Iceland's Struggle for Independence

Poverty and oppression

At the beginning of the 19th century Iceland was one of the poorest dependencies of the Danish crown. There were about 47,000 inhabitants in 1801, most of them poor farmers and farmhands. The trade monopoly of 1602–1787 had held back progress, and the "vistarband" system obliged landless people to work as servants on farms. Enlightenment men such as Skúli Magnússon and Eggert Ólafsson had tried to improve the country's lot in the 18th century, but it was not until Romanticism that the demand for independence grew loud.

The Fjölnir group and Romanticism

In 1835 four young Icelanders in Copenhagen began publishing the journal Fjölnir: Jónas Hallgrímsson, Konráð Gíslason, Brynjólfur Pétursson and Tómas Sæmundsson. They emphasised the beauty of the Icelandic language, the nation's glorious past and the restoration of the Althing at Þingvellir. Jónas's poems, such as "Ísland, farsælda frón", inspired the nation.

Jón Sigurðsson – Iceland's pride

Jón Sigurðsson was born at Hrafnseyri in Arnarfjörður on 17 June 1811. He lived most of his life in Copenhagen but was President of the Althing and the undisputed leader of the independence movement. In his pamphlet "Hugvekja til Íslendinga" (1848) and articles in the journal Ný félagsrit, he set out historical arguments that Iceland had never surrendered its rights under the Old Covenant. He also fought for free trade, which was achieved in 1855. Jón was known as "the President" and is often called "Iceland's pride, sword and shield". His birthday later became Iceland's National Day.

Milestones along the way

Home rule and sovereignty

In 1904 Iceland received home rule, and the first Icelandic minister, Hannes Hafstein, was based in Reykjavík. The home-rule period was a time of great progress: the telephone came to Iceland in 1906, Íslandsbanki was founded, trawler fishing began and the University of Iceland was established. After the First World War, when the idea of national self-determination was prominent, agreement was reached with Denmark. Under the Act of Union, Iceland became a sovereign kingdom on 1 December 1918, sharing a king with Denmark. The agreement was valid for 25 years and could then be terminated – which Icelanders did in 1944.