The early details of the history of the Faroe Islands are unclear. It is possible that Brendan, an Irish monk, sailed past the islands during his North Atlantic voyage in the 6th century. He saw an 'Island of Sheep' and a 'Paradise of Birds', which some say could be the Faroes with its dense bird population and sheep. This does suggest however that other sailors had got there before him, to bring the sheep. Norsemen settled the Faroe Islands in the 9th or 10th century. The islands were officially converted to Christianity around the year 1000, and became a part of the Kingdom of Norway in 1035. Norwegian rule on the islands continued until 1380, when the islands became part of the dual Denmark–Norway kingdom, under king Olaf II of Denmark.
Canute IV, later known as Canute the Holy or Saint Canute, was King of Denmark from 1080 until 1086. Canute was an ambitious king who sought to strengthen the Danish monarchy, devotedly supported the Roman Catholic Church, and had designs on the English throne. Slain by rebels in 1086, he was the first Danish king to be canonized. He was recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as patron saint of Denmark in 1101.
The Løgting is the unicameral parliament of the Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory within the Danish Realm.
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.
Sørvágur is a village on the island of Vágar in the Faroe Islands.
Sandur is a village on the south coast of the island of Sandoy in the Faroe Islands. The Sandur hoard of silver coins, dating to the end of the 11th century, attests to the long history of the village. In January 2024, the population stood at 529.
Ormurin Langi is a Faroese folk ballad. It was written in ca. 1830 by Jens Christian Djurhuus.
Tróndur í Gøtu was a Viking Age chieftain in the Faroe Islands. He is remembered for his opposition to the importation of Christianity.
Leivur Øssursson or Leif Øssursson was a chieftain in the Faroe Islands, before they were taken over by Norway in 1035. Leivur's reign marked the beginning of the end of the Viking age, and the end of independence in the Faeroes.
Páll á Reynatúgvu is a Faroese politician, and former football player, currently serving as speaker of the Faroese Parliament. He was first elected in 1998, and again in 2002, when he assumed the position of Minister of Health and Social Affairs. After being re-elected in 2004, he became a member of the "Fíggjarnevndin".
Jóannes Patursson was a Faroese nationalist leader and poet. He served as a member of the Parliament of Denmark and the Parliament of the Faroe Islands.
The Danish House of Knýtlinga was a ruling royal house in Middle Age Scandinavia and England. Its most famous king was Cnut the Great, who gave his name to this dynasty. Other notable members were Cnut's father Sweyn Forkbeard, grandfather Harald Bluetooth, and sons Harthacnut, Harold Harefoot, and Svein Knutsson. It has also been called the House of Canute, the House of Denmark, the House of Gorm, or the Jelling dynasty.
The Tour of Faroe Islands is a road cycling race held in the Faroe Islands. The race consists of a men's, women's and juniors' competition over a prologue and four or five stages, which are for elite cyclists and shorter distances for non-elite cyclists. From 2011 to 2013, the race was changed to four stages in three days. The first edition of the Kring Føroyar tour was held in 1996 but it was not an official race; the 1997 Tour was the first official edition of the race. The race is normally held in July shortly before Ólavsøka. In 2012 the race was held from 20 July to 22 July. The last day of the race is held in Tórshavn, and the roads are closed for traffic on that day. In 2015 the race will be held from 22–26 July. For sponsor reasons the name of the tour was Statoil Kring Føroyar, and later when the Faroese company changed its name from Statoil to Effo, the tour was called Effo Kring Føroyar. In 2014 the race got a new main sponsor and the name was changed to Volvo Kring Føroyar. As of 2015, the length of the race is 430 kilometres (270 mi) for elite cyclists and 230 kilometres (140 mi) for youth and senior cyclists.
Norse settlement in the Faroe Islands can be traced back to sometime between the 9th and 10th centuries, with the first Norsemen on the islands arguably around the late 8th century. Accounts from Irish priests such as Dicuil claim monks were there hundreds of years beforehand.
Brandur Sandoy is a Faroese politician, sheep farmer and businessman. His surname is the same as the name of the island Sandoy, where he lives. He runs a sheep farm in Inni í Dal between Sandur and Skopun, near the school and football stadium of B71 Sandoy. He also runs a small business named BS-Smíð and rents a holiday home together with his wife Anja Sandoy, with whom he has three children: Várdis, Pauli and Pál. He is a former football player, he played for B71 Sandoy in the 1990s.
Tóra Sigmundsdóttir, also Thora Sigmundsdóttir was a Norwegian-Faroese woman, whose life is known from the Færeyinga saga. Daughter of chief Sigmundur Brestisson, she was known for her Christianity and intellect.
Events from the 11th century in Denmark.
The Viking Age in the Faroe Islands lasted from Grímur Kamban's conquest of the country around 825 until the death of Tróndur í Gøtu, the last Viking chieftain on the Faroe Islands in 1035, and the rise to power of Leivur Øssursson in the same year.
