ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the term ‘class’ fairly loosely as a point of departure for investigating social relations in Old Norse society. It also discusses the concept of class in relation to vertical bonds, often termed patron—client relationships. Since the 1970s, the traditional view of an Old Norse ‘peasant society’ has met severe criticism as part of an anthropological turn—or rather two turns—seeking to restore the sagas’ value as historical sources. The chapter deals with the social structure in the phase—the formation of Icelandic society, concomitant with the establishment of the Norwegian kingdom—as reflected in saga sources. It analyses the social dynamic in Norway and Iceland between 900 and 1300. The chapter investigates conditions subsequent to the implementation of Norwegian overlordship in Iceland in 1262—1264, since the post-commonwealth era is the primary period of saga manuscript production—and since the sociopolitical development in the two realms shows some interesting similarities which have only received scholarly attention.
