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Governmental Order in Early Medieval Iceland

Jesse L. Byock · Viator: Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 17 · 1986

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Type: Article
Author: Jesse L. Byock
Accessed: 2026-09-01

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EstablishedIceland had no central executive: courts judged cases but injured parties enforced judgments themselves, with outlawry for those who did not pay fines; chieftaincies could be bought, shared or inherited, and farmers could change the chieftain they followed.EstablishedThe Commonwealth ended in 1262–64: after civil conflict among chieftain clans, Icelanders accepted the authority of the Norwegian king by the Gamli sáttmáli.