List of wars involving Iceland

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The following is a list of wars involving Iceland . Although modern Iceland does not maintain a standing army, navy nor air force, it maintains a militarised coast guard which is in charge of defending the country. The country has deployed a small peacekeeping force internationally on a few occasions. It has never participated in a full-scale war or invasion, and the constitution of Iceland has no mechanism to declare war. [1]

Contents

None of the Cod Wars meet any of the common thresholds for a conventional war, and they may more accurately be described as militarised interstate disputes between Iceland and the United Kingdom. [2] [3] [4] [5]

Before 1500

ConflictCombatant 1Combatant 2Result
Viking battle: Battle of Vinland (1003) Icelandic and Norwegian Vikings Native warriorsVictory
  • Viking victory and withdrawal
  • 22 vikings dead
  • 8+ natives dead
Viking battle: Battle of Vinland (1010) Icelandic and Norwegian Vikings Native warriorsVictory
  • Native attack repelled
  • Viking withdrawal
  • 2 vikings dead
  • 14 natives dead
Internal conflict: Age of the Sturlungs (1220–1264) Coat of arms of the Icelandic Commonwealth.svg Icelandic Gothis
Supported by:
Royal Banner of Norway (14th Century).svg Kingdom of Norway
Coat of arms of the Icelandic Commonwealth.svg Commonwealth Gothis Old Covenant

1500–2000

DateConflict / EventAlliesEnemiesResult
1538–1550 Icelandic Reformation Iceland stockfish coa.svg Catholics Christian I of Denmark Coat of Arms 1457-1460.svg Denmark-Norway
Iceland stockfish coa.svg Protestants
Icelandic/Catholic victory
1627 Turkish Abductions Royal Standard of Denmark (1731-1819).svg Denmark-Norway Flag of the Ottoman Empire.svg Ottoman Empire Abduction of 400–800 Icelanders
  • 53 dead
1797 Action of 16 May 1797 Royal Standard of Denmark (1731-1819).svg Denmark-Norway Flag of the Ottoman Empire.svg Ottoman Empire Victory
1803–1815 Iceland in the Napoleonic Wars Flag of France (1794-1815, 1830-1958).svg France
Royal Standard of Denmark (1731-1819).svg Denmark-Norway
Coalition Forces Dano-French defeat
  • Dissolution of Denmark-Norway
  • Iceland remains within Denmark as a dependency
1809 Jørgen Jørgensen's Revolution Flag of Jorgen Jorgensen (1809).png Jørgen Jørgensen
  • Icelandic revolutionaries
Royal Standard of Denmark (1731-1819).svg Denmark-Norway

Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom

Danish government restored
  • Jørgen Jørgensen arrested by the British navy
1940 Invasion of Iceland Flag of the United Kingdom (1-2).svg United Kingdom British victory
1958–1976 The Cod Wars Flag of Iceland.svg Iceland Flag of the United Kingdom (1-2).svg United Kingdom
Flag of Germany.svg West Germany
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium
Victory
  • Iceland secures its territorial water claims

After 2000

Peacekeeping

MissionDateLocationTroops deployed
Emblem of the Multi-National Force - Iraq.svg MNF-I 2004–2007Flag of Iraq (2004-2008).svg  Iraq 2
Seal of the International Security Assistance Force.svg ISAF 2002–2014Flag of the Taliban.svg  Afghanistan 2–32

See also

References

  1. "From Iceland — Ask A Historian: Has Iceland Ever Been Involved In Any Wars Or Conflicts". The Reykjavik Grapevine. 2017-07-14. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  2. Steinsson, Sverrir (2016-03-22). "The Cod Wars: a re-analysis". European Security. 25 (2): 256–275. doi:10.1080/09662839.2016.1160376. ISSN   0966-2839. S2CID   155242560.
  3. Hellmann, Gunther; Herborth, Benjamin (2008-07-01). "Fishing in the mild West: democratic peace and militarised interstate disputes in the transatlantic community". Review of International Studies. 34 (3): 481–506. doi:10.1017/S0260210508008139. ISSN   1469-9044. S2CID   144997884.
  4. Ireland, Michael J.; Gartner, Scott Sigmund (2001-10-01). "Time to Fight: Government Type and Conflict Initiation in Parliamentary Systems". The Journal of Conflict Resolution. 45 (5): 547–568. doi:10.1177/0022002701045005001. JSTOR   3176313. S2CID   154973439.
  5. Prins, Brandon C.; Sprecher, Christopher (1999-05-01). "Institutional Constraints, Political Opposition, And Interstate Dispute Escalation: Evidence from Parliamentary Systems, 1946–89". Journal of Peace Research. 36 (3): 271–287. doi:10.1177/0022343399036003002. ISSN   0022-3433. S2CID   110394899.