74-556: Law of Iceland during the Commonwealth (930–1262) was decided by the Alþingi ( Althing ). It has changed over the years, but the legislative body is still called the Althing. Following the settlement of Iceland around the 870s, Iceland lacked a unitary legal system. Already around the year 930, the chiefs of the different regions of Iceland united into a single polity. A people's assembly,
148-442: A judicial function and heard legal disputes in addition to the spring assemblies held in each district. After the country had been divided into four-quarters around 965, a court of 36 judges ( fjórðungsdómur ) was established for each of them at the Althing. Another court ( fimmtardómur ) was established early in the 11th century. It served as a supreme court of sorts, and assumed the function of hearing cases left unsettled by
222-950: A basic picture is apparent nonetheless and suggests a negative conclusion if not a positive one. Living standards in state-governed medieval Europe do not seem to have been higher than they were in Iceland. Anarcho-capitalists, it seems, are not insane. Friedman and Bruce L. Benson argued that the Icelandic Commonwealth saw significant economic and social progress in the absence of systems of criminal law, an executive, or bureaucracy. 65°N 18°W / 65°N 18°W / 65; -18 Althing Opposition (33) [REDACTED] 64°08′48″N 21°56′25″W / 64.14667°N 21.94028°W / 64.14667; -21.94028 The Alþingi ( pronounced [ˈalˌθiɲcɪ] ; Icelandic for 'general meeting'), anglicised as Althingi or Althing ,
296-529: A court of law until the year 1800. The Althing was disbanded by royal decree in 1800. A new High Court, established by this same decree and located in Reykjavík, took over the functions of Lögrétta. The three appointed judges first convened in Hólavallarskóli on 10 August 1801. The High Court was to hold regular sessions and function as the court of highest instance in the country. It operated until 1920, when
370-515: A free man could choose to support any of the goðar of his district. The supporters of the goðar were called Þingmenn ("assembly people"). In exchange for the goði protecting his interests, the Þingmaðr would provide armed support to his goði during feuds or conflicts. The Þingmenn were also required to attend regional and national assemblies. On a regional level, the goðar of the thirteen district assemblies convened meetings every spring to settle local disputes. The goðar also served as
444-514: A greater role as the decades passed until 1991 when Althing became once again unicameral. The present parliament building, the Alþingishús , was built in 1881, made of hewn Icelandic stone. The unicameral parliament has 63 members, and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional representation . The current speaker of the Althing is Birgir Ármannsson . The constitution of Iceland provides for six electoral constituencies with
518-452: A mad economist to test the lengths to which market systems could supplant government in its most fundamental functions." While not directly labeling it anarcho-capitalist , he argues that the legal system came close to being a real-world anarcho-capitalist legal system. Although noting that there was a single legal system, Friedman argues that enforcement of the law was entirely private and highly capitalist, providing some evidence of how such
592-558: A number of improvements to legislation and to the administration of the country. The Constitution of 1874 granted to the Althing joint legislative power with the Crown in matters of exclusive Icelandic concern. At the same time, the National Treasury acquired powers of taxation and financial allocation . The king retained the right to veto legislation and often, on the advice of his ministers, refused to consent to legislation adopted by
666-470: A privileged status on the Danes, Swedes and Norwegians. According to Njáls saga , the Althing declared Christianity as the official religion in 1000. By the summer of 1000, the leaders of Iceland had agreed that prosecuting close relatives for blaspheming the old gods was obligatory. Iceland was in the midst of unrest from the spread of Christianity that was introduced by travelers and missionaries sent by
740-421: A session of the Althing held at Þingvellir on 17 June 1944. In 1959, the system of electoral districts was changed completely. The country was divided into eight constituencies with proportional representation in each, in addition to the previous eleven equalization seats. The total number of members elected was 60. In 1968, the Althing approved the lowering of the voting age to 20 years. A further amendment to
814-517: A society would function. "Even where the Icelandic legal system recognized an essentially 'public' offense, it dealt with it by giving some individual (in some cases chosen by lot from those affected) the right to pursue the case and collect the resulting fine, thus fitting it into an essentially private system." Commenting on its political structure, libertarian scholar Roderick Long remarks: The legal system's administration, insofar as it had one, lay in
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#1732884994610888-552: A verdict became the responsibility of the injured party or his family. Penalties often included financial compensation or outlawry . However, these were considered by some to be insufficient penalties and the Alþingi was only moderately successful at stopping feuds. According to Magnus Magnusson, the courts were "an uneasy substitute for vengeance." The most severe punishments were outlawry and three years' exile. Outlaws lost all property rights and could be killed without any punishment for
962-508: Is a matter of controversy; the sagas are perceived by many as portraying an essentially violent and unjust society, tormented by constant feuding. It is difficult to tell whether such judgments are correct." A 2021 study by economists Vincent Geloso and Peter T. Leeson concluded that: The data available for comparing living standards in Iceland and other territories in medieval Europe—data on human height, wages, and population growth—are sparse, crude, and therefore challenging to interpret. But
1036-448: Is a representative parliamentary body and not a popular assembly like the original thing . Icelandic law consists primarily of statutes adopted by the Althing, with some orders issued by the Cabinet (executive branch of the state) , normally as regulations. The Ministry of Justice makes public the rules of law which apply in Iceland. Under Article 2 of the constitution, the Althing and
1110-482: Is the supreme national parliament of Iceland . It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at Þingvellir (' thing fields' or 'assembly fields'), about 45 kilometres (28 mi) east of what later became the country's capital, Reykjavík . After Iceland's union with Norway in 1262, the Althing lost its legislative power, which was not restored until 1904 when Iceland gained home rule from Denmark. For 641 years,
1184-557: The Age of the Sturlungs , the Commonwealth began to suffer from chaos and division resulting from internal disputes. Originally, the goðar (chieftains) functioned more as a contractual relationship than a fixed geographic chieftaincy. However, by 1220 this form of communal leadership was replaced by dominant regional individuals who battled with one another for more control. One historian argues
1258-441: The Age of the Sturlungs , the average battle involved fewer than 1000 men, with an average casualty rate of only 15%. This relatively low casualty rate might be attributed to the blood-feud mentality which permeated Icelandic society, which meant that the defeated army could not honourably be slaughtered to a man. The first Bishop of Skalholt was Ísleifur Gissurarson , who was elected by the Althing in 1056. After his son Gissur
1332-402: The Alþingi , was instituted, meeting annually to exercise both judicial and legislative activities. This included having one lawspeaker ( lǫgsǫgumaðr ) on a rotating basis. His role was to know the law by heart and inform on points of law in legal cases. The first lawspeaker is said to have been Úlfljótr , who gave Iceland its first set of laws. These are thought to have corresponded closely to
1406-455: The Gulating laws from Norway. Iceland's early laws were changed by agreement at the Alþingi, with prominent changes including the polity's conversion to Christianity in 1000 and the criminalisation of aspects of pagan practice around 1016. Codification was undertaken in 1117–18, led by Hafliði Másson . The resulting text, known as Hafliðaskrá , does not survive, but seems to have been one of
1480-576: The Local Authorities Act No. 138/2011. There are 74 local municipalities, each governed by an elected body of locally elected representatives. This Iceland -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Icelandic Commonwealth The Icelandic Commonwealth , also known as the Icelandic Free State , was the political unit existing in Iceland between
1554-558: The Supreme Court of Iceland was established. A royal decree providing for the establishment of a new Althing was issued on 8 March 1843. Elections were held the following year and the assembly finally met on 1 July 1845 in Reykjavík. Some Icelandic nationalists (the Fjölnir group) did not want Reykjavík as the location for the newly established Althing due to the perception that the city was too influenced by Danes. Jón Sigurðsson claimed that
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#17328849946101628-450: The upper chamber , which meant that the latter could prevent legislation from being passed by acting as a bloc. Twenty-four elected representatives sat in the lower chamber . From 1874 until 1915 ad hoc committees were appointed. After 1915 seven standing committees were elected by each of the chambers. Regular sessions of the Althing convened every other year. A supplementary session was first held in 1886, and these became more frequent in
1702-518: The 11th and 12th centuries, and did thus not have princely powers or subjects in the districts that they represented. Around 1190, the number of chieftaincies declined and power started to centralize in individual chieftains controlling larger regions of the country. By ca 1220, the country was a loose federation of 10–12 regional powers. According to historian Jón Viðar Sigurðsson, "a chieftain based his power on his personal qualities, his wealth, friends, assembly men, kinsmen and in-laws. The cleverest,
1776-566: The 20th century. The Althing met from 1881 in the newly built Parliament House. The Governor-General ( landshöfðingi ) was the highest representative of the government in Iceland and was responsible to the Advisor for Iceland ( Íslandsráðgjafi ) in Copenhagen . A constitutional amendment , confirmed on 3 October 1903, granted the Icelanders home rule and parliamentary government . Hannes Hafstein
1850-596: The Althing did not serve as the parliament of Iceland; ultimate power rested with the Norwegian, and subsequently the Danish throne. Even after Iceland's union with Norway in 1262, the Althing still held its sessions at Þingvellir until 1800, when it was discontinued. It was restored in 1844 by royal decree and moved to Reykjavík. The restored unicameral legislature first came together in 1845 and after 1874 operated in two chambers with an additional third chamber taking on
1924-513: The Althing passed two resolutions , investing the Icelandic cabinet with the power of Head of State and declaring that Iceland would accept full responsibility for both foreign policy and coastal surveillance. A year later, the Althing adopted a law creating the position of Regent to represent the Crown. This position continued until the Act of Union was repealed, and the Republic of Iceland established, at
1998-546: The Althing, a national assembly. However, there was no executive body in Iceland that enforced the legal code. The Icelandic Commonwealth has consequently been characterized as a stateless society . During the 13th century, Iceland came under the control of the Kingdom of Norway . The medieval Icelandic state had a unique judicial structure. The first settlers of Iceland were greatly influenced by their Norwegian roots when creating their own form of government. They wanted to avoid
2072-509: The Althing. The number of members of the Althing was increased to 36, 30 of them elected in general elections in eight single-member constituencies and 11 double-member constituencies, the other six appointed by the Crown as before. The Althing was now divided into an upper chamber, known as the Efri deild and a lower chamber, known as the Neðri deild . Six elected members and the six appointed ones sat in
2146-523: The Constitution in 1984 increased the number of members to 63 and reduced the voting age to 18 years. Further major changes were introduced in the Althing in May 1991: the two chambers, by that point having identical election methods and identical membership, were merged into a single chamber, thus introducing unicameralism . By a constitutional amendment of June 1999, implemented in May 2003, the constituency system
2220-550: The King of Norway led the Icelandic chieftains to accept Norway's Haakon IV as king by the signing of the Gamli sáttmáli ("Old Covenant") in 1262. According to historian Sverrir Jakobsson, three Icelanders played a central role in bringing Iceland under the King of Norway: Gissur Þorvaldsson (for getting farmers to agree to pay taxes to the King), Hrafn Oddsson (for pressuring Gissur into supporting
2294-733: The King, and getting farmers in the Westfjords to submit to the King) and bishop Brandur Jónsson (for getting his relatives in the East Fjords to submit to the King). By 1264, all Icelandic chieftains had sworn allegiance to the King of Norway. The end of the Icelandic Commonwealth is typically dated to the Old Covenant (1262–1264) or to the adoption of Jónsbók in 1281. According to the libertarian theorist David D. Friedman , "Medieval Icelandic institutions have several peculiar and interesting characteristics; they might almost have been invented by
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2368-501: The Norwegian king Olaf Tryggvason . The outbreak of warfare in Denmark and Norway prompted Thorgeir Ljosvetningagodi , a pagan and chieftain of the Althing, to propose "one law and one religion" to rule over the whole of Iceland, making baptism and conversion to Christianity required by law. Public addresses on matters of importance were delivered at the Law Rock and there the assembly
2442-524: The President of Iceland jointly exercise legislative power, with Articles 13 and 19 requiring the President to entrust his authority to the Ministers, with the President validating each law by signing with a Minister to give formal consent. Between 1944 and 2023 the president has refused consent on two occasions. Article 78 allows certain public tasks and rights to be delegated to local municipalities, governed by
2516-450: The assembly, which was responsible for reviewing and amending the nation's laws. The Lögrétta comprised the 39 goðar and their advisors. They also appointed a Lawspeaker ( lögsögumaður ) once every three years. The Lawspeaker recited and clarified laws at Lögberg ("Law Rock"), located at the center of Þingvellir. The descendants of Ingólfr Arnarson , the first settler of Iceland, held the ceremonial position of allsherjargoði and had
2590-584: The autumn. With the Constitutional Act of 1934 , the number of members was increased by seven and the system of national representatives abolished in favour of one providing for eleven seats used to equalize discrepancies between the parties' popular vote and the number of seats they received in the Althing, raising the number of members of the Althing to 49. In 1934, the voting age was also lowered to 21. Further changes in 1942 provided for an additional three members and introduced proportional representation in
2664-509: The basis for Iceland's national assembly. Sections of his law code are preserved in the Landnámabók , ("Book of Settlements"). The first Alþingi assembly convened around the year 930 at Þingvellir , ("Assembly Plains"). The Alþingi served as a public gathering at which people from all over the country met for two weeks every June. The Alþingi revolved around the Lögrétta , the legislative council of
2738-401: The candidates they supported. In 1908, the secret ballot was adopted, with ballot papers on which the names of the candidates were printed. A single election day for the entire country was at the same time made mandatory. When the Constitution was amended in 1915, the royally nominated members of the Althing were replaced by six national representatives elected by proportional representation for
2812-517: The chaos and violence of this period stem from an imbalance of power and changes in the nature of Icelandic warfare. Whereas the number of goðar had been at least 39 early in the Icelandic Commonwealth, a few powerful families had consolidated control over most of the goðorð in the late 12th century. There are several factors that may have resulted in the consolidation of goðorð . The separation of secular and ecclesiastical power led some families and regional networks to become stronger at
2886-441: The country under his rule. He commissioned Icelandic chieftains to become part of his body of retainers and to pursue his interests in Iceland. The King's role in Icelandic affairs started in 1220, and had become strong by 1240 (Icelanders were starting to accept the King's choice of chieftains). Over the period 1240–1260, the King consolidated power in Iceland. A combination of discontent with domestic hostilities and pressure from
2960-479: The direction of Snorri Goði , or "Snorri the Priest." The emphasis on justice and the conviction in their system of governance is reflected within the saga: "They say we shall suffer setbacks in court; we must plead for support from powerful chieftains: but Arnkel will argue an eloquent case, he will sway judge and jury – I have faith in justice." Chieftains were highly reliant on the support of farmers in their domain in
3034-404: The double-member constituencies. The constituencies were then 28 in number: 21 single-member constituencies; six double-member constituencies; and Reykjavík, which elected eight members. With the additional eleven equalization seats, the total number of members was thus 52. When Denmark was occupied by Germany on 9 April 1940, the union with Iceland was effectively severed. On the following day,
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3108-563: The early 12th century. Icelandic law allowed individuals guilty of theft or failure to pay debts to be enslaved. Slaves were allowed to marry and have children, which meant that a class of slaves could self-perpetuate. Slavery likely declined in the second half of the 12th century and was extremely rare by the 15th century. The followers of the goðar owed them military service. They were organized into platoons or companies based on their social status and equipment, and these formed expeditionary armies or leiðangrs . Icelandic military tradition of
3182-418: The entire country. The Act of Union (which took effect on 1 December 1918) made Iceland a state in personal union with the Kingdom of Denmark . It was set to expire after 25 years, when either state could choose to leave the union. The Althing was granted unrestricted legislative power. In 1920, the number of members of the Althing was increased to 42. Since 1945, the Althing has customarily assembled in
3256-583: The establishment of the Althing ( Icelandic : Alþingi ) in 930 and the pledge of fealty to the Norwegian king with the Old Covenant in 1262. With the probable exception of hermitic Irish monks known as Papar , Iceland was an uninhabited island until around 874. The Icelandic Commonwealth had a unique political system whereby chieftains ( goðar ) established a common legal code and settled judicial disputes at
3330-510: The expense of others, leading to an imbalance of power. The introduction of tithe may have increased the wealth of chieftains that controlled the churches. The introduction of pitched battles and harassment of farmers on a regional basis raised the stakes and dangers, which may have incentivized consolidation. An increase in population along with a resource shortage may have made commoners more dependent on chieftains. The King of Norway began to exert pressure on his Icelandic vassals to bring
3404-541: The foundations of the voluminous records of the law of the Icelandic Commonwealth known as Grágás . Grágás became Iceland's law up to 1262–64, when Iceland came under Norwegian rule. Following the Gamli sáttmáli (Old Covenant) of 1262, Magnus VI of Norway attempted to introduce the law code Járnsíða around 1271–73; this was itself superseded when existing laws were compiled in Jónsbók by Jón Einarsson (in 1281). Jónsbók
3478-428: The hands of a parliament of about 40 officers whom historians call, however inadequately, "chieftains". This parliament had no budget and no employees; it met only two weeks per year. In addition to their parliamentary role, chieftains were empowered in their own local districts to appoint judges and to keep the peace; this latter job was handled on an essentially fee-for-service basis. The enforcement of judicial decisions
3552-470: The killers. Exiles who failed to leave Iceland became outlaws. Historian Birgir Solvason states that Icelandic society was "more peaceful and cooperative than its contemporaries". In England and Norway, by contrast, "the period from about 800 to 1200 is a period of continuous struggle; high in both violence and killings". Historian Jón Viðar Sigurðsson argues that the introduction of Christianity to Iceland illustrates how effective and significant arbitration
3626-492: The king and his officials, the Royal Commissioners ( hirðstjórar ) and District Commissioners ( sýslumenn ). As before, the Lögrétta , now comprising 36 members, continued to be its principal institution and shared formal legislative power with the king. Laws adopted by the Lögrétta were subject to royal assent and, conversely, if the king initiated legislation, the Althing had to give its consent. The Lawspeaker
3700-549: The leaders of the Alþingi, the national assembly of Iceland. Today, the Alþingi is the oldest parliamentary institution in existence. It began with the regional assembly at Kjalarness established by Þorsteinn Ingólfsson, son of the first settler. The leaders of the Kjalarnessþing appointed a man named Úlfljótr to study the laws in Norway. He spent three years in Norway and returned with the foundation of Úlfljótr's Law, which would form
3774-501: The main social event of the year and drew large crowds of farmers and their families, parties involved in legal disputes, traders, craftsmen, storytellers, and travellers. Those attending the assembly lived in temporary camps ( búðir ) during the session. The centre of the gathering was the Lögberg , or Law Rock, a rocky outcrop on which the Lawspeaker ( lögsögumaður ) took his seat as
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#17328849946103848-399: The most helpful, the wealthiest and the most generous became the most powerful ones." Historian Árni Daniel Júliusson further notes that the food production of the peasantry was the "basis of political and military power". Peasant rebellions, traditionally defined, never occurred in Iceland, even though peasant unrest was fairly common. Slavery was practiced in Iceland from settlement to
3922-494: The number of voters represented by each member of the Althing in one constituency would be less than half of the comparable ratio in another constituency, the Icelandic National Electoral Commission is tasked with altering the allocation of seats to reduce that difference. The Althing claims to be the longest-running parliament in the world. Its establishment as an outdoor assembly or thing held on
3996-456: The other courts. It comprised 48 judges appointed by the goðar of Lögrétta . When the Icelanders submitted to the authority of the Norwegian king under the terms of the " Old Covenant " ( Gamli sáttmáli ) in 1262, the function of the Althing changed. The organization of the Commonwealth came to an end and the rule of the country by goðar ceased. Executive power now rested with
4070-471: The plains of Þingvellir ('Thing Fields' or 'Assembly Fields') from about 930, laid the foundation for an independent national existence in Iceland. To begin with, the Althing was a general assembly of the Icelandic Commonwealth , where the country's most powerful leaders ( goðar ) met to decide on legislation and dispense justice . All free men could attend the assemblies, which were usually
4144-446: The population. A regular session lasted four weeks and could be extended if necessary. During this period, the Althing acted merely as a consultative body for the Crown. It examined proposed legislation and individual members could raise questions for discussion. Draft legislation submitted by the government was given two readings, an introductory one and a final one. Proposals which were adopted were called petitions . The new Althing made
4218-486: The possibility of an increase to seven. The constituency boundaries and the number of seats allocated to each constituency are fixed by legislation. No constituency can be represented by fewer than six seats. Furthermore, each party with more than 5% of the national vote is allocated seats based on its proportion of the national vote in order that the number of members in parliament for each political party should be more or less proportional to its overall electoral support. If
4292-400: The presiding official of the assembly. His responsibilities included reciting aloud the laws in effect at the time. It was his duty to proclaim the procedural law of the Althing to those attending the assembly each year. The Gulathing Law was adopted in 930 at the first Althing, introduced by Úlfljótr who had spent three years in Norway studying their laws. The Icelandic laws conferred
4366-420: The regional courts. The rulings of the quarter judges had to be agreed upon by a strong majority: if only six of the judges disagreed, then the case was deadlocked and dismissed. In 1005, this problem was solved by the creation of a Fifth Court, an appeals court based on a simple majority. Once a court decided a party was guilty, however, it had no executive authority to carry out a sentence. Instead, enforcement of
4440-419: The role of sanctifying the Alþingi each year. Iceland was divided into four administrative regions called fjörðungar (farthings). Each of these was ruled by nine goðar . The Alþingi was made up of the four Quarter Courts ( fjórðungsdómur ). This judicial body of Iceland consisted of 36 judges, each appointed by one of the goðar . These courts tried individual cases and served as a higher judicial authority to
4514-407: The same geographical area. Summarizing his research, Friedman concludes in part: It is difficult to draw any conclusion from the Icelandic experience concerning the viability of systems of private enforcement in the twentieth century. Even if Icelandic institutions worked well then, they might not work in a larger and more interdependent society. And whether the Icelandic institutions did work well
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#17328849946104588-410: The situating of the Althing in Reykjavík would help make the city Icelandic. It comprised 26 members sitting in a single chamber. One member was elected in each of 20 electoral districts and six "royally nominated Members" were appointed by the king. Suffrage was, following the Danish model, limited to males of substantial means and at least 25 years of age, which to begin with meant only about 5% of
4662-450: The strong centralized authority of Harald Fairhair from which some of them had fled, but they also wanted to replicate the Norwegian tradition of laws and district legal assemblies ( Þing ). This created a unique structure. The most powerful and elite leaders in Iceland were the chieftains (sing. goði , pl. goðar ). The office of the goði was called the goðorð . The goðorð was not delimited by strict geographical boundaries. Thus,
4736-455: The time closely followed developments in Norway. No organized cavalry formations or formations of troops equipped with projectile weapons are recorded: instead the bulk of the forces were formed in units of light, medium and heavy infantry , with bowmen or slingers distributed among the infantry units, operating as light support skirmishers. Before the end of the Commonwealth, at least 21 fortresses and castles had been built in Iceland. During
4810-586: The written law code, and Íslendingabók, or the Book of the Icelanders by Ari the Learned . The impact of the legislative and judicial systems on Icelandic settlers is a common theme in many of the other Icelandic sagas . Works such as Njáls saga and the Laxdæla saga give many details, but their accuracy has been disputed. Eyrbyggja saga details the transition from paganism to Christianity within Icelandic settlement under
4884-440: Was appointed as the Icelandic minister on 1 February 1904 who was answerable to parliament. The minister had to have the support of the majority of members of the Althing; in the case of a vote of no confidence , he would have to step down. Under the constitutional amendment of 1903, the number of members was increased by four, to a total of forty. Elections to the Althing had traditionally been public – voters declared aloud which of
4958-476: Was called to order and dissolved . The Lögrétta , the legislative section of the assembly, was its most powerful institution. It comprised the 39 district Chieftains ( pl. goðar ) plus nine additional members and the Lawspeaker. As the legislative section of the Althing, the Lögrétta took a stand on legal conflicts, adopted new laws and granted exemptions to existing laws. The Althing of old also performed
5032-540: Was in Iceland. At the Christianisation of Iceland in 1000, the Alþingi outlawed public celebration of pagan rituals and decreed that in order to prevent an invasion, all Icelanders must be baptized. In 1117, the law code of the Icelandic Commonwealth was put into writing, becoming known as the Gray Goose Laws . Knowledge of the system of government in medieval Iceland stems mainly from two main primary sources:
5106-401: Was installed as bishop, the power and wealth of the church quickly grew due to the introduction of tithing , the first tax introduced in Iceland. The church became the second unifying institution in the country after the Althing. Continuing similar patterns from the pre-Christian era, church estates could be owned by goðar who would then get a portion of the tithe. In the early 13th century,
5180-483: Was largely a matter of self-help (hence Iceland's reputation as a land of constant private feuding), but those who lacked the might to enforce their rights could sell their court-decreed claims for compensation to someone more powerful, usually a chieftain; hence even the poor and friendless could not be victimized with impunity. The basis of a chieftain's power within the political order was the power he already possessed outside it, in civil society. The office of chieftaincy
5254-520: Was private property, and could be bought or sold; hence chieftaincies tended to track private wealth. But wealth alone was not enough. As economic historian Birgir Solvason notes in his masterful study of the period, "just buying the chieftainship was no guarantee of power"; the mere office by itself was "almost worthless" unless the chieftain could "convince some free-farmers to follow him". Chieftains did not hold authority over territorially-defined districts, but competed for clients with other chieftains from
5328-471: Was replaced by two legal administrators, called lögmenn . Towards the end of the 14th century, royal succession brought both Norway and Iceland under the control of the Danish monarchy . With the introduction of absolute monarchy in Denmark, the Icelanders relinquished their autonomy to the Crown, including the right to initiate and consent to legislation. After that, the Althing served almost exclusively as
5402-434: Was supplemented by or competed with some other sources of law, including ecclesiastical law, laws of local þing , and other tracts such as Búalǫg ('farmers' laws'), a body of laws concerning farming and trade within Iceland from around 1400. Although Icelandic law has changed much over time, and Iceland came under Danish rule until 1944, Jónsbók remained the basis for Icelandic law into the twentieth century. The Althing
5476-420: Was suspended in 1799, but re-established in 1845 as an advisory body of the Danish king and from 1874 as a legislative body. Old laws are still quoted: the 13th century law of Grágás was used in a case in 2017 regarding an injury caused in a MMA tournament, citing the rules of "friendly fight". The legislative body of the modern Republic of Iceland (since 1944) is again known as Althing , although it
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