This is a timeline of
Faroese history comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Iceland and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see
history of the Faroe Islands.
About 625 – It was thought
Irishmonks settled in the Faroe Islands and were the first people there. In earlier historical studies, it was assumed, that they came around 725. After botanical researches it had to be dated back to 675, and today Faroese scientists believe, that
oats have been cultivated on the Faroes since about 625, for example in
Mykines.
8th century
About 795 – Irish monks reach
Iceland. It is suggested, that they came from the Faroes after banished by the
Vikings.
Diucil refers to it 825, but maybe some of the monks stayed in the Faroes.
About 885–890 – Second wave of immigration to the Faroes under king
Harald Hårfagre of
Norway. Most of the settlers come from western Norway, but also many from Ireland and
Scotland.
10th century
Around 900 – The
Faroese Althing is assumed to be founded. If this is true, it is the oldest existing parliament of the world.
1026 – King
Olaf II of Norway tries to encash taxes from the Faroes and to establish Norwegian law – but fails.
1028 – The murder of the Norwegian legate
Karl of Møre ends Olav's attempts.
1035 – Death of
Tróndur í Gøtu, the last Viking chieftain of the Faroes.
Leivur Øssursson becomes Christian autocrat over the Faroes as
feud under Norwegian government. The Viking age on the Faroes is over.
1271 – King
Magnus Lagabøte of Norway establishes the elderGulatingslog on the Faroes. The
Faroese Althing changes from a legislative into a consultative body. 1274/76 the younger Gulatingslog was adopted.
1280 – The
Hereford map is the first known map, which mentions the Faroes – as Farei.
1290 – The
Hanseatic League is forbidden to trade with the Faroes.
1298 – The
Sheep Letter (Seyðabrævið) becomes law. Obviously the slavery is reintroduced, for the sheep letter regulates, among other things, the exposure to slaves.
14th century
Around 1300 – Beginning of the construction of the
Saint Magnus Cathedral in
Kirkjubøur. It was never finished, but is still the main historical building of the country.
1302 – The prohibition against the
Hanseatic League is renewed by Norway.
Around 1303 –
Bishop Erlendur is forced to leave the Faroes.
Around 1349 – The
Black Death reaches the Faroes – a third of the population (estimated at least 1000 of 3000) dies.
1524 – After going into exile, Christian II offers the Faroes and
Iceland to
Henry VIII of England as
collateral for a
loan. Henry denies. Historians believe this saved the two countries from losing their languages, as it happened with the
Norn language in
Shetland and
Orkney.
1540 – Land which belonged to the church now became property of the Danish king (kongsjørð). The land was leased by Faroese peasants.[1]
17th century
Since around 1600 – The
Faroese language can be distinguished as a separate language.
1720 – The Faroe Islands becomes a county of
Denmark as part of
Sjælland province.
1724 – The Faroe Islands is combined with
Iceland into a single province.[2]
1775 – The Faroe Islands are administratively split from Iceland.
19th century
1816 – The Parliament is discarded.
Since 1709 only one store was in the Faroe Islands, it was located in Tórshavn and belonged to the Danish royal trade monopoly, nobody else was allowed to trade in the Faroes. In the 1830s three stores which belonged to or were under control of the royal trade monopoly opened in the villages
Vestmanna,
Tvøroyri and
Klaksvík.[3]
1852 – The Parliament is re-established.
1856 – The Danish royal trade monopoly abolished.
1888 – The
Christmas Meeting (Jólafundurin), the start of a cultural movement and indirectly the start of modern Faroese politics.
1889 – In March a play was performed in Faroese language for the first time. The play was called Veðurføst (it means something like: got stuck due to bad weather) and was written by
Súsanna Helena Patursson.[4]
1894 – The industrial revolution reaches the Faroes, with the arrival of commercial whaling, the first actual factory is built at
Gjánoyri in 1901.
1899 – On 5 November the Føroya Fólkaháskúli (Faroese
Folk high school) was founded in Klaksvík, here the Faroese people could learn how to read and write in Faroese language, which they could not in the public schools, where Danish was the only language teachers were allowed to use. Ten years later the school was moved to Tórshavn.
20th century
1906 – The political party
Sambandsflokkurin (Union Party) was founded.
1989 – Faroe Islands is host for the
Island Games.
1992 – On 6 October, the bank
Sjóvinnubankin declares bankruptcy starting the worst economic depression in Faroese history.
21st century
2005 – The Takeover Act (Overtagelsesloven) of 24 June 2005 which is an extension to the Self-governing Act of 1948, grants the Faroe Islands extended self-rule. The
Constitution of Denmark (1953), The Self-governing Act (1948) and The Takeover Act (2005) make up the legal rights of the Faroe Islands within the Danish Realm.[5]
2007 – The Faroese government took over the responsibilities of the only airport in the Faroe Islands, Vága Floghavn. Until this day the airport was run by Danish authorities (Statens Luftfartsvæsen).[6]
2007 – The Faroese government took over the responsibilities of the Faroese Church (Fólkakirkjan) which until then had been Danish.
2013 – In July 2013 the
EU imposed sanctions to the Faroe Islands due to a dispute over the fishing quota of herring and mackerel.[7] The boycott started on 28 August 2013, the boycott implies that Faroese vessels carrying herring or mackerel are banned from all EU ports, including Denmark, Sweden and Finland.[8] The Faroe Islands can no longer export herring or mackerel to EU countries as long the boycott persists.