Iceland’s Althingi: The Oldest Parliamentary Government

The history of Iceland is the history of its government. Its government is called the Alþingi—translated as Althingi—and is Iceland's oldest institution. Historians often refer to its formation as the "dawn of parliamentary democracy." 

From the earliest literature of Iceland, several men discovered the large island, but only by accident, with no intention to found settlements. The first to land on purpose, for reasons to establish a settlement, was a Viking named Hrafna-Flóki (Raven-Flóki), who got his name because, to find Iceland, he took along three ravens. He released the first raven, which flew toward the Faroe Islands, in the direction from where Floki had sailed. The second raven returned to Floki's longboat, but the third raven took flight across the ocean. Floki followed the third bird, and discovered the island which he later named Iceland. Unprepared for the harsh winter, Floki left after staying just one year. Thus, credit for the first settlement was given to Ingólfur Arnarson, a Viking from Norway. He established a permanent farmstead in 874, which is now called Reykjavík. 

Sixty years later, after an influx of settlers from Scotland, Ireland, and Scandinavia, the people of Iceland formed a government which had all the trappings of a national democracy. 

Governance in those early times was primarily local, headed by a chieftain. To maintain social order among the chiefdoms, the chieftains gathered every June at Thingvöllr, sixty-five miles west of Reykjavik, on land that is now a national shrine. The chieftains, along with any member of the public who wanted to attend the gathering, camped in tents for two weeks, and established the rules and regulations which all landowners would be bound to follow. Only chieftains were allowed to vote, but it can be assumed their decisions were tempered on what their attending constituents suggested during each meeting. 

The Althingi centralized government, yet allowed for final control at the local level. Eventually, as the population increased and disputes became more difficult, courts were established to determine judicial issues, and government representatives were elected. 

But feuds between chieftains got a bit out of hand, and Iceland suffered nearly twenty years of civil war, which resulted in Iceland submitting to the authority of Norwegian royalty in 1262. The Althingi continued to meet, but all decisions rested upon the final verdict of the Norwegian king. In 1662, the King of Denmark took over absolute power of Iceland, and by 1800 the Althingi was abolished. 

Icelanders began to voice their desire for the right to influence government decision-making, and in 1845 the Danish king consented, and a new Althingi convened in 1845. Its sessions lasted four weeks. 

Denmark adopted parliamentary government in 1901, and by 1904 Iceland had gained Home Rule. For the next half century the Althingi began to regain its prominence as the primary governance of Iceland. 

In 1940, Nazi Germany occupied Denmark, and Iceland took control of its own foreign affairs. Near the end of the war, Icelanders adopted the "Act of Union," which severed Denmark's control over Iceland. When the war ended, Iceland had regained its autonomy, became the modern Republic of Iceland, and reestablished the Althingi as its government, which still holds today. 

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