The medieval Norse settlers’ parliamentary assembly held at Thingvellir in Iceland was called the Alþingi, or Althing.
The Alþingi was established in Iceland around 930, when local chieftains and free farmers created a national assembly. It met at Þingvellir, a natural meeting place east of modern Reykjavík. Participants discussed laws, settled disputes and negotiated political agreements, while the lawspeaker recited the law aloud.
The assembly was not a modern parliament with elected representatives and a permanent government. Power was distributed among chieftains and their followers, and the Icelandic Commonwealth had no king. Even so, the Alþingi became a central institution in Icelandic public life and is commonly described as one of the world’s oldest surviving parliamentary institutions.
The assembly was moved from Þingvellir in 1798 and later reorganised in Reykjavík. The modern Icelandic parliament retains the name Alþingi, linking the contemporary institution with the medieval assembly, although its powers and structure are very different.