Magnus VI

Magnus VI (born 1238, Norway—died May 9, 1280, Bergen, Nor.) was the king of Norway (1263–80) who transformed the nation’s legal system by introducing new national, municipal, and ecclesiastical codes, which also served as a model for many of the Norwegian colonies. His national code was used for more than 400 years.

Magnus succeeded his father, Haakon IV Haakonsson, in 1263 and quickly made peace with the Scottish king Alexander III, ceding to Scotland the Hebrides Islands and the Isle of Man in exchange for an initial payment and an annual rent. In 1274 Magnus introduced a new national legal code based on the existing system but replacing the provincial laws with common national laws. The new code considered crimes a public matter and replaced the custom of personal revenge with public adjudication.

Relying largely on the laws of Bergen, Magnus instituted in 1277 a new municipal code that created a city council form of government for Norwegian cities and towns. Norway’s maritime commerce, based largely in the cities, attained a peak during his reign not reached again until the 19th century.

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Also in 1277 Magnus came to terms with the church by concluding the Concordat of Tønsberg with Archbishop Jon the Red. The concordat, which made the church essentially independent and increased its revenue and prestige, remained an important basis of Norwegian ecclesiastical law for the next two centuries.

Magnus was the last Norwegian king whose life is narrated in the Icelandic sagas; his saga survives only in fragmentary form.