Jón Loftsson
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The title of this article is an Icelandic name; the last name is a patronymic or matronymic, not a family name; this person is properly referred to by the given name Jón.
Jón Loftsson (died 1197) 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 Loftur 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.
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