Kingdom of the Kermadec Islands

Kingdom of the Kermadec Islands
Flag
Motto Explōratōrēs Sumus, Impavida et Audāx Explorers are We, Intrepid and Bold. (English)
Anthem Cloud Atlas Sextet
Kermadec Islands, New Zealand Minerva Reefs, Tonga not shown
Capital city	Sentinel
Official language	English
Official religion	secular
Demonym	Kermadec Islander, Kermadecan
Government	Constitutional Monarchy
- Leōcor	Violette I
- Prime Minister	vacant
Formation	-19 Mar 2020 current government -13 Sep 2005 earliest history
Area Claimed	-total 64.09 km² (24.75 mi²) -land 31.74 km² (12.25 mi²) -water 32.35 km² (12.50 mi²)
Population	1
Currency	Kermadec Dollar
Date format	dd-mm-yyyy
Time zone	UTC-12:00

The Kingdom of the Kermadec Islands is a new-country project that claims the Kermadec Islands, a subtropical archipelago North of New Zealand. The Kingdom was formed on 19 March 2020 and is currently led by longtime micronationalist Andrew/Violette "Suzuki" Clingersmith, who styles himself as the nation's Leōcor. Suzuki Leōcor aims to establish complete control over these territorial claims at some point in the near future.

Etymology

The Kingdom of the Kermadec Islands and the Minerva Reefs takes its namesake from its territorial claims, the Kermadec Islands and the Minerva Reefs, respectively. The former is named after the 18-century Breton explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec, who explored the archipelago in 1793. The Minerva Reefs were named in 1854 by Vice Admiral Henry Mangles Denham of the British Royal Navy, who christened them after the Australian whaling ship Minerva, which had ran aground on South Minerva Reef.

History

John Watts, the first European to discover the Kermadec Islands.

Stone implements of a Polynesian type have been found on Raoul Island, and there is evidence of a 14th Century Maori settlement there. Maori tradition also holds that the first settlers to the island were from the canoes Aotea and Kurahaupō, who referred to Raoul as Rangitāhua. However, the Kermadec Islands were found to be uninhabited when the first Europeans discovered the archipelago. This credit belongs to John Watts, captain of the slave ship Lady Penrhyn. He came across Curtis Island and Macaulay Island on 31 May 1788 on a return journey from Australia, and named them after his benefactors William Curis and George Mackenzie McCaulay. Raoul Island and l'Esperance Rock were discovered by Breton explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec on 16 March 1793. He named the former after his English-born quartermaster, Joseph Raoul, and the latter after his ship, the Espérance. Lieutenant John Garland of the Royal Navy is credited for discovering the Minerva Reefs, after running his ship, the Rosalia, aground there in 1807. The Minerva Reefs received their current name when the Australian whaling ship Minerva ran aground on South Minerva Reef in 1829, although it was not until 1854 that Vice Admiral Henry Mangles Denham of the Royal Navy would make this name official. Denham was also responsible for the first thorough geographical surveying of the Kermadec Islands, naming many of the archipelago's features, including the massive Denham Bay, which serves as the final resting place of his son, Fleetwood James Denham.

The Kermadec Islands have been briefly inhabited many times in the 19th century by colonists and shipwrecked sailors, most notably by Thomas Bell and his family from 1878 to 1913. They were formally annexed by New Zealand in 1886, following fears of German expansion in the Pacific. The Germans also used Raoul Island as a safe haven for the commerce raider SMS Wolf during World War I. There has been no civilian population since the last inhabitants were evacuated in 1914, but a small group of volcanologists and New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) volunteers have maintained a permanent station there since 1939.

The Minerva Reefs had remained unclaimed for 165 years since their discovery. This changed when the micronation of the Republic of Minerva attempted to lay claim to the reefs by staging a landing party and creating an artificial island on top of North Minerva Reef in 1972. The Tongan government sent troops to occupy the newly created land and eradicate the micronation. By September the international community recognized Tongan control over the Minerva Reefs. The Republic of Minerva again tried to occupy the Reefs in 1982, but again were driven off by the Tongan military.

The Kingdom

The Kingdom of the Kermadec Islands and the Minerva Reefs was formed on 19 March 2020, but actually traces its history back to 13 September 2005 with the founding of the micronation of Drew Star Line, or DSL. DSL was formed by six individuals, including Suzuki Leōcor, who served as its leader for nearly 13 years. DSL had been renamed several times throughout its history, and despite being a stable republic for its first eight years, the latter half of its history was marred by inactivity and frequent government shutdowns. DSL claimed the Kermadec Islands between 2015 and 2017, and much of its settlement planning has been transferred over to the Kingdom. Several cultural aspects have been transferred over from DSL to the Kingdom as well, including the nation's motto, anthem, and unique alphabet. The Kingdom's flag is a recolored version of San Dover's flag, another micronational entity created and led by Suzuki Leōcor.

Government

The Kingdom of the Kermadec Islands and the Minerva Reefs is a de jure hereditary, constitutional monarchy, although at present due to a lack of citizens available for public service the nation is managed as an absolute monarchy. The state is led by either a King or a Queen, who is styled regardless of gender as the Leōcor, a constructed term that translates from Latin as "The Lionheart." The Leōcor title is unique among many royal titles in that it comes after the holder's name, for instance the current Leōcor is styled as Suzuki Leōcor.