Imperial claim of Adammia to be recognised

New Year’s Day will see a treaty come into force under which the claim of Adammia to imperial rank will be recognised by Austenasia and the Holy Roman Empire. Adammia’s monarch, Adam I, has claimed the rank of emperor since he founded the nation in 2013. Adammia entered into diplomatic relations with Austenasia in May 2018, but without the claim to imperial rank being recognised. Most opposition to recognition of Adammia’s claim came from a desire to prevent “devaluation” by having the imperial rank shared by too many emperors. However, with the Reylan throne having been downgraded from full imperial rank in October, it was felt that consideration of Adammia’s claim was possible. Emperor Jonathan I has therefore agreed with Emperor Quentin I of the Holy Roman Empire to recognise the claim of Adam I of Adammia to the rank of emperor, on the condition that the latter does not unilaterally likewise recognise any other claimants.

Kingdom of Vikesland dissolved

In an announcement yesterday evening on Facebook, King Christopher I of Vikesland announced the dissolution of the kingdom. The now former king stated that it had become “painfully clear that I could no longer move Vikesland forward and give it the time and resources needed to make it a worthy micro state in the future. My film career and that thing we call life unfortunately needs my attention more. With those left helping me in agreement, we have decided to shut down Vikesland and go our separate ways.” Initially founded in 2005 as the Principality of Vikesland, the nation rose to fame after it was featured in the 2006 book Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations, and the then Prince Christopher was hosted in a high-profile state visit to the Republic of Molossia in June 2008. Further achievements of Vikesland include sending its flag to the edge of space by sponsoring a launch by a private spaceflight company in August 2008, and engaging in an aid mission to rural Cuba in February 2009. In October 2009, Vikesland became the first nation with which the Empire signed a formal diplomatic treaty, having entered into a state of mutual recognition in June earlier that year. The leaders of both nations continued to maintain friendly contact, exchanging Christmas cards and the like. Messages were sent to the now former King Christopher by Emperor Jonathan I and Prime Minister Lord Admiral Kennedy, thanking the King for his nation’s friendship with Austenasia.

King of the Grove visits Wildflower Meadows

King Calum I, ruler of the Kingdom of the Grove, yesterday met Princess Hannah of Wildflower Meadows in a state visit to Deva Victrix, capital of the Principality. The two were accompanied by their respective romantic partners, Princess Hannah’s being Emperor Jonathan I, who has known King Calum since high school. The King and the Princess signed a treaty of mutual recognition and national friendship on behalf of the Grove and Wildflower Meadows. Calum I had previously met Jonathan I and Princess Hannah in Deva Victrix in December 2016 and March 2017.

MicroWorld Newsbites – September 2016

CALSAHARA The week of the first Monday in September has been declared Opera Week, during which all citizens are encouraged to listen to only opera and classical music. CAMPINIA The abdication of Duke Elias I in favour in Shady Morsi, as reported last month, has been revealed to be a misunderstanding. After several days of mistakenly claiming to be Duke of Campinia, Morsi was offered the position of head of government as Grand Constable by Elias I, which he has accepted. DELVERA/NOTTALOTTA ACRES On 1 September, NottaLotta Acres was annexed by the Grand Republic of Delvera with the consent of its citizens, having had an entirely stagnant administration for some time. On 21 September, the Empire signed a treaty with Delvera recognising it as a sovereign state and as the sole legitimate successor state of NottaLotta Acres. Many Delveran officials were previously NottaLottan political and military leaders. FLANDRENSIS On 4 September, the Grand Duchy of Flandrensis celebrated eight years since its foundation. KUMANO JIRITSU Hatsu Aki, son of previous head of state O-Hatsu Kenji-sama, has been unanimously elected to suceed the latter by the National Senate after his father retired in July. Hatsu Aki is expected to take office in early October. LEYLANDIISTAN & GURVATA On 14 September, the Confederation of Leylandiistan and Gurvata dissolved, ceding its territory to the Republic of Ireland. The Empire had held diplomatic relations with Leylandiistan since January 2014. MOLOSSIA On 17 September, President Kevin Baugh and members of his family appeared in the Dayton Valley Days Parade of Dayton, Nevada, it being the seventh time that Molossia has been represented in the parade. ÜBERSTADT On 17 September, King Adam I announced that from henceforth the Kingdom would aim to keep Edmount Island – Überstadt’s original territorial claim, which it initially hoped to one day settle – uninhabited and undisturbed for ecological reasons.

Holy Roman Empire restored!

The Holy Roman Empire, an imperial polity which existed between 800 and 1806, has been re-established by King Quentin I of Wyvern. Emperor Jonathan I yesterday signed a treaty with Quentin I in which the latter was granted recognition of his claim to imperial rank, thus finally legitimising his restored Holy Roman Empire (HRE), a project by Wyvern which has been ongoing since 2014. Taeglan I Nihilus, the Reylan Emperor, gave his consent for Quentin I to be recognised as an Emperor. With Jonathan I, Taeglan I, and Quentin I all now recognised as holding the rank of Emperor, this marks the first time since 1867 that there have been three Emperors of three different imperial states in the West. The original Holy Roman Empire was effectively established in 800, before dissolving during the Napoleonic Wars. Quentin I based his claim to have re-established the HRE on the grounds that Wyvern is situated on land formerly belonging to the Empire, and that he himself is descended from various Holy Roman Emperors. The re-established HRE is structured very similarly to the way in which the original was in the latter part of its existence, as an imperial confederation of sovereign states over which the Holy Roman Emperor holds imperium. The member states of the new Holy Roman Empire are the Kingdom of Wyvern, the Kingdom of Natal, the Principality of Montania, and the Free City of Hoogland, the latter three of which are exclaves of the United States of America.

New South Scotland returned to Austenasian administration

The Counsellors of State have signed a treaty with the Commonwealth of Zealandia restoring Austenasian government to New South Scotland (NSS). Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy and King Adam I – who were appointed Counsellors of State by the Emperor on 31 August with authority to jointly exercise the powers of the Throne – signed a treaty with Zealandian politician Claire Nymoria, who had been authorised to sign on behalf of the Zealandian government. Since June 2014, New South Scotland – a Crown Dependency of Austenasia – has, while remaining de jure under Austenasian sovereignty, been governed by Zealandia. This arrangement was agreed upon after instability in the nearby nation resulted in aggressive colonial designs on NSS by Zealandia. New South Scotland is an enclave of the University of New South Wales, which was attended by Zealandian leader Charlotte Lindstrom and much of the Zealandian government and military. With most of the Zealandians having left the university at the start of summer, Lindstrom informed the imperial government that she would be unable to continue to administer NSS. Under the terms of the treaty, Zealandia has surrendered any and all claims to NSS and recognised the absolute right of the Austenasian Throne to its governance. The agreement reached in June 2014 made the Zealandian head of state ex officio Governing Commissioner of the Crown Dependency. Yesterday’s treaty, however, annulled this provision, and Emperor Jonathan I replaced Lindstrom as Governing Commissioner with Sir Hugh McFarlane, the Empire’s Consul-General at Sydney and a friend of the Emperor who lives near to NSS and who visited it as a tourist last year.

MicroWorld Newsbites – July 2016

FLANDRENSIS On 5 July, Flandrensis updated its Constitution for the eighth time since the Grand Duchy’s foundation in 2008. The revision has served mainly to insert the Grand Duchy’s environmental mission into its constitution, including a ban on tourists visiting its Antarctic claims and the statement that Flandrensis is the “only country in the world that doesn’t want its land inhabited by people”. KUMANO JIRITSU On 21 July, O-Hatsu Kenji-sama resigned as Kumano’s head of state. Senate leader Dr. Yamamoto Seiji has been appointed acting Sendatsu Daimyo (head of state) until elections take place in September or October. LADONIA The Ladonian cabinet has appointed Indonesian resident Cornelius Marpaung as its Minister for Anime and Hetalian Affairs. Other unusual cabinet posts in Ladonia include a Minister of Thermonuclear Eye Protection and a Minister of Raccoons and 42. ONGAL On 2 July, Ongal issued a claim to West Antarctica, i.e. those areas of Antarctica not already claimed by the seven UN member states of the United Nations which are signatories to the Antarctic Treaty. The Empire is unlikely to recognise this new claim, as the territory in question is already claimed by Westarctica, Flandrensis, Campinia and Arkel, all of which are states Austenasia has treaties with recognising their claims. On 6 July, Prince Milomir I met with former monarch of Bulgaria, Simeon I, at the National Museum of Military History in Sofia. The meeting was of an informal nature, with Simeon of Bulgaria not representing his country in any official capacity. SANDUS On 3 July, a membership application to the Grand Unified Micronational by the State of Sandus was rejected. On 27 July, the Empire suspended diplomatic relations with Sandus after its head of state Will Soergel published unfounded and untrue accusations that Emperor Jonathan I had masterminded a “conspiracy” to persuade GUM delegations to vote against Sandus. WYVERN On 27 July, the Statenraad of Wyvern decided against talks with Sandus which had been proposed in an attempt to resolve long-lasting diplomatic hostilities between the two states, considering it extremely unlikely that such talks would result in any meaningfully positive outcome.

The Lord Admiral’s Corner: On the revived Grand Unified Micronational

This article is one of a series of editorials from Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy known as The Lord Admiral’s Corner, where the Prime Minister will give his thoughts and opinions on issues affecting the micronation.org community. The opinions expressed in this series are the personal views of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Austenasian Times or the Austenasian Government. I’ll admit, I was skeptical when His Imperial Majesty the Emperor told me of plans to revive the Grand Unified Micronational. As a younger man, I was a very influential delegate from the now-defunct Ashukov Federation. I campaigned for the Chairmanship three times, though only the second one was successful. I was instrumental in the creation of the now-defunct GUM Library and established a committee dedicated to enacting a new Charter (which failed to accomplish its goal following the end of my term). I was as instrumental in attempting to revive the GUM as I was in its disestablishment as an organization; I was one of the first to advocate for its disestablishment and I served as the last Vice-Chairman of the old GUM under Adam of Adammia, my former rival and electoral opponent. Eventually, I came to agree with efforts to revive the GUM for a few reasons: the lack of discourse between nations in this community and the rise of the very capable (with some exceptions) “new guard.” When the GUM was disestablished, there ceased to be a hub for intermicronational diplomacy, with the only other major organization remaining being the then-relevant and active Saint Josephsburg Economic Pact, which is currently planned to be dissolved by the remaining member-states. This community has needed something like this to revive discourse between numerous micronations and to ensure stability. One of the reasons the old GUM failed was because, for a time, the number of lower quality new nations was exceptionally higher than the number of higher quality new nations (and because, against my advice, Quorum would vote to let anybody in, but that’s another story for another time). As older nations began to die off, a void was opened that newer nations weren’t able to fill. Now, with the rise of nations such as Mcarthia, Roseland, Zenrax, and the return of Koss, the GUM has enough higher quality nations to not totally stagnate. As a former Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Supreme Judge, I have some advice to give the members of the new GUM. First of all, as dreadful as this might sound, I strongly recommend the newer delegates wait an election or two before seeking the office of Chairman. Now, I understand why you might dislike this advice because I once attempted to run for the Chairmanship against King Ciprian of Juclandia after only serving as a delegate for around six months. In retrospect, I was nowhere near experienced enough to lead an organization such as the GUM. Now, as a former Chairman I can tell you that the job is no walk in the park (as a matter of fact, I wouldn’t accept the position if Quorum unanimously begged me to). It’s extremely time consuming, doubly so now due to the increase of the Chairman’s mandate from three to six months. It’s also extremely stressful – one mistake and Quorum will ridicule you (especially if you’ve made political enemies and rivals, which I did and I’m sure most delegates will do). Numerous past Chairmen (myself included) have stories of the job being so stressful they quite literally broke down for a time. Finally; please, for the love of God, don’t admit just anyone into the GUM as a full member. My personal recommendation is to refuse admission to any nation which hasn’t existed for at least six months (before anyone points out that Ashukovo was a GUM member from day one of its existence, Ashukovo was a successor state of a prior GUM member-state and all Ashukov politicians were seasoned micronationalists with at least six months of experience), doesn’t maintain active relations with at least five full member-states and can’t compose a decent MicroWiki article. That doesn’t mean you should shun most of these nations entirely (excluding lost causes such as joke nations and obvious fakes), just advise them to seek observership so more seasoned members can help them improve and then seek full membership. I believe the new GUM can be a positive force in the modern MicroWiki community so long as the new delegates avoid the errors of the past. I will serve as an Austenasian delegate and will occasionally voice my opinion and vote in Quorum, but at present I don’t plan on seeking office in the GUM. I wish the new and old delegates the best of luck and offer them my wholehearted support. HIH Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy, Duke of Bohemia

MicroWorld Newsbites – May 2016

FLANDRENSIS On 9 May, Gwendolien de Loungville resigned from her post as Minister of Finances & Economy after completing the process of paying back all those who had invested money in the building of the nation, paying off the national debt. JUCLANDIA Over the last weekend of the month, the three political parties of Juclandia held their Congresses in the Palace of the Great National Assembly to elect a new President and General Secretary for each party. Furthermore, it has been announced via MicroWiki that a general election will be held in July or August later this year. LEYLANDIISTAN & GURVATA A new government website has been launched and can be seen here. MOLOSSIA President Baugh has set his nation a goal of having 200 tourists this year, to surpass the average of Nauru, the least-visited member state of the United Nations. As of 22 May, 42 tourists have so far visited Molossia in 2016. SANDUS On 22 May, Sogmo Gaius Soergel announced plans to gradually decentralise the currently absolute power of the monarch. On 26 May, Sandus celebrated seven years since its foundation as Sandefreistikhan in 2009. ÜBERSTADT On 26 May, the king’s father was replaced as High Chancellor – top judge – by Terrah Perera, who King Adam I described as “thoughtful, studious, and articulate… [and] the most qualified Überstadti for this job.” The king’s father, Baron Ballinger, had to resign due to taking up a ministerial position incompatible with being High Chancellor. WILDFLOWER MEADOWS A new sovereign state, the Principality of Wildflower Meadows, has been founded by Emperor Jonathan I and his unmarried partner Princess Consort Hannah, the latter of whom now reigns as Princess of Wildflower Meadows. The principality claims land in and around the British city of Chester, and the Empire earlier today ratified a treaty of mutual recognition which also gave Wildflower Meadows the status of a protected state of Austenasia. ZEALANDIA On 22 May, a new Constitution was published, with Zealandia now a socialist commonwealth after its latest revolution last month. The new Zealandian Constitution can be read here.

Sanjib Bhattacharya granted non-residential subjectship

H.E. Professor Sanjib Bhattacharya has been made a non-residential subject of Austenasia, raising the Empire’s population to 88. Since August last year, Professor Bhattacharya has served as Austenasia’s Ambassador-at-Large for the States bordering India, as well as Consul-General at Mumbai. He was instrumental in the appointment of the Empire’s incumbent ambassadors to Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka, and has worked hard to increase awareness of Austenasia online and in his local community. In gratitude for his hard work for the publicity and diplomatic advancement of Austenasia, Professor Bhattacharya was granted Austenasian nationality in an Act of Parliament passed yesterday. As well as working as an Austenasian diplomat, Professor Bhattacharya is also the CEO of an award-winning translation service. Non-residential subjectship of Austenasia is held primarily by governors of uninhabited land. The granting of it by Parliament to others is a rare honour.