Sigmundur Brestisson in the context of Færeyinga saga

The Viking Age in the Faroe Islands lasted from Grímur Kamban's conquest of the country around 825 until the death of Tróndur í Gøtu, the last Viking chieftain on the Faroe Islands in 1035, and the rise to power of Leivur Øssursson in the same year. While the Norse settlement in the Faroe Islands can be definitively traced back to sometime between the 9th and 10th centuries, with the first Norsemen on the islands arguably around the late 8th century, accounts from Irish priests such as Dicuil claim monks were there for "nearly a hundred years" (in centum ferme annis) beforehand.

The biggest historical break in this period was the Christianization of the Faroe Islands by Sigmundur Brestisson in 999, which heralded the end of the Viking Age and at the same time the end of the Faroe Islands as a free settler republic.

Tróndur í Gøtu (Icelandic: Þrándur í Götu, Old Norse Þrǫ́ndr í Gǫtu) (c. 945 – 1035) was a Viking Age chieftain in the Faroe Islands. He is remembered for his opposition to the importation of Christianity.

Leivur Øssursson or Leif Øssursson (born ca. 980 - died before 1047) was a chieftain in the Faroe Islands, before they were taken over by Norway in 1035. Leivur's reign marked the beginning of the end of the Viking age, and the end of independence in the Faeroes.

Leivur Øssursson was the son of Øssur Havgrímsson. It is unclear when and where Leivur was born, but we know that it was before 983 when his father died at the age of 23. His birthplace was possibly Norðragøta, where his father lived with Tróndur í Gøtu in Hov. His father owned a farm at Skúvoy and other farms at Brestir and Beinir.He was married to Tóra Sigmundardóttir, the daughter of Sigmundur Brestisson and Turið Torkilsdóttir.