Skúli Magnússon

Statue of Skúli Magnússon in Reykjavík

Skúli Magnússon (* 1711 in Keldunes near Húsavík ; † 1794 , often referred to as Skúli fógeti ) was the first Icelander to hold the office of Icelandic governor.

Life

Skúli studied at the University of Copenhagen from 1732 to 1734 .

In 1749 he was the first Icelander to be entrusted with the office of governor and had his seat in Bessastaðir . He recognized that the Danish trade monopoly , which had existed since 1602 and only allowed authorized agents to do business in Iceland, was damaging the country, and he advocated the assumption of trade control by his own compatriots. He participated in the establishment of a partnership ( Innréttingarnar ), which from 1752 promoted the development of factories. But he had the approval of the Danish King Frederick V sought.

In Reykjavík , Skúli ensured that the first fish, fur and wool processing companies were established there. In doing so, he contributed significantly to the rise of the city, which had previously only consisted of a few settlements. Skúli himself built the Viðeyarstofa manor house on the island of Viðey in 1755 , which was the first stone house in Iceland.

The Danish merchants feared that the goods produced in the factories could spoil their business and therefore boycotted their trade. They prevented the development of an Icelandic economy of their own. The shortage of money in the partnership, which was also supported by the king, ultimately led to it being taken over by the Danish monopoly company in 1764; Connected with it was the disempowerment of Skúli.

Appreciation

• The artist Guðmundur Einarsson set a monument to Skúli in 1951 in Aðalstræti in Reykjavík.
• Because of his services to the city of Reykjavík, Skúli is still called the father of the city today.

literature

• Jens Willhardt, Christine Sadler: Iceland. Michael Müller, Erlangen 2003, ISBN 3-89953-115-9 , p. 70ff., P. 189f.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ nat.is: Keldunes
2. ↑ ^{a b} timarit.is
3. ↑ Peter N. Stearns (ed.): The Encyclopedia of world history.

Note: Icelanders are referred to by their first name or first and last name, but not just their surname. Further information can be found under Icelandic personal name .