Empire of Austenasia Micronation | |
---|---|
Motto: IMPERATOR ET POPVLVS AVSTENASIÆ The Emperor and People of Austenasia | |
Anthem: God Save the Emperor | |
Status | Current |
Capital | "Wrythe" (in Carshalton) |
Official languages | English |
Demonym(s) | Austenasian |
Organizational structure | Constitutional parliamentary Monarchy |
• Emperor | Jonathan I |
John Gordon | |
Establishment | |
• Declared | 20 September 2008 |
Area claimed | |
• Total | 2.46 [1] km2 (0.95 sq mi) |
Membership | 113 [2] |
Purported currency | Pound sterling (£) |
Website austenasia.com |
The Empire of Austenasia is a micronation founded in 2008 in the United Kingdom. Operating under the constitutional monarchy of its fourth Emperor, Jonathan I, it consists of dozens of properties that have declared themselves independent under the leadership of a house in the London Borough of Sutton. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [ excessive citations ]
Drawing from the medieval idea of Translatio imperii , Austenasia claims to be a successor of the Roman Empire (specifically its later Christian phase) and has increasingly adopted Roman-themed elements such as Consuls and a Senate. Christianity was declared Austenasia's official religion in 2017. [11]
Austenasia was founded on 20 September 2008 by Jonathan Austen (born 1994), a student, and his father Terry Austen (born 1961), a security guard turned gardener. After sending a declaration of independence for their house in Carshalton to their local Member of Parliament, Tom Brake, Terry was named Emperor and Jonathan was named Prime Minister. Terry abdicated in February 2010, and was succeeded by Emperor Esmond III, who after a "civil war" and various internal disputes was replaced by a new leader, Declan MacDonagh, in December later that year. Jonathan then became emperor after Declan abdicated in January 2013 for personal reasons, [12] and began a program of expansion which has seen people from across the world join the micronation by claiming properties which they live in or regularly visit. The micronation has been featured in several local and international publications, and has a certain amount of fame within Carshalton as being a local "quirk". [13] [14] [15] The micronation produced and sold commemorative coins in 2018 in celebration of its tenth anniversary. [16]
Having initially received no reply to their declaration of independence, [17] Jonathan met with Tom Brake MP in May 2011, who contacted Foreign Secretary William Hague to enquire on Jonathan's behalf about the criteria by which the UK recognises new states. [18]
Austenasia claims several properties around the world, variously classified as "cities", "towns", "territories" or "crown dependencies". Wrythe, the micronation's "capital city", consists of a suburban house in the London Borough of Sutton. Several other British houses are also claimed, and other territorial claims include part of a university campus in Australia and a holiday home in the Hebrides. The micronation also has claims in the United States, Turkey, India, Algeria, Poland and other nations. [19] [20] [21] [22]
A micronation is a political entity whose representatives claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by any sovereign state. Micronations are classified separately from de facto states and quasi-states; they are also not considered to be autonomous or self-governing as they lack the legal basis in international law for their existence. The activities of micronations are almost always trivial enough to be ignored rather than disputed by the established nations whose territory they claim—referred to in micronationalism as "macronations". Several micronations have issued coins, flags, postage stamps, passports, medals and other state-related items, some as a source of revenue. Motivations for the creation of micronations include theoretical experimentation, political protest, artistic expression, personal entertainment and the conduct of criminal activity. The study of micronationalism is known as micropatriology or micropatrology.
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Carshalton is a town, with a historic village centre, in south London, England, within the London Borough of Sutton. It is situated 9.5 miles (15.3 km) south-southwest of Charing Cross, in the valley of the River Wandle, one of the sources of which is Carshalton Ponds in the middle of the village. Prior to the creation of Greater London in 1965, Carshalton was in the administrative county of Surrey.
The London Borough of Sutton is an Outer London borough in London, England. It covers an area of 43 km2 (17 sq mi) and is the 80th largest local authority in England by population. It borders the London Borough of Croydon to the east, the London Borough of Merton to the north and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames to the north-west; it also borders the Surrey boroughs of Epsom and Ewell to the west and Reigate and Banstead to the south. The local authority is Sutton London Borough Council. Its principal town is Sutton.
Thomas Anthony Brake is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Carshalton and Wallington in London from 1997 to 2019.
Paul Kenneth Burstow is a British former politician who served as the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Sutton and Cheam for 18 years, from 1997 to 2015, when he was defeated by Paul Scully.
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Carshalton and Wallington is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2019 by Elliot Colburn, a Conservative.
Carshalton Athletic Football Club is an English football club based in Carshalton in the London Borough of Sutton. They currently play in the Isthmian League Premier Division and are based at the War Memorial Sports Ground. The club also field a women's team playing in the London and South East Regional Women's Premier Division and have one of the biggest community clubs in England with over 40 junior teams.
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Paul Stuart Scully is a British politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sutton and Cheam since 2015. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Minister for London from February 2020 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Tech and the Digital Economy from October 2022. He was sacked from both roles in November 2023.
Elliot Haydn George Colburn is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Carshalton and Wallington since the 2019 general election. Colburn also served as councillor for the Cheam ward on Sutton Council from 2018 to 2022.