Parkland annexed as new Crown Dependency
On Wednesday 5th, the most recent expansion of the Empire took place with the annexation of the Crown Dependency of Kingeston. Kingeston, which consists of just over two and a half acres of parkland bordered by the Canadian province of Ontario, was claimed for Austenasia by Austin Jaax, who has been appointed Governing Commissioner of the new claim and given a position in the Privy Council. As a Crown Dependency, Kingeston will not be represented in Parliament but will be administered by Jaax autonomously from the central government. In other news, on 4 December, the Emperor announced the official start of winter in the Austenasian calendar.
Rushymia re-founded as Crown Dependency
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.
Further expansion for the Empire
The population and territory of Empire of Austenasia grew yesterday, despite the Town of Ionisia being ceded back to Greece. In an Act of Parliament passed yesterday morning, Ionisia was dissolved whereas Amerdansk – a Territory annexed in 2016 – was expanded into a Town with the annexation of an adjoining house. Amerdansk, which had previously consisted of an uninhabited garden, now includes a residential property inhabited by three. Lord Anthony Clark, former Governor of the territory, now serves as its Acting Representative. Ionisia joined Austenasia on 6 August last year, precisely one year before its dissolution. Inhabited by dual citizens of the Kingdom of Imvrassia, the town was founded in an exercise of national friendship between Imvrassia and Austenasia. Its three residents have retained Austenasian subjectship in a ceremonial capacity in a sign of the enduring friendship between the two states. The expansion of Amerdansk has outweighed the territorial loss of Ionisia, with Austenasia actually making a net gain of roughly 187 square feet. In addition to the new Austenasians living in Amerdansk, non-residential subjectship has been granted to Admiral Shiro Mephistopheles, the Empire’s new Minister of Defence. His eight days in office prior to gaining subjectship mark the only time a non-Austenasian has ever held a position in Cabinet. The population of Austenasia now stands at 82.
Two new Towns annexed as Axvalley dissolved
This morning, an Act of Parliament was passed dissolving the Crown Dependency of Axvalley while annexing two new Towns, Jovanovo and Ionisia. Axvalley, a farming estate bordered by Brazil, had joined the Empire in February 2013, one of the first of the great territorial expansions that Austenasia had seen under Emperor Jonathan I. As a Crown Dependency, Axvalley functioned with complete autonomy under its Governing Commissioner, Rubens Machado. However, after four and a half years under Austenasian sovereignty, the people of Axvalley decided that they wished to return to Brazil. Their right to political self-determination being respected, legislation was drawn up to dissolve the Crown Dependency. However, at the same time, the government received requests from two other places to be annexed as Towns. The first, Jovanovo, consists of two rural properties bordered by Montenegro, measuring nine and a half acres. The second, Ionisia, is comprised of a residential property on the Greek island of Samos. Jovanovo and Ionisia have populations of twelve and three, respectively, and are both wholly Orthodox Christian in the religious composition of their residents. Ionisia is home to Prince Aggelos of Imvrassia, who has been appointed Acting Representative of the new Town. These latest changes leave the Empire of Austenasia with a population of 84, and a land area of roughly eighty one acres.
New Territory in North America
In the first territorial expansion of the Empire since December 2016, Austenasia expanded today with the annexation of the Territory of Hoagland in North America. Hoagland, an enclave of the U.S. state of Ohio, consists of 14,628 square feet of grassland. Between August and November last year, the land was a member state of the Holy Roman Empire as the Free City of Hoogland. Hoogland’s former Statholder, Grant Hawkins – also known as Pope Euclid I, as Pontifex Maximus – offered the land to the Empire and has been appointed Governor of the newest Austenasian Territory. The name Hoagland, a deliberate variation on the land’s former name, is originally derived from the Afrikaans for “high land.” Austenasian Territories are areas of land with no permanent residents, and are administered by a Governor who usually lives nearby to the land.
Three towns dissolved in unprecedented Act of Parliament
At 9:00 am Wrythe time yesterday morning, an Act of Parliament was passed ceding the Towns of Zephyria, Thanasia and Porthbokon back to the United Kingdom. Zephyria, which was the first inhabited territory to join the Empire outside of Wrythe, was annexed in April 2009. As the residential property of which it is comprised is soon to be rented out by the Town’s residents – the family of Lord Marshal William – while they move to another property, it was considered best that it no longer be part of Austenasia. However, Zephyria’s former population of three have retained their status as Austenasian subjects. Thanasia and Porthbokon have both been ceded absolutely, with their populations also having lost their Austenasian nationality. Thanasia was ceded by the request of its population, whereas Porthbokon was ceded unilaterally by the government due to it having been unable to contact its Representative, Lady Evren, for over a year. Two non-residential subjects, contactable only via Thanasia, have also had their status as such revoked. Speaking earlier to Parliament, Prime Minister Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy stated that the cessions “should not be misinterpreted as a sign of the Empire stagnating. The Government is working on a series of reforms that will soon be presented, and first among those reforms is guaranteeing that the House of Representatives will be comprised of active Representatives who will actually partake in the governance of our beloved Empire.” The House of Representatives now has six instead of nine members. The three towns which have been ceded rarely voted, meaning that legislation required near unanimity of all voting rather than a simple majority; with the three less active towns gone, the legislature should become far more efficient. Despite one third of the Empire’s Towns having been ceded, less than a tenth – 9.75% – of Austenasia’s population has been lost. Of even less magnitude has been the effect on the Empire’s land area, with Zephyria, Thanasia and Porthbokon together having comprised a mere 0.21% of Austenasian territory. One demographic effect of this has been to push the proportion of Christians in the Austenasian population into the majority, from 49% to 54%, with both Thanasia and Porthbokon having been entirely atheist. The total population of the Empire now stands at seventy four people, including thirteen non-residential subjects.
Changes to New Richmond
An Act of Parliament was passed this morning which ceded some areas of New Richmond to the United States of America whilst annexing some to it back from the USA. North New Richmond and the western half of Saint Josephsburg were ceded to the USA, while two new areas of land were annexed to New Richmond. These two new areas are yet to be named by its town council. As a result of these changes, New Richmond (and therefore the Empire as a whole) has made a net gain of roughly 23,895 square feet and a net loss of one resident. New Richmond is set to gain the status of a city on 9 January next year, meaning that they will elect a Mayor in their next local election.
Annexation restrictions introduced as Lichtenstein and Heischierland ceded
Stringent restrictions were introduced in regards to the Empire claiming new land this morning after Austenasian sovereignty over the town of Lichtenstein and the crown dependency of Heischierland was abandoned due to a single person wishing to leave the Empire. Lord Charles Clarke – also known by a variety of pseudonyms throughout his political career – became an Austenasian in June 2013 after offering the then Territory of Emperorsland to Austenasia. Emperorsland expanded in 2014, annexing a neighbouring house inhabited by Lord Charles and his family, to become the Town of Lichtenstein. Later that year, the family’s holiday home was annexed as the Crown Dependency of Heischierland. Lord Charles has been an Austenasian official for over three years, and held four Cabinet positions at varying times. However, after announcing that he no longer wished to be a part of the Empire, the government found itself forced to cede Lichtenstein and Heischierland after losing the only person who was able to administer them. In the Act of Parliament passed this morning which ceded said land, tough new regulations have been introduced to prevent any future annexations of land which could be rendered ungovernable by the departure of a single person. From henceforth, any offers of land to the Empire must be approved by the Home Secretary before being considered by Parliament. The Home Secretary must ascertain (amongst other criteria) that more than one person is willing to administer the offer of land, and that the majority of any inhabitants wish (rather than just consent, as was the case with Lord Charles’ family) to become Austenasians. With the loss of the two areas of land administered by Lord Charles, the Empire’s population has dropped by three to 84.
New town founded as another leaves the Empire
The new town of Ionathanopolis was founded earlier today, while Harenfall returned to Norway. The Ionathanopolis and Harenfall Act 2016, given Imperial Consent this afternoon, annexed Ionathanopolis to the Empire while ceding Harenfall to Norway. The entirety of Harenfall’s population voted to abstain in last month’s local election; it had previously been agreed by Harenfall and the imperial government that such would be considered a vote for secession by the former, Harenfall’s Representative having raised the issue some months previously. Harenfall has therefore been ceded by the Empire back to Norway, the country which previously held sovereignty over the town, due to a wish by its population to become solely Norwegian once more. The Prime Minister, Lord Admiral Joseph Kennedy, stated in Parliament that it was “sad to see a town go, but the people of Harenfall have exercised their right to self-determination and Parliament has concurred.” The Act of Parliament reserves the right for Austenasia to reassume sovereignty over Harenfall “should such be in accordance with the wishes of its population, and/or if the Norwegian government proves incapable of governing it.” Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, the new town of Ionathanopolis – consisting of a residential property with a population of five – has been annexed to the Empire after its residents requested to join. An enclave of the U.S. state of South Carolina, Ionathanopolis replaces Harenfall as Austenasia’s tenth town. Lord Peter Palaiologos, who has been granted the noble title Count of Mentavlos, has been appointed Ionathanopolis’ Acting Representative.
New territory in Scotland
The Empire of Austenasia has expanded for the second time this year, with the annexation of a small territory in eastern Scotland. The Territory of Amerdansk, which consists of the 360 square foot garden of a residential property, was annexed by Austenasia last night. The land had been offered to the Empire by the now Lord Anthony Clark, a resident of the adjoining house, who has been appointed governor of the territory. Amerdansk is the sixth Territory of the Empire, and the fourth to be an enclave of Scotland.
