Pre-Denmark Norsemen settled the islands around 800 AD, bringing the
Old Norse language that evolved into the modern
Faroese language. These settlers are not thought to have come directly from Scandinavia, but rather from Norse communities surrounding the
Irish Sea,
Northern Isles and
Western Isles of
Scotland, including the
Shetland and
Orkney islands, and
Norse-Gaels. A traditional name for the islands in the
Irish language, , means 'the Skeggjar' and possibly refers to the ('island-beards'), a nickname given to the island dwellers. According to
Færeyinga Saga, persons who did not approve of the monarchy of
Harald I of Norway left Norway. These people settled the Faroes around the end of the 9th century. It is thus officially held that the islands' Nordic language and culture are derived from the early Norwegians. The islands were a
possession of the
Kingdom of Norway (872–1397) from 1035 until their incorporation into Denmark.
Under Danish rule was designed by Faeroese students in Copenhagen in 1919 The islands have been ruled, with brief interruptions, by the Danish government since 1388, all the time being part of Norway up until 1814. Although the state of
Denmark–Norway was thoroughly divided by the
Treaty of Kiel of 1814, the Faroe Islands remained in Danish hands. A series of discriminatory policies were put in place soon after the treaty; the Faroese parliament, the
Løgting was abolished in 1816 along with the post of
Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands. The aforementioned offices were replaced by a Danish judiciary. Concurrently, the usage of the
Faroese language was generally discouraged and
Danish was instilled as the official language of the region. The renewed
Danish Constitution of 1849 granted the Faroese two seats in the Danish Parliament
Rigsdagen. 1852 saw the restoration of the Løgting, albeit merely as an 18-member consultative body to the Danish authorities. The nationalist fervor has its roots in late 19th century, established initially as a cultural and political movement which struggled for the rights of using the Faroese language in the schools, the church, in media and in the legislature. The designated start is believed to be the
Christmas Meeting of 1888, which was held on December 22, 1888 in the Løgting (parliament) in
Tórshavn. Two of the persons who participated were
Jóannes Patursson and
Rasmus Effersøe. Patursson had written a poem which Effersøe read aloud, the first line starts: , which is often cited in support of the movement. The poem was about preserving and taking care of the Faroese language; over the years it has gained a strong cultural footing in the Faroe Islands. The Faroese language was not allowed to be used in the Faroese public schools as a teaching language until 1938, and in the church (Fólkakirkjan) until 1939. Young students who studied in Denmark played a prominent role in the nationalist movement. The
Faroese Merkið flag was designed in 1919 by Faroese students in
Copenhagen. Prior to the Merkið's utilization, there were other flags which some of the Faroese people identified themselves with, one was a flag featuring a ram and one was a flag with a
tjaldur. Denmark was
occupied by Nazi Germany as part of the
Second World War on April 9, 1940. The
United Kingdom, viewing the Faroe Islands as strategically valuable, began a
military occupation of the islands in order to thwart further German conquest of Danish territory. This effectively put the Faroe Islands under British administration until the conclusion of the war in 1945. Under British rule the Merkið was recognized as the official flag of the Faroes so that authorities could discern what vessels were Faroese fishing boats and which were hostile. ==Status of autonomy==