Gothi or goði (plural goðar, fem. gyðja; Old Norse: guþi) was a position of political and social prominence in the Icelandic Commonwealth. The term originally had a religious significance, referring to a pagan leader responsible for a religious...
The Icelandic Commonwealth, also known as the Icelandic Free State, was the political unit existing in Iceland between the establishment of the Althing (Icelandic: Alþingi) in 930 and the pledge of fealty to the Norwegian king with the Old Covenant...
The Sturlungs (Icelandic: Sturlungar [ˈstʏ(r)tluŋkar̥]) were a powerful family clan in 13th-century Iceland, in the time of the Icelandic Commonwealth. Their story is partly told in Sturlunga saga, and members of the clan were significant...
Religion in Iceland has been predominantly Christianity since its adoption as the state religion by the Althing under the influence of Olaf Tryggvason, the king of Norway, in 999/1000 CE. Until then, in the 9th and 10th centuries, the prevailing...
The Age of the Sturlungs or the Sturlung Era (Icelandic: Sturlungaöld [ˈstʏ(r)tluŋkaˌœlt]) was a 42-/44-year period of violent internal strife in mid-13th-century Iceland. It is documented in the Sturlunga saga. This period is marked by the...
The Haukdælir (Old Norse: [ˈhɔukˌdɛːlez̠]; Modern Icelandic: [ˈhœykˌtaiːlɪr̥]) were one of the family clans who controlled medieval Iceland during the period of the Icelandic Commonwealth. Their name is derived from Haukadalur (literally, Valley of...
Allsherjargoði (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈalsˌhɛrjarˌkɔːðɪ], All-People Chieftain; plural -goðar [-ˌkɔːðar̥]) was an office in the Icelandic Commonwealth, held by the goði who held the goðorð of the descendants of Ingólfr Arnarson, the first...
A democracy is a political system, or a system of decision-making within an institution, organization, or state, in which members have a share of power. Modern democracies are characterized by two capabilities of their citizens that differentiate...
The allsherjargoði (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈalsˌhɛrjarˌkɔðɪ]; plural -goðar) is the chief religious official of the Icelandic neopagan organization Ásatrúarfélagið in Iceland. Office holders are elected.
Hafliði Másson (died 1130; Old Norse: [ˈhɑvˌliðe ˈmɑːsˌson]; Modern Icelandic: [ˈhavˌlɪːðɪ ˈmausˌsɔːn]) was an Icelandic goði and chieftain in the eleventh to twelfth centuries. He is best known for his dealings with Þorgils Oddason (1080–1151) and...