Principality of Caudonia
 | This article refers to a micronation or element of micronationalism which is defunct and no longer exists. You can help make the article reflect that or ask on the talk page for further information. |
Principality of Caudonia Fürstentum Kaudonien (German) | |
|---|---|
 Flag
| |
| Motto: "Quod Unitatis Pace" "Unity is Peace" | |
| Anthem: "I Vow to Thee, My Country" | |
| Status | Active |
| Capital | Salisbury |
| Official languages | English German |
| Ethnic groups (March 2020) | 97.8% White 2.2% Southeast Asian |
| Religion (March 2020) |
|
| Demonym(s) | Caudonian |
| Government | Parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy |
• Prince | Prince William I |
• Prime Minister | Alexander Ainsley (interim) |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| None (formerly the Senate) | |
| House of Assembly | |
| Establishment | |
• Established | 5 July 2019 |
| Population | |
• December 2021 estimate | 50 |
• March 2020 census | 65 |
| Currency | De facto: United States Dollar, Euro De jure: Caudonian Pound (CAP) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Observed between the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November. | |
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy yyyy-mm-dd |
| Driving side | right |
| IMSO 1 code | CAU |
Caudonia (/kaʊˈdoʊniə, kɔː-/), officially the Principality of Caudonia (German: Fürstentum Kaudonien) was a micronation claiming to be a sovereign state located in North America and Europe, currently consisting of lands in Ohio, and Stockholm County, thus making it an enclave of the United States and Sweden.
The nation was currently reigned by Prince William I, who has reigned since the nation's foundation. The nation falls under classification 6 on the Boodlesmythe-Tallini Classification, making it a 6th world nation.
Etymology
The name is derived from the Latin word for "tail." Tail in this context refers to Lake Erie, which was named by the Erie people, an indigenous tribe who lived along its southern shore. The tribal name "erie" is a shortened form of the Iroquoian word erielhonan, meaning "long tail".
History
Although the Principality of Caudonia was technically established on the 5th of July 2019, the 2nd of December 2018 is considered the founding date as it was the founding date of Vryland, the nation's first predecessor. Following the dissolution of New Albion, Vryland's successor state, the Prince initially decided he would take a break from the micronational community or even leave it, but advisors convinced him otherwise and he established Caudonia on the 5th of July.
Eras
The history of Caudonia can be divided into various eras. Caudonia was in the Era of Reconstruction. This era had been characterised by a moderate increase in activity and the removal of over a dozen inactive citizens.
| Era | Length of Era | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation Era | 5 July 2019 - 23 November 2019 | 141 days | The first era. Headed for the most part by Andrew West, this era was the beginning of Caudonia. The core tenets of Caudonia's system of government were established. This era ended following the November 2019 general election, which saw a sharp increase in activity. | |
| Era of Prosperity | 24 November 2019 - 12 September 2020 | 293 days | The second era. Headed by various politicians, this era was characterised by sharp increases in activity and the influx of many new citizens. It is considered by many to be Caudonia's prime. Following the May 2020 general election, the growth seen in the early part of the era began to slow and by the September election, the beginnings of the Era of Stagnation were starting to show. | |
| Era of Stagnation | 13 September 2020 - 19 August 2021 | 340 days | The third era. Headed by various politicians, this era was characterised by a sharp decrease in activity the leaving of well-known politicians, such as Andrew West and Andrew Szemere, and ordinary citizens alike for nations such as Gwladcoeden and Wynnland. | |
| Era of Reconstruction | 20 August 2021 – present | Ongoing | The current era. Headed by Robert Smith II so far, this era has been characterised by a moderate increase in activity and the removal of over a dozen inactive citizens. During the initial part of this era, citizens of Gwladcoeden were barred from entering Caudonia's new Discord server because of their inactivity and out of fear for foreign influence in politics, however the ban is slowly being lifted. The most prominent Gwladcoedeg to return has been Ned Fram. | |
Government and politics
Main articles: Government of Caudonia, Politics of Caudonia
Caudonia was a semi-constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy, similar to that of Liechtenstein and Monaco. Prince William I is its prince and thus the head of state. The prince can exercise his princely prerogative powers, such as appointing and dismissing government ministers and judges, issuing princely decrees, commanding the nation's defence forces (the police), granting assent to legislation, summoning and dissolving parliament, and calling for elections and referendums. As Caudonia has a form of mixed constitution, the prince can and often does exercise his powers at his discretion, as opposed to only exercising his powers with the advice of ministers as in other countries that use the Westminster system.
The Parliament of Caudonia holds legislative power, along with the prince who may propose bills to parliament. Parliament consists of a single house called the House of Assembly, however, until May 2020, it was known as the Legislative Assembly. It also included two separate upper houses, one called the Legislative Council which was established in October 2019 and subsequently abolished later that year, and another called the Senate which was established in May 2020 and abolished in March 2022. Parliament generally has supremacy over other government institutions, although, the judiciary has some limited powers for judicial review and the prince can theoretically refuse to assent legislation. The House of Assembly is democratically elected under a system of proportional representation, and a government is formed from the political party or coalition of political parties with the majority of seats. If no majority is formed, a minority government can be formed if support from other parties during confidence votes is assured. The prince appoints ministers typically on advice of the prime minister, who is by convention the parliamentary leader of the governing party or coalition, though, he can appoint them at his discretion. The Cabinet of Ministers, formed by ministers and led by the prime minister is the highest body in government and is responsible for deciding major governmental actions and policy. Cabinet makes major decisions collectively and is therefore collectively responsible for the consequences of their decisions.
A parliamentary general election must be called no later than four months after the previous election. All general elections have been held under a party-list proportional representation system which utilizes closed lists. Since June 2020, by-elections with three or more candidates have been held under ranked choice voting.
Until early 2021, elections were dominated by two political parties, the Social Democratic Party and the Caudonian Front. Since the demise of the Caudonian Front in early 2021, the Social Democratic Party, now known as the Social Democrats, has been cemented as the main governing party, with it winning the most seats in seven out of nine general elections.
Caudonia's judiciary, headed by the chief justice, includes the High Court, Princely Court, and various subordinate local courts. Judges and judicial officers are appointed non-politically and are legally required to act independently in the course of their duties.
In 2021, the nation was ranked 12th on the Micronational Democracy Index with a score of 8.2, meaning it was a full democracy, although, according to a poll performed by the Caudonian Broadcasting Corporation, most citizens considered it to be a flawed democracy.
Governmental departments
The following governmental departments are considered ministerial departments:
- Department of Communications, Media, and the Environment
- Department of Finance, Education, and Culture
- Department of Foreign Affairs
- Department of Home Affairs
- Department of Justice and Democracy
The following governmental departments are considered non-ministerial departments:
- Civil Registry Office
- Health and Social Care Office
- Heraldry and Vexillology Commission
- Human Rights Commission
- Language Commission
- National Archives
- Princely Affairs Office
The following governmental departments are defunct:
- Department of Energy and Development (dissolved)
- Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (merged into Department of Communications and Media)
- Department of Finance (merged into Department of Education and Culture)
- Department of Food and Agriculture (dissolved)
- Department of Transport (dissolved)
Foreign relations
Caudonia does not maintain many diplomatic relations. For years, its official diplomatic policy was isolationism. It was an official member of the United Sovereignties, however due to hostile relations with other members, the nation withdrew. During its period of isolation, Caudonia did not maintain official diplomatic relations with any nations, however, it maintained unofficial relations with various different nations. Since ending its isolation, Caudonia has reached out to several nations to form diplomatic ties and has signed a treaty with Elysium.
Caudonia also has an official policy against micronational warfare. This makes Caudonia de-facto a neutral state. Despite this, however, Caudonia used to have negative and hostile relations with the UCSR and the United Sovereignties. This period has been called the Caudonian Crisis. These hostilities have long since been resolved.
Law and order and defence
Law enforcement was carried out by the Caudonia Police. As Caudonia does not have a formal military, defence is the duty of the Caudonia Police.
Local government
For the purposes of local government, Caudonia was divided into regions, territories, districts, and municipalities.
Regions
There are currently three regions: Canland, New Rutland, and Olbialand.
| Name | Coat of arms | Area | Population | Population Density | Date Founded | Capital | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canland | 
|
1.59 Hectare (3.92 acre) | 23 May 2020 | None (administered directly by the central government) | Canfield, Ohio | Created by the merger of Parnia and Ludusia. | ||
| New Rutland | 
|
0.12 hectare (0.30 acre) |
3 | 5 July 2019 | Salisbury | Youngstown, Ohio | Where the Prince's Palace and central government are located. | |
| Olbialand | 
|
1.81 hectare
(4.47 acre) |
5 | 254.7/km2 | 25 April 2019 | Brugge | Massillon, Ohio |
Territories
There is currently one territory: Törland-Björnö.
| Name | Coat of arms | Area | Population | Population Density | Date Founded | Capital | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Törland-Björnö | 
|
Unknown | 11 | 25 April 2020 | West Björnö | Stockholm County, Sweden | The territory consists of three separate parcels of land located in Stockholm County, Sweden. |
Economy
The economy of Caudonia has never been properly developed.
Demographics
The March 2020 census enumerated a total population of 65, an increase of around 166 percent over the first population count in July 2019.
| Date | Population | Population change | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 July 2019 | 25 |  0
|
0.0%
|
| 5 October 2019 | 35 | ▲ 10 | ▲ 40.0% |
| 10 November 2019 | 46 | ▲ 11 | ▲ 31.4% |
| 18 January 2020 | 52 | ▲ 6 | ▲ 13.0% |
| 16 February 2020 | 63 | ▲ 11 | ▲ 21.1% |
| 7 March 2020 | 65 | ▲ 2 | ▲ 3.1% |
| 11 April 2020 | 50 | ▼ 15 | ▼ 27.1% |
| 8 May 2020 | 74 | ▲ 24 | ▲ 48.0% |
| 9 June 2020 | 89 | ▲ 15 | ▲ 20.2% |
| 16 July 2020 | 74 | ▼ 15 | ▼ 16.8% |
| 29 October 2020 | 80 | ▲ 6 | ▲ 8.1% |
| 15 February 2021 | 71 | ▼ 9 | ▼ 11.2% |
| 31 May 2021 | 80 | ▲ 9 | ▲ 11.2% |
| 29 August 2021 | 57 | ▼ 23 | ▼ 28.7% |
| 19 December 2021 | 49 | ▼ 8 | ▼ 14.0% |
| 22 January 2022 | 47 | ▼ 2 | ▼ 4.1% |
| 26 February 2022 | 43 | ▼ 4 | ▼ 8.5% |
| 19 March 2022 | 41 | ▼ 2 | ▼ 4.7% |
| 2 July 2022 | 39 | ▼ 2 | ▼ 4.9% |
| 17 September 2022 | 37 | ▼ 2 | ▼ 5.1% |
| 26 November 2022 | 35 | ▼ 2 | ▼ 5.4% |
| 3 December 2022 | 35 | 0
|
0.0%
|
Geography and climate
Geography
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Climate
New Rutland, the administrative division in which the capital of Caudonia was located, lies within a Humid Continental (Dfb) climate zone under the Köppen climate classification system. Because of this, the nation shares a climate with much of the Midwest and Southern Canada. These climate zones are characterized by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers with high humidity and cold to severely cold winters. Precipitation is usually well distributed through the year. As New Rutland lacks weather monitoring equipment, the weather box below lists climate data from the nearest major weather station.
| Climate data for Youngstown–Warren Regional Airport | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 22 (72) |
24 (75) |
28 (82) |
32 (90) |
35 (95) |
37 (99) |
39 (102) |
38 (100) |
37 (99) |
31 (88) |
27 (81) |
24 (75) |
39 (102) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 1.3 (34.3) |
2.9 (37.2) |
8.1 (46.6) |
15.7 (60.3) |
21.6 (70.9) |
26.0 (78.8) |
28.2 (82.8) |
27.3 (81.1) |
23.5 (74.3) |
16.7 (62.1) |
9.8 (49.6) |
3.7 (38.7) |
15.4 (59.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | -7.1 (19.2) |
-6.3 (20.7) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
3.3 (37.9) |
8.7 (47.7) |
13.4 (56.1) |
15.7 (60.3) |
14.9 (58.8) |
11.2 (52.2) |
5.7 (42.3) |
0.8 (33.4) |
-3.6 (25.5) |
4.5 (40.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −30 (-22) |
−27 (-17) |
−23 (-9) |
−12 (10) |
−4 (25) |
-1 (30) |
4 (39) |
0 (32) |
-3 (27) |
-7 (19) |
−17 (1) |
−24 (-11) |
−30 (−22) |
| Average Precipitation mm (inches) | 77 (3.03) |
64 (2.52) |
82 (3.23) |
95 (3.74) |
94 (3.7) |
99 (3.9) |
108 (4.25) |
88 (3.46) |
98 (3.86) |
85 (3.35) |
75 (2.95) |
81 (3.19) |
1,046 (41.18) |
| Average Snowfall cm (inches) | 50 (19.7) |
38 (15) |
27 (10.6) |
6.6 (2.6) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1.8 (0.71) |
11 (4.3) |
38 (15) |
172 (67.7) |
| Source: Department of Communications, Media, and the Environment | |||||||||||||
Culture
Main article: Culture of Caudonia
The culture of Caudonia is heavily based on that of anglophone countries, mainly the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.
Cuisine
Caudonian cuisine has developed from various influences from around the world, most noteably the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. Popular dishes in Caudonia include fish and chips, Sunday roast, Yorkshire pudding, poutine, butter tarts, hamburgers, and cornbread.
Also popular in Caudonia is the national drink, tea. Tea is a prominent feature of Caudonian culture and society much like in the United Kingdom. In Caudonia, like the United Kingdom, the drinking of tea is widely varied so it is quite hard to generalise. While the most common method of serving tea is with milk, it is not uncommon to drink it black or with lemon, with sugar being a popular addition to any of the above. Strong tea, served in a mug with milk and sugar, is a popular combination known as builder's tea. Tea is often accompanied with sandwiches, scones, cake and/or biscuits, with a popular British custom being dunking the biscuit into the tea.
Holidays
| Date | English name | German name | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day | Neujahr | Celebrates the first day of every year in the Gregorian calendar. | Statutory |
| 2 February | Groundhog Day | Tag des Murmeltiers | Celebrates the the groundhog emerging from its burrow to announce the early spring or continued winter. | Optional |
| Friday before Easter | Good Friday | Guter Freitag | Commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus. | Statutory |
| Easter | Easter | Ostern | Commemorates the ressurection of Jesus. | Statutory |
| Monday after Easter | Easter Monday | Ostermontag | Commemorates the second day of Eastertide. | Statutory |
| 5 April | Prince William Day | Prinz-William-Tag | Commemorates the birth of Prince William I. | Statutory |
| 1 May | May Day | Maifeiertag | Commemorates the Haymarket affair. | Statutory |
| 5 July | Caudonia Day | Kaudonia Tag | Celebrates the establishment of Caudonia. | Statutory |
| First Monday in September | Labour Day | Tag der Arbeit | Celebrates economic and social achievements of workers. | Statutory |
| 11 November | Remembrance Day | Heldengedenktag | Commemorates war dead and the armistice ending World War I in 1918. | Statutory |
| Last Thursday in November | Thanksgiving | Erntedankfest | Marks the end of the harvest season. | Optional |
| 2 December | Foundation Day | Gründungstag | Celebrates the establishment of Vryland, the predecessor of Caudonia. | Statutory |
| 15 December | Nicholas Randouler Day | Nicholas Randouler-Tag | Celebrates the life and achievements of Nicholas Randouler. | Statutory |
| 25 December | Christmas Day | Weihnachtstag | Celebrates the nativity of Jesus. | Statutory |
| 26 December | Boxing Day | Zweiter Weihnachtstag | Commemorates the second day of Christmastide. | Statutory |