Daði Guðmundsson
Daði Guðmundsson (about 1495 – 1563) or Daði of Snóksdal was a farmer and magistrate in 16th century Iceland. He lived in the town of Snóksdalur in Dalasýsla county and played an important role in the Battle of Sauðafell and the Lutheran Reformation in Iceland.
Personal life
Daði was a son of the farmer Guðmund Finnsson and Þórunn Daðadóttir, who was related by marriage to Torfi Arason, the king's representative (hirðstjóri) for the north and west of Iceland. Daði was a prosperous landholder with successful fishing operations based on the Hvammsfjörður. In 1525, Daði married Guðrún, daughter of Einar Ölduhryggjarskuld, a poet and priest who was one of the main leaders for the Icelandic Reformation. Guðrún's brothers Martin Einarsson, the second Lutheran bishop of Iceland, and the sheriffs Pétur and Brandur Einarsson, known as Gleraugna-Pétur and Moldar-Brandur respectively, also played prominent roles in spread of Lutheranism in Iceland.
The Battle of Sauðafell
Catholic Bishop Jón Arason, who strenuously opposed efforts to promote Lutheranism in Iceland, considered Daði and Gleraugna-Pétur as his main opponents. In January 1549, Jón excommunicated Daði and then went with a contingent of soldiers to capture him. Daði, who had 50 to 80 men under arms with him at Snóksdal in the spring of 1549, resisted the attempt and remained free. In autumn 1550, Jón and his sons, Ara and Birni, took an army of 100 men and captured Daði's estate at Sauðafell. Daði raised a large body of men and at the Battle of Sauðafell surprised Jón and his men, capturing them.
Later life
Daði continued to life as a wealthy man, holding numerous properties and a large number of cattle, as well as six ships. He also served as steward of the land of the Holy Mountain Monastery. Daði and Guðrún had one child, their daughter Þórunn, who drowned with her husband Birni Hannesson in 1554, leaving three young children to inherit Daði's assets when he died in 1563.
References
- "Fjárhagur Daði í Snóksdal". Lesbók Morgunblaðsins. August 5, 1928. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- Jakobsson, Sverrir; Hálfdanarson, Guðmundur (February 15, 2016). Historical Dictionary of Iceland. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 93. ISBN 978-1-4422-6291-1. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- Lockhart, Paul Douglas (August 23, 2007). Denmark, 1513-1660: The Rise and Decline of a Renaissance Monarchy. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. pp. 75–76. ISBN 978-0-19-927121-4. Retrieved March 25, 2020.