An Imperial Decree yesterday withdrew Austenasia’s recognition of New Wessex as a sovereign state after it was learnt that the latter has “effectively collapsed”.
The United Kingdom of New Wessex was founded in January 2012 as the latest in a long line of successor states of a civilisation based in Wiltshire which could trace itself back to 1995. However, it was recently learnt that any governance of the kingdom has effectively ceased.
New Wessex and its predecessor states were absolute monarchies, ruled for the most part by Declan I, who also reigned as Emperor of Austenasia between December 2010 and January 2013 before abdicating and being succeeded by the incumbent Emperor Jonathan I.
Austenasia entered into diplomacy with Moylurg (a predecessor of New Wessex) in June 2010, and held very close relations with the kingdom until after the abdication of Declan I from Austenasia, which he had tended to see more as a colonial holding of his native kingdom.
Relations between Jonathan I and Declan I quickly deteriorated after the abdication, with the final straw breaking on 24 June later that year when Orly was liberated from the foreign rule of the latter.
Very little is known to have been done by Declan I in regards to the governance of New Wessex since its foundation beyond the designing of national symbols and the granting of titles to family members. According to a source close to the Emperor, Declan has no longer “got much time” for New Wessex.
Despite mutual recognition having been nominally maintained between New Wessex and the Empire after the Liberation of Orly, the last vestiges of diplomatic relations were cut in August last year. Anti-Wessaxon sentiment has since been high in Austenasia and in the wider Carshalton Nations – for example, in late 2013 the cipher of Declan I was erased from the Copanese Regnal List in an act of vandalism by an unknown Orlian citizen.
Both kingdoms of Orly became protected states of Austenasia after their liberation, with their governments requesting defence against any prospective attempts by New Wessex to reconquer them. This would now no longer seem to be a threat. It is likely that many in the Carshalton Nations will celebrate the demise of New Wessex alongside the anniversary of Orly’s liberation on 24 June.
