Þvingaðir

Þvingaðir refers to a social and economic class in Iceland during the late Middle Ages. The term "þvingaðir" is derived from the Icelandic word "þvinga", meaning "forced" or "enslaved". Members of this class were considered to be of serf-like status, being bound to a specific farm or estate and required to provide labor and goods to the landowner.

Þvingaðir were typically descended from foreign settlers who had arrived in Iceland as laborers or servants, often in the 10th to 12th centuries. These early settlers were frequently captured and brought to Iceland against their will, where they were forced to work on farms and estates. Over time, their descendants became part of the Island's social hierarchy, with some managing to rise to positions of power and influence.

The status of þvingaðir was considered to be inferior to that of the islanders' free population. They were required to provide a significant portion of their labor and resources to their landowners, and were often restricted in their ability to leave their assigned work or estates. The þvingaðir system was gradually abolished in the centuries following the Icelandic Commonwealth period, replaced by a more feudalistic system of land ownership and social hierarchy.