When was iceland established

He resisted and retaliated and even gained some following but he was punished with death and the beheading of him and his two sons. Understandable, Icelanders were shaken up by this action of the Danes and frightened into controlled. What not followed was a crippling trade monopoly where Swedish and Danish companies became the only two countries to be allowed trading right in Iceland for year periods at a time. This resulted in even more tough times for Icelanders that would last the next years.

Fun Fact: There was one positive thing to eventually happen as a result of the monopoly. As if the mini-ice age, the volcanic eruptions, the black death and the impoverishment of the Danish overlords had not been enough now came the barbarian pirates. They attacked the island from many different fronts, raiding the Eastfjords and the Reykjanes peninsula before, perhaps the most famous raids of all, charged the Vestmannaeyjar islands in the year Icelanders who were completely defenseless tried anything they could to hide from the attackers, hid in caves and steep cliffs but their efforts were worthless against the barbaric pirates who ransacked the island, killing without a second thought and kidnapping people aboard their ship.

Those Icelanders were taken to the country of Algeria where most of them were ruthlessly sold into slavery. Back in Iceland, the people tried anything the would to free the captive and eventually were able to buy the freedom of 13 of the with the help of the Danish King, Christian IV. To add even more mystical sense to this history which already included Vikings and Pirates, Icelanders were at the same time, during the 17th century facing a witch-hunting craze.

This desire to hunt witches had spread all over Europe but was now hitting Iceland in an unusual way for Icelandic witches were mostly men! Over a period of time, cases appeared in the Icelandic court with only 13 of them involving women which was very different to the scene in the rest of Europe.

The population of Icelanders was now about 50, people. Those were people who had survived through endless disasters and difficulties and somehow prevailed but what came next was not going to be any easier.

Just when the country finally seemed to be cooling down Laki crater started spewing. With less than 20 years of rest, the country was now experiencing billions of tonnes of lava and poisonous gas clouds constantly flowing for eight months. Any life in the nearby area was consequently wiped out and fumes and what came with it, the death of plants and livestock, ended up leaving about 9, people dead. The eruption was so big and so powerful that is not only affected the isolated island in the North but also the whole of Europe leading a dangerous change in weather, including floods and acid rain!

Fact: The tragedy that followed these endless eruptions was so great that the Danes, which still ruled Iceland contemplated taking in the people who were left in Iceland, relocating the Icelandic nation to the volcano-less Denmark.

Now, Iceland had been oppressed by a foreign rule for a few centuries, a foreign rule which they had originally accepted to save themselves from, well, themselves but it had not given them the results they had hoped for. At this time there was a growing sense of liberalization all across Europe and the Icelanders who were studying in the Scandinavian countries did not go un-influenced.

The ideas of an independent Iceland was already there but the final drop came with the World Fair where all the biggest nations in the world were showing off their colonies and the uneducated people they ruled. The Danes had plans to display Icelanders as such but met strong residence. By Iceland had drafted a constitution and regained authority of its domestic affairs. During this time the first official political parties were formed in Iceland and urban development was in full swing.

Still, all this change was not enough to keep the nation united as one. There has simply been too much suffering, political, climate and geological burdens left the nation looking for new places. Between the years and , about 20 thousand Icelanders flocked to Canada and North America, about to Brazil and about to Australia.

The people were looking to escape the hard labor, the rough weather, and the rural living. Those who stayed still wanted independence and in a contract was signed, the Act of Union, which freed Iceland from the Danish Rule. Iceland was now an independent state but stayed within the Kingdom of Denmark, we were more than halfway there! New Icelandic constitution. Home rule under Denmark.

Iceland occupied by British troops, due to its strategic value. Iceland joins the Nordic Council. The new limit accepted after 3 years of conflict. Icelandic national TV station goes on air. An estimated 15, people gather at Reykjavik harbour to celebrate the homecoming of the manuscripts.

Fischer and Spassky compete for the chess World Championship title in Reykjavik. Nixon - Pompidou summit in Reykjavik. About years after this period, Iceland became one with Norway by the way if the Old covenant after a series of conflicts has created internal cracks in the Icelandic hierarchy. Iceland remained a part of Denmark until the 19th century when a wave of nationalism sweeping across Europe prompted the rise of a group pushing for independence.

Less than a month after the First World War, Iceland became free and it was declared the Kingdom of Iceland on the first day of December Even after this, a union still existed between Iceland and Denmark until because they had the same, King.

In , sequel to two referenda held on the 20th and 23rd of May, most voters opted that Iceland adopts a Republican status and that the Union with Denmark be annulled. On 17th June , the choices of the voters were effected, Iceland became a Republic and the Union with Denmark ended. How Iceland was formed — The Geology Iceland contains about volcanoes and there is usually an eruption every decade or half-decade.

The major constituent of the magma eruptions of the volcanoes is basalt lava and tephra. Based on the age of the rocks formed from basaltic lava, the Island can be divided into 3 regions: Quaternary flood basalts, Tertiary flood basalts, and Fissure Swarm. The tertiary flood basalts were formed during the Tertiary Granite Formation which occurred about 16 million years ago and they are the oldest rocks of Iceland still above sea level.

Iceland is about 18 — 25 million years old and is thus one of the youngest countries in the world. The formation of Iceland started about 60 million years ago when the mid-Atlantic ridge the boundary between the North American tectonic plate and the Eurasian tectonic plate started to give way and when mantle plumes appeared. Initially, Greenland was above the mantle plumes in Iceland and its thickness prevented volcanic activity but as Greenland drifted towards the southeast from where Iceland is currently, the mantle plumes became highly active.

When Greenland finally drifted off the mantle plumes, massive volcanic activity started generating basalt lava over the ocean. The hot lava rose from the ocean floor to the surface and cooled off to become a new crust and fill the rift valleys. New crust was created through a constant activity of these volcanoes. Some of these drifted with Greenland and can be found in eastern Greenland as well as western Scotland and in parts of Faroe Islands. About million years back, the gap between Greenland and Scotland was not so much and it was still easy to move between both countries between a short time.

The volcanic activity of the Mid Atlantic Ocean ridge continued to separate the regions and as it did, the land above the ocean was flooded with water.

In about million years, when the prevailing conditions were fluctuating, the land bridge between Iceland and these other regions submerged as the arctic water body flowed into the Atlantic Ocean and cooled the coast of North America — a phenomenon that altered the ecosystem significantly. This has had both incredible benefits and detriments to the Icelandic community, sparking an ever-hot debate on the preservation of nature versus the utilization of energy sources. The history of Iceland is rich with legend and lore, ranging from the first settlement that was established here over a thousand years ago by Vikings, to the prosperous, liberal and modern Scandinavian nation that it is today.

Did you enjoy our article The History of Iceland? Did you learn anything new? Was there a particular chapter in history you'd like to know more about? Feel free to leave your thoughts and queries in the Facebook comments box below. Get a vacation. Book your tours. Rent a car. Find stays. Read info. Book your trip now. Guide to Iceland. The History of Iceland.

Verified Expert. Top Culture Tours. See also: International Relations of Iceland. See also: Maps of Iceland What was it Dorothy said? See also: Sustainable Tourism in Iceland But how did Icelanders reach this unique and monumental moment in their national timeline?

The Formation of Iceland Iceland first began to form approximately 70 million years ago. See also: National Parks in Iceland And whilst it is simpler to consider these elemental forces something long forgotten to history, the truth is, Iceland is still very much experiencing growing pains. Though less consequential, there have been countless other eruptions and earthquakes over the years.

In the years preceding and immediately after independence, a wave of Icelandic nationalism had begun to find its footing in the Icelandic psyche, a cultural invention largely rooted in the Sagas.

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