Sveinn Björnsson

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Sveinn Björnsson

Sveinn Björnsson (born February 27, 1881 in Copenhagen , † January 25, 1952 in Reykjavík ) was the first President of Iceland .

Life

Sveinn Björnsson, a lawyer, was elected to Reykjavík City Council in 1912 . From 1914 to 1915 and from 1919 to 1920 he was a member of the Icelandic parliament Althing . After Iceland had largely gained independence from Denmark in 1918 , Sveinn was Iceland's envoy ( sendiherra ) to Denmark from 1920 to 1924 and from 1926 to 1941 .

In April 1940 Denmark was occupied by German troops. Denmark, which was still linked to Iceland in Realunion under Christian X. , had retained responsibility for Iceland's foreign policy according to the federal treaty. As a result, Iceland was occupied by the Allies allegedly to protect against a German invasion, initially by Great Britain , whose troops were then relieved by the United States . The occupiers expressly stated that they did not want to interfere in Icelandic affairs. In this situation, the Althing decided not to renew the union treaty with Denmark and to appoint an annually elected head of state who should act as sovereign . On June 17, 1941 it unanimously elected Sveinn Björnsson, who had returned to Iceland, as head of state or “Reichsvorsteher” ( ríkisstjóri ). In this function he took over the rights and duties that the Danish king had previously held. He was re-elected in 1942 and 1943.

After a referendum in the spring of 1944 had confirmed that the union treaty with Denmark should be revoked, the Republic of Iceland was proclaimed on June 17, 1944. Sveinn Björnsson was elected by parliament as the first president. He was re-elected in 1945 and 1949 unopposed . All subsequent Icelandic presidents were chosen by national elections. Sveinn Björnsson died in office on January 25, 1952 in Reykjavík.

Sveinn Björnsson was one of the founders of the Icelandic Red Cross in 1924 and was its first chairman until 1926. In addition to various other organizations and associations, he also co-founded the oldest Icelandic shipping company Eimskip and was its chairman from 1914 to 1920 and from 1924 to 1926.

Sveinn had been married to Georgía Hoff-Hansen since 1908, with whom he had six children. His eldest son Björn Björnsson joined the Waffen SS as an officer during World War II .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Sveinn Björnsson: Æviágrip ( Icelandic ) Althing. November 19, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  2. ↑ Michael Penk: "To`protect Iceland". The British occupation of Iceland in World War II. In: Nordeuropaforum 1/2008 . S. 29-46 .
  3. ^ Jón R. Hjálmarsson: The History of Iceland . Iceland Review, Reykjavík 1994, ISBN 9979-51-093-5 , pp. 157 .
  4. ^ Jón R. Hjálmarsson: The History of Iceland . Iceland Review, Reykjavík 1994, ISBN 9979-51-093-5 , pp. 159-160 .
  5. ^ Jón R. Hjálmarsson: The History of Iceland . Iceland Review, Reykjavík 1994, ISBN 9979-51-093-5 , pp. 162 .
  6. ↑ The Icelandic SS man. Article of the NZZ


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 .
personal data
SURNAME Sveinn Björnsson
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Björnsson, Sveinn
BRIEF DESCRIPTION first President of Iceland
DATE OF BIRTH February 27, 1881
PLACE OF BIRTH Copenhagen
DATE OF DEATH January 25, 1952
Place of death Reykjavík