Iceland Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands

The land of today's Iceland appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 7 different states, among them Iceland, Denmark-Norway, Icelandic Commonwealth, Norway, Kalmar Union.

Iceland

Explore the history of Iceland in the interactive map

Compare 1000 with today · Iceland as a state on the map

Who ruled the land of Iceland, map by map

Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.

Battles and historic sites

Questions

Which empires and states ruled the territory of Iceland?

On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Iceland belonged to Iceland, Denmark-Norway, Icelandic Commonwealth, Norway, Kalmar Union, Denmark, along with 1 other states.

What was Iceland part of in 1000?

On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Iceland lay within Icelandic Commonwealth.

What was Iceland part of in 1500?

On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Iceland lay within Kalmar Union.

What was Iceland part of in 1900?

On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Iceland lay within Iceland.

Further reading

• History of Iceland in Encyclopaedia Britannica
• History of Iceland on Wikipedia

Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.