þingræði

Þingræði is a political concept describing governance by an assembly (thing) rather than by a monarch or autocratic ruler. The word combines Old Norse þing, meaning “assembly,” with ræði, meaning “rule” or “governance.” In political thought, þingræði refers to systems in which the deliberative body holds ultimate authority through debate, vote, and consensus rather than through a single executive power.

Historically, the term is associated with Icelandic political history, notably the Icelandic Commonwealth (roughly 930–1262), in which the Althing (Alþingi) was the supreme legislative and judicial assembly. In that tradition, laws were framed and revised by assembled representatives and free men, and the assembly acted as a collective governing body. The degree and mode of actual power varied across periods, with chieftains and later the crown asserting influence at times.

In modern usage, þingræði is used in political science and Icelandic public discourse to describe or debate parliamentary sovereignty—the idea that the legislative body has primary authority over legislation and government formation. It is often contrasted with rule by a monarch, a centralized executive, or other non-parliamentary forms of governance. Some discussions treat þingræði as an ideal of democratic legitimacy flowing from popular consent expressed through elections.

Outside Iceland, the term is less common, but it appears in studies of comparative political systems as a way to discuss deliberative assemblies and the balance of power between legislative and executive branches.