Jón Loftsson

Who was Jón Loftsson?

Jón Loftsson was chieftain at Oddi in the county of Rangá in the south part of Iceland, and of the Oddaverjar family clan. He was one of the most popular chieftains and politician of his age in the country. He participated in the so-called Staðarmál, in 1179, against the Roman-Catholic Church and was victorious. After Jón died the family at Oddi was still the most powerful family in Iceland but their power soon began to go downhill after his death. His parents were Loftr Sæmundsson and Þóra Magnúsdóttir. At a young age the great scholar Snorri Sturluson was adopted by Jón Loftsson.

The poem Nóregs konungatal was composed in Jón's honour, tracing his ancestry to the Norwegian royal line.