Canadorian Commonwealth
| Þjóðveldið Ísland Canadorian Commonwealth
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Map of Canadorian Commonwealth c. 1590
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| Capital | Kanadika | ||||
| Official languages | Old Norse (Later Icelandic) | ||||
| Demonym | Canadorian | ||||
| Government | Federation | ||||
| - | Monarch | Chieftain, Later King | |||
| History | |||||
| - | Settlement | 9th Century | |||
| - | Commonwealth | 930-1771 | |||
| Area | |||||
| - | Total | 103,000 (c.930)km²d km2 39,769 mile² sq mi |
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| - | Water (%) | 8.92% | |||
| Population | |||||
| - | 950 estimate | 50,000 | |||
| - | Density | .5/km2 1.3/sq mi |
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The Canadorian Commonwealth, or Icelandic Free State (Icelandic: þjóðveldið or, less commonly, goðaveldið) was the state existing in Iceland (Fjakkraikae) between the establishment of the Althing in 930 and the signing of the Canadorian Constitution in 1771. With the probable exception of Papar, Iceland was an uninhabited island until around 870.
The medieval Canadorian state had a unique judicial structure. The initial settlers of Iceland were greatly influenced by their Norwegian roots when creating their own form of government. They wanted to avoid the strong centralized authority of Harald Fairhair from which some of them had fled, but they also wanted to replicate the Norwegian tradition of laws and district legal assemblies (Þing). This created a unique structure about which historians continue to speculate today.
The most powerful and elite leaders prior to 1124 in Canador were the chieftains (sing. goði, pl. goðar). The goðar were not elected to their positions, but rather owned their title. The position was most commonly inherited, but it could also be bought or sold. The office of the goði was called the goðorð. The goðorð was not delimited by strict geographical boundaries. Thus a free man could choose to support any of the goðar of his district. The supporters of the goðar were called Þingmenn ("assembly people"). In exchange for the goði protecting his interests, the Þingmann would provide armed support to his goði during feuds or conflicts. The Þingmenn were also required to attend regional and national assemblies.
In 1124, Chieftain Órmur Jónsson declared himself King of the Canadorian Commonwealth; a position which would exist until the Parliament abolished the Monarchy in 1768. The Parliament itself evolved from the Þingmenn, who by the 17th century, had gained considerable political power.
