Kingdom of Northumbria
 | This article contains information pertaining to a simulationist micronation, micronationalist or other element of micronational society or culture. |
Kingdom of Northumbria | |||||||
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 Flag
 Coat of arms
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| Motto: Saint Cuthbert's Land | |||||||
| Anthem: Lads of Alnwick | |||||||
| North East England | |||||||
| Capital | Bamburgh (de jure) Newcastle upon Tyne (de facto) | ||||||
| Largest city | Newcastle upon Tyne | ||||||
| Official languages | English | ||||||
| Religion | Church of England | ||||||
| Demonym(s) | Northumbrian | ||||||
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | ||||||
• King | King of Northumbria | ||||||
• Prime Minister | Rilgar Ompastre | ||||||
| Legislature | Northumbrian Legislature | ||||||
| Witan | |||||||
| Parliament | |||||||
| Establishment | - Democratic People's Republic of Kozlova (06/06/12) - Sorrenian Federation (03/11/13) - Kingdom of Sorrenia (04/04/18) - Kingdom of Northumbria (24/11/2020) | ||||||
| Population | |||||||
• Census | 24 | ||||||
| HDI | 0.904 very high | ||||||
| Currency | Pound sterling | ||||||
| Time zone | Northumbrian Standard Time | ||||||
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The Kingdom of Northumbria, occasionally referred to as the New Kingdom of Northumbria (in contrast to the medieval kingdom of the same name) is a micronation claiming sovereignty over all of the North East of England. It traces its history to the formation of the Democratic People's Republic of Kozlova in 2012, which eventually was transformed into the Sorrenian Federation. After a period of hiatus lasting between 2016 and 2018, Sorrenia was re-founded as a kingdom, which ultimately became the Kingdom of Northumbria.
A constitutional monarchy, Northumbria claims the English regions of Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham and the Tees Valley - a total landmass of 8,600 km2, with an estimated population of 2.6mn. These claims are divided into a total of six regions, each with their own unique form of government.
Northumbria is officially an Anglican country, and members of the clergy are sent by the Prince Bishop of Durham and the Abbott of Hexham to serve in the Witan, the legislature's upper chamber, alongside partisan officials appointed by the various heads of state of Northumbria's regions.
Etymology
The term 'Northumbria' derives from the Old English Norþan-hymbre meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", referring to the Humber estuary. After what was once Deira (the southern half of Northumbria) evolved into Yorkshire, the term Northumbria came to refer more particularly to the North East of England. The name is still in regular use in the North East - examples include Northumbria University, Northumbrian Water and Northumbria Police.
Flag and Coat of Arms
Northumbria uses the flag of the medieval kingdom of the same name. Colloquially referred to as 'Saint Oswald's stripes', the flag was first described by Saint Bede in his Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, initially using gold and purple (now adopted by Northumbria as the symbol of the royal family). The flag is regularly flown in the English county of Northumberland, and can also occasionally be seen in County Durham.
The Coat of Arms of Northumbria depicts the nation's flag surrounded by a lion and a rook sporting the flags of Durham and Northumberland respectively - Northumbria's two largest counties. The royal colours lie above the shield.
Administrative divisions
Northumbria is divided into a total of six administrative regions, each with their own unique head of state and title. Northumberland and Durham are the two largest regions, modelled on the English counties of the same name. Northumberland also contains the North Tyneside region while Durham contains Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland, all of which are part of the English county of Tyne and Wear. Hexhamshire consists of the old region of Tynedale to the west of Northumberland, and is the most rural Northumbrian county. Newcastle contains the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and functions as Northumbria's de facto capital. Teesside - Northumbria's only other metropolitan county - consists of the city of Middlesbrough and the area of Redcar and Cleveland to the city's east. Finally, Alston is Northumbria's smallest claim, and also its only claim outside the North East region, as the village of Alston resides within the English county of Cumbria.
Each county has a unique way of determining its head of state. Northumberland is headed by the Earl of Northumberland, a hereditary noble title. The Prince Bishop of Durham is the highest ranking member of the Anglican clergy in Northumbria, appointed by a conclave of the church. The Abbott of Hexham is chosen by the monks of Hexham Abbey. The Mayor of Newcastle is elected via a direct vote of the city's inhabitants, while the Mayor of Teesside is chosen by the county's legislature, Teesside Council. Alston does not have a single head of state, instead adopting the form of collective leadership. By contrast, the county's legislatures (with the exception of Alston) are remarkably similar, and resemble the English county council.
Government and politics
Political parties
A number of political parties operate in Northumbria. The nationalist big tent National Democratic Party has operated since Northumbria's formation, and previously ruled it as a one-party state. The Christian Democrats - an agrarian and socially conservative party - as well as the Liberal-Green Alliance - a socially liberal environmentalist party - emerged once independent MPs sympathetic to the government were allowed to form their own political parties.
The Socialist Party, created after a wave of democratisation in early 2021, began as a mixture of left-wing dissidents and previous members of the NDP. It quickly emerged as one of the largest parties in Northumbria after the March 2021 general election. The Tees Party was formed after the government refused to join the region of Teesdale to the newly created county of Teesside. They argue that both regions are culturally similar, and so warrant a shared county instead of being divided between Teesside and Durham. This ongoing debate is referred to as the 'Teesdale Question'.
Finally, the Alston Left refers to the governing body of the Alston Commune, who send a single MP to the Parliament and a single representative to the Witan. As council members are automatically part of the Alston Left, no other political party is present in the commune.
| Party Name | Logo | Leader | Ideologies | Position | Seats in the Legislature | ||
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| Seats in Parliament | Seats in the Witan | ||||||
| National Democratic Party | 
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Rilgar Ompastre | List |
Centre | 26 / 41
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12 / 25
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| Liberal-Green Alliance | 
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List |
Centre-left | 4 / 41
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0 / 25
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| Tees Party | List |
Centre | 4 / 41
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2 / 25
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| Socialist Party | 
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Martin Aquinas | List |
Centre-left to left | 2 / 41
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4 / 25
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| Workers Party | Adam Scargill | List |
Far-left | 2 / 41
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0 / 25
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| Christian Democrats | 
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Harry Jones | Centre-right | 2 / 41
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1 / 25
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| Alston Left | Collective leadership | List |
Far-left | 1 / 41
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1 / 25
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Foreign relations
Northumbria's presence in the inter-micronational community is limited, as its leaders prefer to cultivate particular relationships with a select number of micronations. Though open to dialogue, Northumbrian politicians mostly adopt a policy of reclusiveness, and rarely reach out to begin talks. Since its formation however, it has possessed a treaty of mutual recognition with the Principality of Akebar, located close to Northumbria's southern border. This treaty was ultimately transformed into an alliance. Northumbrian diplomats also reached out to the Islamic Emirate of Acre, securing a treaty of mutual recognition in early 2021, though this could not flourish into an alliance due to Acre's domestic laws banning formal intermicronational agreements.
After several months of negotiation, the Kingdom of Northumbria successfully signed a treaty of mutual recognition with the People's Republic of Dale, who had supported a Dradelian nationalist insurgency against Northumbria's predecessor, the Kingdom of Sorrenia. This treaty marked a formal end to Dale's support and a recognition of the territorial integrity of Northumbria.
Nations in a state of alliance with Northumbria
Nations with which Northumbria has signed a treaty of mutual recognition
Recognised, no relations
Culture
Media
Cuisine
Northumbria's cuisine and eating habits are influenced heavily by broader British cuisine. Popular dishes include the full English breakfast, shepherd's pie and Sunday roast. Fish and chips is especially popular in Northumbria given its proximity to the North Sea, a large source of cod fish. Like much of England, Northumbrians also enjoy Anglo-Indian and Chinese cuisine; Newcastle hosts one of the seven Chinatowns in England.
A number of dishes unique to the North East of England are also popular. The stottie cake - a flat and rounded loaf with a heavy and dough-like texture - is often holed out and eaten with ham and pease pudding (a savoury pudding also associated with the North East); stottie cakes can be purchased from most bakeries. Panackelty is a beef or lamb casserole associated with the Sunderland area, which usually includes corned beef and root vegetables. The parmo is a staple of Teesside fast food cuisine, and consists of a breaded cutlet of chicken or pork topped with a white béchamel sauce and cheese. Though it originates in Teesside, the parmo is also commonly found throughout both the North East and North Yorkshire.
A number of alcoholic beverages are also popular in Northumbria. Like the rest of England, most of Northumbria's alcohol consumption consists of lager, ale and other beers, cider and wine. Ales were historically the drink of choice for Britons, and this is reflected in Northumbrian drinking culture; the Durham Brewery specialises in the production of ales, and Newcastle Brown Ale, with its association with Newcastle's heavy industry, remains a popular drink both in the North East and the rest of England.
Sports
Many sports are played and enjoyed by Northumbrians. Among those most common are football, rugby and cricket, all widely popular in the United Kingdom.
Along with enjoying such sports, Northumbria also has a proud tradition of competitive sporting. The Durham County Cricket Club is a first-class county club in the English and Welsh cricket system, and is based in their Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street. Durham University also regularly competes with other universities in a wide array of sports, and its Collingwood College in particular is renowned for sporting excellence. Rowing is also very popular, given its prevalence at Durham University. The Durham Regatta is an annual event in which Durham colleges compete against crews from as far afield as the Netherlands. Newcastle United Football Club, Middlesbrough F.C. and Sunderland A.F.C. are all major English football teams, and play in the Premier League and Championship League. Newcastle and Sunderland are renowned for their Tyne-Wear derby, one of the fiercest in the country.
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