Introduction[]
A micronation is a political entity whose representatives claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by any sovereign state. Micronations are classified separately from de facto states and quasi-states; they are also not considered to be autonomous or self-governing as they lack the legal basis in international law for their existence. The activities of micronations are almost always trivial enough to be ignored rather than disputed by the established nations whose territory they claim—referred to in micronationalism as macronations. Several micronations have issued coins, flags, postage stamps, passports, medals and other state-related items, some as a source of revenue. Motivations for the creation of micronations include theoretical experimentation, political protest, artistic expression, personal entertainment and the conduct of criminal activity. The study of micronationalism is known as micropatriology or micropatrology.
Principality of Monaco[]
Monaco was initially given to the Genoese in 1191 in exchange for hunting down pirates. By the early 1200s, the Genoese had built castles and used the town as a port. An ousted branch of the Royal family of Genoa, the Grimaldis captured it in 1297 and by posing as monks, managed to wiggle control over it on their side, eventually gaining official and legitimate control. Due to Monaco's small and insignificant status, it was left alone for the majority of its history. Thus the Grimaldis kept Monaco uncontested.
France would attempt to annex Monaco as well as the rest of Nice during the Latin wars. However the victory of the Italian League would guarantee that Monaco would remain independent until the Great War. When the French invaded Italy, Monaco would become home for many Italian refugees and political families. Thus it posed a threat to France, which proceeded to occupy it and administer the region until its liberation by the joint Anglo-Italian operation in 1923.
Today it has become a tax haven and beacon of mediterranean luxury, remaining under the protection of Italy and the European state.
Principality of Seborga[]
Seborga is a small village in Liguria, Italy, with a unique and disputed historical status. In 954, Count Guidone of Ventimiglia donated Seborga to the Benedictine monks of Lérins Abbey, granting them feudal and judicial authority. By 1079, with papal approval, the abbots of Lérins assumed the title of "Prince-Abbots," enjoying autonomy directly under the Pope, which led to tensions with the Bishop of Ventimiglia.
Throughout the centuries, Seborga maintained a degree of independence despite Genoese attempts at annexation. In 1729, the monks were offered to sell the land to the King of Savoy, but the sale never registered or fully completed, nor did explicitly transfer sovereignty. Seborga later claimed that sovereignty reverted to its people, making Italian annexation in 1799 illegitimate.
This led to a—albeit non violent, struggle for independence. Seborga's claim was backed by popular support and the weird interest of a certain, Wittelsbach, Otto, King of Bavaria.. Who with the help of the HRE Emperor, managed to secure Seborga’s independence from Italy. As a reward for their patron and protector, Otto, the Seborgans elected prince Leopold Wittelsbach as monarch of Seborga.
Today the little land locked Ligurian-Bavarian micronation, stands as a geopolitical anomaly, but continues to prosper regardless of its contentious history.
Marquisate of Finale[]
The Marquisate of Finale was created from parts of the former medieval Aleramichi March. It was ruled for six centuries by a branch of the Aleramichi dynasty who became the marquesses del Vasto, They would later become rulers of the March of Savona.
In 1598 the marquisate was sold by its last ruler Sforza Andrea, to the Spanish. However in 1713 it was ceded to the Republic of Genoa. Under Genoese rule the city of Finale became a significant port in the Ligurian Sea.
After the fall of the republic to the Latin League, A branch of the Sforza Dynasty, made a treaty with the locals and the Italian league to protect Finale from annexation, thus Finale became one of the small protected independent microstates inside Italy, and exists to this very day.
The small European monarchy has become a pretty jewel amongst its micronation peers, and turned into a prosperous tourist destination. The medieval town aesthetic of its town and beauty of its coast have propped up the country’s economy. Internationally it is protected by the European and Italian governments.
The Papal State[]
Despite the defeat of the pope and his exile from Italy during the Latin wars, the pontificate found a new safehouse at the city of Avignon, under the guardianship of France. Whilst he would never return to his fallen Rome, the Pope settled nicely in his new seat at the Comtat Venaissin (which became the new name for the Papacy, although it is now unofficial, and the state uses the official term "Holy See" or "Papal State"; it is also usually referred to as "Avignon City").
The Papacy is traditionally the spiritual hub of Catholicism and Christianity. It was in Avignon that the Great Schism would be mended, and where the Chalcedonian Christian world would be reunited. The city suffered some damages due to the Great War, as it would be bombed by the allies. After the Treaty of Tourraine, the Holy See finally regained its independence after the reeling defeat of France.The city-state now has cemented itself amongst the European micronations and secured its permanent neutrality, albeit with a fraction of its original territory.
San Marino[]
According to legendary accounts that are first recorded centuries to have lived, Saint Marinus left the island of Rab in present-day Croatia with his lifelong friend Leo and went to the city of Rimini as a stonemason. After the Diocletianic Persecution following his Christian sermons, he escaped to the nearby Monte Titano, where he built a small church and thus founded what is now the city and state of San Marino.
During the Great War, San Marino remained neutral despite tensions with Italy, which suspected it of aiding France. Some Sammarinese volunteers joined Italy's war effort. Due to the war, years of economic hardship fueled support for the Sammarinese Socialist Party, which, led by a previously irrelevant figure known as Benito Mussolini, managed to coup the government and briefly take control over the city-state. The party and its affiliation with the French Empire would lead to its inevitable downfall, however, as the Italian army would intervene and occupy the country.After the war, a special request was made by the Pope of Avignon to let San Marino be independent again, and in 1926, San Marino's independence was fully restored by Italy.
Andorra[]
In the 13th century, a military dispute arose between the bishop of Urgell and the count of Foix as an aftermath of the Cathar Crusade. The conflict was resolved in 1278 with the mediation of the king of Aragon, Peter III, between the bishop and the count, by the signing of the first paréage, which provided that Andorra's sovereignty be shared between the count of Foix and the bishop of Urgell in Catalonia. This gave the principality its territory and political form.
Andorra would manage to balance the tenuous relations between its two giant neighbors, France and Spain. Fortunately for the small nation, it would not see its neutrality violated during the Great War. The princes of Andorra agreed to allow full access and passage of Franco-Spanish troops, and the region remained stable and relatively unharmed. However, the allied embargoes on France would create new economic woes for Andorra, and during wartime, Andorra's economy would significantly stagnate, relying for decades on agriculture.
In 1926, Andorra would sign a treaty of protection with the European state. The E.E. would also send money in aid to Andorra to help prop up its decaying economy. With this new initiative, Andorra would finally stand on its own feet again and become famous for its status as a micronation thriving in tourism and finance, maintaining a unique blend of medieval tradition and modern governance.
Free City of Tangier[]
After the end of English military rule in Tangiers in 1777, the city was to become a protectorate of Britain under the supervision of the Moroccan sultanate. However, international pressure and the presence of multiple consulates in Tangiers, which had begun to move there, pushed Britain to abandon the plan of annexing Tangiers. Instead, the British handed the city to its old colonial overlord, the Kingdom of Portugal.
In 1898, tensions in the region sparked once again, caused by the worsening of relations between Britain, France, and Morocco. A French cruiser would blockade the city of Agadir, sparking an international crisis. After the fall of the French garrison in Rabat thanks to Portuguese and British efforts, the French would withdraw, and Portugal could solidify its rule over Tangier.
The Great War would bring much instability to Tangier, as the war efforts of Spain included naval raids and an attempted invasion across the Rif. The Portuguese were overrun in the Iberian Peninsula, and the Portuguese monarchy would find itself in exile to Tangier briefly, until they made their return to the homeland after a successful landing by the allies. Eventually, Tangier would become a free city, leaving the Portuguese Empire but still maintaining nominal ties to the Kingdom, while also being partially ruled by a Moroccan administration.
Arifa Republic[]
The Arifa republic is yet another microstate anomaly found in the Rif region. It is an offspring of bizarre historical circumstances which led to the existence of this Spanish-Moroccan exclave republic. It originates, of course, in the end of the Great War and the defeat of Spain by the Imperial powers. The Moroccan demands for the cities to be turned over to them were met with mild sympathy by Britain and the allies. Whilst they did agree that a Moroccan garrison could be placed to guarantee safety in the region, they never agreed to any proper annexation and flirted with the idea of the cities remaining part of Spain.
But the rebellion in the Rif by Moroccan separatists and Berbers would lead the Moroccan armies to invade the region, which was seen by Spain as a violation of their peace treaty. Mediation between the two countries by the newly found European protectorate system ensued. In 1925, the issue of the two cities would finally be put to rest when the creation of a joint Spanish-Moroccan country was established as an independent microstate under the supervision of the E.E.
This decision has led to numerous problems throughout the years following and has still not settled the disputed nature of the region. Whilst the government of the Rif was recognized by many nations, it did not ease its precarious situation.
Landgraviate of Frederickshaven[]
Frederickshaven started out as a small Austrian trading post in the outreach of the vast Indian Ocean, a platform for Austrian colonial ventures and market access. Thanks to the Kulturkampf of the 1830s, the small post would turn into a town and rise to the position of settlement, as hundreds of refugees from northern Germany arrived. The Prussian company, which had been investing in the town's infrastructure, petitioned the Holy Roman Emperor in 1872 to recognize it as part of their colonial branch. Thus, land rights were given to the Prussians to settle and expand the settlement, with the hopes of turning it into a model colony and a valuable asset for Germany's colonial empire.
In 1925,During the Great War, a joint British-Portuguese garrison attempted to take the city and nearby territory, Both countries signed informal agreements to divide influence over southern Africa.They both assumed that the small European enclave in Maputo Bay would fall under one of their spheres when Germany signed the peace treaty. However, Landgrave Friedrich II (the founder’s son) formally refused recognition of any foreign overlordship, issuing the Declaration of Neutral Sovereignty, invoking both Tsonga land rights and jus gentium (law of nations). In a dramatic move, he invited diplomats from Zanzibar,Dutch Afrikaaner republics and even the Rhomanian Empire to recognize Frederickshaven as a neutral trading free city.To everyone’s surprise, Sultan Umar of Oman granted symbolic recognition in 1926, citing mutual commercial interest and European overreach. British and Portuguese authorities were embarrassed but reluctant to act militarily fearing international complications and the bad optics of seizing a peaceful and diplomatically savvy settlement.
Thanks to the bold but cunning colonial governor, Friedrich von Hohenfels, the city held out and managed to gain diplomatic recognition as an independent neutral free city. This bold maneuver marked the beginning of the microstate's chaotic but brave future, as the little German-African country avoided annexation by its larger neighbors and became a bastion of economic and political stability in the region.
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