A History of Iceland: An Account of Iceland from Its Early Settlement to the Present Day

Forged by volcanic fire and scoured by colossal glaciers, Iceland is an outlier on the world stage, a nation whose history has been profoundly shaped by the raw, elemental power of its landscape. This comprehensive account traces the remarkable journey of the Icelandic people, beginning with the land's geological birth on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It explores the whispers of its first visitors—reclusive Irish monks—before chronicling the arrival of Norse Vikings who, fleeing a consolidating Norwegian king, established a unique and stateless society. At the heart of this medieval republic was the Althing, one of the world's oldest parliaments, and a rich literary tradition that produced the legendary Sagas and Eddas, preserving a heroic past that would sustain the national spirit for centuries to come.
The narrative then follows Iceland through its most difficult centuries, beginning with the end of independence in 1262. It chronicles the struggle for survival under foreign rule, marked by the suffocating Danish Trade Monopoly, the devastation of the Black Death, and the apocalyptic Laki eruption of 1783, a natural disaster that poisoned the land and led to the catastrophic "Mist Hardships." Yet, through it all, the memory of the old Commonwealth endured. This book details the slow dawn of nationalism and the peaceful but relentless campaign for autonomy led by the tireless statesman Jón Sigurðsson, a struggle that culminated in the restoration of sovereignty in the early 20th century.
Finally, this history navigates the dramatic turmoil and transformation of modern Iceland. It recounts the nation's strategic importance during World War II and the Cold War, the tense "Cod Wars" with Great Britain, and the profound social changes that saw Iceland become a global leader in gender equality. The book provides a clear-eyed view of the nation's heady embrace of neoliberalism, the subsequent, spectacular 2008 financial collapse, and the defiant "Pots and Pans Revolution" that followed. It concludes by exploring the Iceland of the 21st century—a country rebuilt on an unprecedented tourism boom, navigating the challenges of climate change, and forging a new identity in an ever-changing world.