Kingdom of Dalrigia
Kingdom of Dalrigia | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| Motto: "Long live Dalrigia" | |
| Status | Active |
| Location | Rhins of Galloway Peninsula, Scotland |
| Capital | Portpatrick |
| Largest city | Stranraer |
| Official languages | Scots • Irish • Dalrigian |
| Ethnic groups (2022) | Majority Irish-Scottish |
| Demonym(s) | Dalrigian |
| Government | constitutional monarchy |
• High King | Aaron I |
| Legislature | Diavaracu Dalrigia |
| Independence from the Sprinske Empire | |
• Independence | 12 December 2022 |
| Membership | 5 |
| Currency | Dalrigian Regal |
| Time zone | UTC+0 |
The Kingdom of Dalrigia, more commonly known as Dalrigia, is a self-declared independent state known as a micronation by external observers, it is situated in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Dalrigia declared independence from the Sprinske Empire on 12 December 2022 after Emperor Aaron I declared the southern territories of Sprinske situated outside of Kolniari as the Republic of Dalrigia. Despite being located outside of the sector, Dalrigia is very closely linked to the Kolniari Sector in part due to it’s position as a former region of the Sprinske Empire. The nation switched to a monarchy in 2023.
Dalrigia was originally a parliamentary democracy led by the Taoiseach, who acted as the head of state and head of government. There are elections for the Taoiseach every month, who appoints ministry leaders, who all lead separate departments of the government specialising in different areas. Dalrigia was founded in part to see how different the formation of a nation through peaceful methods would be compared to Sprinske, which was founded in a revolution. The nation later became a constitutional monarchy when the offices of head of state and head of government were split apart, and the office of High King of Dalrigia was established.
Etymology
Dalrigia’s name comes from the name of the Sprinske Empire’s claims in southern Scotland, the Province of Dalrigia. When the province became a nation, it kept the original province name.
In Dalrigian, the meaning of Dalrigia is 'the land of the rivers.'
History
Dalrigia was founded on 12 December 2022.. It was created in part to test if it would be easier for a micronation created peacefully to grow rather than one created in a war. This theory was proposed by Emperor Aaron I, who claimed that founding a nation peacefully would allow for government members specialising in certain tasks, whilst being founded through revolution would mean that government officials would only be effective for military tasks, and that such a government would only work well in dictatorships. Dalrigia was also founded as an attempt to create a nation outside of the Kolniari Sector which would be a more healthy environment for a new micronation to grow in.
In July 2023, the nation became a constitutional monarchy, with the Kaltarsian Tsar, Aaron I, who was also the first Taoiseach of Dalrigia, as the High King. Aaron I later traded Dalrigia to get Sprinska back, making Green the new High King of Dalrigia. However with a period of inactivity following Green’s takeover of Dalrigia, on 19 June 2024, the Dalrigian National Monarchist Army began the Dalrigian Revolution in an attempt to take back Dalrigia from Green and turn Dalrigia into a Catholic monarchy, with Aaron I as monarch. Following the start of this revolution, Green was removed as Dalrigian leader and Aaron was asked to return, he accepted and became High King of Dalrigia.
Politics and government
Dalrigia is a constitutional monarchy, the Head of State is the High King of Dalrigia. The Head of Government is the Taoiseach who carries out effectively the same role as a Prime Minister. The Taoiseach can serve a maximum of 5 consecutive 6-month terms, with the full limit being 10 terms which would be 5 years. There is also the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Economics, Ministry of Culture and Design, and the Ministry of International Affairs, each led by elected ministers who serve a term of 2 years, which is renewable for up to 10 terms. As of now, if a minister resigns, then the Taoiseach must appoint. A replacement to serve for the remainder of their term.
Foreign relations
The Republic of Dalrigia’s closest relations are with the Sprinske Empire, but it also holds relations with the Republic of ValeVRG, and is soon expected to form alliances with the Kolniaric nations.
Military
The Dalrigian Armed Forces are controlled by the Ministry of Defence. Aircraft are supplied by Eagle Aircraft Corporation and are mostly paper or remote control. Dalrigia has less need for an active military than the Kolniari nations due to its location being distant from the sector. Dalrigia’s main weapons are nerf guns, Sting MK1s leftover from the Second Micronational War on Terror and sticks.
Geography and climate
The Republic of Dalrigia is situated on the Rhins of Galloway Peninsula, and is therefore the most southern micronation in Scotland due to the Mull of Galloway, which is the most southern point in Scotland, being within the nation’s borders. From the Mull of Galloway, known in Dalrigian as il finité dal nazeanu, the Isle of Man can be seen easily regardless of the weather. Ireland can also be seen, but only when the weather is good. When the skies are clear, England can also be seen from the lighthouse and the land around it. The nation’s capital, Portpatrick, lies 25 miles way from Belfast, and Ireland can be seen from the capital even when weather conditions are poor. Dalrigia (as a province of Sprinske) had a warm summer for Scottish standards in 2022, with temperatures reaching 29°C. The summer of 2023 thus far has been fairly colder, with an average of around 15°C.
Economy
The official currency of the Kingdom of Dalrigia is the Dalrigian Regal, which is closely linked to the Kaltarsian Regal. The Ŕ100 features an image of former American President Jimmy Carter, a respected figure in Dalrigia and Kaltarsia due to his contributions to human rights and equality. The Ŕ200 features an image of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union. Kaltarsian Regals feature the same images, the currencies of Kaltarsia and Dalrigia are similar to the Bank of Scotland and Bank of England, except the currencies of either nation can be used in the other.
Culture and media
As Dalrigia is located approximately at the centre of the Celtic nations, the cultures of each surrounding nation heavily influence it. It is mostly Scottish-influenced, but due to the fact that its capital is located 12 miles away from Ireland, there are some influences from there, most notably the fact that the leader’s title is Taoiseach. Most of Dalrigia’s citizens are former citizens of the Republic of Donkrea, which was a majority Irish-Scottish nation. Dalrigian Scots is a dialect of Scots heavily influenced by Hiberno-English, which has been described as Hiberno-English with a Scottish accent and a few other Scots words. There is also the Dalrigian language which is a Kolniaric language despite Dalrigia being outside of Kolniari. Sitcoms are especially popular in Dalrigia, the most watched television programme is Still Game, closely followed by Mrs. Brown’s Boys and Only Fools and Horses.