Christianity, which was introduced in Iceland in the year 1000, did not for a long time have any important influence on the secular legislation. Ecclesiastical laws were soon enacted. The first general ecclesiastical law for Iceland, Keistinrètte hinn gamli (the old Christian law), was enacted in the year 1123 and remained in force until the beginning of the fourteenth century, when it was replaced by a new code, Kristinrèttr hinn nýi.[1]
Norway was originally divided into four judicial districts, and each had in an early day its own code, which after the respective districts was called Frostathingslög, Gulathingslög, Eidsivathingslög and Borgarthingslög (log meaning law). The first two are ascribed to Hakon the Good (934-660), and the Eidsivathingslög is even attributed to Halfdan the Swarthy (820-860), while the Borgarthsingslög seems to be much more recent. The changes in these laws, made necessary by the introduction of Christianity, were introduced by Olaf the Saint, who appended a special ecclesiastical code to each one of them. The Gulathingslög and Frostathingslög are preserved tolerably complete, though we have them only in revisions from a much later date, while the Borgarthingslög and Eidsivathingslög are extant only in fragments, especially of the ecclesiastical appendices. During the reign of King Magnus Hakonson (1263-1280), the so-called Law-mender (Lagabætir), these district codes were replaced by one for the whole land, and this continued in force until 1604. Of the remaining law-works from the
- ↑ K. Maurer: Ueberblick über die Geschichte der nordgermanishen Rechtsquellen (Holzendorffs Encyclopädie der Rechtswissenshaft, I). V. Finsen: Om de islandske Love i Frihedstiden (Aarböger for nordisk Oldkyndighed og Historie, 1873). K. Maurer: Grágás (Ersch und Grüber's Encyclopädie, LXXVII). K. Maurer: Ueber das Alter einiger isländischer Rechtsbücher (Germania XV). Grágás. Islændernes Lovbog i Fristatens Tid, edited by V. Finsen, I-II, Copenhagen, 1852. Grágás, efter det Arnæmagnæanske Hdsk., Nr. 334 fol. (Staðarholsbók), edited by V. Finsen, Copenhagen, 1879. Hinforna lögbók Islendinga sem nefnist Jarnsiða eðr Hákonarbók. Codex juris Islandorum antiquus, qui nominatur Jarnsida seu liber Haconis, Hafniæ, 1849. Jónsbók, last edition, Akureyri, 1858. Kristinrèttr inn gamli, Hafniä, 1775.Kristinrèttr inn nyi, Hafniæ, 1777.
