Knowledge on the Nordics
Information & critical analysis on the Nordic countries
- produced by researchers
Latest additions to nordics.info
2019.09.18 | The Quick Read, Agnes Arnórsdóttir, Nation building, Region-building
History of Iceland, Vikings to early 19th century
Iceland was a largely uninhabited island in the northern Atlantic Ocean where Norsemen settled around 870. It began as a ‘free state’ but became a Norwegian province in the years 1262/64. As a dependency of Norway, Iceland came under the Danish-Norwegian Crown in 1380 and was in reality a Danish dependency from 1660. During the course of the 19th…
2019.09.11 | The Quick Read, Agnes Arnórsdóttir, Nation building, Democracy
History of Iceland, 1840s to the Second World War
Even though Iceland remained under Danish rule, the Icelandic ‘Althing’ was restored in 1845 as a national consultative assembly, and in 1874 the country obtained a constitution giving the Althing its own legislative power. Home rule was introduced in 1904, and in 1918 Iceland became an independent and sovereign state in personal union with…
2019.09.10 | Outlook, Thorsten Borring Olesen, Democracy, Nation building, Globalisation
Buying Greenland? Trump, Truman and the 'Pearl of the Mediterranean'
In the summer of 2019, the Trump Administration voiced an interest in buying Greenland from Denmark. The historical background for this stretches at least as far back as a case brought by Norway at the International Court in 1933 when it was decided that Denmark had full sovereignty over Greenland. Since then, Danish governments have engaged in…
2019.09.04 | The Quick Read, Agnes Arnórsdóttir, Nation building, Governance
History of Iceland from 1944
After a referendum almost unanimously in favour, Iceland was declared an independent republic on 17th June 1944 at Þingvellir. Denmark did not, however, repeal the law which set out the terms of its personal union with Iceland until 1950. Since then, Iceland has been able to re-claim much of its cultural heritage from Danish institutions.…
2019.08.28 | Biography, Bodil Marie Stavning Thomsen, The arts
Asta Nielsen (1881-1972)
The Danish theatre actress Asta Sophie Amalie Nielsen became a silent screen world star overnight after her leading role in the silent movie Afgrunden (The Abyss/The Woman always Pays) in 1910.