Iceland and the Faroes

The realms

1. The commonwealth: other chieftainsGissur Hallsson of Haukadalur, lawspeakerCommonwealth of chieftains

   On 1 January 1200 Iceland is a commonwealth of free farmers and chieftains with no king, no towns, no castles and no coinage.

2. The OddaverjarSæmundur Jónsson of OddiKindred of chieftains

   The kindred of Oddi on the Rangárvellir, of Norwegian royal blood through Jón Loftsson's mother, a daughter of King Magnus Barefoot.

3. The HaukdælirGissur Hallsson of HaukadalurKindred of chieftains

   The old kindred of Haukadalur in Biskupstungur, who gave Skálholt to the see, rules Árnesþing, the great plain between the Þjórsá and the Hellisheiði.

4. The SturlungarÞórður, Sighvatur and Snorri SturlusonKindred of chieftains

   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 inh

5. The ÁsbirningarKolbeinn Tumason of VíðimýriKindred of chieftains

   The kindred of Skagafjörður.

6. The SvínfellingarSigurður Ormsson of SvínafellKindred of chieftains

   The descendants of Flosi of Njáls saga rule the south-east under the Vatnajökull, from Svínafell in Öræfi west to Síða.

7. The VatnsfirðingarÞorvaldur Snorrason of VatnsfjörðurKindred of chieftains

   The chieftains of Ísafjarðardjúp, the great sound of the northern Westfjords.

8. The SeldælirHrafn Sveinbjarnarson of EyriKindred of chieftains

   The chieftains of Arnarfjörður in the Westfjords.

Primary sources for Iceland and the Faroes

• 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.
• The Icelandic annals to 1578 (compiled from the late 13th century onward from older notes). Year-by-year notices that fix Icelandic chronology.
• 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.
• 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.
• Saga of the Earls of Orkney, Anonymous (Icelandic) (about 1200 to 1230; surviving text mainly from Flateyjarbok, about 1390). The saga's last chapters are about Earl Harald Maddadsson, who in 1200 held Orkney under King Sverre of Norway and Caithness under William the Lion: his long rule, his quarrel with the Scottish king that cost him Caithness in 1196 to 1197, his recovery of it, and the maiming of Bishop John of Caithness and the king's revenge in 1201 to 1202.

The whole sources library

How these entries are made

Every entry describes one morning, 1 January 1200, and keeps later events in a dated "what the year holds" list with the conditions each depended on. Each entry names its sources, rates its confidence and says where the sources disagree. Published 4 November 2026. Corrections are welcome.