Icelandic nationalism

Its use was instrumental in the Icelandic movement for independence from Denmark, led by Jón Sigurðsson.

Icelandic nationalism or Þjóðernishyggja is based upon the idea of resurrection of the Icelandic Free State, and its values (or what was believed to be its values): democracy, freedom of the individual, the need for the country to be independent, and respect for the cultural and religious traditions, especially the long preserved language.

These ideas are often encoded in the popular phrase land, þjóð og tunga ('land, people, and language').

Icelandic nationalism primarily arose in the 19th century, during a time when it was under Danish hegemony.

[2] One towering figure was Jón Sigurðsson, who was the preeminent figure of Icelandic nationalism in the 19th century and on whose birthday, 17 June 1944, the modern Icelandic republic intentionally declared independence.