Nobility in Iceland (
Icelandic: ''aðall'';
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
: ''adel'') may refer to the following:
* Icelanders who belonged to the
aristocracy of the
Icelandic Commonwealth
The Icelandic Commonwealth, also known as the Icelandic Free State, was the political unit existing in Iceland between the establishment of the Althing in 930 and the pledge of fealty to the Norwegian king with the Old Covenant in 1262. With ...
.
* Icelanders who belonged to the
Norwegian nobility
Aristocracy of Norway refers to modern and medieval aristocracy in Norway. Additionally, there have been economical, political, and military elites thatrelating to the main lines of Norway's historyare generally accepted as nominal predecessor ...
.
* Icelanders who belonged to the
Danish nobility
Danish nobility is a social class and a former estate in the Kingdom of Denmark. The nobility has official recognition in Denmark, a monarchy. Its legal privileges were abolished with the constitution of 1849. Some of the families still own and ...
.
Aristocracy of the Icelandic Commonwealth
![Henrik hielmstjerne](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Henrik_hielmstjerne.jpg)
During the
Norse settlement of Iceland, beginning in ca. 874 and lasting until ca. 930,
chieftain
A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom.
Tribe
The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia.
Tribal societies are sometimes categorized a ...
s and
aristocratic
Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'.
At the time of the word' ...
families from
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
and
Northern Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
arrived to the island. They had refused to accept
Harald I Halfdanson as their
high king, instead abandoning their chieftain seats and
petty kingdoms
A petty kingdom is a kingdom described as minor or "petty" (from the French 'petit' meaning small) by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it (e.g. the numerous kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England unified into t ...
and heading west. One of these seats was
Borg
The Borg are an alien group that appear as recurring antagonists in the ''Star Trek'' fictional universe. The Borg are cybernetic organisms (cyborgs) linked in a hive mind called "the Collective". The Borg co-opt the technology and knowledge ...
in
Lofoten
Lofoten () is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolv ...
.
In the following centuries
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
was ruled by a handful of aristocratic families, each controlling their respective part of the island, mainly the
Sturlungar
The Sturlungs ( Icelandic: ) were a powerful family clan in 13th century Iceland, in the time of the Icelandic Commonwealth. Their story is partly told in ''Sturlunga saga'', and members of the clan were significant participants in the civil war ...
, the
Ásbirningar, the
Oddaverjar
The Oddaverjar (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ) were a powerful family clan in the medieval Icelandic Commonwealth. They were based in Oddi at in South Iceland. Their ascendancy was during the second half of the 12th century, but their power subs ...
, the
Haukdælir, the
Vatnsfirðingar, and the
Svínfellingar.
During this time a rich amount of poetry and literature was created, among others by poet
Sighvatr Sturluson
Sighvatr Sturluson (Old Norse: ; given name also ''Sigvatr'' ; Modern Icelandic: ''Sighvatur Sturluson'' ; c. 1170 – 1238) was a skaldic poet, '' goði'' and member of the Icelandic Sturlungar clan. His parents were Sturla Þórðarson of ...
and by poet and historian
Snorri Sturluson. The aforementioned families are extensively described in historical literature, for example in the ''
Sturlunga saga''.
Norwegian nobility
Between 1262 and 1814,
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
was a part of the
Kingdom of Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
. The process that turned Iceland into a province had begun already in the 12th century. In the 12th and the 13th centuries several Icelandic men travelled to and were included at the Royal Court in Norway.
Jón Loftsson
Jón Loftsson (1124–1197; Modern Icelandic: ; Old Norse: ) was chieftain of Oddi at Rangárvellir in the south part of Iceland.
Jón Loftsson was a member of the Oddaverjar family clan. His parents were Loftur Sæmundsson and Þóra M ...
, Böðvar Þórðarson, Ormur Jónsson, Oddur Gissursson, and Gissur Hallsson are described as men ‘whom God has given the power over the people of Iceland’ in a letter of 1179 or 1180 by
Eysteinn Erlendsson,
Archbishop of Norway. Illustrating the growing connection between Iceland and Norway, Jón's mother was
Þóra Magnúsdóttir, a daughter of King
Magnus III Olafson of Norway.
In 1220,
Snorri Sturluson, an adopted son of Jón and a member of the
Sturlunga family, became a
vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...
of
Haakon IV Haakonson of Norway. In 1235 Snorri's nephew
Sturla Sighvatsson also accepted vassalage under the King of Norway. Unlike his uncle, Sturla worked actively for bringing Iceland under the Norwegian Crown, warring on chieftains who refused to accept the King's demands. However, Sturla and his father
Sighvatr Sturluson
Sighvatr Sturluson (Old Norse: ; given name also ''Sigvatr'' ; Modern Icelandic: ''Sighvatur Sturluson'' ; c. 1170 – 1238) was a skaldic poet, '' goði'' and member of the Icelandic Sturlungar clan. His parents were Sturla Þórðarson of ...
were defeated by
Gissur Þorvaldsson
Gissur Thorvaldsson (1208 – 12 January 1268; Modern Icelandic: ; Old Norse: ) was a medieval Icelandic chieftain or ''goði'' of the Haukdælir family clan, and great-grandson of Jón Loftsson.
Gissur played a major role in the period ...
, the chief of the
Haukdælir, and
Kolbeinn the young, chief of the
Ásbirnings, in the
Battle of Örlygsstaðir
The Battle of Örlygsstaðir was a historic battle fought by the Sturlungar against the Ásbirningar and the Haukdælir clans in northern Iceland. The battle was part of the civil war that was taking place in Iceland at the time between various ...
, losing their position as the mightiest chieftains in Iceland.
In 1262, following the
Old Covenant
The Mosaic covenant (named after Moses), also known as the Sinaitic covenant (after the biblical Mount Sinai), refers to a covenant between God and the Israelites, including their proselytes, not limited to the ten commandments, nor the eve ...
, the independent republic became an earldom under the Kingdom of Norway. Gissur Þorvaldsson of the Haukdælir was created
Earl of Iceland in 1262, indicating and imposing that he should rule Iceland on behalf of Norway's king.
It is known that approximately 20–30 Icelandic men had the title of knight ( no, ridder) in the following centuries, among others Eiríkur Sveinbjarnarson in
Vatnsfjörður († in 1342) and Arnfinnur Þorsteinsson († in 1433). The first noble titles are known since 1277. These titles were normally not inherited, but rather expressed each person's function and rank as the King's servant.
The medieval aristocracy to which some Icelandics belonged was originally known as the
hird
The hird (also named "Håndgangne Menn" in Norwegian), in Scandinavian history, was originally an informal retinue of personal armed companions, hirdmen or housecarls, but came to mean not only the nucleus ('Guards') of the royal army, but also ...
. This was divided into three classes, of which the first had three ranks. The first class was ''hirdmann'' with ''lendmann'' as the 1st rank, ''skutilsvein'' as the 2nd rank, and ordinary ''hirdmann'' as the 3rd rank. Below them were the classes ''gjest'' and ''kjertesvein''.
['' Store norske leksikon'']
Hird
/ref>['' Store norske leksikon'']
Skutilsvein
/ref> The hird's organisation is described in the ''King’s Mirror'' and the ''Codex of the Hird''.
During the second half of the 13th century continental European court culture began to gain influence in Norway. In 1277, King Magnus VI Haakonson of Norway introduced continental titles in the hird: lendmen were now called barons, and skutilsveins were called ''ridder''. Both were then styled ''Herr'' ( en, Lord). In 1308, King Haakon V Magnusson of Norway abolished the lendman/baron institution, and it was probably also during his reign that the aristocracy apparently was restructured into two classes: ''ridder'' ( en, knight) and ''væpner'' ( en, squire).
It is difficult to determinate exactly how many knights and squires there were in the 14th and the early 15th century in Norway. When King Haakon V signed a peace treaty with the Danish king in 1309, it was sealed by 29 Norwegian knights and squires. King Haakon promised that 270 more knights and squires would give their written recognition.
On 1 July 1620 at the Althing
The Alþingi (''general meeting'' in Icelandic, , anglicised as ' or ') is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at (" thing fields" or "assemb ...
, Jón Magnússon the older let a letters patent of 1457 be read, given to his ancestor Björn ‘the Wealthy’ Þorleifsson from Christopher of Bavaria
Christopher of Bavaria (26 February 1416 – 5/6 January 1448) was King of Denmark (1440–48, as Christopher III), Sweden (1441–48) and Norway (1442–48) during the era of the Kalmar Union.
Biography
Coming to power
He was the son of John, ...
in his capacity as King of Norway
The Norwegian monarch is the head of state of Norway, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Norwegian monarchy can trace its line back to the reign of Harald Fairhair and the previous petty kingd ...
. Jón was the last Norwegian nobleman in Iceland. The era of the nobility in Iceland ended in 1660 with the introduction of absolutism in Norway (and in Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
).
In addition to the secular aristocracy there was a clerical one. Positions within the church were occupied mainly by members of the mightiest families in Iceland and in Norway. Both bishops in Iceland after 1262 had ‘seat and vote’ in the Norwegian Council of the Kingdom. There were also non-noble bishops, for example Pétur Nikúlásson biskup á Hólum (1391–1411), originally a Danish monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
. The Archbishop of Nidaros had setesveins in Iceland. Two are mentioned in a list from 1533, whereof ‘Oluff Lagmand’, i.e. Ólafur lögmaður.[Daae, Ludvig: ''Den throndhjemske Erkestols Sædesvende og Frimænd'', p. 9 in ''Historisk tidsskrift'' 1890]
Digital version.
/ref> This aristocracy ended with the Icelandic Reformation.
Danish nobility
A few Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
ers (who formally were Norwegians until 1814) or Icelandic-rooted Danes have been ennobled or noble in Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
. Prominent are the families Hielmstierne and Rosencrone.
References
{{Nobility by nation
Icelandic nobility
Norwegian nobility
Danish nobility
de:Adel (Skandinavien)#Island