Principality of the Northern Forests

Principality of the Northern Forests Fyrstendømmet af de Nordlige Skove
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto: Vi går mellem træerne som et folk We Walk Among the Trees as one people
Anthem: Tyrfing by Danheim
Status	Current
Location	Sub Arctic Region of the Northern Forests of North America
Capital	Northern Village
Recognised national languages	English Danish
Ethnic groups (2020)	Northerners (100%)
Religion (2020)	Norse Paganism Celtic Paganism
Demonym(s)	Northerners
Government	Absolute Monarchy
• Monarch	Princess Cedrus of the Northern Forests
• Prime Regent	Grand Duchess Isabella of Deodara
• Heir Apparent	Prince Zackery of Amabilis
Legislature	Folketinget
Independent Principality
• Declaration of Independence	2020
Area
•	0.364217078 km2 (0.140625000 sq mi)
Currency	Kroner (KR)
Time zone	UTC−09:00 (AKST)
Date format	CE
Driving side	right
Calling code	+1
Internet TLD	.dk

What it looks like in the Principality of the Northern Forests.

A rare photograph of HRH Princess Cedrus of the Northern Forests in 2022

Pure 1 Troy Ounce silver Kroners of the Principality of the Northern Forests

Grand Duchess Isabella of Deodara in the forests.

This is the Official Coat of Arms of the Duchy of Saccharinum granted by the College of Arms of the Northern Forests.

Dame Commander Medal of the Royal Order of the Crown of the Northern Forests.

The Principality of the Northern Forests was established in 2020 as an independent Principality in the Northern Forests of North America near the Arctic Circle. The Current ruler is HRH Princess Cedrus of the Northern Forests (1975–Present). The Principality is a semi-self sufficient cooperative living community whose goal is to become completely self-sufficient in the near future from most modern conveniences.

Etymology

The Principality of the Northern Forests is named after the Northern Arctic Evergreen Forests. The lands are cold most of the year and seen many months of snow, ice and blistering cold winds in the winter. The Principality sits directly amongst the Northern Forests and is almost completely covered by trees.

History

The Principality of the Northern Forests is a permanent cooperative style social and political experiment. It was founded to have a safe place to live in a simple environment using as little modern conveniences as possible. They consider themselves to be a Microstate and not a Micronation. The remote nature of the arctic and the long, cold, winters make it a perfect choice for the Principality which heavily limits the amount of people who are willing to go to such drastic measures to venture forth to their lands.

Criteria for Recognition

The Principality of the Northern Forests was founded along the lines of the declarative theory of statehood, meaning that if the state exists then it is a sovereign subject of international law. The Principality follows the standard principles of the declarative theory of statehood:

1. a defined territory
2. a permanent population
3. a government
4. capacity to enter relations with other nations or states

The Principality of the Northern Forests comprises of sub-arctic territory in the Northern Forests, has a permanent population, and has a well-defined government that has the capcitiy to enter into relations with other nations or state.

Geography

The Principality of the Northern Forests is surrounded by boreal forests and has the Cook Inlet to the West and the Kenai Mountains to the East

Vegetation

Vegetation in the Principality of the Northern Forests has low diversity, as only hardy species can survive the long winters and make use of the short summers. The trees are almost all conifers, as very few broadleaved trees are able to survive the very low temperatures in winter. This type of forest is also known as taiga, a term which is sometimes applied to the climate found therein as well. Even though the diversity may be low, numbers are high, and the taiga (boreal) forest is the largest forest biome on the planet. The process by which plants become acclimated to cold temperatures is called hardening.

Agricultural potential is generally poor, due to the natural infertility of soils and the prevalence of swamps and lakes left by departing ice sheets, and short growing seasons prohibit all but the hardiest of crops. Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Chard, Dill, and Fava bean are common crops in the subartic areas. The principality of the Northern Forests uses greenhouses to grow more temperature sensitive crops for most of the year.

Climate

The Principality of the Northern Forests features a dry-summer subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification: Dsc) The Principality is located in the continental climate zone, with long, cold winters, and relatively warm summers. The mean temperature in January is -10 °F (-23 °C); in July, 56 °F (13 °C). However, temperatures can reach -50 °F (-46 °C) in winter and 80 °F (27 °C) in summer. Snowfall averages 39 inches (1 m), with total precipitation of 9 inches (23 cm) per year. On clear nights during the Principalities winter, you can spot the Northern Lights.

Government

The term Principality is sometimes used generically for any small Monarchy, especially for small sovereign states ruled by a Monarch of a lesser rank than a Queen. The Principality of the Northern Forests is a free and Sovereign Principality, governed by "cooperative feudal norms”. The form of government is a semi-absolute Monarchy. Currently, the Princess of the Northern Forests rules as the hereditary Monarch with the aide of the Folketinget.

The first Constitution of the Principality of the Northern Forests was drafted and signed by the Princess of the Northern Forests on 1 January 2020 outlining legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government. Since the country is small and sparsely populated there is no need for the complexity of various "Departments" or "Ministries" as one would see in larger countries and such things are really unnecessary. The current constitution can be downloaded on the official government webpage.

Executive

The Princely family is the executive branch of government with the Princess of the Northern Forests being head of the Princely family. All law enforcement activities fall under the executive branch of government and is administered in the Princess's name by her Royal Guards whom answer solely to the Princess.

Legislative and Judicial

Both legislative and judicial matters are handled by the "Folketinget." The Folketinget is synonymous with the "Ting" which is composed of the hereditary Nobility of the Principality and presided over by the Lawspeaker. The Lawspeaker is appointed by the Princess. The Folketinget handles disputes, law violations, and any other legislative or judicial matters that needs to be addressed. However, and worth noting here, the Princess is the final arbitrator on all judicial, as well as, legislative matte

Diplomatic Relations

While the Principality has Honourary Consulars, it does not engage in diplomatic relations with Micronations unless they meet its strict criteria listed on their webpage. While diplomatic relations are technically possible, it takes a great deal of time and effort by the Micronation wishing to establish them.

Government Offices

The Government Offices are located in the Duchy of Saccharinum which is a small plot of land in the State of Kansas, United States. This is the location where most correspondence takes place. This office is a permanent or structure and the land it sits on is owned by the Principality of the Northern Forests and is considered legal land of the Principality. It is at this locationed where most of the oversight and/or administration of social media and communication happens. It is a non-political location and it's purpose & function is mandated and directed by law.

National Anthem

The National Anthem was composed in 2022 by Danish Nordic Folk Musician Mike Schæfer Olsen - known as "Danheim" in Danmark. The name of the song is Tyrfing and it is used by the Principality with his permission. It was then made into a video by Dajana Heremic titled "Rite". The video "Rite" if officialy used by Principality of the Northern Forests as the national anthem.

Nobility

The Princess of the Northern Forests issues titles of Nobility that existed in pre-14th century Scandinavia. The rank advancements include:​

• Duchess/Duke
• Countess/Count
• Baroness/Baron
• Dame/Knight

Titles of Nobility using the old Norse system which make up the Princess's Hird. The rank advancements include:​

• Jarl - Equivalent to a Countess/Count
• Lendmann - Equivalent to a Baroness/Baron
• Skutilsvein- Equivalent to a Dame/Knight
• Lagmann - Known as the Lawspeaker

Worth clarifying here is that the Royal Guards (Huskarls) are made up of Dames/Knights or the Skutilsvein and Nobility of the Principality and are not themselves considered a Noble rank or title. The Princess also issues Manorial Lordships which are not in and of themselves a Noble title. The Principality does not sell Titles of Nobility or Knighthoods both of which must be earned by the prospective individual.

Knights, Dames & the Skutilsvein

There are only two Royal Orders of Knighthood in the Northern Forests; the Royal Order of Arctic Knights (the lowest) and the Royal Order of the Crown of the Northern Forests (the highest). The only time a rank in the Royal Order of Artic Knights is ennobled is if it is stated in the Letters Patent specifically. The Skutilsvein in any class of the Royal Order of the Crown of the Northern Forests are ennobled. However, this honour is not always hereditary and may be only for the life of the title holder.​

Honourary Nobility

Honourary Nobility are those people who are granted a title of nobility for their lifetime. They are usually a Baroness or Baron and and generally have a 'placename' to something that is meaningful to them. These cannot be purchased and are generally used for the Honourary Consulars at particular ranks. They are not peerages and they do not grant any legal privileges.

There are no other ranks or distinctions of the Nobility in the Principality of the Northern Forests that is not listed here.

Citizenship

1. Basic Citizenship
   These are people who simply want to call themselves a citizen of the Principality of the Northern Forests. They are members of Our Facebook groups and interact with other people in Our Northern Forests groups, but that is generally the extent of the involvement. The application can be done online and is simple. The Certificate of Citizenship must be purchased separately.
2. Honouary Citizens
   These are people who want to support the Principality in a meaningful way. Honourary Citizenship has a small fee and includes a Certificate of Honourary Citizenship that can be used to gain access to the Principality of the Northern Forests and visit the Northern Village during August every year starting 2023.
3. Resident Citizens
   These are people who live part or full-time in the Principality of the Northern Forests. They have a home there and live at least 3 months of the year within the Principality's borders. This level requires an 10 page application to be filled out, a criminal background & court records checks, character references, interviews, and sometimes various other tests before approval is made.