Grand Duchy of Eniarku
Grand Duchy of Eniarku | |
|---|---|
| Motto: "Dignitatem et Virtuitis" "Dignity and Virtue" | |
| Anthem: "The Royal Promenade" (from Pictures at an Exhibition) | |
Location of Eniarku | |
| Capital | Glenora |
| Largest city | Niles |
| Official languages | English |
| Ethnic groups (2022) | |
| Demonym(s) | Eniarkian |
| Government | Unitary semi-constitutional monarchy |
• Grand Duke (with the Council of State) | Alexander |
| Establishment | |
• Republic established | 29 May 2009 |
| 15 February 2010 | |
| 28 November 2010 | |
| 18 May 2011 | |
| 24 October 2011 | |
| 5 August 2015 | |
| 29 May 2024 | |
| Area | |
• Total | 566 km2 (219 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2023 estimate | 387 |
• Density | 779/km2 (2,017.6/sq mi) |
| HDI (2021) | ▲ 0.913 very high |
| Currency | Eniarkian franc (₣) (ENF) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EST) |
| Date format | mm/dd/yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +1 |
Website http://eniarku.org | |
Eniarku, officially the Grand Duchy of Eniarku, is an autonomous micronation claiming sovereignty over several contiguous territories in continental North America. Founded on 29 May 2009 when the Republic of Eniarku declared independence from the United States of America, the nation is an enclave of the Midwestern U.S. state of Michigan and has experienced numerous structural and territorial changes throughout its history. Following a lengthy period of inactivity, the current grand duchy was officially established by the nation's first codified constitution on 29 May 2024.
The grand duchy operates as a semi-constitutional monarchy, in which the national constitution explicitly vests political power and governing authority in the reigning grand duke while simultaneously defining the limits of those powers. The current monarch, Grand Duke Alexander, fulfills the various constitutional responsibilities of the Crown on the advice of and together with the Council of State, which is appointed by the sovereign and functions as a privy council; there are no separate legislative or judicial institutions. As a unitary state, Eniarku's territorial subdivisions (known as cantons) do not possess any devolved governmental powers of their own and are administered directly by the grand duke and his advisors from the capital of Glenora.
Eniarku maintained a solid diplomatic position in the MicroWiki and North American sectors for many years, having served as a member of both NAMCO and the Grand Unified Micronational prior to its most recent period of inactivity. The grand duchy has generally remained neutral since the conclusion of the Austenasian Civil War in mid-2010, and has pursued a strict foreign policy agenda since the time of the Eniarkian Confederation. As of May 2024, Eniarku is not recognized by any government or state acknowledged by the United Nations.
Etymology
The name "Eniarku" comes from the original Republic of Eniarku, when Ukraine was simply reversed. No other etymological reasoning has been discovered to date.
History
Independence and early history
Eniarku was originally established as a semi-presidential republic on 29 May 2009 by now-Grand Duke Alexander and his close friends. Drawing a great deal of inspiration from the Enlightenment-based ideals of the American and French Revolutions (especially the latter's foundational Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen), the founding government sent its formal declaration of independence to local and state American government officials and quickly ratified laws designed to safeguard the fundamental rights of its citizens and establish the three traditional branches of government under a separation of powers system.
While initially created as a small-scale social experiment, the nation quickly joined the MicroWiki community and established diplomatic relations with the Empire of Austenasia and the Republic of Molossia, two nations which heavily influenced the early republic. Near the end of 2009, the nation experienced a significant population spike resulting in instability within the government; this conflict ultimately ended in the president and prime minister jointly dismissing many officials and becoming Eniarku's de facto diarchs for nearly three months, after which the population began to plateau and turmoil subsided.
Red Reformation and communist rule
With the founders now holding near-absolute power over the state, they enacted a series of sweeping policy changes that have become known as the Red Reformation. On 15 February 2010, the newly-created Eniarkian Worker's Party (EWP) established the Democratic People's Republic of Eniarku as a single-party communist state and installed the former president as Supreme Executive Commissioner, closely modeling its reconfiguration of the country's domestic institutions off of the now-defunct Democratic People's Republic of Erusia.
Despite assurances by the central government that political, social, and economic rights would remain relatively unchanged under communist rule, the governing EWP ruthlessly disbanded all opposing parties in the National People's Congress and quickly became the most powerful group in the government. While the EWP's ideology was effectively a "melting pot" of ideas from different forms of socialism and communism from around the world, it was similar to many other ruling parties in single-party states insofar as it maintained a strict organizational hierarchy, the lines between party and state institutions were blurred, and party officials in government actively worked to stifle opposition activities. To be sure, the National People's Congress (which, in turn, was comprised exclusively of EWP Presidium officials) frequently authorized the National Executive Committee, Central Military Commission, and Central Discipline Commission to carry out widespread political repression campaigns with the goal of strengthening the grip of the central government and eliminating political enemies.
North American unification
Shortly following the exposure of the Lethler Experiment and subsequent dissolution of Erusia in July 2010, the government was contacted by the Empire of New Europe and Ohio Empire, the latter of which had annexed itself to New Europe. After negotiations between EWP officials and Emperor Wilhelm I, the government agreed to a limited degree of New European suzerainty, an alliance that came to become known as the Movement for Tradition. After early attempts at reestablishing the North American sector failed, Wilhelm proposed full unification between the three states, at which point they would revisit their attempts to rejuvenate micronationalism on the continent. After nearly a month of negotiations, the nations jointly established the North American Confederation, which at the time of its inception was the largest North American micronation by claimed territory.
While the new confederation's early months were relatively stable, its politics were quickly beleaguered by residual internal dilemmas and reservations of each member state. Plans for a general election failed due to lack of activity, territorial disputes with young neighboring nations persisted, and ideological disputes between both government officials and foreign diplomats were frequent. Recurring conflicts between the emperor and prime minister over political power and a proposed migration to the Micras sector were exacerbated by the persistent lack of a codified constitution, and following a failed vote in the provisional Congress to approve the move to Micras, Emperor William abdicated the throne, and the government announced the confederation's official dissolution and restoration of full member state independence on 28 April 2011.
White Reformation and power sharing
After a brief reconstruction period ending on 18 May 2011, the Empire of Eniarku was declared in what has come to be known as the White Reformation, a term commonly used among royalists in an attempt to distance the new state from the failed Erusia, the fall of which led to reforms in many communist micronations of the era. The imperial government's structure was unique in that, at its inception, both the emperor (now-Grand Duke Alexander) and the legislature submitted to a power-sharing agreement that was designed to slowly transfer political power from the near-absolutist monarchy to the legislature and ministry as the state grew more stable.
This period of relative stability later became known as the Interconfederale, and was characterized by sincere cooperation between the imperial government and monarchy on foreign affairs issues. Together with the revived Empire of New Europe and Valnorgrad, Eniarku worked to transform the previously stratocratic Triune Alliance into a partnership grounded in principles of general cooperation and assistance. The government also developed the nation's first-ever Foreign Diplomatic Policy, a document designed to codify the strict standards for nations seeking to engage diplomatically with Eniarku, as well as consolidated the outdated and over-complicated military chain of command.
The imperial government also began ambitiously expanding its territory in the summer of 2011, claiming the entirety of the U.S. states of Indiana and Kentucky as incorporated territories. The empire also annexed the state of Ohio following confirmation of the Republic of Ohio's inactivity via official diplomatic channels, including the Pymatuning Lake Islands (a small group of islands located in a reservoir on the Pennsylvania-Ohio border), causing a brief territorial dispute with the newly-established government of Westsylvania. After several days of diplomatic negotiations, the Eniarkian and Westsylvanian governments agreed to the creation of the Joint Territory of the Pymatuning Lake Islands, which provided for both the expansion of the Eniarkian sphere of influence and de facto Westsylvanian control of the territory.
Post-Interconfederale restructuring
Government activity slowed after several more months under the monarchy, and by late summer 2011, legislators announced a leave of absence from the Community as they yet again reworked the country's internal structure. This hiatus came to an end on 24 October 2011, when former imperial ministers and legislators announced the formation of the Eniarkian Confederation, a federal parliamentary democratic republic. Under the confederal system, the cantonal structure still in use today was established, Eniarku partially reestablished communications with several North American micronations (primarily the Empire of New Europe), and the now-defunct Supreme Court made several precedent-settings decisions.
In mid-2012, however, the confederation began experiencing particularly sustained inactivity among its leaders, including its original founders. Most analysts agree that despite the notable resurgence of the post-Interconfederale era, the former federal government ceased meaningful activity no later than February 2013.
Return to monarchy and contemporary era
The inactivity of the confederation lasted for several years, during which a few members of the government met occasionally to discuss the reestablishment of the state. As many of the original founders had moved away from micronationalism, the remaining officials frequently found themselves debating government structures that would provide for simplified governance and consolidated political power while also staying true to the foundational democratic principles of the early republic. A natural option was transforming the remnants of the federal government into a semi-constitutional parliamentary monarchy with the former federal president and now-Grand Duke Alexander returning to the Eniarkian throne as king, and the Kingdom of Eniarku was declared on 5 August 2015 as the official successor state of the confederation.
The reestablishment of Eniarku ushered in a period of power consolidation on the part of the monarchy. While the now-defunct Parliament was the de jure legislative body with the authority to create policy, the uncodified nature of the kingdom's constitution allowed the king to exercise vast political power through the Council of State, which served as both a royal privy council and executive cabinet with the de facto ability to legislate through regulation and decree. Over time, many of Parliament’s functions were taken over by the Council of State, in turn providing the king with more unilateral lawmaking power.
Although the government had released many of its distant territorial claims by early 2017 in order to funnel more resources to immediately controllable realms, the Council of State became increasingly interested in the notion of claiming that the kingdom was the legitimate successor state of the newly-revived North American Confederation and that the former emperor’s return to the throne was unlawful. Upon hearing of these plans, the king (who was also the former prime minister of the confederation at the time of its dissolution) voiced his disapproval of the Council's plan, arguing that any attempt to claim a foreign throne would inevitably lead to conflict. The expansionist councillors were undeterred, however, threatening the king with forced abdication using an obscure legal loophole if he failed to comply, a series of events that ultimately resulted in the Eniarkian government claiming the throne and territory of the confederation on 15 February 2017. Within days, however, the king had managed to dismiss the Council of State and withdraw his coerced claims, moves met with gratitude by confederation officials and that helped to restore diplomatic stability in the North American sector.
Between mid-2017 and early 2018, the kingdom’s activity once again became intermittent, with few decrees issued by the king or Council of State and limited engagement among the citizenry. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 provided increased opportunities for a handful of remaining interested citizens and government officials to reengage with exploring new reforms designed to make the state more sustainable and less susceptible to inactivity issues, particularly through collaborative development of a first-of-its-kind codified constitution. In March 2024, after several years of on-and-off planning, drafting officials discovered that the Karno-Ruthenian Empire and its monarch had claimed the Eniarkian throne and its titles on 15 January 2021. In response, the former king and constitutional drafters successfully ratified the new constitution declaring the Grand Duchy of Eniarku as the sole legal successor state of the kingdom on 29 May 2024, the fifteenth anniversary of the country's original establishment, and the new government worked swiftly with Karno-Ruthenian officials to reinstate Grand Duke Alexander as the legitimate monarch.
Government and politics
| Grand Duchy of Eniarku |
 This article is part of the series: |
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| Constitution of Eniarku |
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The Crown
The Government
General policy
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Eniarku is a semi-constitutional monarchy, in which the national constitution explicitly grants the grand duke both executive power as head of state and lawmaking and enforcement authority as head of government, while simultaneously establishing key limits of those powers. The current monarch, Grand Duke Alexander, fulfills the various constitutional responsibilities of the Crown together with the Council of State, a body of appointed advisors that functions as a privy council but has no governing power of its own.
Under the 2024 constitution, there are no independent legislative or judicial institutions, and thus, no separation of powers in the traditional sense. Rather, the monarch and his advisors technically occupy different legal capacities depending on the role they are fulfilling at a given time. For example, Article 24 of the constitution establishes the grand duke's institutional role of the "Crown-in-Council" when he is actively chairing the Council of State in its lawmaking capacity, while Article 31 authorizes the council to convene as the "Crown Council of Appeal," which can operate as both a trial court or an appellate court to maintain the rule of law in the name of the sovereign.
For much of its history, Eniarku's constitution was uncodified and consisted primarily of existing statutes, judge-made case law, and international treaties, similar to the United Kingdom. As such, there has traditionally been no technical distinction between "constitutional law" and ordinary policy, which allowed previous legislative assemblies to essentially enact constitutional reform simply by passing a new law. Seeking to create a more stable and sustainable state of law, however, the founders of the current grand duchy ratified Eniarku's first codified constitution on 29 May 2024, which provides for the basic rights and liberties of citizens, the central role of the Crown, the general structure of the government institutions, and stringent rules for revising or amending the document. Unlike many of its previous incarnations, there are no political parties in the contemporary grand duchy.
Foreign affairs
The grand duchy's Foreign Diplomatic Policy formally outlines the basic terms and conditions for foreign states that wish to engage in diplomatic relations with Eniarku, and was reinstated on 29 May 2024 by a sovereign ordinance issued by Grand Duke Alexander. Since its inception during the Interconfederale period, the policy has aided the government in maintaining strict and consistent standards for Eniarku's diplomatic activities. Some of Eniarku's first diplomatic ties were with the Republic of Molossia, Empire of Austenasia, and Empire of New Europe; previous incarnations of the grand duchy also were also member states of NAMCO, the Triune Alliance, and the GUM. Throughout its history, Eniarku has stood as one of the leading micronations in the North American sector.
Recognized, no relations
United Nations (all member states except Israel)
Sealand
Full diplomatic relations
Informal relations
National defense
Chapter VI of the 2024 constitution establishes the Armed Forces, which functions as the grand duchy's police and national defense force, as well as its intelligence and security agency. The service is directly administered by Grand Duke Alexander as commander-in-chief and is formally charged with protecting Eniarkian territory and citizens, but has not seen significant conflict since its indirect involvement in the 2010 Austenasian Civil War, after which the nation has maintained a state of armed neutrality similar to that of Switzerland. In practice, the service's primary responsibilities are the direct protection of the royal family, serving as guards of honour at official state functions, general peacekeeping functions, and providing national security reports to the government.
Geography
Eniarku is an enclave of the U.S. state of Michigan, located in the Midwestern United States near the border between the United States and the Canadian province of Ontario. While the grand duchy is not subject to any of the effects of the region's mountain ranges, it is situated on the edge of the severe weather-rich region known as Tornado Alley. The capital, Glenora, is located 29.4 mi (47.3 km) northwest of Detroit in the heart of the manufacturing region known as Automation Alley.
The grand duchy's claimed territory has an area of 219 sq mi (566 km2), of which approximately 3% is water. The highest point in the country is located in the Grampian Hills region of Glenora at 1,235 feet (376 m) above sea level, while the lowest point of 620 feet (189 m) is near the southeast corner of Niles. One of the longest waterways, the Clinton River, flows east through most of the northern half of the grand duchy's territory, and meets with the 16.8 mile-long (27 km) Paint Creek (which rises from the small lakes in the northwest corner of Glenora) in the heart of Palma before turning sharply to the southeast, reentering Michigan, and eventually flowing into Lake St. Clair.
Climate
| Climate data for Eniarku | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 66 (18.9) |
65 (18.3) |
78 (25.6) |
87 (30.6) |
92 (33.3) |
102 (38.9) |
104 (40) |
101 (38.3) |
98 (36.7) |
90 (32.2) |
79 (26.1) |
64 (17.8) |
104 (40) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 30 (-1.1) |
34 (1.1) |
45 (7.2) |
58 (14.4) |
70 (21.1) |
79 (26.1) |
82 (27.8) |
80 (26.7) |
73 (22.8) |
60 (15.6) |
46 (7.8) |
34 (1.1) |
57.6 (14.21) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 16 (-8.9) |
18 (-7.8) |
26 (-3.3) |
36 (2.2) |
48 (8.9) |
57 (13.9) |
61 (16.1) |
60 (15.6) |
53 (11.7) |
42 (5.6) |
32 (0) |
22 (-5.6) |
39.3 (4.03) |
| Record low °F (°C) | -21 (-29.4) |
-12 (-24.4) |
-5 (-20.6) |
8 (-13.3) |
24 (-4.4) |
34 (1.1) |
41 (5) |
40 (4.4) |
31 (-0.6) |
19 (-7.2) |
2 (-16.7) |
-11 (-23.9) |
−21 (−29.4) |
| Average Precipitation inches (mm) | 1.77 (45) |
2.02 (51.3) |
2.18 (55.4) |
2.75 (69.9) |
3.16 (80.3) |
3.25 (82.6) |
2.86 (72.6) |
2.88 (73.2) |
3.10 (78.7) |
2.97 (75.4) |
2.75 (69.9) |
2.20 (55.9) |
31.89 (810) |
| Source: NOAA [1] | |||||||||||||
Administrative divisions
The grand duchy is a unitary state, in which all power stems from the central government and the three administrative divisions lack any devolved power of their own. These divisions, known as cantons, are either administered directly by the grand duke and his advisors from the capitol in Glenora, or indirectly through representatives of the government appointed by the sovereign. Macronationally, the cantonal structure is comparable to the quartiers of Monaco.
Culture and demographics
Much of Eniarkian culture is derived from general Western culture, particularly that of European Americans who immigrated from the Old World over the past five centuries, and many of its social and political traditions are grounded in classic unifying mores of American culture and the so-called "American creed," including individual liberty, social equality, and commitment to the rule of law. The area claimed by the grand duchy is home to groups of largely Western European decent, particularly German, English, Irish, and Italian, in addition to sizable Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian populations.
While the monarch maintains near-absolute governing authority under the constitution, the document also outlines the limits of the government's powers, expressly defining the rights of citizens and prohibiting the sovereign or government from suspending or unilaterally amending the constitution. A plurality of the grand duchy's citizenry is socially progressive permissive by global standards, and the government actively pursues policies designed to advance environmentalism, minority and LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive justice and women's rights, and democratic socialism.
National colors and symbols
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National (civil) flag
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State (government) flag
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Royal standard of the grand duke
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Greater (royal) coat of arms
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Government emblem
Language and religion
English is the de facto administrative and national language of Eniarku, as the grand duchy has no de jure official language. On average, nearly 84% of those living in Eniarkian territory speak only English at home, while other Indo-European and Asian languages make up much of the remaining 16%. Distant members of the royal court belonging to the House of Danov (which originated in the region near Stryi in modern-day Ukraine) make up one of the more prominent non-English speaking groups in the country, with many preferring native Ukrainian or Russian dialects.
Per Article 1 of the 2024 constitution, Eniarku is a fully secular state with no state religion. The bulk of the population is comprised of Roman Catholics and non-denominational Christians, followed by smaller Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu groups.
Cuisine
The grand duchy is situated inside the Detroit, Michigan, metropolitan area, and inherits many of its food specialties from this region. The area is well known for its Coney Island-style hot dog (a cousin of the chili dog topped with ground beef sauce, chopped onions, and mustard served with French fries), Detroit-style pizza (a thick-crusted Sicilian-inspired rectangular pizza), and the Chinese-American warr shu gai (almond boneless chicken) dish. As with its linguistic contributions, members of the House of Danov also share traditional foods with the Eastern European populations in the region, including pierogi, borscht, and pączki.
National holidays
In addition to several domestic and international holidays, the grand duchy also observes many traditional and United States federal holidays.
| Name | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1 January | The first day of the Gregorian year. |
| International Women's Day | 8 March | Celebration of equality, appreciation, and and protection of women. |
| Easter Day | Between 22 March and 25 April | Traditional celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. |
| International Workers' Day | 1 May | Honors the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the country. |
| Eniarkian Jubilee | 25-29 May | Five-day celebration of the establishment of the state of Eniarku, culminating on the anniversary of Eniarkian independence (29 May). |
| American Independence Day | 4 July | U.S. federal holiday commemorating the ratification of the American Declaration of Independence in 1776. |
| National Day | 5 August | Annual celebration of Grand Duke Alexander's birthday. |
| Children's Day | 12 October | Honor children, promote mutual exchange and understanding among children and initiate actions to benefit and promote the welfare of the world's children. |
| Teachers' Day | 15 October | Special day for the appreciation of teachers and their special contributions to the society. |
| Armistice Day | 11 November | Commemoration of the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany and also in commemoration of both living and dead soldiers who served in any conflict. |
| Christmas Day | 25 December | Traditional commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ. |
| New Year's Eve | 31 December | The final day of the Gregorian calendar year. |