[Defiant]

Iceland is a pretty small example, and was not what I would consider a European state, but an isolated colony, like the Falkland Islands. You are probably right about Scandinavia retaining their concept of rights through the years. It's a shame for them to throw it all away now after all this time and throw in with Socialism and Islamo-fascism.

And certainly there was extensive contact between England's east coast and the Danes, and the north/west and the Vikings, but I doubt that English institutions sprang from these contacts. Rather, both the English and the Danish/Vikings had just emerged from the same culture and phase of development, and both retained their self-governance as their tribes coalesced into states, albeit in different ways. I don't think that the English looked over to Iceland and said, "Hey, let's us get one o' them there Par-lay-mints."

[Wonder Warthog]

"Rather, both the English and the Danish/Vikings had just emerged from the same culture and phase of development, and both retained their self-governance as their tribes coalesced into states, albeit in different ways. I don't think that the English looked over to Iceland and said, "Hey, let's us get one o' them there Par-lay-mints.""

You can book it that there was cross-fertilization both ways over periods of many hundreds of years. When England was developing its concept of parliament, it undoubtedly drew from its own customs and experience and knowledge of WORKING EXAMPLES of such systems in other places. What working parliamentary example was existent at the same time in Continental Europe?? I'm not sure there "were" any.

As to Iceland being "..a small example...", I'd say "size doesn't matter"--after all, the Founding Fathers of the USA looked to the Republic of Venice for many of the ideas they used in developing the American Republic and its Constitution. Not exactly "Gargantua" :^)