Governments of Skrælige

Norse Settlement of Skrælige: 1042-1598

No Formal Government: 1042-1045

De facto led by Mikjáll Freydisson

Skræligen Þing: 1045-1598

The main legislative council of Skrælige. Began as a gathering of all the heads of household, eventually reformed to have a set number of elected representatives from each settlement (also known as a þingha). No formal leader, but often had de facto rulers.

Danish Skrælige: 1598-1645

Ruled by King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway for the entire length of Danish rule. The Þing still existed, but was mostly symbolic. Actual rule was done via an appointed governor:

• Egil Christiansen: 1599-1629

Svenska Skrälig Öar: 1645-57

Ruled by the Crown of Sweden:

• Christina: 1645-54 (abdicated)

• Charles X Gustav: 1654-57

Actual rule done via appointed governor, though the Þing had some influence.

Note: Norþney (Northney), founded 1656, was governed as part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony until 1688.

Skraalig Eilanden, Nieuw Nederland: 1657-64

Ruled as part of the Dutch colony of Nieuw Nederland. During Skrælige's Dutch occupation, the colony was governed by Director-General Peter Stuyvesant, who was appointed by the Dutch West India Company. The Þing regained local control, subject to Stuyvesant's authority.

Skrælig Islands, New York: 1664-73

Governed as part of the English colonial Province of New York. During Skrælige's English occupation, the governors were:

• Richard Nicolls: 1664-68

• Francis Lovelace: 1668-73

Both were appointed by King Charles II of England. The Þing generally maintained local control.

Skraalig Eilanden, Nieuw Nederland (Dutch Reoccupation): 1673-74

Ruled as part of the Dutch colony of Nieuw Nederland. During the Dutch Reoccupation, the colony was governed by Anthony Colve, who was appointed by the Dutch Republic.

Skrælig Islands, New York (Restored English Occupation): 1674-88

Governed as part of the English colonial Province of New York. Skrælig County was formally established in 1683, which contained all of Skrælige except for Northney. The governors were:

• Edmund Andros: 9 February 1674 - 18 April 1683

• Anthony Brockholls: 1677-78, 1681-83 (acting)

• Thomas Dongan, 2nd Earl of Limerick: August 1683 - 11 August 1688

Skrælig County, Dominion of New England: 1688-89

New York was folded into the Dominion of New England in 1688, which was governed by Edmund Andros, although New York (incl. Skrælige) and the Jerseys were governed via Lt. Governor Francis Nicholson. This continued de jure to 1691, but de facto came to an end in 1689.

Autonomous Colony of Skrælige: 1689-92

The Skræligen Þing declared itself to be an independent colony after both Andros and Nicholson were overthrown, although they pledged loyalty to King William III and Queen Mary II of England. The Þing appointed their own governor, Nikolai Ragnarsson.

Note: Norþney (Northney) was under the de facto control of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, although the colony was operating without a charter.

Skrælig County, Massachusetts Bay: 1692-1783

In 1691 the new Province of Massachusetts Bay was formed from the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth, along with islands south of Cape Cod (including Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket), the Skrælig Islands, and the present day territories of Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia (the last three heavily contested by New France). Rule of Skrælige as part of Massachusetts Bay only de facto began in 1692.

Most formal power was stripped from the Þing, and instead Skrælige was represented via the Massachusetts General Court, where each town would send two representatives. The governors were appointed by the Crown, and were:

• William Phips: 16 May 1692 - 17 November 17 1694

• William Stoughton (acting): 4 December 1694 - 26 May 1699

• Richard Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont: 26 May 1699 - 17 July 1700

• William Stoughton (acting): 22 July 1700 - 7 July 1701 (died)

• Governor's Council (acting): 10 July 1701 - 11 June 1702

• Joseph Dudley: 11 June 1702 - 4 February 1715

• Governor's Council (acting): 4 February - 21 March 1715

• Joseph Dudley: 21 March 1715 - 9 November 1715

• William Tailer (acting): 9 November 1715 - 5 October 1716

• Samuel Shute: 5 October 1716 - 1 January 1723 (left for England)

• William Dummer (acting): 2 January 1723 - 19 July 1728

• William Burnet: 19 July 1728 - 7 September 1729 (died)

• William Dummer (acting): 10 September 1729 - 11 June 1730

• William Tailer (acting): 11 June - 10 August 1730

• Jonathan Belcher: 10 August 1730 - 14 August 1741

• William Shirley: 14 August 1741 - 11 September 1749

• Spencer Phips (acting): 15 September 1749 - 7 August 1753

• William Shirley: 7 August 1753 - 25 September 1756

• Spencer Phips (acting): 25 September 1756 - 4 April 1757 (died)

• Governor's Council (acting): 5 April - 3 August 1757

• Thomas Pownall: 3 August 1757 - 3 June 1760

• Thomas Hutchinson (acting): 3 June - 2 August 1760

• Sir Francis Bernard: 2 August 1760 - 1 August 1769

• Thomas Hutchinson: 2 August 1769 - 17 May 1774 (acting through 14 March 1771)

• Thomas Gage: 17 May 1774 - 11 October 1775 (de facto, when he departed Boston)

• Thomas Oliver: Lieutenant Governor 8 August 1774 - 17 March 1776 (de facto, when he departed Boston), was the de facto acting governor after 14 March 1775.

After 17 March 1776 there was no formal governor. The lower Siguan River valley was under British military control, the rest was contested until 1778.

Skrælig County, Nova Scotia: 1783-84

Skrælige was ruled from Halifax, Nova Scotia after the evacuation of Lt. Governor Thomas Oliver in 1776, but this was only formalized by the Treaty of Paris in 1783. The governor at the time, Francis Legge, had been recalled to London in 1776 after angering local merchants, the local assembly, and regular citizens enough for open revolt to take place, so the acting governors were:

• Mariot Arbuthnot: 27 April 1776 - 17 August 1778

• Sir Richard Hughes: 17 August 1778 - 31 July 1781

• Sir Andrew Hamond: 31 July 1781 - 9 October 1782

On the 9th of October, 1782 John Parr was named governor of Nova Scotia. Thus he was the first actual governor of Skrælige when it became part of Nova Scotia in 1783, until the Province of the Skrælig Islands was established on the 2nd of July, 1784.

Province of the Skrælig Islands: 1784-

The Þing regained its position as the formal legislature of Skrælige in 1784, alongside a Lieutenant Governor appointed by the Crown. The first Lt. Governor, Thomas Spencer, held the title of Governor until 1786 when the British North American colonies were consolidated under one "Governor of the Canadas". After the 1786 census, 9 nyr þingha (New Þing Districts) were established to give citizens proportional votes for their representatives, creating a legislative body of 20 Þingmenn (Members of the Þing, or MÞs).

Each assembly would last up to 4 years, but could be dissolved earlier, requiring new elections. The Census Reform Act of 1799 added the requirement that new elections be held within one year of the census (and its corresponding redistricting, if needed), de facto requiring three general elections per decade.

Governors:

• Thomas Spencer: 2 July 1784 - 5 July 1790