Carry On Icelandic: Culture [selections] (2004)
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Stofnun Alþingis - The Establishment of the Parliament (Alþingi)
Stofnun Alþingis
Íslendingar sóttu hugmyndir sínar um réttarfar til Noregs og héldu þing að norskri fyrirmynd. Þing víkinga í Noregi voru sameiningartákn landshluta, en árið 930 var stofnað á Íslandi fyrsta alþingi í heimi, þ.e. eitt þing fyrir alla þjóðina. Þegar þessi atburður gerðist voru samankomnir á Þingvöllum fulltrúar úr öllum landshlutum. Þeir settu sér allsherjarlög og komu á fót stofnun sem ein gat breytt þessum lögum; Alþingi. Þess eru ekki önnur dæmi á miðöldum að hliðstæðu ríki hafi verið komið á fót. Ríki þeirra tíma voru konungsríki.
Austurvöllur og Alþingishúsið til hægri (The Eastern Square and the Parliament House to the right).
Fundir Alþingis voru haldnir á hverju sumri og þangað flykktist fólk hvaðanæva að af landinu til nokkurs konar þjóðhátíðar, þar sem auk löggjafarstarfsins voru stundaðar alls kyns skemmtanir og viðskipti.
Þótt alþingi starfaði einungis tvær vikur á ári var það mjög mikilvæg stofnun. Þar voru sett lög og gerð nýmæli. Þar voru einnig fjórir dómstólar, einn fyrir hvern fjórðung. Fimmtardómi var snemma bætt við en hann var nokkurs konar hæstiréttur.
Í fyrstu voru lögin varðveitt í minni fáeinna manna. Sérstakur lögsögumaður hafði það hlutverk að segja upp lögin á Lögbergi, einn þriðjung ár hvert. Eftir að ritmenning var innleidd voru lög hið fyrsta sem fært var í letur á Íslandi. Þessi lög eru nefnd Hafliðaskrá og voru rituð veturinn 1117-1118. Þau eru jafnan talin marka upphaf ritmenningar á Íslandi. Hafliðaskrá er glötuð en lög þjóðveldisins fengu síðar nafnið Grágás og eru varðveitt í fornum handritum.
Það ríki sem stofnað var með Alþingi árið 930 varaði í rúm 330 ár, eða þar til Íslendingar gengust Noregskonungi á hönd eftir harðvítuga valdabaráttu innlendra höfðingjaætta.
Eftir að Noregur komst undir danska stjórn 1380 komst Ísland í konungssamband við Danmörku sem stóð allt til ársins 1944.
The Establishment of the Parliament (Alþingi)
Icelanders took their outlook and ideas about legal procedures from Norway and held their assembly according to the Norwegian model. The Viking assemblies in Norway were brought together in various parts of the country, but in 930 the first national parliament in the world was established in Iceland, that is, a single legislature for the entire country. When this development occurred, representatives from all parts of the country were brought together at Þingvellir. They passed a common law and an institution was established which alone could amend it. There is no other example of a similar state having come into existence by the time of, or during, the Middle Ages. The other states of the time were royal kingdoms.
The meetings of the Alþing were held every summer, to which people came from all over the country and enjoyed various kinds of national celebrations: as well as legal business, all kinds of entertainments were held and trading carried on.
Although the Alþing was held for only two weeks each year, it was nevertheless a very important institution: laws were passed and novel legal matters were dealt with. There were also four courts, one four each Quarter of the country. A fifth court was added a little later, which functioned as a kind of high court.
At first, the laws were preserved in the memories of just a few people. A designated Law Speaker had the task of reciting, at the Law Rock, one-third of the laws each year. With the introduction of writing culture to Iceland, the laws were the first things to be written down in Iceland. These laws are known as the Hafliðaskrá (that is, Hafliði's Code) and were written down during the winter 1117-1118. These laws are usually said to mark the beginning of a writing culture in Iceland. The Hafliðaskrá is no longer extant, but the nation's early laws were later given the name Grágas (lit. Grey Goose) which are preserved in manuscripts.
The state which was constituted by the Alþing of 930 was maintained for about 330 years, or until the Icelanders yielded their sovereignty to the Norwegian king, after a difficult civil war between the large chieftain families.
When Norway came under Danish control in 1380, Iceland too became part of the Danish kingdom, a situation which remained until 1944.
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