Editing History of Iceland (section)

===Civil war and the end of the commonwealth===
{{Main|Age of the Sturlungs}}

During the 11th and 12th centuries, the centralization of power had worn down the institutions of the commonwealth, as the former, notable independence of local farmers and chieftains gave way to the growing power of a handful of families and their leaders. The period from around 1200 to 1262 is generally known as the [[Age of the Sturlungs]]. This refers to Sturla Þórðarson and his sons, [[Sighvatr Sturluson]], and [[Snorri Sturluson]], who were one of two main clans fighting for power over Iceland, causing havoc in a land inhabited almost entirely by farmers who could ill-afford to travel far from their farms, across the island to fight for their leaders.

In 1220, Snorri Sturluson became a vassal of [[Haakon IV of Norway]]; his nephew [[Sturla Sighvatsson]] also became a vassal in 1235. Sturla used the power and influence of the [[Sturlungar family clan]] to wage war against the other clans in Iceland. The Norwegian king's power of Iceland increased over the course of the 13th century.<ref name=":18">{{Cite journal|last=Jakobsson|first=Sverrir|date=2021|title=All the King's men. The incorporation of Iceland into the Norwegian Realm|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/03468755.2021.1961856|journal=Scandinavian Journal of History|volume=46|issue=5|pages=571–592|doi=10.1080/03468755.2021.1961856|s2cid=238770622|issn=0346-8755}}</ref> After decades of internal conflict, the Icelandic chieftains agreed to accept the sovereignty of Norway and signed the [[Old Covenant (Iceland)|Old Covenant]] (''Gamli sáttmáli'') establishing a union with the Norwegian monarchy.<ref name=":16">{{Cite journal|last=Jakobsson|first=Sverrir|title=Politics and Courtly Culture in Iceland, 1200–1700|url=https://www.academia.edu/44581336|journal=La matière arthurienne tardive en Europe, 1270–1530. Late Arthurian Tradition in Europe|date=January 2020|language=en}}</ref>  The end of the Icelandic Commonwealth is typically dated to the signing of the Old Covenant (1262–1264) or to the adoption of Jónsbók in 1281.<ref name=":18" />

The period also saw the ''[[staðamál]]'', two major disputes over whether secular aristocrats should benefit from the [[tithes]] of [[proprietary churches]] they had founded. The latter, concluded in 1297, saw a significant shift of wealth and power from the aristocracy to the Church, which was increasingly independent of secular influence.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}