- Old Covenant
:"For the theological use of Old Covenant, see
Mosaic Covenant ,Covenant (biblical) andOld Testament ."The Old Covenant ( _is. Gamli sáttmáli) was the name of the agreement which effected the union of
Iceland andNorway . It is also known as "Gissurarsáttmáli" (English: "Gissur's Covenant"), named afterGissur Þorvaldsson , the Icelandic chieftain who worked to promote it. The name "Old Covenant", however, is probably due to historical confusion. "Gamli sáttmáli" is properly the treaty of 1302 mentioned below and the treaty of 1262 is the actual "Gissurarsáttmáli".The agreement was made in 1262-1264 between the major chieftains of Iceland and
Haakon IV of Norway , and his son and successor, Magnus the Lawgiver. The signing brought about the union of Iceland with Norway, which subsequently led to Iceland's union withDenmark in 1380, by way of theKalmar Union .The years preceding the signing of the accord were marked by civil strife in Iceland (the so-called
Age of the Sturlungs ), as the Norwegian king tried to exert his influence through the Icelandic family clans, most notably theSturlungs .Gissur Þorvaldsson , a vassal of the king, worked as his agent in the matter.According to the provisions in the agreement, the Icelanders were to bear taxation from the Norwegian king, but in exchange they were to receive a code of laws, guaranteed peace and reliable transportation and shipping between Norway and Iceland. Norwegians and Icelanders received equal rights in each others' countries. The laws of the
Icelandic Commonwealth were updated and a book of laws namedJónsbók was issued in 1281.The agreement was renewed in 1302 at the behest of
Haakon V of Norway . Iceland's union with Norway (and, after theTreaty of Kiel , with Denmark) lasted until 1944, duringWorld War II , when the Republic of Iceland was founded.The use of the sagas as accurate historical sources has been questioned by historian Patricia Pires Boulhosa who claims "Gamli sáttmáli" is a much younger document and was used to negotiate with the Norwegian king for the benefit of Icelanders.Fact|date=April 2008
References
* Árni Daníel Júlíusson, Jón Ólafur Ísberg, Helgi Skúli Kjartansson "Íslenskur sögu atlas: 1. bindi: Frá öndverðu til 18. aldar" Almenna bókafélagið, Reykjavík 1989
* Patricia Pires Boulhosa Icelanders and the Kings of Norway: Medieval Sagas and Legal Texts, The Northern World, Brill Academic 2005
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
