Shetland, det første norrøne landet i Solundhavet

This article is about Shetland’s political history as a Norse country, from the colonisation in the eighth century until 1469, when the country was pledged to King James III of Scotland, and some years later annexed by the Scottish Parliament. The author rejects the story told in Orkneyinga saga that the archipelago from the outset was included in the earldom of Orkney, which was established at the end of the ninth century. Indeed, the inclusion of Shetland in the Orcadian earldom did not happen until the turn of the millennium. From then on, Shetland was ruled as part of the earldom of Orkney for almost two centuries. When in 1195 Shetland was annexed by King Sverre of Norway, the country attained the status of a royal tributary country (“skattland”) of its own. Besides discussing Shetland’s political connections during the central and late Middle Ages, the author also aims at elucidating social organisation and political structures.