Imperial Geographical Society Expedition to Sealand

The Imperial Geographical Society (IGS) yesterday conducted an expedition to Sealand. Not the Principality of Sealand, a tiny sovereign state off the British coast, but rather a Welsh town of the same name. The expedition, consisting solely of Emperor Jonathan I and Princess Consort Hannah, walked two and a half miles from the latter’s university accommodation in Chester over the English-Welsh border to Sealand, stopping for lunch near the border sign. Sealand is not only of interest due to it sharing a name with the famous Principality; the land used to be marshland under shallow seawater until a land reclamation project in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

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.

Emperor founds Christian charitable order

Emperor Jonathan I has founded the Order of Saint Constantine as a specifically Christian order of chivalry for Austenasia. Members of the Order must be baptised Christians. Also – uniquely for Austenasian orders of chivalry – the Order is to function as a philanthropic organisation, raising money for various charities. A meeting of the Order, which has started off with ten founding members, will take place at some point in July or August in order to discuss the means and decide the recipients of their fundraising. The date of the Order’s foundation is of some significance. May 21st is the feast day of Emperor Constantine the Great and his mother Helen, who Christians venerate as saints. Ss Constantine and Helen have been named the patron saints of the new Order. They are also the patron saints of the church attended by the Emperor, to which he went this morning to attend a service celebrating the feast day. The new Order ranks below the Glorious Order of St. John and above the Order of the Bullmastiff.

IGS Expedition revisits original route

An expedition of the Imperial Geographical Society (IGS) yesterday retraced the route of its original expedition in 2009, through woods and farmland south of the British village of Bletchingley. The 2009 expedition was the very first launched by the IGS, which had then been in existence for barely two months. Twenty seven people participated in total, with it remaining to date the largest expedition of the IGS. Yesterday’s expedition walked the same route as that taken in 2009, comparing the area today with how it was seven years ago. A small detour had to be taken to find an alternative spot for lunch, with the gate to the clearing used during the original expedition having been locked by the landowners. There were only eight people on yesterday’s expedition; far smaller than the original, but numbering one more than last year’s May bank holiday expedition. Yesterday’s expedition was led by Emperor Jonathan I, with other members of the Imperial Family taking part alongside members of Carshalton Methodist Church. A film of the expedition can be seen here.

Emperor announces local elections as exile ends

As his final fortnight of exile comes to an end, His Imperial Majesty the Emperor has announced local elections for four of the Empire’s ten towns: Thanasia, Palasia, New Richmond and Harenfall. The local election will take place on 28 May next month. Those eligible, between the 7th and 14th of May, may stand to be elected their town’s Representative. Since 8 April, Emperor Jonathan I has been in exile from Austenasia, voluntarily serving out a recommended sentence given after the outcome of a trial he arranged after pledging to have the legality of actions he committed while still Crown Prince against Esmond III examined by a court. The Emperor was sentenced to three fortnights of exile, the timing of which would be at his discretion. This final fortnight of exile was served primarily at the Austenasian Embassy to the United Kingdom in Roehampton. In one of the amendments to the Constitution passed last year, local elections can now take place in one or some towns instead of all at once. This is the first time since then that such has taken place. Although the Emperor’s self-imposed exile is now at an end, he will spend six days with his unmarried partner Princess Consort Hannah at her university accomodation in the British city of Chester before travelling back to Wrythe. He will arrive back at Carshalton station on the evening of Thursday 28th.

Revival of the Grand Unified Micronational underway

Yesterday evening, a quorum was held by the Grand Unified Micronational for the first time since June last year. For the past ten months, the Grand Unified Micronational (GUM) has functioned as a formal chatroom for heads of state, politicians and diplomats, having been reformed from an increasingly dormant international organisation. Yesterday, however, Emperor Jonathan I and Lord Kit McCarthy raised the prospect of having the GUM return to being an international organisation for small nations. With overwhelming support from the chatroom’s members, the Emperor – who is the current Chair of the GUM – called together a quorum, a meeting of delegates which was used to pass motions when the GUM was an organisation. The members of the chatroom passed a motion agreeing to begin work on drafting a new reformed charter for a restructured GUM, which would learn from the mistakes of the past. Although several microstates and micronations were represented in the quorum, it was agreed that none would be considered member states of a revived GUM organisation until after the new charter was passed. Although international organisations have recently become increasingly unpopular in the diplomatic community of small nations, there is support for a reformed GUM from a wide range of those in the MicroWiki community, for which the GUM functioned practically as a United Nations equivalent for much of 2009 and 2010. It is hoped that the restoration of the GUM to an international organisation will help to improve ties between the older and newer members of the MicroWiki community, who are increasingly forming two separate factions according to many observers.

Updated criminal code published

His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, in his capacity as Home Secretary, has published an updated version of the Austenasian criminal code. The criminal code, which can be read here, is an updated version of one published in July 2013. The definitions of those actions considered crimes under Austenasian law are spread over many separate Acts of Parliament and Imperial Decrees. The criminal code lists the crimes by category in a single document, together with commentary by the Emperor. The previous code had become outdated, with new offences having since been created and reform having been made to legal areas such as drug laws.

Emperor to spend six weeks in exile

The trial of Emperor Jonathan I has come to an end, with the Monarch having been found guilty of three counts of treason against former emperor Esmond III. The trial, which took place online in the Imperial Court, saw the Emperor being tried for three actions he committed during December 2010 and January 2011 while Crown Prince in the process of overthrowing Esmond III in favour of Declan I. The Emperor convened the trial after reflection on the circumstances under which his predecessor came to power, stating that he wished to see justice done. As Monarch, the Emperor is immune from prosecution by anyone other than himself, and so technically served as judge, prosecutor, and defendant in the trial. However, for simplicity’s sake, the prosecution was argued by Sir Sebastian Linden and the defence by King Adam I of Überstadt. The trial came to an end on 19 January, with the jury finding the Emperor guilty of all charges. He did not appeal the outcome, and was sentenced this morning by the consuls to six weeks of exile, during which he will not set foot in Austenasia. Due to the status of the Monarch, he is not legally obliged to submit to said sentence. However, the Emperor has stated that he will voluntarily do so, spending most of the time at the Austenasian Embassy to the United Kingdom (located in Roehampton). The exile will not in any way affect the smooth running of Austenasian government: the Emperor has not been deprived of any of his powers, and will simply exercise them online or via telephone.

Emperor puts himself on trial

The first criminal trial since May 2009 has begun in Austenasia, with the Emperor himself on trial. HIM Emperor Jonathan I has, in an unprecedented move, charged himself with three counts of treason against Esmond III for actions committed over December 2010 and January 2011 in regards to his role in bringing Declan I to power. In the Emperor’s recent Christmas broadcast, he announced a desire to see the legality of his role in those events investigated in order to rectify any outstanding injustices. A select committee of the Privy Council was gathered, which helped organise a trial. The events in question took place during and after the War of the Orlian Reunification in December 2010, when the then Crown Prince Jonathan successfully orchestrated a conflict between the Carshalton Nations to bring Declan I to power as joint Monarch in opposition to Esmond III. Although the then Crown Prince admitted his role in events the following year, no legal action was ever taken against him. With the trial taking place in the Imperial Court, the Emperor is by a technicality judge, defendant, and prosecutor. However, in the interests of simplicity and justice, the prosecution is being argued by Sir Sebastian Linden and the defence by King Adam I of Überstadt. The trial is taking place over Skype due to differences in time zones between the prosecution and defence. As such, it will likely take several days. The smooth running of the government is not likely to be affected during this time. More details about the trial will be made public as events unfold.

Christmas 2015 celebrated in Austenasia

The past few days have seen Christmas celebrated across the Empire. On Christmas Day, Friday 25th, the populations of Wrythe and Zephyria attended a morning service at Carshalton Methodist Church. The Imperial Family then had Christmas dinner at the residence of the Boxalls (the maternal relatives of the Emperor). On Boxing Day, Saturday 26th, roles were reversed with the Boxall family being hosted at the Imperial Residence by the Imperial Family. Also joining them was Princess Consort Hannah, the Emperor’s unmarried partner. Emperor Jonathan I published his third annual Christmas broadcast on YouTube on Christmas Day, which can be heard here. In the speech, he reflected on the events of 2015 and on the meaning behind celebrations and anniversaries. Furthermore, Pontifex Maximus Alexander III (also known as Bradley of Dullahan) published a Christmas encyclical, which can be read here. The Austenasian Times wishes all its readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!