エピソード

  • Iceland's 1627 Turkish Abductions: Barbary Pirates in the North Atlantic

    Iceland's 1627 Turkish Abductions: Barbary Pirates in the North Atlantic
    2026/07/21
    In the summer of 1627, Barbary corsairs from Algiers sailed thousands of miles north to raid the coast of Iceland, capturing nearly 400 people and selling them into slavery in North Africa. This episode explores the attacks on Grindavík, Heimaey, and the East Fjords, focusing on the story of Guðríður Símonardóttir, an Icelandic woman taken captive who later became a symbol of resilience. We discuss the geopolitical context of the Barbary slave trade, the Ottoman and European rivalries that enabled the raids, and the ransom efforts led by Danish King Christian IV. Lucas and Luna also examine the long-term impact on Icelandic memory, from folk tales to modern historical reassessments. How did these attacks shape Iceland's sense of isolation and vulnerability? And what can we learn from the forgotten stories of the enslaved Icelanders? #Iceland #BarbaryPirates #TurkishAbductions #Tyrkjaránið #GuðríðurSímonardóttir #1627 #BarbarySlaveTrade #OttomanEmpire #Algiers #Heimaey #Grindavík #ChristianIV #Slavery #ArcticHistory #Piracy #Vestmannaeyjar #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
    続きを読む 一部表示
    6 分
  • Iceland's 1845 Althing Restoration: A Parliament Reborn

    Iceland's 1845 Althing Restoration: A Parliament Reborn
    2026/07/21
    When the Althing was dissolved in 1800, Iceland lost its ancient parliament — the one that had met at Þingvellir since 930. For decades, the country was governed from Copenhagen with little local say. Then, in 1843, a royal decree changed everything. This episode traces the story of how the Althing was reborn in Reykjavík in 1845, the political maneuvering that made it possible, and the key figures — Jón Sigurðsson, the Danish king Christian VIII, and the governor-count Jørgen Ditlev Trampe — who shaped the new assembly. We talk about why Reykjavík replaced Þingvellir, the limits of the restored parliament's powers, and how this partial victory fueled Iceland's broader push for home rule. For anyone who has wondered how a nation's oldest parliament can be killed and then resurrected, this is the episode. #Althing #Iceland #JónSigurðsson #Þingvellir #Reykjavík #ChristianVIII #HomeRule #HistoryOfIceland #1845 #Parliament #JørgenDitlevTrampe #DanishRule #NationalIdentity #19thCentury #Politics #FexingoHistory #History #NorthernEurope Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
    続きを読む 一部表示
    9 分
  • Iceland's 1909 Suffrage Movement: Women Demand the Vote

    Iceland's 1909 Suffrage Movement: Women Demand the Vote
    2026/07/20
    In 1909, an Icelandic woman named Bríet Bjarnhéðinsdóttir stood before Alþingi and demanded the vote for women. This episode explores the early women's rights movement in Iceland, from the founding of the first women's association in 1871 to the legislative battles of the early 20th century. We discuss the key figures like Bríet and Ingibjörg H. Bjarnason, the influence of the Danish suffrage movement, and the unique challenges of campaigning in a rural, isolated society. How did Iceland, despite its small population and harsh geography, become one of the first countries to grant women's suffrage? We trace the arguments for and against, the role of the Alþingi, and the eventual passage of the 1915 law that gave women the vote. This is a story of persistence, strategy, and a changing national identity. #Iceland #WomensSuffrage #BríetBjarnhéðinsdóttir #Alþingi #IngibjörgH.Bjarnason #1915 #VotingRights #Feminism #IcelandicHistory #NordicHistory #Suffragettes #PoliticalHistory #CivilRights #Reykjavik #WomenInHistory #Equality #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
    続きを読む 一部表示
    7 分
  • Iceland's 1936 Football Miracle: When Miners Beat the World

    Iceland's 1936 Football Miracle: When Miners Beat the World
    2026/07/20
    In 1936, a ragtag team of Icelandic miners, dockworkers, and farmers traveled to the Berlin Olympics and stunned the football world by holding the mighty German national team to a 1-1 draw. This episode tells the story of that match, the men who played it, and what it meant for a nation still shaking off Danish rule. We meet captain Jón Jónsson, goalkeeper Guðmundur Pétursson, and striker Ásmundur Guðmundsson, who scored the equalizer. We explore how football became a vehicle for Icelandic identity in the early 20th century, the role of the Íþróttabandalag Íslands (ÍSÍ) in organizing the team, and the political subtext of playing in Nazi Germany just months after Hitler's remilitarization of the Rhineland. The episode also looks at Iceland's broader sporting history, from the ancient glíma wrestling to the modern handball success, and how a tiny nation of 115,000 people began to carve out a place on the international stage through sport. #Iceland #Football #Berlin1936 #Olympics #JónJónsson #ÁsmundurGuðmundsson #GuðmundurPétursson #ÍþróttabandalagÍslands #Glíma #Handball #NaziGermany #SportingIdentity #SoccerHistory #Underdog #1936Olympics #IcelandicHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
    続きを読む 一部表示
    6 分
  • Iceland's 17th-Century Witch Hunts: The Burning of Jón Rögnvaldsson

    Iceland's 17th-Century Witch Hunts: The Burning of Jón Rögnvaldsson
    2026/07/19
    In the 17th century, Iceland experienced a wave of witch hunts that targeted mostly men, unlike the rest of Europe. This episode explores the case of Jón Rögnvaldsson, a farmer from the Westfjords who was burned at the stake in 1654 for supposedly using magic to steal fish. We delve into the unique Icelandic context: the influence of Lutheran orthodoxy, the role of the Althing, and the famous grimoire known as the 'Galdrabók'. Lucas and Luna discuss how the hunts were fueled by economic hardship and personal vendettas, and why Iceland's witchcraft trials ended relatively quickly compared to the continent. They also touch on the legacy of the hunts in Icelandic folklore and the recent rehabilitation of some of the accused. #IcelandicHistory #WitchHunts #JónRögnvaldsson #Galdrabók #Brennuöld #Alþingi #Lögberg #Westfjords #LutheranOrthodoxy #17thCentury #Magic #NorseFolklore #History #FexingoHistory #NorthernEurope #Iceland #Superstition #WitchTrials Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
    続きを読む 一部表示
    7 分
  • The 1662 Witch Hunts: Iceland's Darkest Prosecutions

    The 1662 Witch Hunts: Iceland's Darkest Prosecutions
    2026/07/19
    When we think of witch hunts, Salem or Continental Europe come to mind—not Iceland. Yet in the 17th century, Iceland prosecuted over 120 people for witchcraft, with 21 executed. This episode explores the 1662 case of Jón Rögnvaldsson, a farmer from the Westfjords accused of using magical staves called 'galdrastafir' to control weather and bring harm. We delve into the unique Icelandic context: unlike Europe, most accused were men, and the hunts coincided with Danish absolutism tightening control over the island. Lucas and Luna discuss the role of the Lutheran church, the infamous 'Brennuöld' (Burning Age), and how the sagas themselves were sometimes used as evidence. We also examine the case of the 'Vatnsdæla witch' and the legal reforms that finally ended the hunts. A chilling chapter in Iceland's history that reveals much about its society under foreign rule. #Iceland #WitchHunts #Brennuöld #JónRögnvaldsson #Galdrastafir #1662 #LutheranChurch #DanishAbsolutism #Westfjords #Vatnsdæla #Witchcraft #Magic #History #FexingoHistory #NorthernEurope #17thCentury #PiracyAndPersecution #LegalHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
    続きを読む 一部表示
    9 分
  • The Black Death in Iceland: Plague That Remade a Society

    The Black Death in Iceland: Plague That Remade a Society
    2026/07/18
    In 1402, a ship carrying a deadly cargo arrived in Iceland's Hvalfjörður. Within two years, the Black Death — known locally as the 'Great Plague' or 'Plágan mikla' — would kill somewhere between a third and half of the island's population, shattering the medieval social order. This episode traces the plague's arrival, its catastrophic spread through farmsteads and fjords, and its aftermath: labour shortages that empowered surviving tenant farmers, the collapse of the old chieftain system, and the slow economic decline that pushed Iceland closer to foreign control. Lucas and Luna discuss the fragmentary evidence from annals like the 'Lögmannsannáll' and 'Skálholtsannáll', the role of the Althing in quarantining ships, and how the death of so many skilled farmers and labourers may have accelerated the Little Ice Age's grip on Iceland's already fragile economy. They also explore the possible connection between the plague and the increasing power of German merchants of the Hanseatic League. This is a story not of heroes or kings, but of generations reshaped by a microscopic enemy — and a quiet transformation that historians are still trying to measure. #BlackDeath #Iceland #PláganMikla #MedievalPlague #Hvalfjörður #Althing #Lögmannsannáll #Skálholtsannáll #HanseaticLeague #LittleIceAge #MedievalHistory #PlagueHistory #IcelandicHistory #NorthernEurope #FexingoHistory #Epidemiology #History #IcelandicAnnals Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
    続きを読む 一部表示
    11 分
  • The Settlement of Iceland: Landnám and the First Families

    The Settlement of Iceland: Landnám and the First Families
    2026/07/18
    Before the Commonwealth, before the Alþingi, before the sagas were written — there was the Landnám, the settlement of Iceland. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the first wave of Norse settlers who arrived in the late 9th century, fleeing the consolidation of power under Harald Fairhair in Norway. We meet Ingólfr Arnarson, the traditional first settler, and his foster-brother Hjörleifr, whose murder sparked the first blood feud on the island. We discuss the Landnámabók, the medieval Book of Settlements, and what it tells us — and doesn't — about who came, where they landed, and how they claimed the land. How did a mostly uninhabited island become a new society in just a few decades? What role did slaves and Irish anchorites play? And why did so many settlers choose Iceland over other Norse colonies? This is the story of Iceland's founding generation, before the politics, before the laws — just families, fjords, and the long, dark winters. #Landnám #SettlementofIceland #IngólfrArnarson #Landnámabók #HaraldFairhair #NorseSettlers #Vikings #Hjörleifr #Papar #IrishHermits #Slaves #BloodFeud #NorseColonization #MedievalIceland #NorthernEurope #History #FexingoHistory #IcelandHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
    続きを読む 一部表示
    9 分