Þingeyraklaustur is founded as the first cloister in Iceland.
Jón Ögmundsson, Bishop of Hólar, founded the cloister in 1112 but it was not formally established until 1133.{{Cite web

|url = http://nat.is/Kirkjur/klaustur_a_islandi.htm

|title = Klaustur á Íslandi

|language = is

|trans-title=Cloisters in Iceland

|access-date = 23 April 2015

|quote = Jón Ögmundsson, biskup á Hólum stofnaði klaustur að Þingeyrum árið 1112 en engar heimildir eru til um klausturlíf þar fyrr en 1133, þegar Vilmundur Þórólfsson var vígður fyrsti ábóti þess.}}

style="text-align: right;"|1122Ari Þorgilsson begins to write the historical work Book of Icelanders.{{Cite web

|url = http://www.arnastofnun.is/page/thekkthandrit_isl.bok

|title = Íslendingabók

|publisher = Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies

|language = is

|trans-title=Book of Icelanders

|access-date = 23 April 2015

|quote = Íslendingabók var samin á árunum 1122–32 af prestinum Ara Þorgilssyni sem hlaut viðurnefnið hinn fróði (1068–1148).}}

13th century

class="wikitable"
style="width: 30px"|Year||style="width: 70px"|Date||Event
style="text-align: right;"|1208style="text-align: center;"|9 SeptemberThe Battle of Víðines takes place. Kolbeinn Tumason is mortally wounded.{{Cite web

|url = http://mbl.is/greinasafn/grein/1241498/

|title = Þetta gerðist þá...

|date = 9 September 2008

|publisher = Morgunblaðið

|language = is

|trans-title=What happened then...

|access-date = 25 April 2015

|quote = Víðinesbardagi var háður í Hjaltadal í Skagafirði. Nokkrir höfðingjar sóttu með 360 manna lið að Guðmundi biskupi Arasyni og mönnum hans. Í bardaganum féllu tólf menn, þeirra á meðal Kolbeinn Tumason, 35 ára. Sagt er að á banadægri sínu hafi Kolbeinn samið sálminn Heyr himna smiður.}}

style="text-align: right;"|1238style="text-align: center;"|21 AugustThe Battle of Örlygsstaðir takes place.{{Cite web

|url = http://visindavefur.is/svar.php?id=16985

|title = Hvað gerðist i Örlygsstaðabardaga?

|date = 24 July 2014

|publisher = University of Iceland

|language = is

|trans-title=What happened in the Battle of Örlygsstaðir

|access-date = 25 April 2015

|quote = Örlygsstaðabardagi var háður 21. ágúst 1238 í Skagafirði austanverðum á stað sem var kallaður Örlygsstaðir, skammt fyrir norðan Víðivelli en nokkru lengra fyrir sunnan Miklabæ.}} Sturla Sighvatsson and Sighvatr Sturluson are killed.{{Cite web

|url = http://visindavefur.is/svar.php?id=16985

|title = Hvað gerðist i Örlygsstaðabardaga?

|date = 24 July 2014

|publisher = University of Iceland

|language = is

|trans-title=What happened in the Battle of Örlygsstaðir

|access-date = 25 April 2015

|quote = Feðgarnir Sighvatur og Sturla voru báðir drepnir.}}

style="text-align: right;"|1244style="text-align: center;"|25 JuneThe Battle of the Gulf takes place.{{Cite web

|url = http://mbl.is/greinasafn/grein/1224603/

|title = Þetta gerðist þá...

|date = 25 June 2008

|publisher = Morgunblaðið

|language = is

|trans-title=This happened then...

|access-date = 25 April 2015

|quote = 25. júní 1244 Flóabardagi, eina verulega sjóorrusta Íslendinga, var háður á Húnaflóa.}}

style="text-align: right;"|1246style="text-align: center;"|19 AprilThe Battle of Haugsnes takes place.{{Cite web

|url = http://mbl.is/greinasafn/grein/1330061/

|title = Þetta gerðist...

|date = 19 April 2010

|publisher = Morgunblaðið

|language = is

|trans-title=This happened...

|access-date = 25 April 2015

|quote = Haugsnessfundur, mannskæðasta orrusta á Íslandi, var háð í Blönduhlíð í Skagafirði.}}

style="text-align: right;"|1253style="text-align: center;"|22 OctoberThe Flugumýri Arson takes place.{{Cite web

|url = http://mbl.is/greinasafn/grein/1305822/

|title = Þetta gerðist...

|date = 22 October 2009

|publisher = Morgunblaðið

|language = is

|trans-title=This happened...

|access-date = 25 April 2015

|quote = 22. október 1253 Flugumýrarbrenna. Sturlungar brenndu bæinn á Flugumýri í Skagafirði, en þar stóð brúðkaup.}}

style="text-align: right;"|1258{{Unknown}}Gissur Þorvaldsson is appointed Jarl of Iceland by the King of Norway.
The appointment aimed to further solidify the king's control over Iceland which was still independent. Gissur Þorvaldsson was also given domain over Southern farthing, Northern farthing and Borgarfjörður which had previously been seceded to the king by their respective chieftains.{{Cite web

|url = http://visindavefur.is/svar.php?id=29318

|title = Hver var Gissur jarl Þorvaldsson og hvaða hlutverki gegndi hann á Sturlungaöld?

|date = 12 February 2014

|publisher = University of Iceland

|language = is

|trans-title=Who was Jarl Gissur Þorvaldsson and what role did he have in the Age of the Sturlungs?

|access-date = 26 April 2015

|quote = Árið 1258 var Gissur með Hákoni konungi Hákonarsyni í Noregi. Þá gaf konungur honum jarlsnafn og sendi hann til Íslands í því skyni að leggja landið undir konung. Um leið skipaði konungur hann yfir Sunnlendingafjórðung, Norðlendingafjórðung og Borgarfjörð. Nokkrir íslenskir höfðingjar höfðu þá afsalað sér til konungs héraðsvöldum, því sem upphaflega var goðavald.}}

style="text-align: right;"|1262{{Unknown}}The Old Covenant is delivered to Iceland.
The agreement made Icelanders subjects of the King of Norway and gave Icelanders and Norwegians equal rights in each other's countries. It received its first signatures in 1262 and went into effect in 1264 after receiving its final signatures.{{Cite web

|url = http://visindavefur.is/svar.php?id=18233

|title = Hver skrifaði Gamla sáttmála og hvað fólst í honum?

|date = 13 June 2008

|publisher = University of Iceland

|language = is

|trans-title=Who wrote Old Covenant and what did it entail?

|access-date = 25 April 2015}}

14th century

class="wikitable"
style="width: 30px"|Year||style="width: 70px"|Date||Event
style="text-align: right;"|1397style="text-align: center;"|17 JuneThe Kalmar Union is established.
The kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and their respective dependencies joined in a personal union.{{Cite web

|url = http://norden.org/en/fakta-om-norden-1/history-of-the-nordic-region/the-middle-ages-three-kingdoms-and-a-union-approx.-105020131500

|title = The Middle Ages: Three kingdoms and a union (approx. 1050–1500)

|publisher = Nordic Council

|access-date = 29 April 2015}}

15th century

class="wikitable"
style="width: 30px"|Year||Event
style="text-align: right;"|1402The Black Death hits Iceland for the first time.{{Cite journal|last=Callow|first=Chris|title=The mystery of plague in medieval Iceland – co-authored with Charles Evans|url=https://www.academia.edu/38104776|journal=JNL Med Hist|date=January 2016 |language=en}}
It is estimated that half of the population died in the years 1402–1404.{{Cite web

|url = http://visindavefur.is/svar.php?id=66333

|title = Hvað er helst vitað um svartadauða á Íslandi?

|date = 3 April 2014

|publisher = University of Iceland

|language = is

|trans-title=What is principally known about the Black Death in Iceland?

|access-date = 5 May 2015

}}

style="text-align: right;"|1433Jöns Gerekesson, bishop of Skálholt, is killed.{{Cite web

|url = http://visindavefur.is/svar.php?id=63596

|title = Af hverju var Jón Gerreksson biskup drepinn og hver var þar að verki?

|date = 25 February 2013

|publisher = University of Iceland

|language = is

|trans-title=Why was Bishop Jón Gerreksson killed and who was responsible?

|access-date = 5 May 2015

}}

style="text-align: right;"|1494The Black Death hits Iceland for the second time.
It is estimated that half of the population died in the years 1494–1495.

16th century

{{Unreferenced section|date=March 2019}}

class="wikitable"
style="width: 30px"|Year||Event
style="text-align: right;"|1501English merchants plunder Bessastaðir.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1513Leiðarhólmsskrá.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1522Sveinsstaðafundur.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1539Gissur Einarsson is made bishop.{{Cite journal |last=Óskarsson |first=Veturliði |date=2019-11-04 |title=The Icelandic Language at the Time of the Reformation: Some Reflections on Translations, Language and Foreign Influences |url=https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/nordlit/article/view/4960/4794 |journal=Nordlit |language=en |issue=43 |pages=102–114 |doi=10.7557/13.4960 |issn=1503-2086}}
style="text-align: right;"|1541The Skálholt see turns Lutheran.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1550Bishop Jón Arason and his sons are beheaded in Skálholt.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1551The Hólar see turns Lutheran.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1559The English are driven from Vestmannaeyjar.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1571Guðbrandur Þorláksson becomes bishop of Hólar.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1584Guðbrandsbiblía, the first Icelandic bible, is published.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}

17th century

class="wikitable"
style="width: 5%"|Year||Event
style="text-align: right;"|1602The King of Denmark grants Danish merchants monopoly on trade with Iceland.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1615The Slaying of the Spaniards take place.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1625The first person, Jón Rögnvaldsson, is burnt alive for witchcraft.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1627The Turkish Abductions occur.
Hundreds of Icelanders are kidnapped by Barbary pirates.Vilhjálmur Þ. Gíslason, Bessastaðir: Þættir úr sögu höfuðbóls. Akureyri. 1947
style="text-align: right;"|1639Brynjólfur Sveinsson becomes bishop of Skálholt.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
rowspan="2" style="text-align: right;"|1656Kirkjuból witch trial.{{cite book|last1=Þorvarðardóttir|first1=Ólína|title=Brennuöldin|date=2001|publisher=Háskólaútgáfan|location=Iceland|isbn=997954414-7|pages=119–216|edition=1}}
The Flateyjarbók manuscript is sent to Denmark.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1662Icelanders are made to accept the absolute monarchy of the King of Denmark.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1666The Passion Psalms are composed by Hallgrímur Pétursson.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}

18th century

class="wikitable"
style="width: 5%"|Year||style="width: 10%;"|Date||Event
style="text-align: right;"|1703First Icelandic census.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1707The Bubonic plague spreads in Iceland. A quarter of the population dies.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1712Jarðabók is completed.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1720The manuscripts of Árni Magnússon are moved to Denmark.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1760Icelanders start exporting salted fish to Spain.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1783The Mist Hardships occur.
A volcanic eruption at Laki destroys a great deal of the livestock in Iceland, causing famine and misery. 20-25% of Iceland perishes.{{cite news | title=The eruption that changed Iceland forever | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8624791.stm | publisher=BBC News | date=16 April 2010 | access-date=31 May 2013}}[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00794xr BBC Timewatch: "Killer Cloud", broadcast 19 January 2007]{{cite news | author=Richard Stone | title=Volcanology: Iceland's Doomsday Scenario? | url=http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/306/5700/1278 | work=Science | volume=306 | issue=5700 |page=1278| date=19 November 2004 | access-date=31 May 2013}}
style="text-align: right;"|1787Danish trade monopoly ceases.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|18006 JuneThe Althing is abolished.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}

19th century

class="wikitable"

!width=40|Year

width=90|DateEvent
style="text-align: right;"|1801The bishoprics of Skálholt and Hólar are united, located in Reykjavík.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1805The Bessastaðaskóli is founded.{{Cite web |title=President of Iceland Presmises |url=http://www.forseti.ishttps//www.president.is/premises/bessastadir/ |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=Forseti.is}}
style="text-align: right;"|1807Trade with Danish Iceland all but disappears due to the invasion of the English and their capture of the neutral Danish fleet at Copenhagen; they had credible intelligence that Napoleon using the Continental System was going to seize that fleet and invade England.A. N. Ryan, "The Causes of the British Attack upon Copenhagen in 1807." English Historical Review (1953): 37–55. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/555118 in JSTOR]Thomas Munch-Petersen, Defying Napoleon: How Britain Bombarded Copenhagen and Seized the Danish Fleet in 1807 (2007) It was part of the Napoleonic Wars.
style="text-align: right;"|1809Jørgen Jørgensen seizes power in Iceland and declares independence, but is deposed by the Danes shortly afterwards.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1835The first copy of Fjölnir is published.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1841Jón Sigurðsson starts publishing New Associated Writings.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|18438 MarchThe King of Denmark orders the Althing to be resurrected.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|18451 JulyThe Althing is resurrected, and the house of the Menntaskóli í Reykjavík is opened.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1851National Assembly of 1851.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1855The Danes grant Icelanders free trade.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1871The Danish Parliament passes the Stöðulög laws.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}} First women's secondary school Kvennaskólinn í Reykjavík is founded by Thora Melsted.
style="text-align: right;"|1874The King of Denmark visits Iceland and grants Icelanders a constitution. 1000 years of settlement celebrated throughout the country.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1875First session of the restored Althing which has the power to pass laws. The Askja volcano erupts.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}} The women's association Thorvaldsensfélagið is founded.
style="text-align: right;"|1880The climate grows much colder, driving many Icelanders to emigrate to the New World.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1894Foundation of the Hið íslenska kvenfélag and the start of the women's movement on Iceland.

20th century

class="wikitable"
style="width: 5%"|Year||style="width: 10%;"|Date||Event
style="text-align: right;"|1907Foundation of the Icelandic Women's Rights Association.
style="text-align: right;"|1915Universal suffrage.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1916The political parties Social Democratic Party and Progressive Party are founded.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|19181 DecemberIceland becomes a sovereign, independent nation. The Danish King remains head of state.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1922Jarðræktarlögin.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1929The Icelandic Independence Party is founded.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|193020 DecemberThe Icelandic Communist Party is founded. The Icelandic State Radio begins broadcasting.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1939Following the occupation of Denmark by Nazi Germany, a national emergency government is formed under Sveinn Björnsson.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|194010 MayThe British invade, violating Icelandic neutrality.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|19417 JulyThe United States Army, still officially neutral, replaces the British occupation force.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|194417 JuneIceland becomes an independent republic, severing the last political ties to Denmark. Sveinn Björnsson becomes president.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1946The Keflavik Agreement.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1948Iceland receives Marshall Aid from the United States.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
rowspan="2" style="text-align: right;"|194930 MarchRiots break out on Austurvöllur.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
4 AprilIceland joins the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1951The United States Army establishes a base in Keflavík.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|19521 AugustExclusive economic zone extended to 4 nautical miles. Ásgeir Ásgeirsson becomes president.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1958Exclusive economic zone extended to 12 nautical miles.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|196314 NovemberVolcanic eruption forms Surtsey.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|196630 SeptemberThe Icelandic State Television begins its first broadcasts.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|19681 AugustKristján Eldjárn becomes president. Collapse of the fishing industry.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|19701 JanuaryIceland joins the European Free Trade Association.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1972Exclusive economic zone extended to 50 nautical miles.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|197323 JanuaryVolcanic eruption in Vestmannaeyjar.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|1975Exclusive economic zone extended to 200 nautical miles.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|19801 AugustVigdís Finnbogadóttir becomes president of Iceland, the first woman in the world to become elected head of state.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|19941 JanuaryIceland joins the European Economic Area.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|19961 AugustÓlafur Ragnar Grímsson becomes president.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}

21st century

class="wikitable"

!width=40|Year

width=90|DateEvent
style="text-align: right;"|200017–21 JuneSouthern Iceland is hit by two earthquakes, the first 6.6 ML and the second 6.5 ML. There were no fatalities but a few people were injured and there was some considerable damage to infrastructure.
style="text-align: right;"|20042 JuneThe president of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, refuses to sign a bill from the parliament for the first time in the nation's history.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
style="text-align: right;"|200521 MarchBobby Fischer moves to Iceland after being granted an Icelandic passport and full citizenship.{{cite web |date=March 21, 2005 |title=Bobby Fischer: ich bin ein Icelander! |url=http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2275 |publisher=chessbase.com}}Brady 2011, p. 293. "The RJF [Robert James Fischer] members called virtually every member of parliament to lobby for citizenship: full, {{em|permanent}} citizenship... an Extraordinary Session of Parliament was called for Saturday, Match 21, 2005. Three rounds of discussion took place in the space of twelve minutes, and questions were posed regarding the extent of the emergency. The answers were succinct and forthcoming: Bobby Fischer's improper incarceration was a violation of his rights; all he was really guilty of was moving some wooden pieces across a chessboard; he'd been a friend of Iceland and had a historical connection to it, and now he needed the country's help". Act Respecting the Granting of Citizenship, no. 16/2005.
style="text-align: right;"|200630 SeptemberThe United States Army abandons the military base in Keflavík, thus ending a 55-year U.S. military presence in Iceland.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
rowspan="2" style="text-align: right;"|200829 MayA doublet earthquake strikes southern Iceland with a composite magnitude of 6.1 MW.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7426369.stm |title=Strong earthquake rocks Iceland |access-date=2008-05-29 |date=2008-05-29 |publisher=BBC News}}
SeptemberIceland faces financial crisis following the collapse of the country's three major commercial banks.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
rowspan="3" style="text-align: right;"|200926 JanuaryAfter months of rallies outside the parliament building, the Icelandic government resigns.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
1 FebruaryAfter the collapse of the government, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Iceland and the world's first openly gay head of government of the modern era.{{cite news |date=28 June 2010 |title=Iceland PM weds as gay marriage legalised |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/iceland/7858150/Iceland-PM-weds-as-gay-marriage-legalised.html |access-date=23 March 2019 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=London, UK}}
16 JulyThe parliament narrowly passes a bill authorising the government to apply for EU membership.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
rowspan="2" style="text-align: right;"|20105 JanuaryThe president of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, refuses to sign a bill from the parliament for the second time in the nation's history.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
20–23 MarchVolcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajökull.{{cite news |date=15 April 2010 |title=Iceland's volcanic ash halts flights in northern Europe |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8622978.stm |work=BBC News}}
rowspan="2" style="text-align: right;"|201120 FebruaryThe president of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, refuses to sign a bill from the parliament for the third time in the nation's history.{{Citation needed|date=April 2015}}
21–28 MayVolcanic eruption of Grímsvötn.{{Cite web |title=Global Volcanism Program {{!}} Grímsvötn |url=https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=373010 |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=Smithsonian Institution {{!}} Global Volcanism Program |language=en}}
rowspan="2" style="text-align: right;"|20164 AprilPanama Papers reveal that Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson had links to private companies dealing in offshore tax havens, resulting in a call for a snap election.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/apr/03/iceland-pm-calls-snap-election-offshore-revelations|title=Iceland's PM faces calls for snap election after offshore revelations|first=Simon|last=Bowers|date=3 April 2016|newspaper=The Guardian}}
1 AugustGuðni Th. Jóhannesson becomes president of Iceland.
style="text-align: right;"|2024

|1 June

|Halla Tómasdóttir won the 2024 Icelandic presidential election and assumed office in August.{{Cite news |date=2 June 2024 |title=Election week: Halla Tómasdóttir will be the president of Iceland |url=https://www.ruv.is/frettir/innlent/2024-06-01-kosningavakan-enn-fjolgar-atkvaedum-hollu-414495 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603053737/https://www.ruv.is/frettir/innlent/2024-06-01-kosningavakan-halla-tomasdottir-verdur-forseti-islands-414495 |archive-date=3 June 2024 |accessdate=2 June 2024 |work=RÚV |location=Iceland}}

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

  • {{cite book|editor= William Henry Overall|editor-link= William Henry Overall|title= Dictionary of Chronology|year=1870|publisher=William Tegg |location=London |chapter= Iceland |hdl= 2027/uc2.ark:/13960/t9m32q949?urlappend=%3Bseq=418|chapter-url= http://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc2.ark:/13960/t9m32q949?urlappend=%3Bseq=418 |via=HathiTrust }}
  • {{cite EB9 |wstitle = Iceland |volume= 12 |last= Powell |first= Frederick York |author-link= Frederick York Powell |pages = 616–628 |short= 1}}
  • {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Iceland |volume= 14 |last1= Thoroddsen|first1= Thorvaldur |author1-link= Thorvaldur Thoroddsen |last2= Powell|first2= Frederick York |author2-link= Frederick York Powell |last3= Blöndal |first3= Sigfús |author3-link= Sigfús Blöndal |pages = 227–241 |date=1910 |short= 1}}
  • {{Citation |publisher = Ward, Lock & Co. |location = London |title = Haydn's Dictionary of Dates |author = Benjamin Vincent |edition = 25th |date = 1910 |chapter= Iceland |hdl = 2027/loc.ark:/13960/t89g6g776?urlappend=%3Bseq=712 |chapter-url= http://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t89g6g776?urlappend=%3Bseq=712 }}
  • {{cite book|author= Richard F. Tomasson |title=Iceland: The First New Society|year=1980|publisher=University of Minnesota Press |location=USA |chapter=Icelandic Chronology |isbn=978-1-4529-1032-1 |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Sng_nK6ji6sC&pg=PA19 }}
  • {{cite book|publisher=Europa Publications|title= Political Chronology of Europe |year= 2003|isbn=978-1-135-35687-3 |chapter=Iceland |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=hVNvCz0c_gsC&pg=PA116 |pages=116–18 }}

{{Years in Iceland}}

Category:Years in Iceland

Icelandic

Category:Iceland history-related lists