Principality of Sabovia
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Principality of Sabovia
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 Flag Flag
 Coat of Arms Coat of arms
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| Motto: Libertas Et Spes (Latin) Freedom And Hope (English) | |||||||||||
 Location of Sabovia (dark green) Europe (dark grey) | |||||||||||
| Capital | Capital Territory | ||||||||||
| Official languages | English Welsh | ||||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Sabovian | ||||||||||
| Government | Absolute Monarchy | ||||||||||
• Prince | Andrew I (2012-2016) | ||||||||||
| Mikalya Gatley (2012-2015) | |||||||||||
| Legislature | National Assembly | ||||||||||
| Establishment | 22 May 2012 - Foundation Day 1 April 2013 - Independence from the United Kingdom declared. | ||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||
• (last) census | 11 | ||||||||||
| Currency | Euro (€) (EUR) Pound sterling (£) (GBP) | ||||||||||
| Time zone | GMT (UTC+0) BST (UTC+1) | ||||||||||
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Sabovia, officially the Principality of Sabovia (Welsh: Tywysogaeth Sabofia) was a landlocked micronation located in Western Europe and bordered by the English town of Tetbury.
The capital and largest city was Capital Territory. Sabovia was a principality governed under a form of absolute monarchy with, Prince Andrew I as head of state. Although Prince Andrew I was the absolute monarch, he couldn't legally exercise his full powers until his sixteenth birthday. The House of Mortimer ruled Sabovia from 2012 to 2016. The official languages were English and Welsh, however Welsh was not widely spoken.
History
Sabovia was founded on May 22, 2012, by Andrew (who would later style himself as "HIM Andrew I, Prince of Sabovia and Lord of Wigmore". Andrew claimed, "the main purpose of Sabovia's foundation was to preserve a local green belt area near my house after rumours of an unidentified building company requesting planning permission to construct two hundred houses on the land". As of 2020, this housing development has still yet to be built.
The nation was known at that time as the Union of Smallia, originally founded as a self-governing territory of the United Kingdom. However later that month, for unspecified political reasons, the Union of Sabovia was declared an independent sovereign state and officially renamed the "Principality of Sabovia".
Sabovia officially declared independence on April 1, 2013; the declaration was sent to Tetbury Town Council (the local council of which the land Sabovia claims would have been administered by) and signed by HIM Andrew I, however, the Imperial Government of Sabovia reported that a reply from the town council was never received, this caused the Imperial Government to assume that the United Kingdom had no problem with Sabovia's foundation or claims. However, Prince Andrew later stated that the "declaration of Independence was sent to the wrong governing body, as the Town Council do not have the legal power to authorize our independence".
In January 2014, Sabovia became a protected state of the Empire of Austenasia,[1] after Jonathan I, Emperor of Austenasia approached HIM Andrew I; the Imperial Government willingly agreed to be a protected state as long as it wouldn't affect Sabovia's sovereignty.
Politics and Government
The Principality of Sabovia was a de jure absolute monarchy, however, if the Crown was underage, legislative power could be exercised by the National Assembly. Executive power, however, was excised by the Regent to the Crown and the Chief Minister of the National Assembly. The National Assembly elected a Chief Minister, who would usually serve a term of no more than four years, renewable once. The Chief Minister's term length also depended on the Crown's age at the time of the election, as the office could only be held until the Crown's sixteen birthday. The Regent to the Monarchy was usually the legal guardian of the Crown. The National Assembly was elected by a national vote every four years. If the Crown was of legal age, the National Assembly became an advisory council, rather than the legislative power. The political offices of "Chief Minister" and "Regent to the Crown" would cease to exist after this period, provided the monarch was of sound mind.
Political parties
Sabovia was a de facto single-party state, with the Democratic Party being the sole political party.
| Party | Founded | Ideology | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 2012 | Liberalism | Mikayla Gatley |
Culture
Sabovia along with the People's Republic of China celebrated the New Year using the Han calendar instead of the typical European-centric Gregorian calendar, despite the fact that Sabovia had an ethnic population of zero Han Chinese. Sabovia also celebrated "Independence Day" on April 1 and "Foundation Day" on May 22.
Events in nearby the British town of Tetbury include Woolsack Day, held on the last Bank Holiday in May, famous for the races and street fair. A flower show is held at the recreation ground. The first "Tetbury Fiesta", now called TetFest, was held on the recreation ground in July 2008 and has become an annual event.
Geography
Sabovia was a micronation, with 5 territories located north-east of the British township of Tetbury. Sabovia was fully enclaved by the United Kingdom. Sabovia had an estimated area of 2.28 km (1.42~ miles) which would have made Sabovia the third smallest country in the world if it were a recognised sovereign state. Sabovia lied within the north temperate zone, and had a changeable, maritime climate.
References
- ↑ HIM Jonathan, Emperor of Austenasia. "New countries recognised by the Empire". Retrieved 28 January 2014.