Lateran State

State of the Lateran Territories Estado dos Territórios Lateranos (Portuguese)
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  "Noi Vogliam Dio, Vergine Maria" "We want God, Virgin Mary"
Anthem: "Ave Maria"
Location of the Lateran State in green.
Capital	St. Rita 49°36′N 6°7′E
Largest city	Old Residence
Official languages	Portuguese Latin
Other languages	English
Ethnic groups (2021)	TBD
Religion (2021)	90% Catholicism 10% Atheism
Demonym	Lateran
Government	Federal parliamentary aristocratic republic
• State President	vacant
• Prince-Protector	vacant
Legislature	Council of State
Formation
• Independence from Brazil	26 February 2020
• Saint Olaf Agreement	10 July 2020
• Independence from Karnia-Ruthenia	2021
• Republic declared	2021
Area
• Total	1 km2 (0.39 sq mi)
• Water (%)	negligible
Population
• Census	11
GDP (PPP)	2021 estimate
• Total	▲ TBD
• Per capita	▲ TBD
GDP (nominal)	2021 estimate
• Total	▲ TBD
• Per capita	TBD
HDI (2021)	▲ 0.832 very high · 48th
Currency	CS Doubloon (Δ)a (CSD)
Time zone	BRT (UTC−3)
• Summer (DST)	BRST (UTC−2)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Drives on the	right
Calling code	+55
Patron saint	Saint Peter
Microcode	EB
Internet TLD	.el
Despite having the Doubloon as its official currency, most business in Ebenthal is done in Brazilian Real; the Doubloon is used for government business and mostly in intermicronational transactions between members of the Conference of Santiago. Official website

The State of the Lateran Territories (Portuguese: Estado dos Territórios Lateranos), commonly referred as Lateran State (Portuguese: Estado Laterano), is a South American micronation in the Southern Cone, located at the Ivaí Valley. The micronation is an enclave and it borders the Brazilian state of Paraná by all sides. The Lateran State covers an area of 1 km² (0.38 sq mi) composed of two main buildings and a plot of virgin land. It is one of the only two confirmed South American confessional states, professing the Catholic faith as the State religion. The country is subdivided into two communes and the neutral capital city of St. Rita. Its official languages are the Portuguese, spoken natively by all citizens, and Latin, adopted for ecclesiastical matters.

The earliest recorded human presence in modern-day Lateran State dates back to the Paleolithic period. In the 16th century the Spaniards colonized the region which became the Royal Province of Guayrá. This lasted until the 17th century when, during the Iberian Union, the Portuguese settled in the region, expelling the Spaniards. The area of the Ivaí Valley was subsequently incorpored to the Portuguese State of Brazil which later became the independent Empire of Brazil in 1822. In 2020, César David de Médici proclaimed the independence of his family's properties at the Ivaí Valley and founded the Lateran State as a theocratic elective and absolute monarchy. Unable to carry on his government duties by late that year, César David ceded the Lateran State to be annexed by Karnia-Ruthenia. In 2021 the Karno-Ruthenian Emperor and the King of Ebenthal signed a treaty on which the Lateran State's sovereignity was handed over to Ebenthal as a protectorate, and the country was reorganized into an unitary aristocratic republic.

The Lateran State historically held the status of an emerging power in the Brazilian sector until the loss of its sovereignity, and is currently a small power and is considered a client state of Ebenthal and Karnia-Ruthenia and a puppet state of the King of ebenthal. The country was a member of the Conference of Santiago, having been succeeded in its position by the Sovereign Order of Lateran Knights, but remains a signatory to the Treaty of Persenburg, the Protocol of Goetha, the Treaty of Santiago and other documents of that organization. According to its own calculation, the Lateran State ranks very high in the Human Development Index and it is subsequently classified as a developing country.

History

Foundation and early history

The Lateran State was founded as a secessionist micronation through decree by the Brazilian Mr. César David de Médici in 26 February 2020. This occurred in the awakening of a secessionist outburst in the Brazilian micronational scenario. The Lateran State was created as a Catholich absolute monarchy and Pope Francis was proclaimed its Head of State, while César-David became Prince-Protector and Regent as Head of Government. Alongside the country's independence, the Fundamental Law of the State of the Lateran Territories was enacted and served as base for the country's first constitution, promulgated in 29 February 2020. The new independent country was tiny, comprising only two buildings, one which had been in César David's family's ownership since the first half of the 20th century, while the other have been acquired reportedly in the last 40 years.

For his connections to other Brazilian micronationalists, at an early age the Lateran State became one of the original signatories of the Treaty of Persenburg, the most important Brazilian micronational documment to date. In 7 April 2020 the country also became a signatory to the Treaty of Santiago and joined the Conference of Santiago on its foundation acts. This immediatly launched the Lateran State in conflict with micronations and simulationists who founded the Conference of Santiago's documents to be aggressive towards them. In 13 April, Prince César joined the Kingdom of Ebenthal and the Kingdom of Sildavia in defending their point in political talks with the Kingdom of Manso, but the event soon evolved into a conflict which came to be known as the Santiago-Mansean Conflict, on which the King of Ebenthal withdrawned from the discussions, on which he was followed by the Lateran Prince-Regent.

Karno-Ruthenian province

Over the course of the next months, the Lateran Government focused on developing the political system and gathering international recognition, acting not only in the Brazilian sector, but also in the wider Anglophone sector. Nonetheless, during this development phase, Prince César's private life prevented him from devoting more time to micronationalism, due to family issues involving illness. From May to June 2020, Prince César was in formal talks with the Karno-Ruthenian Government to surrender the Lateran State's sovereignity to that empire. This culminated with the Saint Olaf Agreement in 10 June, by which the Lateran State would be incorporated to Karnia-Ruthenia and its successor state in international matters would be the newly-established Secular Order of the Lateran Knights. César David was succeeded on his positions of Prince-Protector by Oscar I, Emperor-King of Karnia-Ruthenia, and as Regent by the Lateran Prince Nicholas, the oldest servant of state by then.

Geography

Geographically, the Lateran State has no coastal area and is an enclave, being an independent and sovereign State. It shares 120 meters of border with Brazil. It is fundamentally urban and none of the land is reserved for agriculture or other exploitation of natural resources.

Politics

The Lateran State is an unitary parliamentary constitutional aristocratic republic. The head of state is the State President, who is elected by the Council of State from among the members of international royalty to serve a one-year term, with the possibility of unlimited re-election. The head of government is called the Prince-Protector, who is always the oldest servant in the state. The Prince-Protector has a lifetime position and commands the ministerial cabinet and participates in the sessions of the Council of State, which is the national unicameral parliament, composed of four dukes, two whose position is for life and nominative, and two who are elected for terms of one year. In case the Prince-Protector is unable to exercise his functions, the Council of State elects a Prince-Regent. The State President, in turn, has his largely ceremonial position, being the main representative of the country, but he also has political powers such as dissolving the Council of State and declaring a state of emergency (and assuming emergency powers). He is also the highest legal authority, being responsible for presiding over trials, which take place through parliament. There are no political parties in the Lateran State, and the state not only recognizes but is entirely administered by a Catholic nobility.

State religion

The Lateran State is constitutionally a confessional state and the Roman Catholic Church has the status of a state religion. The Lateran Government, however, has no organ or means of organizing the official functioning of the Catholic religion in the state, nor any type of bilateral agreement with the Holy See, and is understood by it as part of the ecclesiastical province of Londrina. Despite having a state religion, the Lateran State government does not impose any kind of limits on the manifestation or worship of any other religions, even though there are political restrictions for non-Catholics. Since May 2020, the Lateran State has recognized the so-called Igreja Católica no Micronacionalism (Catholic Church in Micronationalism) as the only legitimate representative of Catholicism in Brazilian micronationalism.

Economy

The economy of the Lateran State is extremely liberal, with public coffers supplied only by the income of the Prince-Protector, without any type of taxes on the population. All inhabitants work in Brazil, including the Prince-Protector.

See also

• Brazilian sector
• Treaty of Persenburg
• Conference of Santiago