The Christianization of Iceland: Priests, Power, and Social Change 1000-1300In this first historical study of High-Medieval Iceland to be published in English, Dr Vesteinsson investigates the influence of the Christian Church on the formation of the earliest state structures in Iceland, from the conversion in 1000 to the union with Norway in 1262. In the history of mankind states and state structures have usually been established before the advent of written records. As a result historians are rarely able to trace with certainty the early development of complex structures of government. In Iceland, literacy and the practice of native history writing had been established by the beginning of the twelfth century; whereas the formation of a centralised government did not occur until more than a hundred years later. The early development of statelike structures has therefore been unusually well chronicled, in the Icelandic Sagas, and in the historical records of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Based on this wealth of material,The Christianization of Iceland is an important contribution to the discussion on the formation of states. |
Contents
1 | |
Prehistory | 17 |
The First Christian Institutions | 58 |
Churches and Property | 93 |
The Bishops | 144 |
The Priests | 179 |
Common terms and phrases
abbot accepted According appointed became become Bishop Brandr brother building built canons cent chapel charter chieftains Christian church church-owners claims clear clearly clerics commune considered Copenhagen course doubt earlier early ecclesiastical endowments established evidence farm farmstead father give given Gizurr GuSmundr hand Holar householders Iceland important increase indications influence interests involved Island Jonsson King known Kolbeinn Kolbeinn Tumason land late later least lived Magnus major married means Medieval mentioned middle ministries Norway Oddaverjar ordained original Pall period persons political position possible priests probably quarter reason region respectable Reykjavik saga secular seems Skalholt Snorri social society sons sources St Porlakr Sturl suggests term thirteenth century tithe took twelfth century