History of Iceland

BRIEF HISTORY OF ICELAND

In 330 B.C an explorer named Pytheas sailed north from Marseille, France to discover how far the world would reach that way. He navigated the British Isles and the northern seas. He told tales of an island that he named Thule or Ultima Thule, which he either learned about from others or found himself. This island was six days north of Britain and one day away from "the end of the world". On his return, he wrote his travel journal that is long lost, but is quoted in several other more recent books. This island was possibly Iceland.

In the 9th century, the first geographical document that describes the Northern seas was written by an Irish monk, named Dicuil. The book was called De Mensura Orbis Terrae, and in it he describes his interviews with Irish priests that claimed they had sailed north to Thule and lived there from February to August. They say that during middle of the summer, they never lost the light of day and could "pick lice of shirts". The priests confirmed Pytheas' story that after a days journey north of the island they came upon "frozen sea". Dicuil was the first man to locate Thule on the isolated island that later became known as Iceland, the island was known in Ireland late in the 8th century. His accounts claim there were no inhabitants before the Irish visits. The Irish monks left Iceland soon after the Vikings started their own settlement in Iceland around the year 900, but if they stayed they were totally ignored and without influence. The Viking settlement of Iceland was largely due to internal struggle in Norway between the barbarian King Harald the Fairhaired and the former rulers. Harald won a major victory late in the 8th century and then followed his retreating enemies all the way to the Scottish Isles, which he conquered. Many fled from either directly from Norway or from Britain to Iceland, which was then known among Vikings, in an successful attempt to evade his reign of power. The first Icelandic settler is said to be the Norwegian, IngÐ"Ñ-lfur Arnarson, who came to the country in 874. He resided where the capital is now, and gave it the name ReykjavÐ"­k. Half a century later, in 930, the Icelandic parliament in ancient times, "Albing" was founded. It is considered the oldest parliament in the world. The meetings were held at the beautiful place, Pingvellir, which is located