| The Iceland Guide | ||
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The land and the people History: The conversion to Christianity Towards the end of the tenth century, the effect of Christianity's widespread adoption in Northern Europe began to make itself felt in Iceland. The numbers of Icelandic travellers to mainland Europe who returned converted increased steadily, particularly after Ólaf Tryggvason became King of Norway. While Iceland paid no allegiance to the Norwegian king, Iinks between the two countries naturally remained close, with many prominent Icelanders paying annual visits to Norway and seeking wealth, advancement and distinction at the Court. King Ólaf was an enthusiastic Christian: he had been converted by Aelfea, Bishop of Winchester, during a military campaign against the British Isles and had pledged to bring Christianity to the Northlands. He now did all he could to convert Icelandic visitors to his court, rewarding them well for conversion, and sending his chaplain, Thangbrand to preach in Iceland. Thangbrand's robust style of conversion — he was not averse to fighting duels to prove the superiority of his religion — met great success and between 997 and 999 many leading goðar were baptised. Matters were now clearly coming to a head, with religious tensions rising as there had been some bloodshed. In 1000, the Althing met, and the Christian goðar and their followers, unwilling to accept the ruling of the official pagan Althing, proposed that they should secede and set up their own Christian commonwealth. Faced with the prospect of the religious civil war this secession would almost inevitably produce, and aware that the powerful and aggressive King of Norway stood behind the Christians, the Althing, with impressive pragmatism, took the political, rather than religious, decision to convert to Christianity. |
What`s in the website ? The land and the people History |