Magnus’s success as lawgiver

In the Middle Ages, politics and religion were intertwined. This relationship was symbolized by the doctrine of the two swords, representing royal and ecclesiastical power. Despite rivalry between them, both authorities contributed to a centralization of power at the expense of traditional, local power structures. In Norway, this struggle was evident in the king’s efforts to control the regional thing assemblies, which were often influenced by clan interests. In his effort to centralize power, however, King Magnus risked conflict with the Church, which had its own Christian Law. Magnus managed to avoid this with the Christianity section of his Laws of the Land, which declared respect for Christianity and its authority while serving as a divine foundation for royal power and a guarantee of the future of the dynasty. This section was meant to complement, not replace, the Christian Law, creating a domain where the latter did not apply. Magnus’s success as a lawgiver was partly due to regained confidence in human reasoning taught at European universities. No longer perceived as dictated by God or guided by the Church or theology, legislation could create a universal societal framework while promoting royal interests. Thus, with the king as the driving force, legislation became a tool for renewing 13th-century Norwegian society.