Editing History of Iceland (section)

===Independence movement===
{{Further|Icelandic Independence Movement}}
[[File:Sjómannsbýli í Reykjavík 1836.jpg|thumb|Fisherman's hut in Iceland]][[File:Jón Sigurðsson.jpg|thumb|Jón Sigurðsson.]]
Throughout the 19th century, the country's climate continued to grow worse, resulting in mass emigration to the [[New World]], particularly [[Manitoba]] in Canada. However, a new national consciousness was revived in Iceland, inspired by [[romantic nationalism|romantic nationalist]] ideas from [[continental Europe]]. This revival was spearheaded by the ''[[Fjölnismenn]]'', a group of Danish-educated Icelandic intellectuals.

An independence movement developed under the leadership of a lawyer named [[Jón Sigurðsson]]. In 1843, a new Althing was founded as a consultative assembly.  It claimed continuity with the Althing of the Icelandic Commonwealth, which had remained for centuries as a judicial body and had been abolished in 1800.