Law of Iceland

A people's assembly, the Alþingi, was instituted, meeting annually to exercise both judicial and legislative activities.

The resulting text, known as Hafliðaskrá, does not survive, but seems to have been one of the foundations of the voluminous records of the law of the Icelandic Commonwealth known as Grágás.

[1] Following the Gamli sáttmáli (Old Covenant) of 1262, Magnus VI of Norway attempted to introduce the law code Járnsíða around 1271–73; this was itself superseded when existing laws were compiled in Jónsbók by Jón Einarsson (in 1281).

Icelandic law consists primarily of statutes adopted by the Althing, with some orders issued by the Cabinet (executive branch of the state), normally as regulations.

The Ministry of Justice makes public the rules of law which apply in Iceland.