Theocrat of Atkantia

The Theocrat of Atkantia was the title claimed by Rushymian leader Ferengool to denote his leadership of "Atkantia Minor", a city he wished to build on the Field. He created this title in June 1997 when he claimed that he had been contacted by Vapourist spirits, and announced that they had ordered him to rebuild an ancient Atlantean colony, Atkantia.

Ferengool, despite his title Warlord of the Playground, had not held any effective authority over Rushymia since September 1996, when he had appointed his second-in-command, Billy, to the rank of General. When Ferengool came out of what was effectively retirement and demanded that the army build a city, they deposed him from his nominal authority and Billy took power as unchallenged supreme ruler.

Although Ferengool was permitted to retain his title of Theocrat, Billy started to persecute Vapourism. Ferengool offered to crown Billy a King if he stopped the persecution, and Billy agreed. In September 1997, Ferengool crowned Billy the King of Rushymia, after which Billy immediately ordered that Ferengool be arrested. Billy claimed that after being crowned by Ferengool, all of his Vapourist powers and titles (including that of Theocrat) had passed to him - he stayed true to his promise and stopped the persecution of Vapourism, because it now gave him an excuse to claim a version of the divine right of kings.

In December 1997, Billy was overthrown by Captain Alex of the Footballers, who became the next King. Alex assumed the title of Theocrat along with Billy's other titles when he took the throne, and held it during his reign.

In July 2000, King Alex had to abdicate as he was leaving the school. This resulted in an interregnum (see King of Rushymia), but Alex had decreed before he left the school that the next person to control more than half of the Playground could assume the empty title of Theocrat. This was Midget Master Jonathan (II), who in June 2005 conquered the Patioed Pathway, expanding the Midget Empire to cover more than half of the Playground.

In light of this, the Midget Master resurrected and assumed the title Theocrat of Atkantia. However, later that month a coup took place against the Midget Master, led by Commander Thomas, a high-ranking Midget officer. To avert civil war, the Midget Master made several power-sharing conccessions, one of which was the granting of his title Theocrat of Atkantia to Commander Thomas.

Taking his title of Theocrat to heart, Thomas was in charge of a renewed attempt to rebuild Atkantia Minor on the Field. Although any attempt to construct a city was ultimately futile, the designated area did become a province of the Midget Empire. In July 2006, Thomas left the school, and so could no longer directly excercise authority over the claimed area of Atkantia Minor.

In February 2010, Thomas became Midget Master. When, in December of that year, the Midget Army forced him to cede the supreme office to HIM Tsar Declan I of Orly, the title of Theocrat went with the office of Midget Master to Declan I, who also became Emperor of Austenasia three days later; on 9 April 2011, the title was united with the Austenasian Throne. Declan I was succeeded as Emperor and Midget Master by Jonathan I, the former Second and now Sixth Midget Master, on 20 January 2013. In October 2017, Jonathan I gave Imperial Consent to an Act of Parliament dissolving the title, stating that holding Vapourist titles was "inappropriate for a Christian imperial family."

List of Theocrats

Name	Theocrat from	Theocrat to	Notes
Arkshun	?	June 1997?	Mythological spirit.
Ferengool	June 1997	September 1997
Billy of Rushymia	September 1997	December 1997
Alex of Rushymia	December 1997	July 2000
Vacant	July 2000	June 2005	Title could only be held by the next person to control "most of the Playground".
Midget Master Jonathan (II)	June 2005	June 2005	Resurrected title after conquering the Patioed Pathway, therefore putting more than half of the Playground under the Midget Empire.
Midget Fuhrer Thomas IV	June 2005	16 December 2010	Title held nominally from July 2006.
Emperor Declan I, II & V	16 December 2010	20 January 2013	Title held nominally. United with Throne of Austenasia on 9 April 2011.
Emperor Jonathan I	20 January 2013	31 October 2017	Title held nominally. Became Theocrat for a second time after ascending the Austenasian Throne, but ultimately dissolved the title due to regarding its Vapourist origin and meaning as being inappropriate for a Christian monarch.