Category: Society

Triumph – August to December 2023

At the beginning of August, celebrations for Empire Day reached their peak through an increasingly short List of Honors, although this short list had one big new feature – the victory titles given to the representatives of the Empire at Microcon 2023.

BEM Group logo.

The preponderance of intermicronational foreign policy was proven not only in the largest micronational event on the planet, but also with the creation of the BEM Group, a political and cultural association in partnership with Chesgariya-Litvania for micronations with identity elements focused on Central Europe and which is named in honor of Józef Bem – hero in Hungary and Poland, as well as involved in wars for freedom and self-determination of people in Europe and America.

With his popularity rising at a time of little participation in the Empire’s internal politics, Oscar I celebrated his birthday publicly for the first time, with Ruthenian citizens and in contact with Delveran citizens, who through Consul Casey Pemberton, granted him the Order of Liberty, First Class. In addition to a brief appearance at the traditional Saint Stephen’s Mass on August 20, the following day he was guest of honor at the wedding of his cousin, the Archduchess Beatrice, to the Count Santory of Saxa-Gondomar. With the marriage approved, the Order of the Three Golden Fleeces was guaranteed to the groom.

In September, Court events set the pace, with parties at the Hochbach Residence led by the head of the imperial judiciary and coordinated by the Minister of Culture, Count Szentmária – who also received the Order of the Three Golden Fleeces.

“Ration Type 1”, by Pembingham’s.

But imperial governance was not just about parties, and the General Staff, in partnership with Pembingham’s, developed the first micronational military ration in history, raising the professionalism of the imperial defense forces so that there is practically no comparison with our power and capacity not only for reaction, but for mobilization, coordination and planning in the defense sphere.

October, however, was a month of varied tensions – Israel’s War against Palestine and the general repercussion of the issue led the Empire to position itself, as always, for peace, but without negotiations with terrorists. In addition to politics, the Imperial House saw one of its oldest and most charismatic members, Archduke Otto, undergo surgeries whose recovery took more than a month and were completed in Arigrade, capital of the Kingdom of Pannonia. However, everything was resolved positively and the month concluded with an auspicious and promising rapprochement with the Commonwealth of Dracul.

Logo of the Karno-Ruthenian Fencing Federation.

The sport acquired interesting proportions in this final part of the year. Usually a neglected subject, sport entered the Court’s activities and the first unofficial fencing tournament took place in the Empire, under the auspices of the Karno-Ruthenian Fencing Federation, founded in 2017. The positive repercussion of the event led the Emperor to start his training more intensely in December 2023.

Delvera’s capital, Clarksbourg, has joined the sister city program with Dracul’s capital, Bran District, at the beginning of November, shortly before the last medal of the Nemean Games was won by the Empire in Hearts of Iron, for the brilliant campaign of Prince Brizendine, worthy of first place. This grand beginning, however, would soon be overshadowed by the sequence of State meetings led by the Emperor as host of the Emperors of Villa Alicia, who visited the monarch Karno-Rutheno on 13 November and the Prince of Aigues-Mortes and the Duke of Constance, who visited him on 16 November. At the beginning of December, it was the Emperor’s turn to receive the King of Braspor.

As the end of the year approached, activities tended to slow down – or so it was expected. The Antarctic Micronational Union completed 15 years with a great speech by its Secretary General, Yaroslav Mar, President of Lostisland, and the Emperor attended the Christmas Concert of the Brazilian Imperial Family – and this as a prelude to another meeting (much more relaxed and informal) with the Grand Duke of Westarctica.

After this meeting, the December honors list was issued and the Emperor left for Pannonia, to visit his parents who today reign over the micronation and other relatives of the imperial family, along all the northern regions of Ruthenia – the most important state visit of the reign of Oscar I until today.

In itself, this visit was seen as the starting point of the celebrations marking the ten years of Oscar I’s reign, highlighted not only by the success of the trip, but also by the occurrence of an unprecedented event – the first meeting between micronationalists in the Brazilian state of Piauí . Oscar I received Mateus I de Narvition at the airport in the capital of Piauí, Teresina, for a few hours before his return to Persenburg. The result was positive and both monarchs assured that they would meet in São Paulo in 2024.

With a lot of collective effort, the Empire reaped the laurels of its activity focused on work followed by results and solidified its position as one of the largest micronations of its time.

Prestige – January to July 2023

At the beginning of the year, the Empire focused its efforts and expenditures on creations. It made history in Latin American micronationalism by creating the physical version of the first ever honor, the Order of the Three Golden Fleece, founded by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1809 and restored by Oscar I at the end of 2022, eventually becoming the highest honor in the Empire. In the following month, the Imperial House had replicas of the Order of the Edelweiss made to be bestowed upon members of the imperial delegation to MicroCon.

Order of the Three Golden Fleece.

But the imperial accomplishments were not limited to honors alone: still in January, Karnia-Ruthenia presented the Conference of Santiago with the first physical copy of the Vetrolin Almanac, a directory of the genealogy of royalty and nobility from the most important micronations in the world, equivalent to the Almanach de Gotha. The luxurious printing was announced by Oscar I, who sent it to be archived by the main patron of the publication, Lucas VIII, Stadtholder of the United Provinces of Mauritia. This was also a historic moment – for the first time in history, a book exclusively about micronations received a hardcover edition.

The first month of the year concluded with the announcement of the signing of the Treaty of Usgarn between the Empire, the United Kingdom of Greater Islip, and the Community of Cheskgariya-Litvania. To help stabilize the micronational sector of Long Island, a new member state of the Empire, the Kingdom of Temeswaria, was created. This member state is administered by the Sixth Army and was formed in a territorial claim previously occupied by Cheskgariya-Litvania, representing a moment of immense prestige in the practice of micronationalism in the United States of America.

Gifts from the President of Obscurium, Zar Antonov.

This moment of immense international prestige coincided with another very significant event in the foreign relations of the Empire – the first Cultural Exchange with United Republic of Obscurium, a major European micronation. The event, apart from being enjoyable, established a strong friendship between the heads of state and promoted the exchange of currencies, letters, postcards, and even works of art. Some months later, Oscar I would delivery a short speech during the celebrations of the V Anniversary of Foundation of Obscurium.

In addition to Obscurium, ties were strengthened with the Federal Republic of Forestia, a Brazilian micronation with great potential that eventually joined the Conference of Santiago. It even participated in the voting that determined the succession of the Duke of Frag in the leadership of the organization, which currently has its fourth Secretary-General as Queen Maria of Sildavia and Borduria.

In March, while K.R.O.S.A. organized the Empire’s participation in the “Orion Mission” conducted by NASA, the celebration of Archduke Ari’s birthday, the Emperor’s father and King of Pannonia, included the first bestowal of the Order of the Three Golden Fleece to someone outside the Imperial Family.

In the Imperial Court, Prince Hochbach and Count Szentmária continued to be the greatest hosts of social events, and the Imperial Collection received a kind letter and the famous ribbons of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim from their cousin and friend, Prince Lucas VIII of Woestein. Simultaneously, despite the cultural effervescence at the Court, politically, the Emperor suffered his first defeat in the parliament in the entire history of his reign – a bill authored by him proposing the title of his ancestor Rudolf of Rheinfelden – Rex Romanorum, King of the Romans, to the Emperor of Karnia, was rejected by the majority of the members of the Imperial Diet. The idea was to strengthen the Crown’s legitimacy and its ties with the Holy Roman Empire. With the defeat, part of this cultural movement lost momentum.

Oscar I, by Lucas Othonsen.

At the end of March, a series of significant dates began to be observed: the announcement that the Empire would attend MicroCon 2023, marking a year since the passing of the famous micronationalist Prince João de Noronha and three years since the foundation of the Conference of Santiago. During this period, among other things, a flourishing of cultural elements focused on imperial nationalism was observed, with an unprecedented production of artistic works from various genres, including idealized images of the Emperor and the creation of the “Imperial Creed,” a pledge of alliance between the people and the monarch in the form of a simple prayer.

In the second half of April, with the consent of the Imperial Diet, the remaining members of Lehmark were invited to continue their micronational activities within the Empire. Also in this month, the Diet concluded its work on the creation of a quality seal for products exported by the Empire.

On May 5th, the Emperor and thousands of others attended the coronation of King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Less than two weeks later, another foreign monarch was honored in a much closer capacity. Oscar I met with Grand Duke Travis of Westarctica for a dinner at Terraço Itália in São Paulo. Together with Prince Hochbach, the famous American micronationalist was bestowed with the Order of the Three Golden Fleece, becoming the first foreign head of state to receive this honor, while the Emperor received the Order of the Snowflake in return.

Grand Duke Travis of Westarctica and Emperor Oscar I.
Propaganda celebrating the Deceniial of Delvera.

In the following week, the State of Delvera celebrated its Tenth Anniversary in grand style, with Delveran Heritage Day and the establishment of a museum to proudly showcase the history of this titan of American micronationalism, which is one of the driving forces behind the Empire.

In early June, the Imperial Diet approved the creation of the Imperial Meteorological Service, an agency to be administered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which would analyze weather and seismic conditions within the Empire. However, the work in this month was of lesser intensity, as on June 30th, MicroCon 2023 began.

Hosted in Chicago, MicroCon, the most important exclusively micronational event in the world – and its largest edition to date – featured various recreational, cultural, social, and political activities. Beyond reaping rewards in foreign policy, the Imperial and Royal Delegation captured the attention of participants with their dignified demeanor and professional and opulent presentation, marking one of the greatest political victories in national history and justifying the heroic reception of the Empire’s representatives upon their return.

As the Empire approaches another Empire Day, the nation envisions the strengthening of its image as a strong, dignified, and grand nation.

Lightning and thunder – August to December 2022

The Emperors’ New Year’s Eve at Steinplatte Palais will take place in the rain, as will that of the Kings of Pannonia in Antonvilla, city of Arigrade. The imperial and royal family, separated by thousands of kilometers, will be reunited with their close members and reflections on the past year will be illuminated by the lightning that cuts through the skies during the storm, and by the loud sound of recent memories, very similar to thunder.

While Villa Alicia bestowed the Emperor-King with honorary citizenship and negotiations with Rivalia transformed Ameroslavia into Pannonia, there were no clouds in the skies. Even when Luiz Saboya, a middling former Brazilian micronationalist, bought a domain with the aim of disrupting the Empire, there was no sign of concern.

In fact, the representation of the Conference of Santiago at MICROCON 2023, marking the first participation of South America in the history of the event, was the harbinger of the progress that would be achieved not only by the Empire, but by its allies in the said organization.

But the first clouds came in, with the Empire coming under attack on its online assets, though rays of sunlight still permeated those first clouds during the birthday celebrations of the Sovereign of Karnia-Ruthenia. Plots would spring up everywhere, such as a famous and notorious coup forger trying to get back to the Empire under false pretenses.

Despite the approaching storm, the Empire was already dreaming of the future of the dynasty on the newly established throne of Pannonia, with Archduchess Alice finally obtaining inheritance rights in her own right. In addition to renewed rights, it was through GISH 2022 that the philanthropic organization recognized Oscar I, through his activities, as a de facto aristocratic sovereign – marked with the contribution of His Imperial Majesty in favor of Ukrainian refugees.

Already traditional in the Empire, personal meetings also took place on the social agenda of the Court. On two occasions, the Emperor encountered Prince von und zu Hochbach, Palatine of the Court of Justice and his companion, Count Szentmária, Minister of Culture and Hofballmusikdirektor. On the second occasion, the King of Taslavia accidentally made himself present.

While August ended its days with the strengthening of friendships between its citizens, externally their friendships were also strengthened since the beginning of September, with the Emperor being invited to be the godfather of Princess Adda of Quinta Velha. The ruling families of Karnia-Ruthenia and Quinta Velha deepened their bonds of friendship throughout 2022.

Diplomatic disasters involving xenophobia against Brazilians permeated the month of October, leading to a new restructuring of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and suspending for the first time in history the recognition of new micronations for an indefinite period.

At the end of this tumultuous month, the proposal presented by the Empire to hold micronational governments accountable for prejudiced speeches to the members of the Conference of Santiago, while internally, after the longest term in the history of the head of government, Margrave Callahan assumed the second most important political post in the Nation, the second American-born to take office.

Reforms that brought in greater elements from Delvera and Occidia also took place, strengthened by the rise of Dylan Callahan to the head of the imperial government. And by all accounts, this is just the beginning of a strong Pan-American movement conceived jointly by the heads of government and state of Karnia-Ruthenia.

In November, the Queen of Pannonia visited the Emperor at Hofbau for a few days in time for the Foundation Day celebrations. During this period, family events took the imperial agenda, but there was room for the creation not only of new diplomatic channels, but also of productive friendships.

This attention to the people and political groups closest to the imperial power also led to the Treaty of Mazza, which established the Goëtzën Monarchy, a political association for joint action by the monarchs of the Imperial House on foreign thrones, namely, Karnia-Ruthenia, Taslavia and Pannonia. In addition to the political issue, they reinstituted the Order of the Three Golden Fleeces founded by Napoleon in 1809 and resolved dynastic issues that resulted in the recognition of dozens of new archdukes – without inheritance rights.

In the second half of the year, the Empire would leave behind its representation in Asia with the extinction of the State of Guwati and the transfer of Cardonia. However, the Empire’s manifest destiny is evolution, so negotiations with Cheskgariya-Litvania and Greater Islip produced the Treaty of Usgarn, which once passed – presumably in January 2023 – will yield Oscar I a new throne, in a new way. new micronation in the United States, in addition to the prediction of expansion of the Empire in the Italian Peninsula.

With the government in recess and the Christmas Message released, the end of the year is slowly approaching, a little eclipsed by the death of Benedict XVI and by the rain, which now covers the lands of Persenburg, capital of the Karno-Ruthenian Empire.

The Reign of the Will: January to July

While it recognized Dracul and fought against the negative campaigns headed by supposed micronationalists in Brazil, the Empire entered the month of February armed with activity. The Imperial Diet continued with the necessary adjustments to accommodate the new members of the nation, while the Empire was considered extravagant by the specialized media, something considered very adequate by the Karno-Ruthenians.

Glowing decorations from Taslavia, Vishwamitra, Achsen, Queensland, Columbia and Sildavia were received by members of the Imperial Family and other distinguished citizens. The state became less self-referential to dynasties with the elimination of royal birthdays as holidays while discussing the continuation of the Imperial Circle as a tool of outside influence, which would later be abolished.

Lucas Othonsen, the Hofpfalzgraf perfected the execution of the “official portraits” – montages of illustrious figures in typical clothing and uniforms, yielding good laughs and true works of art that have the affection of the nation. But not everything would be reduced to art and laughter: the Ukrainian War would begin and citizens of the Empire would find themselves on opposite sides. As of the date of this writing (01 August 2022), it has not been possible to contact Ukrainian and Russian citizens, wishing them to be safe and well.

The Empire did not remain silent in the face of the war, but was receptive to being a host nation. Citizens of the Empire served and risked for the good of humanity and effectively helped. Interestingly, it was two citizens of Italian origin, Baron Pillonetto di Treviso and Mr. Davide Della Lena, who work in civilian humanitarian aid forces, honored the Empire with a small but vital role in consolidating protection for the weakest in the face of the horrors of war.

In March, the Kaiserliche Reichpost was created, the Imperial Mail and the official issuing body for the first official series of postage stamps, while K.R.O.S.A., the Karno-Ruthenian Observatory and Space Agency implemented the Mission Orion, taking the name of the Empire aboard of Artemis I, the first uncrewed flight test of the Space Lunch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft.

The State of Guwati was ceded by Vishwamitra to the Empire, the Hofbau, seat of the monarchy, was left for a short period for interior renovations and in these news of several happenings, the loss: Prince João of Noronha, the notorious Brazilian micronationalist, died. The Emperor-King was one of the first to be informed and his death affected the entire micronational community. A week later, the Conference of Santiago would complete another year of existence, but the date was eclipsed by mourning. The Emperor made a speech in a solemn session of the Historical and Geographical Institute of Mauritia in honor of the deceased friend and member of the Conference.

In the days that followed, religious events were attended by the emperor, an intervention was carried out in the Duchy of Libertia and the Imperial Diet continued with its work and already in April it was one of the most active legislatures in national history. But diplomacy would claim the greatest attention: the Treaty of Ambé was signed on 18 April 2022 with the State of Xingu, which for the following months would be a protectorate of the Empire. The treaty caused strong reactions on the part of a clique of pseudo-micronationalists who claim as “micronations” almost the entire territory of Brazil – and giving rise to the Manifesto for the Truth, which ended up clarifying the situation along manifests from Quinta Velha, Sildavia and others.

For the following month, the works of the Empire would continue to be the target of recognition converted into prestige, either by granting honors to citizens of the Empire for their contributions to micronationalism, or by cataloging the Empire and its symbols by the important Micro Flag Archive, a reference in the preservation of history of the symbols of micronations.

And history, with eight years of existence, needed to organize its historiography. To this end, the Duke of Saena took over the newly created Office of the Prince-Rector of the Imperial Archives, formally assuming the post that had already been informally assigned to him: that of the greatest historian of the Empire.

In June, the Emperor attended the first micronational event in Asia in years, remotely: the inauguration of the President of the Free Rendonese State, an occasion where he could show respect and friendship to the sworn president, Mr. Rey Jr. Mancio. Along with Vishwamitra, the two micronations are exponents of the typical courtesy of Asian micronationalists, in obvious contrast to some of their peers less accustomed to the dignity expected of a head of state. In this contrast, they emerge strengthened and respected by western micronations.

With the preponderance of foreign affairs by the imperial government, it would not take long for its most immediate allies, the Kingdom of Ebenthal and the Kingdom of Quinta Velha, to envision a formal alliance: the Treaty of Altenburg. The approach, however, would come the following month in a solemn way.

But there were still tensions in the air. Several attempts to invade the Empire’s digital property were present throughout the first half of the year, with Brazilian and European micronationalists taking part in the attacks against the Empire. But not limited to that, other aggressions were verified, such as the racist statements of the Romanian micronationalist behind the “Snagovian Federation”, which had severed relations with the Empire and was expelled from the Uhlan Regiment and other honors previously conferred.

With respect for diversity and admiration for its professional conduct, the Empire would once again be a reference in foreign policy among the world’s micronations, and would receive one of its first imports of typical micronational art in June: a typical Azulejo Quintavelhense, decorated in Art Nouveau style with the imperial eagle in the center.

On 29 June, a second micronational event in Asia took place among the members of the Conference of Santiago organized in Vishwamitra and representing a great triumph of the Rashtradhyaksh of Vishwamitra, uniting micronationalists from three continents in favor of the good micronational practice.

July would begin with the Empire adopting a new currency, the Vereinsmark – the Union Mark, backed by copper and relying on the expertise developed in Delvera and Occidia to manage the national economy.

But imperial expertise would still be the presence in foreign affairs: Karnia-Ruthenia was represented by the Emperor at an event held at the Academy of Literature of São Paulo to welcome the president of Hungary, Mrs. Katalin Novak, in the presence of several Hugarian and Brazilian politicians. In the same week, the Emperor would attend the funeral of Dom Luiz of Orléans and Braganza, Emperor de jure of Brazil. In the solemnities in which he was accompanied by Prince von und zu Hochbach and were the sole representants of micronationalism, were presents several members of the Brazilian Imperial House and also Archduke Lorenzo of Austria-Este, Princess Maria Isabella of Savoia-Genoa and Princess Maria Cristina of Savoia-Aosta, the princes Casimiro, Alessandro, Luis and Elena of the Two Sicilies, Prince Gundakar of Liechtenstein, Prince Michel de Ligne and Duke Peter of Oldenburg, among other royalty.

On 23 July, the Empire would restore the Kingdom of Ameroslavia with Archduke Ari on the throne. The bold initiative that transformed a foreign property of the imperial family into a new micronation would only be legitimized the following week, with the recognition of the founder of Ameroslavia, Lenart of Ameroslavia. The imperial dynasty now has rulers over Ameroslavia, Karnia-Ruthenia, and Taslavia. Archduke Ari, former King of Ruthenia, once again occupy a throne.

What the future will bring to the Empire is uncertain, but known to be grandiose: Karnia-Ruthenia has never limited itself to the ordinary and has always dared to innovate with respect to traditions, being anachronistically modern, and presently nostalgic, at the same time.

With united forces, the Empire expand!

By early October, the Archdukes Ari and Denise, parents of the Emperor arrived in Persenburg for a 20-day visit, which brought a short season of family events at Court and brought the Emperor closer to his extended family while introducing them to his wife and daughter.

The Empress, on her side, assumed the command of the Order of the Enameled Cross, received several honors and took control of the Karno-Ruthenian Red Cross, being the first member of the medical forces to hold such position.

While the Empress was involved in social work, the Emperor moved a large diplomatic flow, receiving diplomats from Eminia and Delvera from November onwards. On November 10, Eminia decided to join the Empire, again bringing the imperial presence to francophone countries. Delvera would join the Empire the following month.

Hofbau.

In early December, the Hofbau, seat of the Monarchy, had its facade restored and decorated for Christmas. With more than 2,500 LED lights, other neighbors of Persenburg’s most important building adhered and decorated their homes, making the address the brightest street in the capital. During the festivities, good news: the children of the Barons von Bock zu Guayahnasz, Baron David, was born. Baroness von Bock zu Guayahnasz is one of the Obersthofmeisterin of the Imperial Court and the closest friend of the Empress, godmother of the young baron.

In December, important manifestations came: the 13th anniversary of the Antarctic Micronational Union, the second mention of the Empire in macronational media and a meeting between Prince Wilhelm von und zu Hochbach, Palatine of the Court of Justice, Count Peter Szentmária, Minister of Culture and Hofballmusikdirektor and Lucas Othonsen, Hofpfalzgraf in the city of Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro.

Imperial Christmas Message, December 2021.
Woesteiner Pen.

December, as usual, presented the Honor’s List and also the Imperial Christmas Message, that discussed the importance of choices, friends and to be open to new opportunities. At Christmas, an heirloom of the House of Woestein was presented to the Emperor by the Empress – the Woesteiner pen.

In January, Oscar I officially ceased to be the Secretary General of the Conference of Santiago, being replaced by Arthur II of Ebenthal. However, diplomatic work in favor of American micronationalism continued strong, having accompanied the inauguration of Stephen Luke as President of the Commonwealth of Dracul. Internally, a III Legislature was convened and brought innovations especially by the representatives of Delvera and Occidia.

Positioning himself against oppression and in favor of democracy, freedom and diplomacy, Oscar I was interviewed by Microcosme, in what would be the most read interview to date of the French micronational publication. Praised by media and peers, Oscar I conduct the Empire towards the greatness that is due to its people.

Politics, court events and love – imperial life from January to September.

As predicted, the beginning of the new 20s was shaken by countless events and, for the most part, fortunately, many good moments.

On the first day of the year, the Treaty of Saint Sylvester signed between the Empire and the Kingdom of Taslavia the day before had effect, and transferred Horvatia to the new kingdom, and the borders of the Empire were changed, but not for the last time that year.

In a sign of profound prestige, the Emperor received, on the first six days of the year, the Imperial Order of St. Joachim of Vila Alicia, the very rare Presidential Citation of Merit by the President of Lostisland, the Grand Cross of the Order of Saturn of Mimas, the title of Duke of Tourkia by the Pavlovian Emperor and was proclaimed Protector of the Hanseatic and Confederate States of Achsen and granted the noble title of Hanseatic Prince by the Regency Council.

The first event of the Imperial Court took place on 07 September, when the Emperor attended the wedding of His Highness, the Duke of Altai, one of his closer friends, and one of the Grand Masters of the Court. By the end of that month, he would receive the Most Gallant Order of Mahabali Karthika Padaka of Vishwamitra, letters of the former and current Consul of Delvera, from the Stadhouder of Mauritia and his adopted son, the Duke of Frag.

Dhrubajyoti Roy

In February, close to the six-year anniversary of relations between the Empire and Rino Island, , the most prominent citizen of India, was appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of India, the most important diplomatic post in Asia, while Dylan Callahan was appointed as the new ambassador to the United States of America. On 15 February, three ceremonial regiments were created within the Imperial and Royal Armed Forces: the Regiment of Hussars, the Regiment of Uhlans and the Regiments of Cuirassier.

While Omega SA became Purveyor to the Imperial and Royal Court, His Eminence, Cardinal Hallack, was appointed to serve as the second Apostolic Field Vicar, the first foreigner to be appointed. He is entitled to spiritual jurisdiction over the Imperial and Royal Armed Forces during times of war and peacetime. The Protocol of Klöw on rights and protection of the LGBTQIA+ community was signed by the Empire and several members of the Conference of Santiago by the end of that month.

March, however, would prove to be a more difficult month. The Emperor and the Imperial Chancellor suffered with users of Amino Apps using their photos and names to cover up their acts of hatred and vandalism. On 05 March, the Emperor, suffered an automobile accident: no victims, only financial losses. The situation would become more amenable with the arrival of a letter from his letter from his cousin, Emperor Olivier of Angyalistan, a honorable mention on Youtube Channel on micronationalism, the granting of the Royal Vishwamitran Chain and another event of the Imperial Court, the exhibition of Zack Snyder’s Justice League in a private session at the Hofbau Palace. The month would close with another meeting of the Santiago Conference.

In April, the “Jutlandian War” would take place: a conflict between the Empire and the Autonomous Republic of Jutlandia, part of the United State of Kumandria – and their several fake accounts. The unrest began on the evening of 11 April, when the Imperial Government was attacked by Enrique Zaragosa Falcón, Ruler of Jutlandia and Chairman of the Parliament of Kumandria. Constant personal attacks on the Emperor and the Empire, as many as a dozen of attempts to invade the imperial Twitter account, the Emperor-King led the defense of the Empire honor and virtual integrity, being joined by volunteers from Sildavia, Villa Alicia, Luna and Mauritia. After six hours of intense attacks, Jutlandian forces retreated in complete humiliation, but several fake accounts would try again i nthe following months.

On 17 April, the Emperor and other members of the government and court, watched online through BBC Television the funeral of His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The following day, the Emperor had a private audience with Prince Kundarheim about the Statute of the Imperial Family for legal review and the discussion of possible changes to the Imperial Constitution – something in studying to the date. That same day, a new census was released: Brazilians became the majority among citizens (22.3%), the most declared ethnicity among citizens was Caucasian (71.6%), Catholicism remained the predominant religion (40.8%) and increased the number of men (79.7%). By the end of the month, an agreement between the Empire and Taslavia was concluded and Taslavia adopted the Ruthenian Mark as the national currency – and would adopt the Conferential Doubloon some months later.

Brazilian tank paraded in front the Hofbau Palace.

In May, at the very first day, begins the work to catalog all banknotes, coins, medals, letters and postcards that compose the Imperial and Royal Collection. The collection is owned by Oscar I and overseen by the Ministry of the Household. Numismatic items and micronational material compose the collection – and are still in process of catalog until now. Meanwhile, in Occidia, the Council of Junkers approved the Criminal Code after the longest session of its history – 81 days and a meeting at the end of the month between the Emperor, the King of Taslavia and his father, Archduke Helio, paved the way for the Emperor’s rapprochement with the rest of the dynasty, culminating in the signing of the Statute of the Imperial Family and the regularization of the titles of members of the Imperial House.

On 3 June, the Emperor-King attended the solemn mass of Corpus Christi at the Cathedral of Saint Stephen of Hungary, in Persenburg in another court event, but was a week later that Hofbau saw major events, during a week-long visit of the King of Taslavia, a cousin of the Karno-Ruthenian Emperor. Right before the visit, a tank of the Brazilian Army paraded in front of Hofbau and the unusual event was photographed. However, the most interesting event of the month was the mention of the Empire, for the very first time, on mainstream media, at the Superinteressante magazine.

A new embassy of the Empire was open in Zoetermeer, Netherlands in July, some days before the Imperial and Royal Academy of Geographical and Social Studies be awarded the Royal Order of Câmara Cascudo by the King of Quinta Velha. Dhrubajyoti Roy, His Majesty’s Ambassador to India, assumed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Emperor’s Master of the Royal Hunt was created. At the end of the month, the Imperial Treasury transferred to the Government of Delvera 25% of the amount that Occidia owed to the Republic’s coffers. With the other 25% being funded by the Delveran government, Occidia regularized its fiscal situation.

In August, after the celebrations for the Empire Day, two treaties entered into force: the Treaty of Leige, by which Carpathia and Letzembourg left the Empire on 11 August and the Treaty of Víden, by which the Lateran State become independent again and Roschfallen joined the Imperial Circle under Karno-Ruthenian protection. But was due the celebrations of the Emperor’s birthday, another huge imperial court event, that some news was noted and celebrated.

Empress Marie monogram.

On 16 August, the Emperor received in Hofbau the Archbishop of Persenbrg, the Margraves Kiefernholz and family, the Baroness Schaf and daughters and Infanta Maria Elisabeth of Woestein and Mauritia and her daugther, Jonkvrouw Alice, for an official dinner to celebrate his birthday. On following day, the Emperor spent the day in the company of the Infanta of Woestein and her daugther at their residence, returning to Hofbau at the night of Sunday. Ten days later, after a fast negotiation, the Infanta would become Empress Marie Elisabeth of Karnia, also a cousin of the Stadhouder of Mauritia in what is considered the first real dynastic union of micronationalism that ever happened. The following day, her daughter Alice was adopted by Oscar I, becoming the first archduchess of her generation.

While the Empire celebrated not just the imperial union but its 300th citizen, the Emperor received a letter from the President of the Federal Republic of Lostisland, the Order of the Black Chopibird from his new cousin the Stadhouder of Mauritia, created the Order of Norton in Occidia and confirmed the presence of the Imperial Couple at the Brazilian premiere of “OO7 – No Time to Die”.

And October is right ahead.

The Empire in the days of COVID-19

In times when we are all affected by a serious disease that plagues all humanity, monitoring the development of the last few months is still hopeful: the “new normal” does not mean the inertia of seclusion, but it can represent the intellectual step that is the first step facing a marathon that includes strategy, planning and, of course, action to put these plans into practice.

On the eve of Easter, on 10 April, the Emperor was awarded foreign honors: he was made Duke of Cabugi by the King of Quinta Velha and Brigadier of the Royal Army of the United Provinces of Mauritia. The following day, still in aristocratic activities at the Imperial Court, Hofbau hosted a lively dinner between the Emperor, the Barons Kiefernholz and Countess Eisenland. The day that followed, 12 April, was marked by a silent Easter in a Persenburg subjected to social isolation.

The following week would be rocked by two events. The Imperial Diet, on 17 April, started the discussion to postpone the mandate of that legislature for another year, due COVID-19. The proposal was not taken forward and the II Legislature ended on the 10 June. No predictions were made about calling for new elections. Once again, the Court would welcome the Barons Kiefernholz, Countess Eisenland and Ms. Nascimento for an official dinner.

Christian of Carpathia, official picture, 2020.

On 21 April, while the Imperial Government hailed the heroic efforts of King Christian of Carpathia for assisting civilian doctors and nurses in testing and treating COVID-19, as well as transporting medical supplies with US Army, government officials received, in disbelief and scorn, an outrageous amount of 600 sextillion dollars sent by a candidate for citizen who, having declared that he would refuse to comply with the laws of his country of origin, was refused imperial citizenship. Over the weeks, he would continue to fill the government’s message box with his obtuse and improper pretensions to sue the government for not obtaining citizenship for not wanting to follow the law…

The following week saw the Empire strengthen its ties with South American micronations. The Imperial Government and the Government of the Republic of Rino Island held a conference that resulted in the renewal of diplomatic ties between the two micronations, which dates back to 2015. This conference resulted in a close approximation of micronations from the Brazilian Sector and Rino Island and an unprecedented expansion derivatism and virtualism across the continent, culminating in the accession of Rino Island to the Santiago Conference, the most important micronational organization in South America. On the same 25 April, the Empire would recognize the Kingdom of Luna, a micronation established in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

On 03 May, the Emperor would receive the Order of Saints Sylvan and Florian by the Prince of Lochaber and Glencoe and a week later, he would see Argadia split from the Empire to re-integrate Imvrassia after four years of union. On the same day, Oscar I was made Honorary Member of the Maurense Historic and Geographical Institute, the first honor of the kind that was granted to the Karno-Ruthenian sovereign. The following day, 09 May, a historic event: the Empire, along Mauritia, Villa Alicia, Quinta Velha, Luna, Ebenthal, Syldavia, Lateran States and Rino Island signed the Convention of Mauritsstad, a treaty to promote the friendship between derivatist and virtualist micronations, in one of the most relevant acts of unification of the micronational movement on the continent.

On that same 09 May, the imperial embassy in South Korea would be established and entrusted to Mr. Lim JeaWon’s zealous work. During the process of strengthening diplomatic relations, the Principality of Centumcellae was recognized by the Empire and as a sample of imperial support for Quinta Velha, its king conferred a second honor, the Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Rita of Cascia.

On 13 May, the Emperor-King suffered a domestic accident that left him incapacitated, having a medical recommendation to abstain from activities for a week. However, he returned to fulfilling his agenda the day before the recommended on a particularly busy day, answer messages of solidarity from Delvera, Imvrassia and Brienia among others; responded to negotiations with Celyn, made proposals to prevent cyber conflicts in Brazilian sector, participated in a meeting of the Conference of Santiago and received a representative of the Catholic Church in Micronationalism at the Imperial Court.

Two weeks later, the office of Director of Music of the Court, responsible for planning and develop musical initiatives at Court, would be established. The first Hofballmusikdirektor is Mr. Peter Melchior, that a month later would be appointed as the new Minister of Culture.

With the month of May coming to an end, the trauma of Argadia’s independence gave space to the union of Free Territory of Celyn with the Empire. Under the terms of the treaty, this champion of LGBTQ+ rights demanded respect and freedom for his population, something already guaranteed by the Imperial Constitution. A special friendship was formed for the defense of the rights and guarantees of men, and the new imperial state located in Wales was placed under the protection of the Grand Duchy of Nordinsel.

On the 04 July, partly for the personal promotion of His Majesty, the Emperor, as well as for the support of the Hungarian community of Greater Persenburg and supported by the Hungarian Consulate in São Paulo, the bells of the Cathedral of St. Stephen the King of Hungary promoted a minute ballads to remember the centenary of the signing of the Treaty of Trianon.

On 13 June, the Empire signed the Treaty of Dionysopol with the Empire of Pavlov and the Treaty of Theodosia, with Pavlov and the North American Confederation. The treaty, which regulates the use and recognition of imperial rank initially caused negative repercussions resolved in a joint note clarifying the terms of the innovative treaty, which in addition to creating unique political mechanisms, truly celebrates and qualifies imperial dignity. The signing of these treaties, in turn, would strengthen the Empire’s connection with its former ally, Pavlov, but also with the North American Confederation and, in turn, with the Great Republic of Delvera, whose representatives would be received in meetings in the first half of July in a strong movement of approximation hitherto unprecedented in imperial history.

On June 16, while the Court celebrated the birthday of Archduchess Denise, the entire Empire celebrated that the Karácsony Football Club won the CFM Cup, the micronational football championship of the Brazilian sector. The result of 4-0 against the Valencia FC was one of the greatest moments of eSport in Empire’s history. That same day, the imperial ambassador to Italy, Nicola Pillonetto, joined the Civil Protection Department on behalf of our Red Cross to help fight COVID-19. Two days later, the Emperor was subjected to test to check for contamination by COVID-19 and it was proved that he had no contact with the disease, has no antibodies and does not transmit the disease.

Continuing with the foreign policy dedicated to the union of micronational projects in Latin America, the Empire articulated the adhesion of the Imperial Government of Lifreia to the Convention of Mauristaad, the Treaty of Persenburg and the Protocol of Goetha. For these efforts, the Emperor received the Grand Cross of the Order of the Black Eagle by the Sovereign Vitor of Deltaria and was made Marquis of León and Grand Cross of the Micronational Order of the Dauphin by the Prince John of Noronha.

In early July, the Conference of Santiago, which had already issued joint notes for the death of the American micronationalist Nicholas Randouler and in defense of the Republic of Rino Island for the violation of its intellectual material, stated a new note on terrorist movements that proliferate through the so-called Sector Lusophone in the phenomenon called in the other sectors “clone nations”. Another warning would be given days later, when individuals from this terrorist group began to copy symbols from the Brazilian Sector and the Conference to deceive foreign micronationalists.

On 13 July, after attending the first mass in Persenburg after months of social isolation, and saluting the Pavlovian Empire for its eighth anniversary, the Emperor received the resignation of Caio de Taxus, who left the Ministry of Foreign Relations after the end of the II Legislature, that happened the same day. Archie Birch, a novice citizen, informally assumed the post of Chargé d’Affaires.

A trimester of transformations

The first trimester experienced by the Empire was full of events that drastically affected the micronation and took place in such a rapid succession of events that all seem organic to the inattentive eye, but write several pages to the already extensive Karno-Ruthenian history.

On 30 December 2019, the Emperor of Karnia-Ruthenia met Wilhelm III, the leader of a simulationist micronation of Lusophone sector for a dinner where they discussed various topics of micro and macronational order and reinforced the friendship between the micronations and their rulers – or so it was thought. The Lusophone sector of micronationalism was divided. On 05 January, His Majesty the Emperor met the Count Lucas of Eichweiss and his three children at São Paulo for a lunch and later that week, another meeting between the Emperor, the Count of Eichweiss and Wilhelm III took place – the last seen by the Lusophone sector of micronationalism as a unified sector.

In addition to foreign policy, the Empire’s internal policy also saw major developments. On the first day of the year, the Imperial Diet dethroned King Carl of Cardonia and Oscar succeeded as king; the Asian-Antarctic District’s seat on parliament was declared vacant and Cardonia was confirmed as part of the Empire.

I.R.A.G.S.S. coat of arms.

Culturally, there was also significant movement. On 13 January, a text with micropatriological content in Portuguese and later translated to English was published and donated to the collection of the Imperial and Royal Academy of Geographical and Social Studies, by His Imperial and Royal Majesty, the Emperor-King. The text received general acclaim and was followed by another text of the I.R.A.G.S.S. by His Highness, Prince Karácsony-Maryen, the Imperial Chancellor, about the micronational activity in Brazil.

Coat of arms of Montescano.

January finished with the news that, on 29 January, the Empire and the Principality of Montescano signed the Treaty of St. Demetrius and established mutual recognition and diplomatic relations with the Duchy of Two Melillas and reforced rights to members of Pavlovian Union in an ever-increasing action to settle old rivalries and bring the parties involved closer together.

February, in turn, started chaotic with the first natural disaster that occurred in the capital of the Empire. On 10 February, Greater Persenburg was totally flooded, with the Hofbau, the main seat of the Monarchy, flooded and isolated. At the end of the day, the water level – the highest in 77 years – has dropped. Losses wasn’t calculated and the access to Hofbau was restored by the night.

Overcome the bitterness of losses and the fear of further flooding, the Karno-Ruthenian people rejoiced the tribute paid by the Kingdom of Manso, on 19 February, when the Government of the Kingdom of Manso launched its new series of coins, which has the shield of the allies with Karnia-Ruthenia appearing in prestigious position.

1 Pilão coin.

On 21 February, the Imperial Diet started the debates on the creation of the “Imperial Circle”: a voluntary association of states autonomous within the Empire but not annexed, responsible for its own policies and co-operating in common interests and in promotion of international understanding mastered by the imperial principles. Only on 28 March the Imperial Circle would be formalized, marking a new step in foreign policy and creating a new sphere of influence.

On 25 February, the Emperor-King attended a mass held by the Archbishop of Persenburg, accompanied by the Baroness Schaf and the newly-made Countess Eisenland.  On the following day, Prince Wilhelm Kundarheim was interviewed by Alexandre Brautigam, from the podcast Brazilian ‘Ressonâncias’ to talk about the advantages of a monarchical regime for Brazil as a monarchist and a jurist.

On 27 February, the Antarctic Micronational Union resumed activity. In talks since December 2019, a number of current and former AMU members started negotiation talks, weighing the possibility of reviving the organization. These talks materialized when the new Charter of the Antarctic Micronational Union was signed by the representatives of Hortania, Lostisland, Užupis, Karnia-Ruthenia, Westarctica, Missionary Order of the Celtic Cross, and Montescano, who reconfirmed their membership in the revived organization. The Grand Duchy of Flandrensis opted out of rejoining the AMU, but announced a change in foreign policy, recognizing the territorial claims of all AMU members.

The Empire’s foreign performance was marked by innumerable advances, but to that end, it was also forced to retreat. Facing increasing resistance from Brazilian micronationalists due to his sympathetic view of derivatism, he was forced to abdicate as King of Eslavija on the night of 29 February, ending his second reign in this micronation, which lasted a year, six months and twenty two days. He was the founder of this micronation, established in 07 August 2009.

Equestrian Order of St. Thoomas coat of arms.

In the following month, on 03 March, the Emperor-King, assumed the patronage of the Equestrian Order of Saint Thomas, reforming it with the help of several micronationalists who speak the Portuguese language, and reforming it to become an association of lay people, greatly improving it, especially by the canonical basis of its formation.

In the night of 09 March, His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor-King, received the Kings of Luna at the Paris 6 restaurant, in São Paulo, Brazil. They started their career at micronationalism in the major ally of the Empire at the Lusophone sector, the United Provinces of Mauricia, but acquired Karno-Ruthenian citizenship and ascended to the Throne of Luna. This meeting was considered the base for the creation of the Brazilian Sector of micronationalism. On the following day, the Empire and Rino Island reaffirmed their established mutual recognition and diplomatic relations, signed back in 2015 and established one of the most antiques friendships between micronations in Latin America.

On 12 March, His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor-King, spoke to the Imperial Diet asking for measures to be taken by the government face the coronavirus outbreak. With the political support, the Red Cross of Karnia-Ruthenia started their campaign for conscientization and prevention by 17 March and again on 22 March. On 18 March, after testing negative for COVID-19, the Duke of Daugavia, Minister of Foreign Affairs, volunteered to be isolated. There were no cases of infected citizens until early April. In this scenario, the Popsec Studio, a group of filmmakers with the Duke of Libertia among them, made all of their short films available for quarantine.

By the end of the month, after traditional micronationalists from Brazil started expose criticism on derivatism practice as “ignorant” and “dishonest”, a cision in the sector was eminent. Far beyond promoting derivatism among Brazilian aspirants to micronational practice, the derivatist micronationalists in Brazil intended to establish good terms with each other, in contrast to the rivalry of Brazilian micronations at the time and to present themselves to the other micronational sectors as a variant of Lusophone sector, a more friendly and open to micronational practices enshrined in the rest of the world.

The Lusophone sector of micronationalism is known for modelism and simulationism, being the only micronational sector where this segment is the majority. Dissent to this current is usally ostracized and harassed. Thus, considering the Lusophonia a “closed system”, some derivatists projects noted they should organized themselves like other sectors, based this time not only on language, but also on geography and to establish more active relations with other linguistic and geographic sectors.

The beggining of this cision within Portuguese-speaking micronationalism started in a conversation that happened on 12 March 2020 between the Emperor of Karnia-Ruthenia and the Queen of Manso, the leaders of the most successful derivative projects of Brazilian origin. The result of this conversation was the Treaty of Persenburg and the creation of the Brazilian Micronationalism group on Facebook. Most of the members were made up of micronationalists whose projects were of recent foundation, most had acquired experience in simulationist micronationalism, had contact with the foreign micronational movement, especially the English-speaking micronations, the called “Anglophone sector”, and were sympathetic to the ideas of creating their projects with based on the Montevideo Convention of 1933, which led to the signing of the Protocol of Goetha.

With the beginning of April and the uncertainties of this period of pandemic and rapid developments in domestic and foreign policies, the future – immediate and mediate – are real surprises.