Jón Jónsson Aðils (25 April 1869,
Reykjavík
Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...
- 5 July 1920) was an Icelandic historian. He has been described as "Iceland's most prolific historian of the early twentieth century." Historians and political scientists argue that Aðils strongly shaped
Icelandic nationalist discourse, and that his influence still affects Icelandic discourse on sovereignty issues, such as
European integration
European integration is the process of industrial, economic integration, economic, political, legal, social integration, social, and cultural Regional integration, integration of states wholly or partially in Europe or nearby. European integrat ...
.
Historiography
He is known for distinguishing periods in
Icelandic history
The recorded history of Iceland began with the settlement by Viking explorers and the people they enslaved from the east, particularly Norway and the British Isles, in the late ninth century. Iceland was still uninhabited long after the rest ...
into golden ages, periods of decline and periods of humiliation. In Aðils's narrative, the golden age begins with settlement in 874 (and reaches its high point during the Saga Age) and ends when Iceland falls under foreign rule (Jónsson 1903, 79, 88–89, 103, 105, 178).
Under foreign rule, the Icelandic nation declined and ultimately suffered humiliation (Jónsson 1903, 241–242).
Aðils' lessons were that under Icelandic rule, the nation was prosperous, productive and artistic, but suffered under foreign role. However, Aðils argued that within every Icelander, a desire for freedom and nationalism remained, and only had to be awoken.
Historian Guðmundur Hálfdanarson suggests that Aðils himself was doing his best to awaken this slumbering nationalist sentiment and strengthen the Icelandic pursuit of independence.
References
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Icelandic historians