Editing History of Iceland (section)

=== Foreign merchants and fishermen ===
English and German merchants became more prominent in Iceland at the start of the 15th century.<ref name=":16" /> Some historians refer to the 15th century as the "English Age" in Iceland's history, due to the prominence of English traders and fishing fleets.<ref name=":13">{{Cite book|title=Northern Seas Yearbook 1995|publisher=Association for the History of the Northern Seas|year=1995|pages=11–32, 77–108}}</ref><ref name=":14">{{Cite journal|last1=Þórhallsson|first1=Baldur|last2=Kristinsson|first2=Þorsteinn|date=15 June 2013|title=Iceland's External Affairs from 1400 to the Reformation: Anglo-German Economic and Societal Shelter in a Danish Political Vacuum|journal=Icelandic Review of Politics & Administration|language=en|volume=9|issue=1|pages=113–37|doi=10.13177/irpa.a.2013.9.1.6|issn=1670-679X|doi-access=free|hdl=1946/16039|hdl-access=free}}</ref> What drew foreigners to Iceland was primarily fishing in the fruitful waters off the coast of Iceland.<ref name=":13" /> The Icelandic trade was important to some British ports; for example, in Hull, the Icelandic trade accounted for more than ten percent of Hull's total trade.<ref name=":13" /> The trade has been credited with raising Icelandic living standards.<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":13" />

The 16th century has been referred to as the "German Age" by Icelandic historians due to the prominence of German traders.<ref name=":13" /> The Germans did not engage in much fishing themselves, but they owned fishing boats, rented them to Icelanders and then bought the fish from Icelandic fishermen to export to the European Continent.<ref name=":13" />

An illicit trade continued with foreigners after the Danes implemented a trade monopoly.<ref name=":13" /> Dutch and French traders became more prominent in the mid-17th century.<ref name=":13" />