Kingdom of Iceland

Origins of Danish rule Because of the Kalmar Union, Iceland had been under the control of the Crown of Denmark since 1380, although formally it had been a Norwegian possession until 1814. In 1874, one thousand years after the first acknowledged settlement, Denmark granted Iceland home rule. The constitution, written the same year, was revised in 1903 and the extent of Iceland's home rule increased in 1904. Establishment of the kingdom On 1 December 1918, the Act of Union, an agreement with Denmark, recognized Iceland as a fully sovereign state, an independent country in personal union with Denmark through a common monarch. The Kingdom of Iceland established its own flag and coat of arms and asked that Denmark represent its foreign affairs and defence interests on its behalf while retaining full control over its foreign affairs and defence. Iceland opened its first embassy in 1920. The Act would be reviewed in 1940 and could be revoked three years later if agreement to continue it could not be reached. World War II, British occupation and the establishment of the republic During the first year of World War II, Iceland strictly enforced a position of neutrality and took action against both British and German forces that violated it. The German invasion of Denmark on 9 April 1940 and subsequent occupation severed communications between Iceland and Denmark. ==Titles of the Crown==

• By the Grace of God, King of Iceland, Denmark, the Wends and the Goths, Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Stormarn, Dithmarschen, Lauenburg and Oldenburg. ==Monarchy==

The Kingdom of Iceland was a constitutional monarchy that existed from 1918 to 1944 under a personal union with Denmark. It was established through the Act of Union, which recognized Iceland as a sovereign state with its own government and parliament, the Althing, while the Danish king, Christian X, remained head of state. This agreement gave Iceland far greater autonomy after centuries of Danish rule, although Denmark continued to oversee some foreign affairs and defense matters. During the early years of the kingdom, Iceland developed its own political institutions and strengthened its national identity. The situation changed dramatically during World War II when Germany occupied Denmark in 1940. Because communication with Denmark was cut off, Iceland assumed control of its foreign policy and effectively governed itself independently. British forces, and later American troops, occupied Iceland during the war to prevent German influence in the North Atlantic. In 1944, while Denmark was still occupied, Iceland held a national referendum in which the vast majority of voters supported ending the union with Denmark and establishing a republic. On 17 June 1944, the Republic of Iceland was officially proclaimed at Þingvellir, an important historic site tied to Iceland’s medieval parliament. Sveinn Björnsson became the country’s first president. The Kingdom of Iceland is remembered as the transitional period between Danish rule and Iceland’s full independence as a modern democratic state. List of Monarchs ==Flags==

File:Light Blue Flag of Iceland.svg|Flag of Iceland (1915–1944) File:State flag of Iceland (1918–1944).svg|State Flag of Iceland (1915–1944) File:Standard of the Regent of Iceland (1941–1944).svg|Standard of the Regent (1941–1944) ==See also==