Queen Margrethe II of Denmark revives claim of right under 500 year old Udal Law to reclaim sovereignty of Shetland and Orkney Isles.
“A tragic irony of life is that we so often achieve success or financial independence after the chief reason for which we sought it has passed away.” – Ellen Glasgow
By Ilaf Maheedaf
AN INDEPENDENT Scotland will have to hand back Shetland and Orkney according to Denmark’s British Ambassador.
In partnership with Norway’s King Harald V, the Danish regent Queen Margrethe II intends reviving the ancient rites of Udal Law which were ratified by the Scottish parliament in 1567.
According to Udal law, the Scottish parliament is legally bound to return the islands to Norway upon repayment of the Kalmar Union dowry following the betrothal of Margaret of Denmark to King James III of Scotland in 1468.
The Danish Queen claims to have in her possession authenticated copies of the 1575-7 Orkney & Shetland Lawbooks which allow the islands to revert to their previous territorial possession under the Kalmar Union.
Every copy of these books were believed destroyed by an agent of the Scottish crown, Patrick Stuart, around 1579.
But acclaimed Danish historian Olaf Gerritupyeson discovered copies of the books in the Soviet wartime archives in Moscow.
He believes the Nazis looted the historical lawbooks after the occupation of Denmark by the Wehrmacht in 1940.
Under the auspice of Udal law the Orkneys and Shetlands will revert back to Denmark and Norway on the repayment of the dowry believed to be around 10,000 Kroner.
It has been calculated that, due to interest rates and inflation, the figure could be as high as $3.7 billion dollars.
Norwegian Finance Minister Sigbjørn Jahnsen has already tabled a motion in Norways’s parliament seeking permission to use monies from Norway’s Oil Fund on behalf of the Norwegian and Danish governments.
He said: “This could be one of the most lucrative and ethical investments we make with our Investment Fund monies.”
Controversially, historian David Starkey helped verify the authenticity of the lawbooks and the constitutional legality of the dowry repayments.
He said: “There is no doubting the wording of the laws contained in these ratified lawbooks. Should Denmark or Norway make the requisite dowry repayment, Scotland must return the sovereign territories – they have no right over the islands in any type of constitutional law.
“The only contentious issue appears to be just how much the 10,000 Kroner would be worth in today’s currency.”
Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslip said: “We are currently seeking alternative views on the legal implications of these laws.
“The Scottish government is sure they wouldn’t stand up to the rigours of modern International advocacy.”
AhDinnaeKen 
It would likely be grand to be part o Denmark and Norway! We’re treated like forginers up here anyway!
You had me going until I saw the historian called Gerritupyeson!
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/GettingInvolved/Petitions/islandgroups
Sign the petition show your support for the isles
as much as i love Orkney as my birthplace i would not want to be taxed like they are in norway ,and who would subsidise the north boats and the stromness too scrabster sailings ,if scotland was not the government off the day ,i am fiercly proud off my scandinavian roots but do you realise that there would be a 12 mile fishing limit and no oil revenues so i have read ,but like the referendum vote only time will tell ….
When will we receive reparations from Denmark for the illegal theft of of Shetland, Orkney, Caithness, Argyll and the Isles by hairy savages in the ninth century?
We are already taxed at greater than 50% in the uk! it’s on everything you buy! and the sneaky taxes! TV, licence , car tax , passenger duty! clothes , fuel. Etc etc etc
Eddie what are you on about Norway has higher tax rates than UK by a long way this is not just income tax but on general products and services as well e.g. In the UK we don’t pay tax on food stuff, nappies etc… Essentially anything seen as essential for living Norway pay tax on all of it. I haven’t looked at all the facts in awhile so I am reciting from memory but trust me look on the two government websites and on other info pages about the two countries tax systems, we are taxed far lass in the UK AND our tax system is fairer if you ask me, our poor pay a lot less and our rich pay a lot more in Norway everyone pays aload their base tax rate is about 5% higher than ours.
Eddie Watt, Ian Salisbury is right! The UK (for as as long as it may last) tax is one of the lowest in western Europe. Norway and Denmark is some of the highest, not only income tax but “luxury tax” on a lot of things (just an example in Denmark, cars = 180%, motorbikes = 204%) and 25% vat on everything from baby food to your electricity bill!
But the welfare is better if you don’t like to work, then again the national healths services probably isn’t!
I hope it helps.
Kind regards
Jens Larsen
Sources?
The standard of living in norway is as high as you will find in the world , the wages are higher than in scotland and I don’t think the taxes would differ that much in percentage but oil revenues in norway are far better distributed than in scotland, the savings in the norwegian fund is today laying around 1,000,000 nok per man woman and child in the whole country so I don’t think anybody would be worse off, only that the boats would be able to fish the norwegian / danish sectors freely and maybe you’d get bridges and tunnels instead of ferry’s between the islands. Never heard of bedroom taxes or any of that nonsense over here, I have worked in norway for more than a year and it seems quite good to be here.
Gerritupyason?………bit suspicious that name…..blag.
I don’t see how this is an Independance issue?This has always been an issue,we did all about this at school,way back.Their claim would be the same either way!
Bring it on who wants a king Eck ,imagine no oil or gas from Shetland. He didn’t think of that one.
Possibly, Sinky, the agreement was signed between Scotland and the Scandinavian king, and was not recognised by the UK. An independent Scotland would be another matter.
So then an independent Scotland could take the same stance as the UK and refuse to recognise the treaty, if what you say is true. After all a newly created democratic Scotland isn’t a successor to the country King James III was in charge of, in anything other than physical geography.
However i think you are incorrect that the UK has the authority to simply ignore this treaty. The Northern isles have operated under udal law as well as Scottish law since they joined Scotland. There are many differences in the law there, this is why oil companies had such problems laying pipelines, because in the Northern isles, land ownership extends further into the sea than in the rest of the UK due to the udal system still in place today.
And as Sinky says, we did learn this stuff in school (or those of us who went to school in the Northern isles did, anyway). The treaty has always been valid. It is very interesting that the queen of Denmark would choose to raise this issue now, though, in the context of Brexit, and to try to place it in the context of Scottish independence is interesting too, especially when the whole idea of Denmark buying back the Northern isles has been treated as such a joke all these years.
…and now i have reread the OP by a certain ILAF MAHEEDAF, i have realised that in fact, that is how it is still being treated. It’s another week and a half to April Fool’s Day though!
hahahahahahahahahaha
… and while we are at it, how about getting the old Danish colony England back under Danish rule!
After all, it’s only 1000 years ago that 4 consecutive Danish Kings ruled England and life under Danelaw was apparently great!
ACTUALLY LAUGHING MY HAIRY SHETLAN ERSE AFF. Great stuff!
Love the strapline btw. Added to my personal blogroll.
Ilaf Maheedaf must be a good story teller 😛
Look at the authors name. Think someone taking the pee! lol
Soooooo funny. Well done whoever wrote this piece. Loved it, lol!!!
What a load of rubbish. If this was the truth, this would have been done a long time ago. It wouldn’t matter if it were the UK or Scotland!
Could some learned person please explain to me why it is only if Scotland becomes independent that Norway wants back Orkney and Shetland and not as long as they are controlled from London as part of the U.K.
So its not British Oil, or Scottish Oil, its Danish Oil…!
Lol
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I seem to remember a “Back to Denmark” movement in the 60s or 70s. Can’t remember why it was wanted back then, but it seems there is nothing new under the sun.
K. Danby
This is obviously a premature April Fool’s Day joke! And a good one!!
boys you forget or dont know, the taxes may be higher in Norway and Denmark, but the wages are far higher than ours
“Olaf Gerritupyeson”? Is this an attempt at comedy?
This otherwise fairly factual piece is ridiculing itself, apparently.
In actual fact Denmark has afaik shown no interest in repeating the dowry and reclaiming the islands. In any case I’m sure it’s not that simple in that the current Scottish parliament is a UK institution with no continuity extending back to the fifteenth century, and an independent Scottish parliament would be even further removed from that distant time.
It is much more likely the decision would be taken by the islanders themselves, and we just saw a 27.2% swing to the SNP in Orkney and Shetland in 2015, this being the constituency that historically always voted the most AGAINST Scottish independence and devolution, so it’s safe to assume that if Scotland became independent the people of Orkney and Shetland would not be clamouring for further radical change on top of that.
So gerritupyeson yourself!
This otherwise fairly factual piece is ridiculing itself, apparently.
You’re a bright one Calum. Well done.
Bet you’re a great laugh down the pub etc.
Regards.
Reblogged this on sideshowtog.
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These islands should revert to Danish rule.