Charles von Graustark
| His Majesty | |
| Charles von Graustark | |
|---|---|
| KNI, COD, CUBMC, KStP, KCW, CAO, KOB, GCrV, M1DS, GCIF, IC, KIC, GMOP | |
| |
| Official portrait | |
25 August 2019 - 10 May 2022 | |
| Predecessor | Lisa Marie I |
| Successor | Martha I |
15 September 2021 | |
| Predecessor | Throne established |
10 February 2007 - 25 August 2019 | |
| Predecessor | Throne established |
| Successor | Mia I |
8 October 2019 - 31 December 2019 | |
| Predecessor | Mia I |
| Successor | Throne dissolved |
14 March 2019 - 1 January 2021 | |
| Monarch | HIM Emperor Jonathan I |
| Predecessor | Office established |
| Successor | Office abolished |
22 April 2020 - 7 December 2020 | |
| Governor | Eric Harvey Williams, Jr |
| Predecessor | Office established |
| Successor | Luke Gauthier |
16 November 2020 - 6 December 2020 | |
| Emperor | Jonathan I |
| Predecessor | Manolis Afentoulis |
| Successor | Anthony Clark |
1 July 2021 - 1 August 2021 | |
| Governor General | Connor Shaw |
| Prime Minister | Mattias Forsberg |
| Predecessor | Office established |
| Successor | Office abolished |
| Born | 30 January 2003 |
| Citizenship | |
| Residence | Arizona, United States |
| Signature | 
|
| Allegiance |  Commonwealth of Dracul
|
| Service/branch | Dracul Army |
| In service | 2020 - 2021 (Dracul) |
| Rank | 1st Lieutenant (Dracul) |
| Commands | Army of Dracul (2020 - 2021) 1st Dragon Regiment (2021) |
| Awards | Draculian Iron Cross Commander of the Austenasian Order Commemorative Medal of the Crystal Jubilee of the Foundation of Vishwamitra |
Grand Emir Charles Raphael von Graustark, Duke of Occidentia, Margrave of Phokland (known formerly as Shah Alexander I) is a micronationalist best known for holding numerous positions within the micronational community, most prominent among them including, Tsar of the Tsardom of Phokland, State President of the Phoklandian Free State, Governing Commissioner of Bregusland Colony, Secretary General of the OAM, Official Historian of the Empire of Austenasia, Austenasian Consul in Arizona, Draculian Presidential Press Secretary, Attorney General of Austenasia, City Councilman for Bran District and Lieutenant Governor of North Dracul. He currently serves as Director-General of Austenasian Television Productions and Grand Emir of Raphania.
Throughout his micronational career (spanning as far back as 2007), Charles has gained a small amount of attention through his leading role in establishing several micronational-themed media platforms, including; Television Territory, Phokland News Network, Television Graustark and his most notable platform, MicroRamble, a micronational commentary and current events program he operated with fellow micronationalists, Thomas Bainbridge and Christina Nowell. In May 2021, Charles accepted the job of Director-General for the Austenasian public broadcasting company; Austenasian Television Productions.
Also garnering him some minor attention is his work in establishing diplomatic treaties between nations such as in February 2021 when he led the diplomatic mission to help establish the Napocatania Concession along with the Grand Republic of Cycoldia.
Early life
Charles was born in Arizona on the 30th of January 2003. The son of a former U.S. politician he demonstrated a fondness for history and politics at an early age. This affinity stuck with him through most of his childhood, culminating in his creation of the Kingdom of Rosston in early 2007. At a young age, Charles demonstrated a fondness for public speaking and the English language, participating in several poetry recital events and having won four state-level competitions by the age of 11.
Micronational career
Ross began his micronational career in 2007 when he created/ran the Kingdom of Rosston in the playground of his primary school until its dissolution in 2013. During his time running Rosston, Chares was for the most part unaware of what micronationalism was and simply saw himself leading a "new country". This juvenile belief later faded away and while searching for a more accurate description of the hobby he was participating in, he found the YouTube page of the now-defunct Kingdom of Bahoudii, more specifically, a micronational newscast from them, dated 15 January 2011. From this he discovered the term "micronation" and through this keyword, eventually found MicroWiki; a site he would lurk on until eventually creating an account in 2018.
Years after Rosston became inactive, Charles' intrest in micronationalism was reignited after watching actor-comedian Doug Walker's 2010 film Kickassia where the micronational Republic of Molossia and its leader Kevin Baugh were featured prominently.
Phokland
Following the restoration of Rosston (now renamed Phokland) in 2017, Charles was selected as Prime Minister of the new country. From there he became the monarch of the Principality of Phokland, a position that later evolved into Viceroy for the Viceroyalty of Phokland then to Tsar of the Tsardom of Phokland and finally State President of the Phoklandian Free State. His involvement in Phokland ended in April 2020 with the dissolution of Phokland as a micronation.
Austenasia
While a part of Phokland, Charles began associating with other micronations, notably the Empire of Austenasia where he became the nation's Official Historian, Council to Arizona and, Commissioner of the Austenasian Crown Dependency of Bregusland. Over time, however, he began drifting away from Austenasia and began to focus more on his primary project, that being Phokland and later, Dracul. His involvement in the empire came to an end in December 2020, when after a legal battle in Dracul, Ross was forced to resign from all government offices within Austenasia. His last position (Commissioner of Bregusland) came to an end on 1 January 2021 when Bregusland dissolved. Despite his departure, Charles still retained all noble titles and awards bestowed upon him during his tenure in Austenasia, and additionally, still maintained his Austenasian citizenship. He would later return to Austenasian involvement in June 2021, this time in the private sector as he was appointed Director-General of the privately owned, government subsidized Austenasian Television Productions.
Dracul
Charles continued with Phokland until early 2020 when a split in the government caused the nation to dissolve, leaving Charles stateless. Shortly after Phokland's dissolution, he was approached by Vice President of the Commonwealth of Dracul, Stephen Luke with the proposition of him becoming the new Lieutenant Governor of North Dracul (a position he held until December 2020 when he resigned after a spat with North Dracul's Governor Eric Williams). Ross accepted the offer and shortly thereafter assumed office on 22 April 2020. In his time as Lieutenant Governor, Ross helped to streamline the state's executive office and created North Dracul's first official website.
After taking office, Charles began dedicating the majority of his time to Dracul, subsequently taking the additional responsibilities of becoming the Commonwealth's de facto chief marketing adviser, the Dracul Army's head recruiter (and later Commanding Officer), Deputy Secretary of State, Draculian Ambassador to the Grand Republic of Cycoldia and the United States, as well as Secretary of the Interior. Through his numerous positions and heavy involvement in government affairs, Lord Charles cemented himself as a prominent Draculian politician and later adviser, with the latter being most visible through his relationship with the Vice President's Office.
After leaving the office of North Dracul's Lieutenant Governor, Charles dedicated the bulk of his attention to his role as Secretary of the Interior and during his time in office, worked to streamline the department and create cadet agencies, such as the Land Administration Agency. He later left this and all other Dracul positions in May 2021 choosing to take a break from micronationalism. This lasted roughly a month and in late June 2021, he returned, this time in the much more minor roles of assisting with the forming of a newly reorganized Bran District government, becoming Deputy Director of the privately owned Dracul Historical Society and by helping to oversee new Dracul territorial projects as a de-facto Colonial Administrator, in which capacity he became Administrator of Las Verdes Colinas Territory.
In September on 2021, Charles lost his Dracul citizenship following accusations of treason and the subsequent deceleration of war between Dracul and Graustark. These claims of treason were later proven to be false, but regardless Charles decided to ultimately leave the Commonwealth.
In February 2022, Charles would temporarily return to Dracul to assist in filling a vacant government position within the Draculian Department of Naturalization due to the previous officeholder quitting unexpectedly. This would end following the appointment of new individuals to these posts, ending Charles' time in the Dracul government.
West Canada
In June 2021, Charles von Graustark joined the Dominion of West Canada, firstly as a citizen where he shortly thereafter ran and subsequently won a seat in the lower house of the micronation's Parliament. Shortly after this, Charles had a meeting with the West Canadian Governor General and Prime Minister; the result of which was his appointment as the nation's first Minister of Foreign Affairs. The primary reason Charles joined West Canada was due to his perceptions that it was a more simulationist state. After serving as Foreign Minister for roughly a month, and after an increase of stress in his personal life, Charles resigned as Foreign Minister effective August 1, 2021.
Graustark-Dawsbergen
In mid 2019, Charles created the micronation of Graustark based on the book of the same name. The country took great influence from the Kingdom of Ruritania and following its creation harles was declared monarch. However, at the end of 2019, Graustark entered a long period of stagnation which persisted until 2021 when the nation was briefly revived. This jump of activity would be short lived as by that summer, with the establishment of Raphistan, Graustark-Dawsbergen would once again return to inactivity.
Wanting to o give the nation a fresh start, in May of 2022, Charles would abdicate the throne of Graustark-Dawasbergen, giving it to his friend and longtime micronationalist Cas, who would go on to reign as Queen Martha I.
Raphania
Shortly after leaving Dracul, Charles purchased an acre of land in northeastern Arizona. This land was initially acquired for use in Graustark-Dawsbergen, but after inactivity restarted within the project, the property succeeded from the kingdom and reorganized itself as the Desert Realm of Raphistan with Charles assuming the title of Shah and the reigning name of "Alexander I". The name change was done mostly to disassociate the state with his past projects and to give von Graustark a "fresh start". Furthermore, a contributing factor in the name change was also Charles' entry into politics and state government employment macronationally. In April of 2022, Charles would drop the "Alexander" persona and would change his title from the Shah of Raphistan to the Grand Emir of Raphania.
Community notoriety
Throughout his micronational carrier, Charles has developed some small notoriety within the community; this mostly stemming from his work towards improving MicroWiki as a Wiki Administrator and more recently, his (unsuccessful) campaign of attempting to revitalize the wiki forums as a primary means of communication for several micronationalists. Additionally, he has gained attention for his media productions, such as the Bregusland Report, an Austenasian news program which he hosted and which was referenced in a Lonely Planet article on the 2020 COVID-19 Virus,[1] and MicroRamble, a podcast which he co-hosted along with other micronationalists. Ross has also received criticism over the years coming primarily from his criticisms regarding the GUM and for his botched administration within the OAM, the latter causing the eventual disbandment of said organisation, as well as his frequent criticism of modern micronational "degeneration". However, despite these critiques Charles has been able to stay on rather good terms with a majority of the community, particularly within the MicroWiki and Discord sectors, even receiving an honorable mention in the MicroWiki's 25 Most Influential (2020) by Statistic-Dime.
Honorifics
Titles and styles
Knights of Columbus - Brother Knight, 3rd Degree Knight
Austenasia - His Grace, Duke of Occidentia- Austenasia - Sir, Knight of the Order of Saint Constantine
- Austenasia - Sir, Knight of the Order of the Bullmastiff
Domanglia - Sir, Knight of the Order of Cthulhu
Ebenthal - Grand Cross, Order of the Silver Cat
Gradonia - Sir, Knight Cross of the Order of William I
Hrafnarfjall - His Highness, Margrave of Phokland
Holy Roman Empire - His Highness, Prince Elector of Phokland
Sovereign Order of Saint Chad - Sir, Knight
Wyvern - Sir, Knight- Wyvern - The Right Honourable, Lord
Cycoldia - His Highness, Earl of Hitchcock
Naveria - His Grace, Viscount of Arcelia- Naveria - Sir, Grand Croix of the Order of Varconia
Seigneurie of Rosemia - His Grace, Duke of Rosslandia
Vishwamitra - Grand Cross of the Order of the Vishwamitra- Vishwamitra - Member First Class of the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit
- Vishwamitra - Civil Service Medal
- Vishwamitra - Commemorative Medal of the Crystal Jubilee of the Foundation of Vishwamitra
Creek and Lake - His Grace The Duke of Hayton, of Hayton Castle in the County of Cumberland; Marquess de Ross; Marquess of Arrington, of Arrington Castle in the County of Gloucester; Earl of Hayton, of Hayton Castle in the County of Cumberland; Earl of Hewelsfield, of Hewelsfield in the County of Gloucester; Earl of Bassenthwaite, of Bassenthwaite in the County of Cumberland; Viscount de Ross, in the City of Houston; Baron Allerdale, of Allerdale in the County of Cumberland.- Creek and Lake - Knight of the Most Ancient & Most Noble Order of Creek (KC); Knight Grand-Cross of the Royal Order of Creek (GCRC); Knight Grand-Commander of the Most Exalted Imperial Order of the Falcon (GCIF); Knight Grand-Cross of the Most Eminent Imperial Order of Creek (GCIC), Knight-Companion of the Sovereign Order of the Star of Creek (KIC).
Grand Emirate of Raphania - Grand Master, Order of the Pebble- Commonwealth of Dracul - Citation of the Silver Dragon
Noble honours
| Ribbons worn by Lord Charles | |||
|---|---|---|---|
  
| |||
  
| |||
  
| |||
.svg){kind=small}
|
| Breast stars worn by Lord Charles | |||
|---|---|---|---|
   _-_Badge.svg){kind=icon}  
|
| Collars worn by Lord Charles | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 
|
| Ribands worn by Lord Charles | |||
|---|---|---|---|
  
|
Heraldry
 |
 |
|
.svg)
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
(2020 – present) |
(2019 – 2022) |
Cycoldia (2020 – present) |
(2021 – present) |
(2021 – present) |
Personal life
Outside of micronationalism, Charles von Graustark spends the majority of his free time either researching history or watching documentaries. Additionally, he is a fan of film and enjoys watching movies either at home or at the cinema. Charles also spends a large chunk of his time working on podcasts and engaging in political activities with the Arizona Libertarian Party where he serves as a Precinct Committeeman for the 12th District of the MCLP. In his professional life, Charles works in Law Enforcement.
Political views
Charles has (on numerous occasions) self-identified as a Paleolibertarian with strong personal beliefs related to colonialism, sovereignty disputes and social/human rights. While holding himself to conservative fiscal and social standards it is his firm belief that these opinions are his alone and should not be forced on anyone else be it by the government or by any other means.
Micronationally
In a micronational context, Charles is staunchly monarchist with a firm belief that a strong head of state helps a micronation develop further than it would with a loose electable government. Additionally, he believes that the pomp and pageantry that comes with a monarchy also helps to create a culture within the nation and helps to give it legitimacy. His other micronational political opinions have also been described as bordering on fascism.
Quotes
 | Warning! This article or section contains profanity or other material which may be considered offensive. |
Oh fuck me.
— Charles von Graustark, 2019
Fuck it, let's take over Greenland.
— Charles von Graustark, 2020
There is not a single quote attributed to me that does not contain the f word.
— Charles von Graustark, 2020
I spent eight fucking hours a day on MicroWiki, eight fucking hours!
— Charles von Graustark, 2021
See also
- Empire of Austenasia
- Dominion of West Canada
- Phoklandian Free State
- Unified Kingdom of Graustark and Dawsbergen
- Bregusland Colony
- Grand Emirate of Raphania
