In the year 1000, Iceland peacefully adopted Christianity through a unique process of arbitration at the AlĂľingi, marking a significant turning point in its history. The majority of early settlers in Iceland were pagan, worshiping the Norse gods. Beginning in 980, Christian missionaries began visiting the island, but with limited success. The situation escalated when Olaf Tryggvason of Norway, a Christian king, applied pressure by cutting off trade and taking Icelandic hostages.
As tensions grew, the AlĂľingi, Iceland’s governing assembly, appointed the pagan law speaker Thorgeir Thorkelsson to decide whether the nation would convert to Christianity. Thorgeir proposed that Iceland adopt Christianity by law, allowing for some concessions, such as permitting private pagan worship and the continuation of certain practices like the eating of horsemeat. This decision, accepted by both sides, prevented a civil war and led to Iceland’s conversion.Â
The peaceful resolution is remarkable compared to the violent Christianization of other Scandinavian countries. Iceland's first bishop, Ísleifur Gissurarson, was consecrated in 1056, cementing the island’s place within the Christian world. Despite the formal adoption of Christianity, traces of pagan worship persisted in private for some time.