The richest farm in Iceland and the seat of the bishop of the South, West and East Quarters since 1056: the cathedral, the bishop's household and school.
Not a town. Its bishop, Sæmundur Jónsson's brother, is the peacemaker of the south: he calmed the Althing fight of 1196 and will judge the Glæðir case at the Althing of 1200. The relics of St Þorlákur were translated here on 20 July 1198.
Who holds it
- Name
- Páll Jónsson
- Title
- Bishop of Skálholt
- Since
- 1195 (consecrated at Lund by Archbishop Absalon, the archbishop of Nidaros being in exile)
- Confidence
- high
Lord in 1200
The bishop of Skálholt, Páll Jónsson (since 1195), a Church map record.
Overlord
The bishop of Skálholt, Páll Jónsson (since 1195), a Church map record.
How things stand that morning
Bishop's seat and great farm.
Charter
None: there were no chartered towns in Iceland or the Faroes in 1200
Trade and crafts
The bishop's farms and tithes.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Sturlunga saga and the bishops' sagas.
Primary sources for Iceland
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The Icelandic annals to 1578 (compiled from the late 13th century onward from older notes). Year-by-year notices that fix Icelandic chronology. Read online
- The saga of the Sturlungs: the compilation of contemporary Icelandic sagas, Sturla Þórðarson and other authors, compiled by Þórðr Narfason (the component sagas between about 1200 and 1280; compiled about 1300). The only contemporary narrative of Iceland. Read online
- The sagas of the Icelandic bishops: Páll of Skálholt, Guðmundr of Hólar and Þorlákr (Páls saga about 1211 to 1216; Þorláks saga about 1200 to 1210; the oldest Guðmundar saga in the 13th century). Páls saga is the life of Bishop Páll Jónsson of Skálholt (1195 to 1211), of the Oddaverjar, and tells how he had the churches and priests of his diocese counted, about 220 churches and 290 priests, how he furthered the cult of his uncle Þorlákr, whose relics were raised in 1198 and whose feast the Althing adopted in 1199, and how he dealt with the chieftains. Read online
- The Grey Goose laws: the law of the Icelandic Commonwealth (law first written down in 1117 to 1118; the surviving manuscripts Konungsbók (about 1250) and Staðarhólsbók (about 1270)). The law under which Iceland was run in 1200: the goðar and their thingmen, the local and quarter things and the Althing, the Fifth Court, the lawspeaker, outlawry, compensation and the Christian law section with the tithe. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.