Magnus the Lawmender’s Laws of the Land - 750 years

The 750th anniversary of the Laws of the Land has been celebrated all over Norway in 2024. This exhibition is the main event in the celebration of the Laws of the Land jubilee in Vestland County. It is the result of a close collaboration between Bymuseet i Bergen, the University of Bergen – especially the University Library and the University Museum – and Vestland County. The digital exhibition has been financed by Vestland County.

The exhibition adopts an interdisciplinary approach to the Laws of the Land and the society for which they were created, with a Bergen and Vestland perspective. Like the provisions of the Laws of the Land, the content of the exhibition ranges from the grand and dramatic to the simple and ordinary. Emphasis has also been placed on creating a solemn and evocative setting for King Magnus’s life work.

The layout of this exhibition follows the structure of the Laws of the Land. This means that the exhibition, like the Laws of the Land, is divided into nine sections that contain various major themes. In the medieval manuscripts, the sections are preceded by large, illuminated initials. The older provincial laws had a comparable division, but the order and length of sections, the number of paragraphs, and the content were different. This reflects the long lawmaking process that took place until the Laws of the Land were introduced in 1274.

Moreover, the Laws of the Land contain a Prologue and a concluding part that includes an Epilogue and Law Amendments, which are short texts containing amendments or additions to the applicable law. While the Prologue and Epilogue were not considered a direct part of the laws, the Law Amendments were meant to be used in conjunction with parts of the nine sections.