Jón Sigurðsson

Jón Sigurðsson (June 17, 1811 – December 7, 1879) was the leader of the 19th-century Icelandic independence movement.

Born at Hrafnseyri, near Arnarfjörð in the Westfjords area of Iceland, he was the son of a pastor, Sigurd Jónsson. He went to Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1833 to study history at the university there, and subsequently to work at the Arnamagnæan Collection which was then the home of the manuscripts of the Icelandic Sagas. He became the greatest expert on the Sagas and on Icelandic history. He never graduated from university, as Icelandic politics grew to consume all his time.

He married his cousin, Ingibjörg Einarsdóttir, and they set up their home in Copenhagen which became a centre for all Icelanders in the city. They had no children, but a contemporary remarked that "all Icelanders are their children". He travelled to Iceland every other year, 29 times in all, to chair meetings of the Althing which then acted as an advisory body to the Danish government and king. The Danish government listened to Sigurðsson's eloquent advocacy of Iceland's interests, and in 1874 granted Iceland a limited constitution giving autonomy in internal affairs.

He is often referred to as President since he served as President of the Icelandic Literary Society (Hið íslenzka bókmenntafélag) for decades. He is currently pictured on Iceland's 500 krónur bill, and has been honoured on Icelandic postage stamps on the centenaries of his birth and death, the 150th anniversary of his birth, and on the creation of the Republic of Iceland (on his 133rd birthday).

External links

• Jón Sigurðsson of Iceland (in English)
• Jónshús (in Icelandic)
• Hið íslenzka bókmenntafélag (in English)