United Kingdom of Airedale and Alder

United Kingdom of Airedale and Alder
Flag Flag Coat of Arms Coat of arms
'Motto: ''Stans super Humeros Gigantes' Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
Official languages	English, Pitmatic (Dialect)
Demonym(s)	Mackem
Government
• Monarch	King Frederick I
Establishment	10th July 2021

The United Kingdom of Airedale and Alder, is a micronation located in (but independent from) the North East of England. It was declared independent from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and established on 10 July 2021 at 16:19 BST, by Matthew Whittle, Prince Regent to King Frederick I.

Etymology

Main Locations

The names of "Airedale" and "Alder" are derived from the beginning of the street names of in which the two land claims are located.

Sectors

Sector 1: New Brickgarth
"Brickgarth" is the name of the area within the town in which King Frederick I grew up. The Major-Capital of Airedale and Alder was therefore named after this area as a reminder of where we came from, and to never forget our roots.

Sector 2: Kerr
"Kerr" is named after Bobby Kerr, who captained Sunderland AFC to FA Cup victory in 1973. The Royal Family supports Sunderland, and Frederick I attended the final in 1973.

Sector 3: Lyons
"Lyons" is another area within the town of Hetton le Hole, which itself is named after the Bowes-Lyon Family who owned the local manors generations ago. This is the same family from whom Elizabeth Bowes-Lyons, The Queen Mother is descended.

Sector 4: Montgomery
"Montgomery", likewise to "Kerr", is named after Jimmy Montgomery, Sunderland goalkeeper in the 1973 FA Cup final. As a goalkeeper himself in his early youth, Montgomery was an idol of Prince Regent Matthew, and hence the Minor-Capital of Airedale and Alder is named after him in tribute.

Sector 5: Old Newtonia
"Old Newtonia" is named in honour of Sir Isaac Newton for his outstanding work in the advancement of human knowledge. Additionally, the motto of Airedale and Alder, 'Stans super Humeros Gigantes' (translating to: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants), is a part of a quote from Sir Isaac Newton. He was not the first to use the phrase, however his use of it is quoted on the edge of the British £2 coin.

Sector 6: Alexander
"Alexander", following the theme of the etymology of the main areas of "Airedale" and "Alder", is a slightly altered version of the street name adjacent to Alder. Furthermore, this name was hand selected by the sister of the Prince Regent.

Sector 7: The Oasis
"The Oasis" is the largest sector in the country, and therefore is named after the OASIS in Ready Player One, a dystopian science fiction novel by Ernest Cline. In the novel, the OASIS is a virtual reality console which acts as a universe of endless possibilities where the majority of the population spends most of their time.

History

Airedale and Alder was initially an idea of Prince Regent Matthew, and was established and declared independent on 10 July 2021, at 16:19. This was the 84th birthday of his grandfather, Frederick, who on this day was appointed King.

Originally, the micronation was to be styled as the "Honorary Kingdom of Hetton le Hole", spanning across the entirety of the namesake town. Upon further development, this was changed to "The Kingdom of Hetton le Hole", with the goal of finding and claiming its own land somewhere within the town of Hetton le Hole. Finally, Matthew decided on the "United Kingdom of Airedale and Alder", claiming the residencies and adjoining gardens of the King and their Heir as the official land area of the nation. Other concept names considered were the "Kingdom of the Crown", and the "Kingdom of Florin".

List of Monarchs of Airedale and Alder

Name	Portrait	Arms	Birth	Marriages	Death	House	Claim
Frederick I Frederick "Fred" Whittle 10 July 2021. – Present 7003121400000000000♠3 years, 118 days			10 July 1937 County Durham, England	Barbara Jane 1960 3 children	Living Age: 7004318950000000000♠87 years, 118 days	Whittle	Appointed King by Founding Father

Geography

The United Kingdom of Airedale and Alder, as the Etymology of the names suggests, claims land in two separate locations within the town of Hetton le Hole.

Airedale (Sectors 1 & 2)

Airedale is the area in which the current monarch resides. This claim of land includes the Royal Palace of Airedale, as well as its front and back garden, and has been home to King Frederick I for over 50 years. As the king is the the most senior member of royalty of the UKoA&A, and thus Head of State, the land within Airedale (excluding the Royal Palace) is the location of the Major-Capital of the nation.

New Brickgarth - Sector 1 (Major-Capital)

Sector 1 is the area of land adjoining the back door of the Royal Palace of Airedale, bordering England to the (approximate) north, east and south. It acts as the Major-Capital of Airedale and Alder. The eastern border is a combination of brick and wooden fence, similar to the southern border, however it includes a gate acting as an international border crossing to England. The use of a passport to cross this border is not currently required.

Kerr - Sector 2

Sector 2 consists of the land adjoining the front door of the Royal Palace of Airedale, and borders England to the (approximate) north, west and south. The border is marked on all sides by a brick wall, and another gate allowing entry from and exit to England.

Alder (Sectors 3 - 7)

Alder is the region of the country in which the Crown Prince lives. This land claim extends to the front garden (including driveway), the Royal Palace of Alder, and the entirety of the back garden. This region is much larger than Airedale in terms of land mass, however holds junior status due lower seniority of its residents within the royal family. This region contains the Minor-Capital of the UKoA&A.

Lyons - Sector 3

Sector 3 contains the garden and driveway adjoining the front side of the Royal Palace of Alder. The driveway has an open border with England on 2 sides, with free access between the two nations.

Montgomery - Sector 4 (Minor-Capital)

Sector 4 is the Minor-Capital of the UKoA&A, and is the most recently landscaped sector, ranging from the back door of the palace to a 5 feet tall wall bordering Sector 5. This sector is the entertainment center of the nation, as it includes a pool table, dart board, and cushioned outdoor furniture.

Old Newtonia - Sector 5

Sector 5 is located further from the palace, above the wall bordering Sector 4. As the garden is located on a bank, each Sector (ascending in number) is is higher than the last. This sector is the Aviation Wildlife Reserve of the nation as it includes a birdbath, bird-feeder stand, and a patch of grass for worm hunting.

Alexander - Sector 6

Sector 6 is the smallest of the sectors within Alder, consisting of a short rectangular patch of grass and flowers, and a continuation of a wooden deck from Sector 4 to 6.

The Oasis - Sector 7

Sector 7 is the largest individual sector within the whole nation. Bordering England on 3 of its 4 sides, this sector acts as the Royal Naval Base, as well as the Land and Water Wildlife Reserve, containing a small pond inhabited annually by newts and dragonflies, and less frequently hedgehogs travelling through in search of refuge.

Structure

The UKoA&A consists of 6 ranks of members. The highest three can be achieved through election, longevity, or royal inheritance. Meanwhile, the next 2 may be achieved only through Privy appointment or longevity

Royalty (1)

The Royalty of Airedale and Alder is the highest rank within the nation, and is reserved to include only the family of the reigning monarch.

Government (2) and (3)

Higher Government (2)

The highest positions within the government, including Prime Minister, Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer, may be appointed to current members of nobility (4th and 5th Rank) or Lower Government (3rd Rank). Members whom wish too ascend to these positions may apply to the Privy Council (1st and 2nd Rank), who after a period of 3 days of consideration, will either accept or reject this application. The Position of Prime Minister will be elected annually on 10 July (Independence Day), using the Alderan Voting System (See "Politics - Elections" for more information), with the ballot consisting of members who applied as aforementioned specifically to the role.

Eligible members also may be appointed to the Higher Government through royal appointment, wherein their services are directly requested by the Prince Regent (on behalf of the King). This is an immensely honorable offer, of which the appointee (if accepted) is to be the styled as "The Right Honourable *Name* of Airedale and Alder".

Furthermore, the three longest consecutive serving citizens (6) are to be known as "The Elders of Airedale", and will be granted seats in Parliament and on the Privy Council. The following five longest consecutive serving citizens (6) will automatically gain the style of "The Elders of Alder", and too will be assigned seats in parliament, however not on the Privy Council. If an incumbent of one of the positions as an Elder decides to revoke their citizenship, or their citizenship is terminated, then much like the line of succession to the throne, the next most senior citizen after them is moved up to their position, and in the case of moving from 4th to 3rd or 8th to 7th, they will gain the title of the relevant position, and all of its benefits.

Lower Government (3)

This section of the government is comprised of citizens or members of nobility whom apply to be placed on the ballot, and are lawfully elected by fellow members of Airedale and Alder (this includes Royalty and Higher Government). The land claimed by the United Kingdom of Airedale and Alder is divided into sectors (See "Geography" for more information). Each sector is represented by one elected member, and each sector is populated by an odd number of citizens to guarantee a winner of the election without the need of a second vote. Only members of nobility may apply to run in the election of the representatives of either capital (2 sectors), whereas either nobility or standard citizens may apply to run in the election of the representatives of the non-capital sectors (5 sectors).

These elected representatives make up the Parliament of the UKoA&A, alongside the Prime Minister, Higher Government, and the Monarch (or their Regent).

Nobility (4) and (5)

Upper nobility (4)

Members who have made excessive, positive efforts to progress the nation may be appointed to a position within the Upper Nobility by the Prince Regent (on behalf of the King) or the Prime Minister. These positions include: Count/Countess, Duke/Duchess, High Lord/High Lady. Upon the ascension of a member to the Upper Nobility, the UKoA&A automatically declares new sovereign territory, to be defined and protected by its corresponding member Upper Nobility. The name of this territory may be decided by the member of Upper Nobility (with guidelines and supervision), and officially confirmed by the King/Regent, with honourable mentions to the member.

Lower Nobility (5)

This is the most accessible position to citizens (6) of the UKoA&A, as they can achieve this status through longevity, as well as merit-based Privy appointment. Citizens of 6 continuous months (DD/MM/YYYY - DD/MM+6/YYYY) are automatically elevated to a position of Lower Nobility, as recognition of loyalty and commitment to the United Kingdom of Airedale and Alder. The appointee may select the title of which they would like to attain. The positions of Lower Nobility available are: Knight/Dame, Lord/Lady, Earl, Viscount/Viscountess or Baron/Baroness. Alternatively, anyone can be considered and appointed to a position in the Lower Nobility through a 51% majority vote in favor conducted by the Privy Council over the course of 3 days maximum.

These titles will be held by the member for the complete duration of their active involvement with the United Kingdom of Airedale and Alder, including any ascension to the higher ranks of the nation.

Citizenship (6)

Anyone who wishes to become a citizen of the United Kingdom of Airedale and Alder must request a Certificate of Citizenship from a member of the Privy Council, in which they will swear an oath, vowing their loyalty to the Crown, Rule of Law, the people and the core values of the nation.

This document may be submitted online, which can be accessed through the official Instagram page (See "Contact" for more information). Upon acceptance, the applicant will receive their official signed Certificate of Citizenship as a PDF document, electronically signed by Prince Regent Matthew. Alternatively, the applicant may print their application form and post it to Alder (See Instagram Account for postage address), wherein they will receive a physical copy of their Certificate of Citizenship, personally signed by Prince Regent Matthew and King Frederick I (provided they include a return address).

Citizens

Seniority	Individual	Date Signed	Title of Document	External Titles	Internal Titles	Office	Sector
1	J.W. Anderson	30 July 2021 – Present 7003119400000000000♠3 years, 98 days	Certificate of Citizenship	Prince of Hyeck	Elders of Airedale	Privy Council Member Member of Parliament Head Judge of The Court of Airedale and Alder	New Brickgarth (1)
2	Angel Cortes /	2 August 2021 – Present 7003119100000000000♠3 years, 95 days				Privy Council Member Member of Parliament Head of Department of Foreign Relations	Montgomery (4)
3	Fintan Lalor /	29 August 2021 – Present 7003116400000000000♠3 years, 68 days				Privy Council Member Member of Parliament Minister of Technology	Kerr (2)
4	Joseph Laumemea /	29 August 2021 – Present 7003116400000000000♠3 years, 68 days		Govenor-General of The Saarditian Empire	Elders of Alder	Member of Parliament	Lyons (3)
5	Randy Williams /	2 September 2021 – Present 7003116000000000000♠3 years, 64 days		Sultan of Slowjamastan		Member of Parliament	Old Newtonia (5)

Members & Ranks

Position	Name	Nationality	Began Service	Loyalty	Age	Home Sector	National Titles	Foreign Titles	Honours	Seniority
Royalty (1)
Monarch	Frederick I	English	10 July 2021	7003121400000000000♠3 years, 118 days	84	Royal Palace of Airedale	King			1
Regent	Matthew Whittle	English	10 July 2021	7003121400000000000♠3 years, 118 days	17	Royal Palace of Alder	Prince Regent, Founding Father			2
Higher Government (2)
Elders of Airedale	J.W. Anderson	Scottish	30 July 2021	7003119400000000000♠3 years, 98 days	17	New Brickgarth (1)	Head Judge	Prince of Hyeck		3
	Angel Cortes	Spanish	2 August 2021	7003119100000000000♠3 years, 95 days	27	Montgomery (4)				4
	Fintan Lalor	Irish	29 August 2021	7003116400000000000♠3 years, 68 days	16	Kerr (2)				5
Elders of Alder	Joseph Laumemea	New Zealander	29 August 2021	7003116400000000000♠3 years, 68 days	20	Lyons (3)		Govenor-General of The Saarditian Empire		6
	Randy Williams	American	2 September 2021	7003116000000000000♠3 years, 64 days	45	Old Newtonia (5)		Sultan of Slowjamastan		7

Politics

Representatives

Upon the registration of new citizens, each is appointed to a sector. The order of sector appointment begins as seeded, meaning the first legally registered citizen is allocated to Sector 1. The second citizen however is assigned to Sector 4, as it is the Minor-Capital, and therefore the second most senior sector. Then, the allocation of citizens to sectors will return to Sector 2, followed by 3, 5, 6 and finally 7. Once each sector is populated by one citizen, the allocation of new citizens to a sector switches from seeded to seniority.

Only members of the Elders of Airedale, the Elders of Alder, or nobility may become citizens of either capital. Therefore upon the registration of citizenship of non nobility members (as you must already be a citizen to be an Elder, however you may be appointed to the nobility without a citizenship), new citizens will be assigned (one at a time) to Sector 2, followed by 3, 5, 6, then 7.

When a member of nobility registers for citizenship, they will be assigned to either Sector 1 or 4 (the capitals), and allocation of citizenship of these sectors remains periodic within noble member registration.

In elections (expected to last 3 days), each citizen may vote on who they would like to represent their sector in the Lower Government and thus in Parliament, from a list of approved applicants (See "Lower Government" for more information).

Foreign Relations

Compatible Values

The UKoA&A is currently open to forming diplomatic relations with other nations who share similar core values and ideas. These basic principles include the acceptance, welcoming, and complete support of the LGBTQ+ community, outright opposition and condemnation of racism, sexism, homophobia, Antisemitism, and all other forms of discrimination or segregation, and the holding of upmost importance of the practice and protection of human rights as stated in the Geneva Convention.

Organisations

Organisation	Date Joined	Acceptance Vote	Date Left	Status
UMEC	2 August 2021	82% Majority in Favour	1 February 2022	Former

Alliances and Treaties

Nation	Date Signed	Date Ended	Title of Document	Status
The Principality of Hyeck	11 July 2021	1 February 2022	Official Treaty of Bilateral Recognition between ...	Voided
Federal Republic of Nabuzje	12 July 2021
The Kingdom of Xoli	4 August 2021
The Republic of Charleia	16 August 2021

Special Alliances

Nation	Date Signed	Date Ended	Title of Document	Status
The Principality of Hyeck	25 August 2021	1 February 2022	Special Friendship between...	Voided

Contact

The UKoA&A has an email address used for any inquiries or negotiation of treaties, alongside sharing any requested files with allies. The UKoA&A is also active on Instagram, with plans of moving to twitter and discord. It also has a website displaying some local history and information regarding the nation as a whole.

Email Address: unitedkingdom.airedaleandalder@gmail.com

Website: unitedkingdomofairedaleandalder.weebly.com

Instagram: @united_kingdom.aireale_alder