The history of the Icelandic government, also known as Alþingi, dates back to the 900s. This episode breaks down the evolution of the government in this country from the very beginning to present day.

The World's Oldest Surviving Parliament

In previous episodes, I have mentioned the Alþingi, which is the the Icelandic parliament. It was founded in 930 at Þingvellir, which is now part of the Golden Circle and is one of the most historically important sites in the country. Iceland claims that the Alþingi is the oldest surviving parliament in the world. Because of the history and unique geology in the area, Þingvellir became a National Park on the 1000th year anniversary of the Alþingi in 1930. In 2004, the site was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Because most of the settlers in Iceland during the 900s were Norwegian, their heritage greatly influenced the creation of their government. It seems that their main goal was to avoid a centralized authority or King, especially since that is what some of them had fled. Additionally, they wanted to integrate the Norwegian tradition of laws and legal assemblies (aka Þing). This resulted in Iceland forming a unique government.

Þingvellir - Once The Gathering Place of the Alþingi

The gathering of Parliament members in Iceland from 930 to 1800 was an open air assembly on the plains of Þingvellir. While all free men could attend the assemblies, it was Iceland's most powerful leaders, known as goðar or chieftains, that decided on legislation and providing justice for any law related claims brought before them. While legislation was top of mind during these assemblies, they were also the main social event of the year. Farmers, craftsmen, travelers, storytellers, traders, and the families of many of these people attended. Temporary camps, called búðir, were set up in Þingvellir for these assembly events.

The Icelandic Law Rock & Law Speaker

Lögberg, which translates to Law Rock, was the center of the assembly gatherings. An interesting fact is that the exact location of the lögberg is unknown today. You might be thinking, how is that possible? It is not as if this huge rock just moved. But in reality, that might have happened. Some of you that have visited Þingvellir or have heard about it on this show, are aware that this is one of the areas in Iceland where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates are slowly shifting a part by 2cm each year. This area is known as a rift valley. Over the more than 1000 years of shifts in the geography have made it difficult to pinpoint exactly where the Lögberg was located. There are two possible locations but this will remain a mystery until someone is able to prove it.

The lögsögumaður or lawspeaker had a seat on the Law Rock and this person was the official of the assembly. The assemblies were called to order and dissolved at the Law Rock. The lawspeaker, 39 Cheiftains that had their own districts and nine other members made up the Lögrétta, which was the legislative part of the assembly. Not surprisingly, this section of the Alþingi was very powerful. They adopted new laws, dealt with legal conflicts,