Description
In the mid-800s, Vikings discovered a large island west of Ireland. Several names were proposed, but only one stuck: Iceland. When people from Scandinavia started to settle in this new land, they recreated the political, social, and cultural practices of home, which included decentralized political authority (no kings!) and a reverence for law-speakers. This class focuses on Iceland’s early history and what it tells us about Viking society.
Lizabeth Johnson received her PhD in medieval history from the University of Washington. Her graduate studies included medieval history, renaissance and reformation history, and late antiquity. Johnson’s specific area of research is medieval Welsh history.