Timeline of Icelandic history

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.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

9th century

Year	Event
860	Naddoðr 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).
	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).
< 870	Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson becomes the first Scandinavian to deliberately sail to Iceland as news of a country in the west reached Norway. 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).
874	Ingólfr Arnarson becomes the first permanent Nordic settler of Iceland. The settlement of Iceland begins.

10th century

Year	Event
930	The Icelandic Commonwealth is founded with the establishment of the Icelandic parliament (Althing), which had legislative and judicial power, but no executive power was present in the country.

11th century

Year	Event
1000	The Christianisation of Iceland is initiated due to pressure from the King of Norway.
> 1000	The Fifth Court is established as an appellate court for the Quarter Courts of Iceland.
1056	Ísleifur Gissurarson becomes the first bishop of Skálholt.
1096	A tithe is instigated by the church authorities.

12th century

Year	Event
1104	The volcano Hekla erupts resulting in the devastation of Þjórsárdalur.
1106	Jón Ögmundsson becomes the first Bishop of Hólar.
1117	Slavery is abolished in Iceland.
1112	Þingeyrar Cloister 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.
1122	Ari Þorgilsson begins to write the historical work Book of Icelanders.

13th century

Year	Date	Event
1208	9 September	The Battle of Víðines takes place. Kolbeinn Tumason is mortally wounded.
1238	21 August	The Battle of Örlygsstaðir takes place. Sturla Sighvatsson and Sighvatr Sturluson are killed.
1244	25 June	The Battle of the Gulf takes place.
1246	19 April	The Battle of Haugsnes takes place.
1253	22 October	The Flugumýri Arson takes place.
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.
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.

14th century

Year	Date	Event
1397	17 June	The Kalmar Union is established. The kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and their respective dependencies joined in a personal union.

15th century

Year	Event
1402	The Black Death hits Iceland for the first time. It is estimated that half of the population died in the years 1402–1404.
1433	Jöns Gerekesson, bishop of Skálholt, is killed.
1494	The Black Death hits Iceland for the second time. It is estimated that half of the population died in the years 1494–1495.

16th century

Year	Date	Event
1501		English merchants plunder Bessastaðir.
1513		Leiðarhólmsskrá.
1522		Sveinsstaðafundur.
1539		Gissur Einarsson is made bishop.
1541		The Skálholt see turns Lutheran.
1550		Bishop Jón Arason and his sons are beheaded in Skálholt.
1551		The Hólar see turns Lutheran.
1559		The English are driven from Vestmannaeyjar.
1571		Guðbrandur Þorláksson becomes bishop of Hólar.
1584		Guðbrandsbiblía, the first Icelandic bible, is published.

17th century

Year	Date	Event
1602		The King of Denmark grants Danish merchants monopoly on trade with Iceland.
1615		The Slaying of the Spaniards take place.
1625		The first person is burnt alive for witchcraft.
1627		The Turkish Abductions occur. Hundreds of Icelanders are kidnapped by Muslim raiders.
1639		Brynjólfur Sveinsson becomes bishop of Skálholt.
1656		Kirkjuból witch trial.
		The Flateyjarbók manuscript is sent to Denmark.
1662		Icelanders are made to accept the absolute monarchy of the King of Denmark.
1666		The Passion Psalms are composed by Hallgrímur Pétursson.

18th century

Year	Date	Event
1703		First Icelandic census.
1707		The Bubonic plague spreads in Iceland. A quarter of the population dies.
1712		Jarðabók is completed.
1720		The manuscripts of Árni Magnússon are moved to Denmark.
1760		Icelanders start exporting salted fish to Spain.
1783		The Mist Hardships occur. A volcanic eruption at Laki destroys a great deal of the livestock in Iceland, causing famine and misery.
1787		Danish trade monopoly ceases.
1800	6 June	The Parliament is abolished.

19th century

Year	Date	Event
1801		The bishoprics of Skálholt and Hólar are united, located in Reykjavík.
1805		The Bessastaðaskóli is founded.
1807		Trade with Iceland all but disappears due to the Napoleonic Wars.
1809		Jørgen Jørgensen seizes power in Iceland and declares independence, but is deposed by the Danes shortly afterwards.
1835		The first copy of Fjölnir is published.
1841		Jón Sigurðsson starts publishing New Associated Writings.
1843	8 March	The King of Denmark orders the Althing to be resurrected.
1845	1 July	The Althing is resurrected, and the house of the Menntaskóli í Reykjavík is opened.
1851		National Assembly of 1851.
1855		The Danes grant Icelanders free trade.
1871		The Danish Parliament passes the Stöðulög laws.
1874		The King of Denmark visits Iceland and grants Icelanders a constitution. 1000 years of settlement celebrated throughout the country.
1875		First session of the restored Althing which has the power to pass laws. The Askja volcano erupts.
1880		The climate grows much colder, driving many Icelanders to emigrate to the New World.

20th century

Year	Date	Event
1915		Universal suffrage.
1916		The political parties Social Democratic Party and Progressive Party are founded.
1918	1 December	Iceland becomes a sovereign, independent nation. The Danish King remains head of state.
1922		Jarðræktarlögin.
1929		The Icelandic Independence Party is founded.
1930	20 December	The Icelandic Communist Party is founded. The Icelandic State Radio begins broadcasting.
1939		Following the occupation of Denmark by Nazi Germany, a national emergency government is formed under Sveinn Björnsson.
1940	10 May	The British invade, violating Icelandic neutrality.
1941	7 July	The United States Army, still officially neutral, replaces the British occupation force.
1944	17 June	Iceland becomes an independent republic, severing the last political ties to Denmark. Sveinn Björnsson becomes president.
1946		The Keflavik Agreement.
1948		Iceland receives Marshall Aid from the United States.
1949	30 March	Riots break out on Austurvöllur.
	4 April	Iceland joins the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
1951		The United States Army establishes a base in Keflavík.
1952	1 August	Exclusive economic zone extended to 4 nautical miles. Ásgeir Ásgeirsson becomes president.
1958		Exclusive economic zone extended to 12 nautical miles.
1963	14 November	Volcanic eruption forms Surtsey.
1966	30 September	The Icelandic State Television begins its first broadcasts.
1968	1 August	Kristján Eldjárn becomes president. Collapse in the fishing industry.
1970	1 January	Iceland joins the European Free Trade Association.
1972		Exclusive economic zone extended to 50 nautical miles.
1973	23 January	Volcanic eruption in Vestmannaeyjar.
1975		Exclusive economic zone extended to 200 nautical miles.
1980	1 August	Vigdís Finnbogadóttir becomes president of Iceland, the first woman in the world to become elected head of state.
1994	1 January	Iceland joins the European Economic Area.
1996	1 August	Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson becomes president.

21st century

Year	Date	Event
2000	17 June	Southern Iceland gets hit by two earthquakes, the prior 6.6 ML and the latter 6.5 ML. There were no fatalities but a few people were injured and there was some considerable damage to infrastructure. (to 21 June)
2004	2 June	The president of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, refuses to sign a bill from the parliament for the first time in the nation's history.
2005	23 March	Bobby Fischer moves to Iceland after having been granted an Icelandic passport and full citizenship.
2006	30 September	The United States Army abandons the military base in Keflavík, thus ending a 55-year U.S. military presence in Iceland.
2008	29 May	A doublet earthquake strikes southern Iceland with a composite magnitude of 6.1MW
	September	Iceland faces financial crisis following the collapse of the country's 3 major commercial banks.
2009	26 January	After months of rallies outside the parliament building the Icelandic government resigns.
	1 February	After the collapse of the Icelandic 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.
	16 July	The parliament narrowly passes a bill authorising the government to apply for EU membership.
2010	5 January	The president of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, refuses to sign a bill from the parliament for the second time in the nation's history.
	20 March	Volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajökull.
2011	20 February	The president of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, refuses to sign a bill from the parliament for the third time in the nation's history.
	21 May	Volcanic eruption of Grímsvötn.
2016	4 April	Panama Papers revealed that Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson had links to private companies dealing in offshore tax havens resulting in a call for a "snap election"

See also

• Timeline of Faroese history
• Timeline of Swedish history
• Timeline of Reykjavík