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Nobility in Iceland ( Icelandic: ''aðall''; Norwegian: ''adel'') may refer to the following: * Icelanders who belonged to the
aristocracy 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 ...
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. * 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 ...
.


Aristocracy of the Icelandic Commonwealth

During the Norse
settlement of Iceland The settlement of Iceland ( is, landnámsöld ) is generally believed to have begun in the second half of the ninth century, when Norse settlers migrated across the North Atlantic. The reasons for the migration are uncertain: later in the Middle ...
, 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 as ...
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 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 th ...
arrived to the island. They had refused to accept Harald I Halfdanson as their high king, instead abandoning their chieftain seats and petty kingdoms 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, Svolvæ ...
. 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 ...
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 Haukdælir, the Vatnsfirðingar, and the Svínfellingar. During this time a rich amount of poetry and literature was created, among others by poet Sighvatr Sturluson and by poet and historian
Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...
. 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 ...
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 th ...
. 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, 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 Eysteinn Erlendsson (Modern Norwegian ''Øystein Erlendsson'', Latin ''Augustinus Nidrosiensis'') (died 26 January 1188) was Archbishop of Nidaros from 1161 to his death in 1188. Background His family came from Trøndelag, and he was related to ...
, 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 Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...
, 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 Sturla Sighvatsson (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ; 1199 – 21 August 1238) was an Icelandic chieftain or '' goði'' of the Sturlungar family clan who played an active role in the armed conflicts in Iceland during the Age of the Sturlungs ( ...
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 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 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 ...
, losing their position as the mightiest chieftains in Iceland. In 1262, following the Old Covenant, 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. 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 The ''Great Norwegian Encyclopedia'' ( no, Store Norske Leksikon, abbreviated ''SNL''), is a Norwegian-language online encyclopedia. The online encyclopedia is among the most-read Norwegian published sites, with more than two million unique vis ...
''
Hird
/ref>''
Store norske leksikon The ''Great Norwegian Encyclopedia'' ( no, Store Norske Leksikon, abbreviated ''SNL''), is a Norwegian-language online encyclopedia. The online encyclopedia is among the most-read Norwegian published sites, with more than two million unique vis ...
''
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
baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or kn ...
s, 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 "assembl ...
, Jón Magnússon the older let a
letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, tit ...
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 Joh ...
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 kin ...
. 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 = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...
). 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 dedicat ...
. 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 The Icelandic Reformation took place in the middle of the 16th century. Iceland was at this time a territory ruled by Denmark-Norway, and Lutheran religious reform was imposed on the Icelanders by King Christian III of Denmark. Resistance t ...
.


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 ...
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 = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...
. Prominent are the families Hielmstierne and Rosencrone.


References

{{Nobility by nation Icelandic nobility Norwegian nobility Danish nobility de:Adel (Skandinavien)#Island