Althing

unicameral parliament of Iceland

17 dated entries naming Althing, drawn from 15 separate years between 930 CE and 2009 CE. Nothing here is written by us: each line is the sentence a Wikipedia year article used, and the link beside it opens the exact revision.

Also written as Icelandic parliament in the source articles; Wikipedia redirects those to the same subject, so their entries are on this page.

JSON Wikipedia article Wikidata Q131279

10th century

930The Althing, the parliament of Iceland, is established at þingvellir ("Thing Fields"). Chieftains from various tribes gather for 2 weeks at a thing (assembly) to settle disputes, arrange marriages, etc.; it continues in existence into the 21st century, as the world's oldest parliament of the Icelandic Commonwealth.source
1000In Scandinavia, Christianization was in its early stages, with the Althing of the Icelandic Commonwealth embracing Christianity in the year 1000. On September 9, the King of Norway, Olaf Tryggvason, was defeated by the Scandinavian kingdoms of Denmark and Sweden in the Battle of Svolder. Sweyn Forkbeard established Danish control over part of Norway. The city of Oslo was founded in Norway (the exact year is debatable, but the 1,000 year anniversary was held in the year 2000). It is known that in or around this year, Norse explorer Leif Erikson became the first European to land in the Americas, at L'Anse aux Meadows in modern-day Newfoundland.source

11th century

1001Thorgeir Ljosvetningagodi ends being a lawspeaker in Iceland's Althing.source
1100In Iceland, the Althing decides that the laws should be transferred to a written form (approximate date).source

18th century

1703June – The completed 1703 Icelandic census is presented in the Althing, the first complete census of any country.source
1798July 20: The Althing met at Þingvellir for the last time.The few who had attended returned home from Þingvellir due to poor conditions, and thus ended the governments tenure at the site, which had lasted since 930.source
1799The Alþingi is held for the first time in Reykjavík. The assembly was held in Hólavallarskóli.source
1800June 6: The Althingi is formally dissolved, with the National High Court being established the following year.source

19th century

180110 August: With the Althing being disbanded by royal decree in the year prior, a new High Court in Reykjavík took over the functions of Lögrétta. The three appointed judges convened in Hólavallarskóli.source
1843March 8 – The Danish government re-establishes the Althing in Iceland as an advisory body, by royal decree.source
18438 March: A royal decree providing for the establishment of a new Althing was issued, with the country's first elections being held the following year.source
1844The Althing, Iceland's supreme national parliament is restored by royal decree and moved to Reykjavík, after being made defunct in 1800.source
1844March 8 – The Althing, the parliament of Iceland, is reopened after 45 years of closure.source
18451 July: The first Consultative assembly finally met on 1 July 1845 in Reykjavík.source
1886A supplementary session of the Althing was first held in 1886.source

20th century

1949March 30 – An anti-NATO riot in Iceland takes place, prompted by the decision of the Icelandic parliament to join the newly formed NATO.source

21st century

2009July 16 – Iceland's national parliament, the Althingi, votes to pursue joining the EU.source