Kingdom of Elsanor

Kingdom of Elsanor
Kingdom of Elsanor
	Flag Coat of arms
	Motto: Strength Through Solidarity
	Anthem: Elsanor! My Homeland
	; Kingdom of Elsanor Area Map
Capital	Maddocsburgh
Largest city	St. Isidore
Official languages	English
Demonym(s)	Elsanoran
Government	Constitutional Monarchy
• King	HM King Eric I
• Chancellor	Lord Pierce
Legislature	Grand and General Council
Establishment	2005
Population
• (per 2016 census) census	19
Currency	Silver Franc
Time zone	(CST)
	Website; Government website ;

Elsanor, officially the Kingdom of Elsanor is an enclaved, landlocked micronation in North America completely surrounded by the United States of America. It is just over 1.04 km2 (258 acres) in size and has a population of 19. Its capital is Maddocsburgh, and its largest town is St. Isidore. Elsanor was featured prominently in the 2006 Lonely Planet Guide to Micronations. Elsanor is a founding member of the International Agricultural Development Pact, and is currently petitioning the US Bureau of Indian Affairs for recognition as a Sovereign Nation within the United States of America.

Etymology

Elsanor is derived from Spanish, el meaning "the" and señor meaning “master” or "senior". As the original sovereign baronies of Pelican Island and Sand Island joined together, they cooperated in forming “the senior” government of Elsanor.

History

Early history

The original inhabitants of the area now known as Elsanor were Paleo-Indians of the Mississippian culture, which arose around 950BC. They had a wide trading network extending from the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes. These people also built mounds and complex settlements that were densely inhabited. The culture generally reached its peak in the 14th century, and many settlements were abandoned by the 15th century. The first major European expedition into the territory that became Elsanor was Spanish, led by Hernando de Soto, who passed through in 1540. The French claimed the territory that included Elsanor as part of their colony of New France. As part of New France, Elsanor was also ruled by the Spanish after France's defeat in the Seven Years' War. Later it was briefly part of West Florida under the British. In 1783 the Elsanor area was deeded by Great Britain to the United States after the latter won its independence in the American Revolution, under the terms of the Treaty of Paris. Through the colonial period, the various tribes of Native Americans changed alliances trying to achieve the best trading and other conditions for themselves.

Foundation of a dynasty

Elsanor was pioneered in the 1970s by Bruce "the Fierce", who used Pelican Island as a base camp during recreational offshore fishing trips. The island was declared the Barony of Pelican Island by his son James I in 1993. In 1998 Eric I, the nephew of James I, established the government of the Island in the form of an Absolute Monarchy. By 2004, such attention had been gained by the Barony of Pelican Island that a rival barony was established on neighboring Sand Island by Lord Pierce. Partnering together to combat the threat of war from the disgruntled citizen and traitor "Generalissimo" L'Etan Gallo and his Army of The International Leftist Advance(ATILA), the two island baronies joined forces through the Morgan Treaty to establish a permanent union of the two islands and named the sovereign archipelago the Grand Duchy of Elsanor.

Under the direction of Grand Duke Eric I, Elsanor outgrew its initial land claim, and annexed the larger Petit Bois Island to the West. In its first year of existence, Eric I went to great effort in establishing the national web page, a multinational radio broadcast for the Gulf Coast region, the minting of 3 denominations of coins, and the increase of the voting population from 4 to 308 at its highest point. Treaties of mutual recognition were exchanged with various nations and organizations including the Principality of Vikesland, the Dominion of British West Florida, the Grand Duchy of Westartica and the Republic of Molossia among several others.

By 2010, the Grand Duchy of Elsanor was proving to be an increasingly time consuming effort for Eric I. In September 2010, the Grand Duke was ordered to Afghanistan as part of Elsanor's military contribution to the US Army. Unable to rule from abroad, the temporary power of Regent of Elsanor was entrusted to Lord Steven, Marquis of Sablon and long time Minister of Finance for the Grand Duchy of Elsanor.

Internal strife

After the deployment of the Grand Duke to Afghanistan with Elsanor’s Infantry contingent, the governance of the territory fell to the Marquis of Sablon, Lord Steven. Ruling without regard for the Constitution adopted by the Crown in 2006, Lord Steven abolished the Constitutional Monarchy and all offices of Nobility in the Realm on October 1, 2010. Three days later, amid much uproar, he established himself as the Perpetual Head of a Theocracy based on compulsory conversion to Odinism by Royal Decree #36. Incensed by the move, the nobles of Elsanor gathered in an attempt to maintain power over their hereditary lands on Pelican and Sand Islands. Finding themselves outmaneuvered by Steven "the Mad", the Nobles went into self-imposed exile to the nearby territories of the United States, seeking asylum and advice from the Grand Duke, who was still serving with the US Army.

The Baron of Pelican Island, as Eric I had returned to calling himself, organized a relief effort backing the nobles in an attempt to return sensible order to the islands. With the successful removal of Lord Steven from power, the people of Elsanor reinstituted a limited nobility under the governance of a democratically elected Chancellor, Lord Wangner. As the government took steps to emplace a new constitution, radical elements elected to the General Assembly began to splinter. With the entirety of the representatives from Petit Bois Island espousing immediate secession if their demands for a socialist state were not heeded, Chancellor Wangner took measures to suppress the Island’s radical politics that included the dismissal of half of their delegation from the Constitutional Convention on November 1. By November 5, Petit Bois Island had completely abandoned negotiations and formed a provisional government. Preparing for conflict, Petit Bois looked to the aid of several terrorist cells affiliated with the Army of The International Leftist Advance (ATILA), under the traitor “Generalissimo” Gallo. The Midnight Revolution was a Cyber operation mounted by the Army of The International Leftist Advance (ATILA) against the Grand Duchy of Elsanor and its presence on the World Wide Web. Seen as the low point of the Secession War of November 5, 2010 to March 3, 2011, it occurred at 11:59 CST on the night of 23 December 2010, and saw the government website of the Grand Duchy of Elsanor hacked by a Cyber Guerilla Team of ATILA. After seizing Elsanor’s online presence, steps were taken by the Guerilla operatives to make the site unrecoverable, sparking outrage across Elsanor’s populace. Noted by many as being the greatest defeat of Elsanor in its history, Chancellor Wangner felt compelled to allow Petit Bois Island to secede.

Following several efforts made by the government to recover the site proved unsuccessful, Chancellor Wangner was impeached by the General Assembly and forced to sign a treaty recognizing the independence of Petit Bois Island on March 3, 2011. After the ceasefire, political and sectarian violence (between the Socialist Left led by ATILA’s “Generalissimo” Gallo and the Odin Occult loyal to Lord Steven) continued in Petit Bois Island for several months, with neither side gaining clear advantage over the other. The Island of Petit Bois is still seen by many analysts as an unstable territory in the region.

Lord Wangner continued to guide Elsanor through the arduous process of founding a republic. Two days after the ratification of the Constitution, Chancellor Wangner wrote to Eric I, asking him to stand for election as Chancellor of the Republic of Elsanor. Asking Lord Wangner to hold on as long as he could, Eric I promised he would stand for election as soon as he had finished his foreign service with Elsanor's Infantry contingent in Afghanistan. Keeping his promise, and seeing no alternative to securing a peaceful Elsanor, Eric returned to the islands and, upon the resignation of Chancellor Wangner, was restored as Elsanor’s Head of Government, this time as Chancellor of a Republic forged by the very citizens who had elected him. Wishing to illustrate to the people of Elsanor the Republic's origins in noblity, Eric I assumed the Office of Chancellor under the name Lord Ball. On August 3, 2012, to the rejoicing songs of Elsanor, the restoration of peace and prosperity had at last been achieved with the Inauguration of Chancellor Lord Ball to a six year term as leader of the Republic of Elsanor.

After the purchase of 258 acres of land by Lord Ball in 2013, a sizeable community had developed in the new territory of St. Isidore, and was officially recognized as a province by the national government on October 5, 2013. In 2014, the seat of government officially relocated to St. Isidore from the historical seat of power in Sand Island. With the inability of the government to establish a permanent population in the provinces of Pelican Island and Sand Island, On May 1, 2016, it was decided to cede these exclaves to the United States of America and entrust their care to the Sand Island Lighthouse Association.

Royal restoration

On May 13, 2016, a public referendum was initiated by the citizens of Elsanor to return the nation to a monarchical form of government. As the land composing Elsanor was owned wholly by the Ball family, the Grand and General Council returned Eric I to the throne, investing him as King of Elsanor. The law of succession from 2005 was reinstated with limited revisions to emphasize the elevation of Elsanor’s sovereign from Grand Duke to King, and provides a system for dynastic succession.

Government and politics

The Kingdom of Elsanor operates as a constitutional monarchy with King Eric I as its Head of State. The Grand and General Council, composed of 3 representatives from each of the four municipalities and one representative appointed by the King, selects from its number the four Ministers of State composed of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Domestic Affairs, the Minister of Finance, and the Minister of Defense. The Chancellor, Elsanor's Head of Government, is elected by the general population for a term of 6 years.

Law and order

Each Municipality elects three representatives to the National Congress as well as a Constable. Judges of the Magistrate are appointed for a term of 3 years by the Chancellor. Legality is determined by Statute and the Common Law of Elsanor.

Foreign relations

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, acting as the diplomatic representative of the King of Elsanor welcomes dialog from all nations. Elsanor currently holds the Kingdom of Vikesland as Most Favored Nation pursuant to the Treaty of Mutual Support and Recognition of 2007. In March 2016, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially submitted a petition to the United States of America’s Bureau of Indian Affairs requesting recognition of Elsanor as a sovereign nation within the United States. In April 2016 the government of the United States of America officially notified Elsanor that’s its petition was received and pending review.

Military

Elsanor's security forces are composed of the Royal Elsanor Defense Force (REDF) and the Civil Defense Group. The REDF consists of a small contingent of infantry, engineers, communications and medical specialists as well as a newly established air wing. Though serving a largely ceremonial purpose, many of the REDF served in combat alongside US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

REDF units

2 x Infantry Detachments
- Frontier Guard
- Royal Guard
1 x Support Detachment
1 x Logistic Support Group

The Civil Defense Group is composed of every male between the age of 15 and 50, and may be called out in time of emergency. The REDF and Civil Defense Group are answerable to the King through the Ministry of Defense.

Geography and climate

Elsanor is bordered on all sides by the United States of America and is an enclave of the State of Mississippi.Elsanor iss entirely composed of lowlands with some gently sloping hills in the north of the nation. Its soil is composed of fertile black soil common throughout the Black Belt region of North America. With a humid subtropical climate, Elsanor has long summers and short, mild winters. Temperatures average 81 °F (about 27 °C) in July and about 48 °F (about 9 °C) in January.

Economy

Despite its lack of natural resources, Elsanor is one of the few countries in the world with a 100% employment rate; it has developed a prosperous, highly industrialized free-enterprise economy and boasts an agricultural and financial service sector that compares favorably with those of the neighboring United States of America. Additionally, Elsanor has had a silver backed currency since its foundation in 2005. Much of this Bullion was acquired as part of the Treaty of Morgan which joined the Barony of Pelican Island and the Barony of Sand Island into the Grand Duchy of Elsanor. Currency is backed at a rate of 10 Elsanoran Silver Francs to 1/10th of an ounce of silver. Very low business taxes (lowest in North America)—the corporate tax rate is a flat 10%-as well as easy Rules of Incorporation have induced holding companies to establish registered offices in Elsanor. This provides about 25% of Elsanor's government revenue. Elsanor also generates revenue from its sovereign wealth fund, which was established in 2014 with donations from several prominent citizens. Other sources of revenue for Elsanor include timber exports, agricultural exports, real estate development and tourism.

Culture

The Triathlon is the national sport of Elsanor,though competitive shooting sports and horse racing are also widely popular. The National Anthem is titled "Elsanor! My Homeland", and was written by Lord Wagner in 2007. The national pastime is gardening, and the national hat is the wide-brimmed Plantation hat, being made of straw in the summer and fur felt for special occasions. Traditionally a nautical culture, with the cession of the Gulf of Mexico possessions of Pelican and Sand Islands to the US government in 2016, fishing and boating are now restricted to Elsanor's 2.5 acre Lake Helene. The Elsanor Arts and Crafts Festival is held annually and exhibits locally produced food, beverages, and works of art as well as competitions, auctions and live music.

Media

The Kingdom of Elsanor outsources all of its telecom needs to the neighboring United States. The Elsanor Broadcasting Network is the national radio, film, and news distributor.

External links