Kindred of chieftains · Iceland and the Faroes · as at first light, 1 January 1200

The Sturlungar

The sons of Hvamm-Sturla Þórðarson, who died in 1183: a kindred of the west with no single head on 1 January 1200. Þórður, the eldest, holds the church farm of Staðarstaður on Snæfellsnes with a share of the Þórsnesingagoðorð; Sighvatur holds the kindred's inherited chieftaincy, the Snorrungagoðorð, from Hjarðarholt in the Dalir; Snorri, the youngest, has no chieftaincy yet and is wintering at Oddi with his foster-brother Sæmundur.

In the Glæðir dispute Sighvatur is sworn to Sigurður Ormsson's side and Snorri will act for Sæmundur; Þórður is not named on either side.

Who rules

Name
Þórður, Sighvatur and Snorri Sturluson
Title
No single head: the three sons of Hvamm-Sturla (died 1183)
Confidence
high

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: Put together from the records of its chieftains, which give the sources.

On the map: A kindred had no border. An Icelandic chieftain ruled people, not ground: his followers (thingmen) chose him, could leave him and lived scattered among other chieftains' men. The colour marks the districts where the kindred's chieftains held their power and most of their followers, as the sagas show them.

Primary sources for this realm

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.

Sources and studies

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.