The Ásbirnings or Ásbirningar (

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

: ; Modern Icelandic: ) were a powerful family clan in the medieval

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 ...

. They dominated

Skagafjörður Skagafjörður () is a deep fjord and its valley in northern Iceland. Location Skagafjörður, the fjord, is about 40 km long and 15 km wide, situated between Tröllaskagi to the east and the Skagi Peninsula to the west. There are t ...

in the 12th and 13th centuries until their last leader died in the Battle of Haugsnes (''Haugsnesbardagi'') in 1246. The Ásbirnings were well-known warriors and politicians. The best known Ásbirning is probably Kolbeinn Tumason, a famous Icelandic poet. Other well known Ásbirningur were

Kolbeinn ungi Arnórsson Kolbeinn ungi Arnórsson (1208 – 22 July 1245) was an Icelandic chieftain or ''goði'' of the Ásbirningar family clan. He fought with Gissur Þorvaldsson against the Sturlungs in the Icelandic civil war during the Age of the Sturlungs. His h ...

, nephew of Kolbeinn Tumason, and scholar Ingunn Arnórsdóttir.

References

* Árni Daníel Júlíusson, Jón Ólafur Ísberg, Helgi Skúli Kjartansson ''Íslenskur sögu atlas: 1. bindi: Frá öndverðu til 18. aldar'' Almenna bókafélagið, Reykjavík 1989 Icelandic family clans 12th century in Iceland 13th century in Iceland {{Europe-hist-stub