Iceland's Althing began in 930 - but Tynwald is the oldest still running without a break
Two North Atlantic assemblies, both rooted in Viking-age gatherings, vie for the title of the world's oldest parliament.
Iceland’s Althing was founded around 930 CE at Thingvellir, where free men gathered on an open plain to make laws and settle disputes. Britannica calls it “one of the oldest national parliaments in the world” and “the first such body to exercise legislative power at the national level.”
But the Althing’s run was not unbroken: it was abolished by the Danish crown in 1800 and only reconvened in 1845. That gap is why a different assembly claims a related record.
The Isle of Man’s Tynwald describes itself as “the oldest continuous parliament in the world in continuous operation,” reckoning itself over 1,000 years old. Both names share a Norse root - Thingvollr, meaning “assembly field” - reflecting their common Viking-age origins.
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