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Article: Althing The World's Oldest Parliament.(Iceland)
- Article from:
- Faces: People, Places, and Cultures
- Article date:
- May 1, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In an age when kings and emperors ruled the world, the people of Iceland were revolutionaries. They formed a government without a king.
Nordic people began settling Iceland in A.D. 874. At first, there were no rules or laws. Families fought against each other for land and power. By 930, the people were anxious for peace.
Each region of the island had a chieftain, or godi (GO-thee), who acted as both a political and religious leader. After 60 lawless years, all 36 chieftains came together to unite their separate regions into one country under one rule of law. This meeting was the Althing, or "the gathering of all the people."
The Althing was ...