The Kingdom of Rushymia was re-established as a territorial entity yesterday as 35 acres of land were annexed to Austenasia as the Empire’s newest Crown Dependency.
Rushymia originally existed as a playground-based micronation between 1995 and 2000. In October 2010, the right to the Rushymian crown was gained by the Austenasian Throne, and an Act of Parliament was passed last year authorising the re-creation of Rushymia as an Austenasian Crown Dependency.
The new site of Rushymia, claimed by Imperial Edict, was provisionally selected in April earlier this year. Notices announcing the government’s intention to claim the land were placed around the site, asking any objections to be voiced, but as no reply was forthcoming, it is assumed that the land is unwanted.
The new site of Rushymia is comprised of a large area of grassland, bordered by wooded areas to its south and south-west. Prior to its annexation, the identity of its owners was unable to be verified.
The land borders Mitcham Common, although not a part of the Common itself, and is often used by dog walkers, joggers, and amateur quadbike drivers.
Unlike other Crown Dependencies, which are administered by a Governing Commissioner appointed by the Monarch, Rushymia is to be governed directly by Emperor Jonathan I in his capacity as King of Rushymia.
In a reference to an extremely controversial incinerator being built relatively nearby, notices placed yesterday on the site announcing the annexation also stated that the building of incinerators (as well as the felling of trees used by nesting birds, in reference to another recent environmental controversy) is forbidden within the new Kingdom.
Having been claimed on 29 August, a feast day of St John the Baptist, Jonathan I has declared St John to be patron saint of Rushymia.
The new Crown Dependency is now Austenasia’s second largest land claim, with only Corinium Terentium covering a larger area.
