Old Covenant (Iceland)

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The Old Covenant (Modern Icelandic: Gamli sáttmáli [ˈkamlɪ ˈsauhtˌmauːlɪ]; Old Norse: [ˈɡɑmle ˈsɑːtːˌmɑːle]) was the name of the agreement which effected the union of Iceland and Norway. It is also known as Gissurarsáttmáli, named after Gissur 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 also led to a shift in Iceland's political ideology towards the model of monarchy since it diminished the role of its chieftains (goði) as models of political rule.^[1] Prior to the agreement, the chieftains' power, which developed into a Commonwealth, was idealized particularly during the 12th and 13th centuries.^[1]