Iceland Quotes
The queen was reacting to the so called “Rebecca Riots” in Ireland. She was a very gentle and forebearing woman, but if pressed and the government was in her view in the right, she would crack down on seriouslawbreakers. This balance is one of the hardest things for a ruler to attain and she was masterful at it.
Even thought Iceland had an official church, it was not favored by requiring citizens to donate to it. All religions were treated equally and the official amount could be paid to whatever church the citizen belonged to. They even made provisions for atheists who would not have to donate to a religious organization.
This quotation illustrates two things. First, the enmity between the Protestants and the Catholic Church which the Lutherans had recently left. See for another anti-Catholic example of the Eastern Orthodox—{635099}. Second, the Muslim Ottoman Turks had recently conquered Constantinople and were very far from Iceland which was safe from their aggression. None the less, the hatred and fear of the Muslims had spread so far and fast in the Christian world, that even Christians who were in no danger prayed to be saved from them. Islamophobia was already well established in the middle of the 15th century.
This was 5 months before Pearl Harbor & U. S. entry in WWII. However, FDR was not allowing Germany to invade critical territory. Germany had invaded and occupied Denmark. Iceland then was a part of Denmark. In the month previous to this message, Iceland declared independence from Denmark and hence from Germany. The British had naval bases in Iceland. As part of the Lend Lease agreement providing war material to England, repayment included giving the U. S. title to the Icelandic bases. With Britain at war, Iceland was a legitimate target for the Germans who could say they were acting against the bases of an enemy and at the behest of Denmark who did not recognize the Independence. However Danish King Christian would not stand in the way of Icelandic Independence, & when the U. S. Navy occupied the bases, there was no way Germany could attack without bringing America actively into the war. In this way & many others, the U. S. was a military force even before we were in the war.
