Icelandic Commonwealth

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The Icelandic Commonwealth or the Icelandic Free State (Icelandic: Þjóðveldisöld) was the state existing in Iceland between the establishment of the Althing in 930 and the pledge of fealty to the Norwegian king in 1262. It was initially established by a public consisting largely of recent immigrants from Norway who had fled the unification of that country under King Harald Fairhair.

19th-century interpretation of the Althing in the Icelandic Commonwealth

Contents

1 Goðorð System
2 Court System

2.1 Lives lived within this system

3 Decline and fall
4 Modern political usage
5 See also
6 External links

Goðorð System

Note: the Icelandic ð sounds like the soft English [th], as in the word bathe.

The medieval Icelandic state had an unusual structure. At the national level, the Althing was both court and legislature; there was no king or other central executive power. Iceland was divided into numerous goðorð (plural same as singular), which were essentially clans or alliances run by chieftains called goðar (singular goði). The chieftains provided for defense and appointed judges to resolve disputes between goðorð members. The goðorð were not strictly geographical districts. Instead, membership in a goðorð was an individual's decision, and one could, at least theoretically, change goðorð at will. This is the basis of the disputed claim that the Commonwealth was a democracy. However, no group of lesser men could elect or declare someone a goði. The position was the property of the goði; and could be bought, sold, borrowed, and inherited.

Court System

If a person wanted to appeal a decision made by his goðorð court or if a dispute arose between members of different goðorð, the case would be referred to a system of higher-level courts, leading up to the four regional courts which made up the Althing, which consisted of the goðar of the Four Quarters of Iceland. The Althing eventually created a national "fifth court", as the highest court of all, and more goðar to be its members.

The Althing was only moderately successful at stopping feuds; Magnus Magnusson calls it "an uneasy substitute for vengeance". Nevertheless, it could act very sweepingly. At the Conversion of Iceland in 1000, the Althing decreed that all Icelanders must be baptized, and forbade the public celebration of pagan rituals. Private celebration was forbidden a few years later.

In 1117 the laws were put into writing, and this written code was later referred to as the Gray Goose Laws.

Lives lived within this system

The actual operation of this system is a common subject matter in some of the Icelandic sagas. Works like Njals saga and the Laxdaela saga gives many details, but their accuracy has been disputed. These and other sagas are available in modern English translations. The tale of Grettir the Strong is an excellent adventure-story based on true events, but tells you little about the workings of the society.

Njals saga includes the conversion of Iceland to Christianity within the framework of the story.

Decline and fall

In the early 13th century, the Sturlung era, the Commonwealth began to suffer from serious internal strife. Due to discontent with domestic hostilities and pressure from the rulers of Norway, the Icelandic chieftains in 1262 decided to acknowledge Norway's Haakon IV as king by the signing of the Gamli sáttmáli ("Old Covenant"). This effectively brought the Commonwealth to an end.

Modern political usage

The economist David D. Friedman regards Icelandic society as anarchic during the 300 years of independence, claiming that the Althing was more akin to a chamber of commerce than to the law-making body of a sovereign. If this were an accurate characterization, then Icelandic history would be the closest approach yet made to the Friedmanite ideal of anarcho-capitalism. If so, it developed into an oligopoly of government; and then into a monopoly, which was also a monopoly of foreign trade, under the Kings of Norway.

External links

[An article] by David Friedman describing the goðorð system in more detail.
[An article] by Roderick Long presenting a theory of the causes of the commonwealth's end
[Medieval Iceland: Society, Sagas, and Power by Jesse L. Byock]
[Medieval Iceland and the Absence of Government]

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