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second or higher instance the diet was still nominally the
judge, but it was presided over by the Logmann and attended by
others of the king’s officials. The king himself also asserted a right
to decide cases in the last instance, with the aid of a ‘council of
the ■wisest men’. The four ancient diets were thus in the course
of time transformed into ten or twelve minor diets, presided over
by Logmenn.
At the same time great changes in the social and political
system were effected. In accordance with the old feudal system,
it had been customary for the kings to bestow temporary and
revocable grants of land (‘Veitsla’, probably from veitla, ‘to bestow’)
on their retainers and courtiers ("Hird’), on the understanding
that the tenants (‘Huskarlar’) would administer justice , collect
the taxes, and render military and other services. In some cases,
too, a Jarl was appointed governor of a considerable district and
invested with extensive powers and practical independence, and
it was usual for the king to confirm the heirs of these officials and
dignitaries in their respective lands and offices. All these minor
jurisdictions, however, were abolished by Haakon Magnusson
( 1308), who directed that all his officials should in future be
under his own immediate control. Thus, by the beginning of the
14th cent., the Norwegian monarchs had attained a position of
great independence, and had emancipated themselves alike from
democratic and from aristocratic interference. The peasantry,
however, always enjoyed greater freedom than in most other
European countries, and possessed their lands in freehold, being
themselves lords of a great part of their native soil; but they never
attained to much wealth or importance, as the trade of the country
from a very early period was monopolised by Germans and other
foreigners. Of scarcely greater importance was the nobility of the
country, their lack of influence being due to want of organisation
and political coherence.
The Intellectual Culture of Norway during this period, as may
be supposed, made no great progress. The Runic character had
indeed been in use from the early Iron Period downwards, but it
was merely employed for short inscriptions and rude registers of
various kinds, and not for literary purposes. On the foundation
of the archbishopric of Land, the Latin character was at length
introduced, but before that period all traditions and
communications were verbal, and it is mainly to the bards or minstrels
(’Skaldskapr’) that we owe the preservation of the ancient
mythical and historical sagas or ‘sayings’. About the year 1190 the
Latin character began to be applied to the native tongue, both for
secular and religious purposes. Of the exceedingly rich ‘Old
Northern’ literature which now sprang up, it is a singular fact
that by far the greater part was written by Icelanders. Among
the most famous of these were Ari Frödi (d. 1148), the father of
d*
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