Kingdom of Iceland

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Kingdom Iceland
Konungsríkið Ísland (Icelandic)
1918 -1944
Flag of Iceland Coat of arms of Iceland
flag coat of arms
← Flag of Denmark.svg navigation Flag of Iceland.svg →
Constitution Constitution of the Kingdom of Iceland of
March 18, 1920
Official language Icelandic ( de facto )
Capital Reykjavík
Form of government kingdom
Government system Constitutional monarchy
Head of state King Christian X (Kristján X)
regent Reich Leader Sveinn Björnsson (1941–1944)
Head of government prime minister
houses of Parliament Alþingi
State religion Evangelical Lutheran Church
Area
1944 		103,125 km²
Population
1944 		127.791
Population density
1944 		1.2 inhabitants per km²
founding December 1, 1918
Signing of the Union Treaty
resolution June 17, 1944
Foundation of the Republic of Iceland
National anthem Lofsongur
Royal anthem Kong Christian stod ved højen mast
("King Christian stood on the high mast")
Time zone UTC ± 0
currency Icelandic krona (1 ISK = 100 aurar)
map
Map of Iceland.jpg

The Kingdom of Iceland ( Icelandic Konungsríkið Ísland ) was a constitutional monarchy ; It was founded by the union treaty with Denmark from December 1, 1918 and existed until June 17, 1944. The kingdom was connected with the former motherland Denmark by a real union, whereby the Danish King Christian X. (Icelandic: Kristján ) King of Iceland was.

prehistory

King Christian X (Kristján I)

Iceland had been under Danish rule from 1380 and Norwegian ownership ( Denmark-Norway ) until 1814 . The cession of the mother country Norway to Sweden , agreed in the Peace of Kiel on January 14, 1814, resulted in Iceland becoming part of Denmark.

The Icelanders increasingly returned to their own traditions, and at the millennium of the first known settlement of Iceland in 1874, Denmark allowed the Icelanders their own constitution, financial autonomy and the re-establishment of the Althing , the Icelandic parliament. On February 1, 1904, Iceland became autonomous within the kingdom, Hjemmestyre based on the British-Irish models of the Home Rule of 1886 and 1893. In the same year, after a referendum, a separate minister for Iceland was appointed who represented the island in the Danish parliament. Hannes Hafstein was appointed the first Prime Minister .

Establishment of the monarchy

The Union Treaty of December 1, 1918 recognized Iceland's independence from Denmark, while the Danish King Christian X remained King of Iceland through a personal union. Iceland got its own flag and coat of arms , and Denmark only took on the island's external relations and defense. The validity of the treaty was set up to a referendum after 25 years, in which the final independence from Denmark should be decided.

Establishment of the republic

The British invasion of Iceland in May 1940
Reich Leader Sveinn Björnsson (1941–1944)

The German invasion of Denmark on April 9, 1940 cut the lines of communication between Iceland and Denmark. The Icelandic parliament ( Icelandic Alþingi ) voted on April 10th in two resolutions for the adoption of foreign and defense policy by the Icelandic government and the introduction of a temporary head of state. A year later, Sveinn Björnsson was elected temporary head of the empire , who represented the king during the occupation and became the first president after independence .

In the first years of World War II , Iceland adopted a strict policy of neutrality and stayed out of the war. The government had measures ready for a violation of neutrality by Great Britain or the German Reich . Great Britain began to occupy Iceland as early as May 10, 1940 and occupied the port of Reykjavík to allegedly forestall a German invasion .

The government called for protest against the "blatant violation" of Icelandic neutrality. On the day of the invasion, Prime Minister Hermann Jónasson made a radio address calling on Icelanders to view British troops as guests and announcing that the Allied occupation would continue until the end of the war.

At the height of the British occupation, 25,000 soldiers were stationed in Iceland, most of them in Reykjavík and other strategically important locations. In July 1941, the Icelandic government transferred the defense of the island to the United States when Great Britain needed its troops in Europe. As a result, 40,000 soldiers were stationed in the country while the island had a population of 120,000.

After the constitutional referendum of May 24, 1944, in which 97% voted for the dissolution of the union treaty with Denmark and 95% for a republican constitution, Iceland finally became an independent republic on June 17, 1944. Since Denmark was still occupied by Germany, many Danes felt offended because they thought the referendum timing was wrong. Nevertheless, King Christian X sent congratulations to the Icelandic people.

Flags

  • Flag of Iceland (1918–1944)

  • State and Naval War Flag of Iceland (1918–1944)

  • Standard of Christian X. (1921–1944)

  • Flag of the head of the Reich Sveinn Björnsson (1941–1944)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Penk, Michael: "To 'protect' Iceland". The British occupation of Iceland in World War II, in: Nordeuropaforum 1/2008, pp. 29–46.
  2. ↑ Orfield, LB (2002) The Growth of Scandinavian Law
  3. ^ Taylor & Francis Group (2002) Western Europe 2003

literature

  • Jón R. Hjálmarsson: The History of Iceland from Settlement to the Present. Reykjavík 1994.

Web links