Borgarting Court of Appeal - History

History

The Borgarting is first mentioned in sources in 1047 as a thing for the counties around the Oslofjord, eventually expanding as far as into Grenland and Båhuslen. The thing was held at Borg. Its laws were codified by King Magnus VI in 1276, when ten judges were appointed. By the fourteenth century, Oslo, Grenland and Båhuslen had their own courts, each with their own presiding judge, and Borgarting was left with Vestfold and Østfold, with the judge seat moving to Tønsberg. In the fifteenth century the seat was moved across the fjord to Sarpsborg, and in 1567 to Fredrikstad. From 1797 Borgarting was renamed Fredrikshald after the city of the same name, and Oslo was renamed Kristiania.

In 1797 the four stiftsoverrett were created as courts of appeal. Akershus Court of Appeal was located in Oslo (at the time called Christiania) and responsible for Eastern Norway. The current structure with six courts of appeal and their names dates from 1890, with small changes to the structure of the districts in 1936. At the same time the overrett ("high court") disappeared. These three courts had been above the courts of appeal, but had used written, instead of oral, procedures.