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| 930 establishments | |
| 1262 disestablishments | |
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GOðORð SYSTEM :''Note: the Icelandic'' ð ''sounds like the soft English {Link without Title} , 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. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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