Jón Sigurðsson
Jón Sigurðsson ( born June 17, 1811 Hrafnseyri in Arnarfjörður; † December 7, 1879 in Copenhagen) was an Icelandic politician, historian and philologist.
He became the champion of Islands independence from Denmark. On June 17, his birthday, Iceland celebrates its National Day.
Life
His parents were the Rev. Sigurdur Jónsson and the pastor's daughter Þórdís Jónsdóttir. In 1845 he married his relative Ingibjörg, daughter of the Icelandic businessman Einar Jónsson. The marriage remained childless. His residence remained Copenhagen until his death on December 7, 1879. His three years older than wife died a few days later. They were initially buried in Copenhagen, but transferred the following spring to Reykjavík, where they were buried on 4 May 1880 grand celebrations.
Career
In his youth he was taught at home, while he participated in the parental agriculture and fisheries. After 1829 he worked for a year with a merchant in Copenhagen, after three years as a clerk at Bishop Steingrímur Jónsson, in whose archives he received the first insight into Icelandic history. In 1833, he studied in Copenhagen History and Philology. From 1835, he was a fellow of Arnamagnæanschen Foundation. In 1841 he undertook on behalf of the Foundation a three-year trip to Sweden, where he studied in Stockholm and Uppsala together with Ólafur Pálsson Norse manuscript collections. 1845 " kongelige Det Nordiske oldskriftselskab " ( Royal Society for old papers Norway ) was set up a archaeological and historical archive. For the Icelandic department, he was first secretary archive and archivist from 1847. The archive was in 1849 but dissolved again. He remained this society but to their reorganization in 1865 connected. He was also secretary of the 1848 Arnamagnæanschen Commission, a position he held until his death. He lived henceforth as a private scholar and for his political activities. 1848-1849 he participated in the Constituent Assembly for the Danish kingdom kingdom as a royal commissioner.
1859 Jón Sigurðsson was sent to Professor Tscherning to Iceland to fight a threat there sheep disease. He went for a spa treatment, while the Icelandic farmers passionately demanded the cull. This meant that he did not enter more Icelandic soil for five years ( 1860-1864 ).
1861 Jón Sigurðsson a member of the Government Commission for the financial affairs of Iceland. He was since the new direction in 1845 for the District Isafjardarsysla member of the Althing and its president from 1849, except for the year 1859 and the special meetings to prepare the Icelandic constitution, for which his party denied him the honor of the presidency.
In the Icelandic Literary Society ( Bókmentafélag ) he worked from 1840 to 1851 was head of the Copenhagen department. 1871 promoted him for a few years the " Association of Friends of the People" ( Þjóðvinafélag ) financially for his political aspirations until the first legislative assembly in 1875 approved a salary. 1878 bought the Icelandic Landeskasse its extensive manuscript collection and library for 25,000 crowns. After his death, about 8500 crowns of them were incorporated into a foundation whose interest rates that have been awarded for work on Icelandic history, literature, law, constitution and development.
Policy
Jón Sigurðsson is considered the architect of today's Islands. After the establishment of the ratgebenden assembly of the estates of Frederick VI. had to be satisfied in order to send some members appointed by the king in the assembly of the estates Icelanders. To this was later together come into Reykjavik meeting of officials. When Christian VIII ascended the throne, the present Icelanders in Copenhagen contributed before the desire for some reforms, including by a representative assembly in Iceland. The the king came forward with the promise to use the Althing resolved in 1800 again. To prepare for the Icelanders to the new possibilities of political participation, Jón founded the magazine Ný Félagsrit, which appeared from 1831 to 1873 and was entirely shaped by his political ideas. An estimated two -thirds of the texts attributed to him as author. He sat through that the Althing, which met every two years, should have its place in Reykjavík and not, as it wanted the romantic movement, at the old Thingstätte at Þingvellir. He then devoted himself to the education and trade, was still in the Danish monopoly.
After 1848, the absolutism had ended, now joined for Iceland the constitutional issue to the fore. In an appeal to his countrymen Jón represented his principles on the relationship between Denmark and Iceland, where he held in the following period: The two countries should equal footing with each other. The government of all Icelandic affairs should be in Iceland and just be the Althing responsible. Between Iceland and Denmark a financial settlement should be carried out and then make Iceland a reasonable amount to the general government expenses. From a quite dubious interpretation of the Old Treaty of 1262 he concluded that this was automatically entered into force again, as the king had laid down his absolutist power. After that was Iceland royal demesne and not part of the Danish state, which could be expressed only through a personal union. In addition, were the few resources that barely sufficient, the required condition to really implement it in the background.
In Denmark it was believed that the Constitution should also include Iceland. For economic considerations were not relevant, because Iceland was a Danish grant items in the household. Rather, there were reasons of national pride, to the heirs of an ancient Norse culture of writing in its own borders. As the time for an election of representatives of Iceland was too short in the Constituent Assembly, the King appointed five outstanding individuals who should represent the Icelandic interests. At the same time he promised that on the legal status Islands nothing should be determined before the Icelanders had been heard at a special meeting to do so. This National Assembly ( " Þjóðfundur " ) joined together until 1851. The proposed constitution submitted there diametrically contradicted formulated by Jón Sigurðsson ideas of the majority. The complete rejection by the Assembly could be prevented only by the fact that the royal commissioner dissolved the meeting prematurely. After the constitutional issue was extended period of time on ice. The opposition saw due to the premature dissolution of the National Assembly, the government's promise to be heard not yet fulfilled, and called for a new meeting, but the government wanted to negotiate only with the normal Althing.
After all, the complete free trade in Iceland was decided at the Reichstag in 1854, which had a large economic boom resulted. As this was enforced his claim, Jón put the constitutional issue in the journal Ný Félagsrit back on the agenda, taking on the financial relations between Iceland and Denmark has put emphasis in his treatise. He has also written the message " Om Islands statsretlige Committed " ( Over The constitutional relationships Islands '), which hidtilværende against the paper by Professor JE Larsen Om Islands statsretlinge Stilling (, Bank of Iceland today's constitutional position ') turned. He was supported here by Professor Konrad Maurer in the German press. Jón pointed to in his treatise that Iceland's state budget would be by no means under-funded, as had been alleged. However, He expected a far-reaching demands Islands to Denmark. Not only receivables sold crown lands, but also damages for the 200- year-long monopoly trade he put in the effort into account, to thereby be able to document such large revenues, that the financing of common tasks complete equality would arise.
In the now following constitutional negotiations with the Althing, the government offered 1865 an independent state budget for Iceland and a grant of Denmark for a limited number of years. This proposal was rejected under the influence of Jón Sigurdsson. 1867 a new and more responsive proposal on the Constitution and the financial arrangements was presented, which indeed met with more approval, but was nevertheless also changed.
At the Diet of 1869, the impatience led through the lengthy constitutional negotiations to the fact that a draft law on the constitutional position of Islands was decided in the kingdom. As even this was rejected, the law " Lov om Islands forfatningsmæssige Stilling i Riget " was promulgated ( Law on Islands constitutional position in the empire) on January 2, 1871. This Iceland was established as inseparable part of the Danish kingdom with special land rights. Iceland should neither be represented in the Imperial Parliament, nor take part in the imperial legislation. Iceland should not contribute to the general needs of the empire, in which the annual grant to Iceland was included. So much of Jón Sigurdsson's demands was indeed fulfilled, but the realization of the law contrary to the principles of the Icelandic opposition, and it was accepted under protest.
1873 tempers were heated so that immediately before the meeting of the Althing, a public meeting was held at Þingvellir, which requested that there should only be a personal union with Denmark. Jón Sigurðsson saw the impracticability of this requirement, feared the Danish reaction and reached in the subsequent Althingversammlung that one should adhere in principle to these demands, but should ask the king in the face of taking place in the following year 1000 year celebrations, Iceland initially a Constitution with so much freedom to give as possible. Thus came the " Forfatningslov for Iceland " concluded (Constitutional Law for Iceland ) on January 5, 1874 which conceded the Althing, the Icelandic legislation in all matters. This law as the law of 1871 is largely due to the tireless work of Jón Sigurdsson. The remaining differences were related mainly to state- theoretical problems.
Nevertheless, he noted with bitterness that his ideal of absolute equality could not enforce. After the introduction of this Constitution, he participated very little in political life. On the Althing in 1877 weakened his health was visibly and in 1879 he resigned his seat. His last political articles can be found in the journal Andvari, the successor magazine of Ný Félagsrit.
Science
Also, as a philologist made Jón Sigurðsson remarkable things. He was an outstanding manuscript reader and a meticulous editor with a clear view of the importance of the sources. For Det kongelige Nordiske Oldskriftselskab he gave the Íslendinga sögur I-II (1843-1847), containing the Landnámabók that Íslendingabók and six selected sagas out. In the Annaler for nordisk Oldkyndighed 1848-1854 he published sagas with fabric from foreign literature and also for the Arnamagnæansche Foundation Snorra Edda I-II (1848-1852), then. Skáldatal in three volumes with the onset of an associated commentary He put his expenditure, the oldest and best manuscripts to reason with an extensive critical apparatus to the textual variants and a detailed description of each manuscript. For Sveinbjörn Egilssons Lexicon poeticum he wrote a knowledgeable literary-historical introduction. In the Antikvarisk Tidsskrift he published the yield of his investigations of 1841 in the Swedish libraries. He also took part in the preparatory work for the Regesta diplomatica historiae danicae and the register of the Scriptores rerum Danicarum. He also published the first volume of Diplomatarium islandicum ( 1857-1876 ). He has published a number of important collections of sources.
Appreciation
The 500 - kroner note shows a picture of Jón Sigurðsson.
Back