Republic of Agnorr
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| Republic of Agnorr | ||||||
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| Flag | Coat of arms | |||||
| National Anthem: None | ||||||
| Motto: Semper et ubique Fidelis | ||||||
| Location |  Agnorr within Pennsylvania | |||||
| Capital | Opdengraff | |||||
| Official languages | English, Pennsylvania German, Esperanto | |||||
| Demonym | Agnorrian | |||||
| Chief | William Opdengraff | |||||
| Government | Councilism | |||||
| –Ruling Party | Green Party | |||||
| Established | ||||||
| – First Foundation | 15 September 2010 | |||||
| – Established as a micronation | 15 September 2010 | - | ||||
| Area Claimed | ~5,018,112 sq. feet (0.18 sq. miles) | |||||
| Population | ||||||
| – Citizens | 8 | |||||
| Patron Saint | Padre Pio | |||||
| Religion | Catholicism, Folk Religion | |||||
| Time zone | UTC-5 | |||||
| Country Code | RAG | |||||
| Internet TDL | .net, .org, .com | |||||
| Drives on the | Right | |||||
| Date formats | Holocene calendar | |||||
The Republic of Agnorr (formerly known as The Colony of Agnorr and Wallens Plantations), is a territorial micronation located in the Northeastern part of North America. Agnorr's current capital is the town of Opdengraff, out of the 5 current territories it is the only one with a permanent population, the others being rural outposts. The Republic is bordered by all sides by the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Agnorr became an independent state on September 16, 2010. It is a former GUM member state as well as a former member of both IMTO and the Organisation of Active Micronations.
The Republic along with 5 other micronations formed the Confederate States of Prosperity, however this was short lived and disbanded in the same year. In 2013 Agnorr was made apart of the Tsardom of Nolland until 2015 when its land was then made apart of the Kingdom of Tiana under a different name, the Colony of Agnorr and Wallens Plantations. It fell largely inactive during this time until 2018 when it was again made an overseas territory of the Tsardom of Nolland.
Pre-Micronational History
A history of the lands claimed.
Pre-Colonial History -1637
Before European colonization most of the lands claimed by the Republic were inhabited by the Lenape people who lived along the Delaware River and into the Hudson Valley. The Lenape, when first encountered by Europeans, were a loose association of related clans who spoke similar languages and shared familial bonds in an area known as Lenapehoking, their traditional homeland which encompasses the modern day states of New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, Southern New York and Eastern Delaware.
Swedish Colonization 1637-1655
Although the Dutch claimed the area, they had no population there as their only settlement, Zwaanendael which was established in 1631, was subsequently abandoned in 1632 after it was attacked by a band Lenape over a misunderstanding about the defacement of the flag of the insignia of the Dutch West India Company. There was also the rarely occupied Fort Nassau, built by the Dutch in 1627 on the east side of the Delaware River. It was briefly occupied by colonists from the Virginia Colony in 1635 until the governor of the New Netherlands, Wouter van Tiller sent a force to regain control of the fort. This was the first conflict between the Dutch and English in the new world.
In late 1637 the first Swedish expedition set sail from the Port of Gothenburg. It was organized by the Swedish Admiral, Clas Fleming. The former governor of New Amsterdamn, Peter Minuit was appointed to lead the expedition. They landed in modern day Wilmington, Delaware on the ships Fogel Grip and Kalmar Nyckel where they built the first Swedish settlement in North America, Fort Christina.
In the following years, 600 Swedish and Finnish, the latter mostly Forest Finns from central Sweden, around a dozen Dutch and Germans, as well as one Dane and one Estonian in Swedish service, settled the area. Peter Minuit was appointed the first Governor of New Sweden and knowing the Dutch had yet to buy the land west of the Delaware River, he first went about negotiating the purchase of the land. He met with the local Lenni Lenape sachems and persuaded them to sign the deeds he prepared to solve any issues with the Dutch. The Swedes claimed the section purchased included land on the west side of the South River from just below the Schuykill River, which today would mean Philadelphia, Southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware and coastal Maryland. A sachem present named Mattahoon who was a participant in the meeting with Minuit, later stated that the land purchased was within an area marked by 6 trees and the rest of the land occupied by the Swedes were stolen.
Dutch director Willem Kieft objected to the Swedes landing but this was ignored by Minuit and the Swedes because they knew the Dutch were militarily weak at the time. Over the next 17 years the colony of New Sweden prospered under 3 separate governors after Peter Minuit was killed at sea in 1638. They expanded up the Delaware River as well as across it into modern day New Jersey, building several new forts during this time. In 1644 New Sweden supported the Susquehannock in their victory against the English in the Province of Maryland.
The high point also marked the beginning of the end for New Sweden, in May 1654 the Dutch Fort Casimir was captured by the Swedish, lead by their governor, Johan Risingh. The fort was built from materials of the now unoccupied Fort Nassau by the Dutch to try and combat the Swedish encroachment into the area, which they did not recognize. The captured fort was renamed to Fort Trinity under the control of the Swedish, along with the rest of the Dutch forts, until it was recaptured in 1655.
Dutch Occupation of New Sweden 1655-1664
Soon after Sweden opened the Second Northern War in the Baltic by attacking the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Dutch sent an armed squadron of ships under the Director-General Peter Stuyvesant to seize New Sweden. In the summer of 1655, the Dutch marched an army to the Delaware River, easily capturing Fort Trinity and Fort Christina. The Swedish settlement was formally incorporated into the Dutch New Netherlands on September 15, 1655. As a response to this the Susquehannock tribe retaliated against the Dutch in an attack that is known as the Peach Tree War. It resulted in the Susquehannock capturing 150 hostages before they were eventually returned for ransom. The Dutch were initially confused as to why they had been attacked, believing it was possibly over the murder of a young native girl who was accused of stealing a peach. However the Swedes of the lower Delaware Valley knew of their intentions to attack the Dutch as the Susquehannock had been cooperating with the Swedes since their arrival at Wilmington. Still, the Swedish and Finnish settlers were allowed local autonomy. They retained their own militia, religion, court, and lands.
This came to an end during the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1664 when the English annexed New Netherlands. The English conquest of the area started on August 29, 1664, with the capture of New Amsterdamn. It ended with the capture of Fort Casimir in October.
The Dutch briefly re-established control of the area at the beginning of the Third Anglo-Dutch War until the signing of the Treaty of Westminster of 1674, which required them to return all of the land they had regained control of to the English.
The area however remained mostly populated by Swedish and Finnish settlers and New Sweden continued to exist unofficially up until King Charles II granted a large portion of former New Sweden to William Penn.
English Colonization 1681-1783
On March 4, 1681, Charles II of England granted a land tract to William Penn for the area that now includes Pennsylvania because of a £16,000 debt the King owed to Penn's father. Penn then founded a colony there as a place of religious freedom for Quakers, and named it Pennsylvania, literally meaning "Penn's Woods".
The colony's reputation of religious freedom also attracted significant populations of German and Scots-Irish settlers who helped to shape Colonial Pennsylvania and later went on to populate the neighboring states further west. The population of Agnorr is descended from these first Swedish and German settlers.
Micronational History
Early History 2010-2012
Early September of 2010 the current President William Opdengraff was reading about Sealand, Mollasia, Hutt River and Freeland Christiana. He read on how to create your own micronation and liked the idea of how you could govern your own nation with your own citizens. On September 15, 2010 the three original founders wrote a small constitution.
Frequent reforms and changes in type of government were common in the early months of the Republic. Agnorr changed itself into an elective monarchy with William Opdengraff as the leading monarch. Around 6 months after its independence, Agnorr had its first contact with another micronation. They had their first diplomatic talks and began to become more active with their introduction to Microwiki. They opened diplomatic relations with numerous countries at this time. Eventually the Republic managed to get accepted into OAM and William ran for IMCL Justice and got around 15% of the vote. In the 2nd quarter of 2011 Agnorr went inactive and was almost forgotten by its citizens. In the early third quarter they resumed activity by having government meetings. They were accepted into IMTO in late 2011 where they were members for a short time. They had also become a member state of GUM and participated in meetings until 2012.
Confederate States of Prosperity 2012
In early 2012 plans were being made with other micronations including the Confederation of Saint Luke and Amager, St. Peters Republic and Republic of Lostisland to form a possible confederation. The Republic of Lostisland eventually opted out of joining this confederation. Empire of New Winterdown and the Tsardom of Nolland eventually joined in on these discussions as well. These talkslead to the formation and announcement of the creation of the Confederate States of Prosperity on August 25, 2012.
The only President of the Confederation was Richard Hytholoday, who barely beat out President of the Republic of Agnorr for the position winning with 37.5% of the vote compared to William Opdengraff's 35% of the vote representing the Green-Left CSP Party. James Frisch received 25% of the vote. Within months there was conflict in the Confederation leading to its dissolution. Some member states joined the Würtige Empire, Agnorr eventually joined but as a constituent in the Tsardom of Nolland.
Overseas Territory of Nolland 2012-2015
This period was a markedly active one for Agnorr. William Opdengraff was active in Nollandish politics representing several different political parties during this time period. While active it was also a period filled with controversy over rising nationalist sentiment within Agnorr, at times straining their relationship with the community and the Tsardom of Nolland. During this time the government saw a sharp decrease in activity and little progress was made on earlier plans made for the nation.
All activity ceased for sometime in early 2015 and did not start again until the annexation of Agnorr into Tiana.
Colony of Agnorr and Wallens Plantations 2015-2018
In 2015 William Opdengraff became a friend of Joseph Duncan of Tiana. After months of inactivity it was proposed that Agnorr join Tiana, it was accepted but not made official until the successful coup d'etat of the Communist Party of Tiana. The Communist Party of Tiana was overthrown on February 8, 2015 by the Tianic Fatherland Front who preceded to establish a monarchy in place of the former government. Less than one month later on March 1, 2015 Agnorr was officially annexed by the Kingdom of Tiana, becoming a colony of the Kingdom known as the Colony of Agnorr and Wallens Plantations, Wallens Plantations being the location of present day Ryksland.
William Opdengraff became Prime Minister of Tiana on March 19, 2015. The early days in the Kingdom of Tiana were marked by heavy reforms of the government as well the adoption of the Tianan Imperial Credit. There was even less activity in the wider micronational community during this time with Agnorr unofficially adopting a foreign policy of isolationism.
The years following 2015 brought about cultural changes in the nation but little in the terms of progress or activity.
Inactivity Remains 2018-Present
During the past three years little has been done in the nation. After a brief reunion with Nolland that was short lived, Agnorr returned to being an independent Republic. The nation has little impact or visibility in the micronational community at large maintaining its foreign policy of isolationism as was standard during the period Agnorr was a Colony within Tiana. Taoiseach William Opdengraff was banned from micronational discord rooms after a falling out with moderators of these rooms, further isolating the already inactive nation. He plans to continue his efforts to keep the nation alive regardless of their involvement in intermicronational affairs.
Government and Politics
Due to the small size of the nation Agnorr operates under a system similar to council communism. Every citizen is a member of the council with equal power as the others. Legislation is decided by consensus. The Taoiseach has no special powers and is just a title influenced by the culture of the nation. The Taoiseach is however the one in charge of foreign relations and the nations internet presence. William Opdengraff is the current Taoiseach.
Political Parties
As of August 2011 citizens can register under a political party. As of 2019 there is currently only one party, the Green Party. You do not need to be affiliated with a political party and the majority of citizens are unaffiliated. Any citizen is allowed to form their own political party.
Special Councils
These councils act in a similar way to government ministries.
- Economic Council - responsible for the Treasury and the funding of projects in the nation, it's also responsible for overseeing private businesses.
- Domestic Affairs Council - responsible for the upkeep of land, keeping a census and promoting cultural projects. It contains the Agnorr Fish and Game Commission and the Weather Service.
- Foreign Affairs Council - responsible for foreign relations and internet presence.
- Defense Council - responsible for the defense of the nation and the funding of the APPU.
Treasury
The Royal Bank of Agnorr was founded shortly before the creation of the Penndollar. They also issue currency. The first Penndollar was issued and put into circulation in Mid-February 2011. There have been two series of banknotes issues, Series 1 designed in 2010 but not circulated until 2011 and 2 types of Series 2011 Penndollars.
On January 3, 2012 Agnorr has switched currencies to the Agnorr State Credit. The state once again switched currencies in 2015 to the Tianan imperial credit. As of 2018 Agnorr still accepts all older currencies including the Tianan Imperial Credit however most transactions are done in US Dollars.
Agnorr Fish and Game Commission
The Agnorr Fish and Game Commission protects animals, fish, and birds, and all other types of wildlife on Agnorrian Soil. Their main duties are upkeep on the pond in Opdengraff as a few species of birds go to the pond daily. Several types of animals have been spotted at the pond to either hunt the fish in the pond or have a drink, the largest of which have been opossums and raccoons. Game Officers have killed 2 raccoons in Opdengraff over the past 8 years as well as trapping and relocating opossums out of the Capital District to Pemapaki.
During the summer of 2018 a Northeastern coyote was spotted just outside the Capital District. They are extremely rare in this part of Pennsylvania and only a few have been seen in the Philadelphia area in the last decade. The coyote was taken away by local animal control.
Weather Service
The Weather Service was established in 2015 after the nations annexation in the Kingdom of Tiana. The Weather Service of Agnorr reports severe weather to the National Weather Service using the skywarn program in the United States. As of 2019 there are plans to fund a personal weather staion that will be able to report weather conditions 24/7 from Opdengraff.
Law and order
The crime rate is extremely low in Agnorr and there is no need for a police force. All laws in the United States of America are valid unless specifically noted below. New laws are rarely decreed and there has never been a need to codify the laws.
- Medical Marijuana has been legalized since 2015.
- LSD and Psilocybin were made legal to possess in 2017 although for the health of citizens it’s recommended for use in medical and therapeutic contexts only.
Military
The Agnorrian People's Protection Units are the military of Agnorr. They operate as a separate unit within the Nollandish Armed Forces. The Agnorrian People's Protection Units are modeled after the YPG. There is only one unit due to the small size of the nation, it is a mixed unit of ground forces and naval forces. The APPU primarily operates on the water as 3 of the 5 territories are located on major waterways. The naval forces operate one 8 foot motorized inflatable boat.
Diplomatic Relations
Main Article: Foreign Affairs of Nolland
Foreign affairs are conducted separately from the Tsardom of Nolland's, however Agnorr recognizes all states they recognize.
Historically they have been associated with various micronations mostly the micronations associated with the states that made up the Confederate States of Prosperity, the Würtige Empire, the Tsardom of Nolland and the Kingdom of Tiana.
Geography
Topography
Opdengraff, along with the rest of Capital District and Pennypack District is located along the 40th Parallel North. The Republic claims 0.18 square miles of which 0.17 square miles is land and 0.1 square miles is water. Natural bodies of water include the Delaware River, Pennypack Creek, a tributary of the Pennypack Creek called Sandy Run. There is one artificial pond located in Opdengraff. Opdengraff and Pennypack District are situated on the fall line that separates the Atlantic coastal plain from the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
The lowest point is sea level, located in Pennypack District (40.03054,-75.00394). The highest point is 1778 ft. (542m) in Kuhtal (41.56701,-76.48980).
Towns and Territories
| Picture | Name | Claimed | Population | Representative | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Towns | ||||||||||||
|
Opdengraff | 15 September 2010 | 8 | William Opdengraff | ||||||||
| Territories | ||||||||||||
|
Pemapaki | June 2011 | Uninhabited | None | ||||||||
|
Neshaminy | November 2010 | Uninhabited | None | ||||||||
|
Ryksland | September 2015 | Uninhabited | None | ||||||||
|
Kuhtal | August 2015 | Uninhabited | None | ||||||||
Climate
Under the Köppen climate classification most of Agnorr's districts fall into the northern periphery of the humid subtropical climate zone (Köppen Cfa). The Trewartha Climate Classification meanwhile puts most of the districts in a temperate maritime climate (Do), limited to the north by the continental climate (Dc). The plant life hardiness zones are 7a and 7b.
Summers are typically hot and muggy, fall and spring are generally mild, and winter is cold. Snowfall is variable, with some winters bringing only light snow and others bringing several major snowstorms. The normal season snowfall averages 22.4 inches (57 cm), with rare snowfall in April or November. There is rarely any sustained snow cover however this can vary with the winter as seasonal snowfall has ranged from trace amounts in 1972-1973 to 78.7 inches (200 cm) in 2009-2010.
Precipitation is spread throughout the year with an average of 8 to 11 precipitating days a month. Rainfall averages at 41.5 a year but has ranged from 29.31 to 64.33.
| Climate data for Opdengraff, Capital District, Agnorr | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 74 (23.3) |
79 (26.1) |
87 (30.6) |
95 (35) |
97 (36.1) |
102 (38.9) |
104 (40) |
106 (41.1) |
102 (38.9) |
96 (35.6) |
84 (28.9) |
73 (22.8) |
106 (41.1) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 40.3 (4.61) |
43.8 (6.56) |
52.7 (11.5) |
63.9 (17.72) |
73.8 (23.22) |
82.7 (28.17) |
87.1 (30.61) |
85.3 (29.61) |
78 (25.6) |
66.6 (19.22) |
56 (13.3) |
44.8 (7.11) |
64.6 (18.11) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 33 (0.6) |
35.7 (2.06) |
43.5 (6.39) |
54 (12.2) |
63.9 (17.72) |
73.3 (22.94) |
78.1 (25.61) |
76.6 (24.78) |
69.1 (20.61) |
57.5 (14.17) |
47.6 (8.67) |
37.5 (3.06) |
55.9 (13.28) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 25.6 (-3.56) |
27.7 (-2.39) |
34.4 (1.33) |
44.1 (6.72) |
54 (12.2) |
63.8 (17.67) |
69.2 (20.67) |
67.9 (19.94) |
60.3 (15.72) |
48.4 (9.11) |
39.2 (4) |
30.1 (-1.06) |
47.1 (8.39) |
| Record low °F (°C) | -7 (-21.7) |
-11 (-23.9) |
5 (-15) |
14 (-10) |
28 (-2.2) |
44 (6.7) |
51 (10.6) |
44 (6.7) |
35 (1.7) |
25 (-3.9) |
8 (-13.3) |
-5 (-20.6) |
−11 (−23.9) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 inches) | 10.6 | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.3 | 11.1 | 9.8 | 9.9 | 8.4 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 9.3 | 10.6 | 118.2 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 inch) | 4.4 | 3.6 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 12.2 |
| Sunshine hours | 155.7 | 154.7 | 202.8 | 217.0 | 245.1 | 271.2 | 275.6 | 260.1 | 219.3 | 204.5 | 154.7 | 137.7 | 2,498.4 |
| [citation needed] | |||||||||||||
Economy
The economy is largely undeveloped and there have mainly only been small projects. On the Economic Potential Index, Agnorr's economy scores 1.5. Since 2018 there has been 1 privately owned mycology business, resulting in the first export of products produced in the nation. There have also been plans made to harvest and sell mimosa hostilis seedpods from a tree located in Opdengraff, but his has yet to happen.
The economy of the nation is almost completely dependent on the United States and almost are goods are imported from the US.
Culture
The culture of the nation is heavily influenced by Irish-American culture as well as working-class culture. It is also heavily influenced by American culture being highly Americanized.
Languages
In everyday conversation English is spoken by 100% of the population. The Domestic Affairs council promotes the education and use of both Pennsylvania German and Esperanto however basic Esperanto is spoken by only a small minority of the population and there are no speakers of Pennsylvania German, making its status as an official language mostly cultural in nature.
Sports
Ice Hockey is the most popular sport in Agnorr, followed by American Football. Citizens are fans of the local sports teams based in Philadelphia. The former home of the NFL team the Frankford Yellow Jackets, was located around a half mile from Opdengraff, Frankford Stadium was constructed in 1923 and destroyed in a fire in July 1931.
Agnorr is a member of the Micronational Football Association as well as its administrative body in the Americas, COMFITA. Despite being a member they have not played a game and remain unranked.
National Holidays
| Date | English Name |
|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day |
| 28 March | Swedes Day |
| 27 April | World Tapir Day |
| 1 May | May Day |
| 21 May | National Toast Day |
| 24 November | Thanksgiving |
| 16 September | National Day |
| 6 October | German-American Day |
| 9 October | Leif Erikson Day |
| 21 December | Yule |
| 25 December | Christmas |
| 31 December | New Years' Eve |
National Symbols
- National Sport: Ice Hockey
- National Tree: Mimosa Hostilis
- National Flower: Red Rose
- National Animal: Northeastern Coyote
- National Bird: Morning Dove
- National Fish: Northern Snakehead
- National Dog: Havanese
- National Vegetable: Leek
- National Fruit: Blackberry
- National Mushroom Psilocybe Ovoideocystidiata