Járnsíða (, ''ironside'') was a law-code which
Magnus VI of Norway
Magnus Haakonsson ( non, Magnús Hákonarson, no, Magnus Håkonsson, label=Modern Norwegian; 1 (or 3) May 1238 – 9 May 1280) was King of Norway (as Magnus VI) from 1263 to 1280 (junior king from 1257). One of his greatest achievements was the m ...
had composed for Iceland, which came formally under Norwegian control during 1262–1264. ''Járnsíða'' was introduced over 1271–1273, superseding the previous law-code ''
Grágás
The Gray (Grey) Goose Laws ( is, Grágás {{IPA-is, ˈkrauːˌkauːs}) are a collection of laws from the Icelandic Commonwealth period. The term ''Grágás'' was originally used in a medieval source to refer to a collection of Norwegian laws an ...
''. Amongst other things, ''Járnsíða'' formally put all legislative powers in the hands of the King, abolished the ''
goðar
Gothi or (plural , fem. ; Old Norse language, Old Norse: ) was a position of political and social prominence in the Icelandic Commonwealth. The term originally had a religious significance, referring to a pagan leader responsible for a religio ...
'', and reformed the
Alþingi
The Alþingi (''general meeting'' in Icelandic, , anglicised as ' or ') is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ("thing fields" or "assembly ...
. In 1281, ''Járnsíða'' was itself superseded by ''
Jónsbók''.
See also
*
Law of Iceland
Law of Iceland during the Commonwealth (930—1262) was decided by the Althing. It has changed over the years but the legislative body is still called Althing.
History
Prior to 1262 the law-code was ''Grágás''.
Following the '' Gamli sáttmá ...
References
*Haraldur Bernharðsson, Magnús Lyngdal Magnússon and Már Jónsson, Járnsíða og kristinréttur Árna Þorlákssonar (Reykjavík: Sögufélagið, 2005).
Legal history of Iceland
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