Submitted by Stephen Dunne
on
What was the "Viking cradle of democracy"? How did Scandinavians before the modern era settle disputes?
They had "tings". Take in this history lesson from UW Seattle Political Science Candidate Ellen Ahlness.
Regional council assemblies called "tings" parlayed justice and settled disputes in the Viking Age. But they were not just regional. They were local, then regional and up to provincial and national.
Read about this fascinating part of history that still resounds today in Scandinavian local and regional elections, as well as learn the origin of a common English word.
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