Talossa

Kingdom of Talossa
Regipäts Talossan

Micronation
Flag
Motto: "Miehen Huone on Hänen Valtakuntansa"  (Finnish)
Man's Room Is His Kingdom
Anthem: Chirluscha àl Glheþ
Stand Tall, Talossans
Status Active
Location Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
CapitalAbbavilla
Official languages Talossan
(official language)
English
Ethnic groups Pending
Demonym Talossan
Organizational structure Constitutional monarchy
 -  King John I
 -  Prime Minister Lüc da Schir
Establishment
 -  Declared 26 December 1979 
Area claimed
 -  Total 13 km2
5 sq mi
Population
 -  estimate 255
Claimed GDP (nominal) estimate
 -  Total $842.15
Purported Currency Talossan Louis (1 Louis = 1.50 USD )
Time zone TST (UTC-6)

Talossa, officially the Kingdom of Talossa (Talossan: Regipäts Talossan [ˈred͡ʒipæt͡s tɐɫɔˈsan]), is the name of a micronation founded in 1979 by 14-year-old Robert Ben Madison of Milwaukee. It is one of the oldest micronations still in existence. It was also one of the first to create a Web presence (in November 1995) and remains one of the most famous.[1][2][3][4][5] Its exposure in the internet and media since the late 1990s contributed to the appearance of many later internet micronations.

The micronation claims several places on Earth as its territory, especially a portion of Milwaukee, calling it the Greater Talossan Area, but neither Talossa nor its claims are officially recognized by the UN or any ordinary nation. The current population of this micronation is 255.[6]

Government

Talossa is a constitutional monarchy. It has a Prime Minister and cabinet, a monarch, and a bicameral legislature called the Ziu (lower house is called the Cosa and the upper house, the Senäts), in many respects organized like an ordinary nation, with laws, government institutions, and so on. Members are considered "citizens" and have historically been admitted through a formal "immigration" process.

Parties

Like most governmental nations, Talossa has parties.[7] They create policy and submit bills for consideration in the Ziu, the legislature. The August 25, 2014 election to the Cosa returned a four-party coalition government including the Moderate Radical Party of Talossa and the Defenders of Talossan Republicanism, while the major opposition party is the conservative-monarchist RUMP.[8] The supreme law, the 1997 Organic Law, is the current basis of all civil rights and governance.

Culture

Talossa, like other nations, has a culture. Many agree that the language is the most expansive part of the culture, although other aspects (such as an emphasis on science fiction) have also been prominent in the past. Wargaming is the national pastime and even has a holiday.

Modern Talossan culture even has an effect on politics: two popular strains of thought in Talossa about the nature of the group - is it a "real" country (derivativism) or is it something new (peculiarism) - are represented by different political parties and compete to promote their views.

The nation has long had an active media, producing newspapers and podcasts. The currently active publications are Beric'ht Talossan ("Talossan News Report") and El Tamlált Talossán ("The Talossan Gazelle", a play on the word Gazette).

History

Talossa was founded as a kingdom on December 26, 1979[9] by Robert Ben Madison, a 14-year-old resident of Milwaukee, shortly after the death of his mother. At that time the kingdom occupied Madison's bedroom, and he adopted the name "Talossa" for it after discovering that the word means "inside the house" in Finnish.

Talossa has a very detailed "official history".[9] However, due to the nature of the institution, most of its details can only be corroborated by testimonials of members and former members, and appear to be disputed.

In 2004, a group of dissident members of the Kingdom of Talossa seceded, and these former citizens created the Republic of Talossa. This group returned to the Kingdom in 2012, uniting once more into a single nation.

Growth of Talossa

Madison maintained Talossa throughout his adolescence, which included publishing a handwritten newspaper and designing the nation's flag and emblem (which displays the Finnish motto Miehen Huone on Hänen Valtakuntansa, "A Man's Room Is His Kingdom"). During this time its only other members were about a dozen relatives and acquaintances. This changed in the mid 1990s, when Talossa's web page came to the attention of hundreds of thousands of readers via a series of stories published in such publications as the New York Times[4] and Wired,[1] which were subsequently republished by newspapers in many other countries. Several dozen new "citizens" joined Talossa as a result. Around this time, Madison began to claim that he was the inventor of the term "micronation".

Madison registered the trademark "Talossa" [10] and created Talossa, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation registered in the State of Wisconsin (but as of March 2013 has been administratively dissolved).[11]

Location of Pengöpäts (Talossa's Antarctic claim)

In the ensuing years the Kingdom of Talossa continued to function as an enduring politico-cultural role-playing game, complete with parties, elections, laws and government institutions, and several online newspapers. For some time, yearly get-togethers ("Talossafests") were held in Milwaukee. During that period Ben Madison and other Talossa members wrote a detailed history of the kingdom,[9] including a mythological pre-history that traces its purported origins to the Berbers of North Africa; invented a Talossan language for which a grammar and a 28,000-word dictionary have been written;[12] and composed a musical anthem Chirluscha àl Glheþ ("Stand Tall, Talossans"). According to the official history, over the years Talossa's territorial claims expanded from Madison's childhood bedroom to encompass most of Milwaukee's East Side, as well as the French island of Cézembre and a large chunk of Antarctica (called Pengöpäts, Talossan for "Penguin-land").

Schisms and "Reunision"

After a long and bitter political dispute, which culminated in King Robert attempting to expel the leader of a major party from the Kingdom, a significant number of active members of the Kingdom created a separate Republic of Talossa on 1 June 2004.[13][14] As of 2011, the secessionist micronation claimed about 16 members.[13] The population of the republic was 18 when it voted to rejoin the kingdom.

Ben Madison remained on the throne of the Kingdom of Talossa until August 2005, when, after a dispute about immigration procedures,[15] he abdicated in favour of his wife's eight-year-old grandson, who assumed the throne as King Louis I.[14]

King Louis I abdicated his position in November 2006, and was succeeded by John W. Woolley, elected (per the procedures of Talossa's constitution, the 1997 Organic Law) as King John on 14 March 2007 and still monarch (as of 2012).[14] While Talossa still and will always claim to be based in Milwaukee, its website states that "today most of our active citizens live in other parts of the United States and Canada, Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa".[16]

Intermittently from 2007 until 2011, Madison disputed the claim of historical continuity made by the Kingdom of Talossa, and reorganized a separate Kingdom with a new Constitution. According to its website, it was ruled by King Louis, with Ben Madison acting as Prime Minister.[17][18] The group officially disbanded in 2011.

In December 2011, representatives of the Republic and the Kingdom agreed that the two groups would reunite under the Kingdom banner in 2012, once again becoming a single micronation. A referendum was sent out in the republic on March 29, 2012 concerning the "Reunision" (as the reunion is known). The results were published on April 5, 2012. Thirteen out of the republic's eighteen citizens voted: ten in favor, three in abstention, and zero against. The republic formally dissolved on April 19, 2012, and its citizens who wished were made citizens of the Kingdom. The readmission of the republic resulted in the creation of an eighth province, Fiôvâ, from a western portion of Maritiimi-Maxhestic Province, and a southern portion of Maricopa Province.

Since the closure of the Madison group and unification with the Republic, there has been a single and undisputed Talossa.

Leaders

Monarchs

#NameReign
1 Robert Ben Madison –August 2005
2 Louis I August 2005–November 2006
3 John I November 2006–

Prime Ministers (Seneschals)

# Tenure Cosa Seneschal Party Party Name Took Office
1 1 1 Ián von Metáiriâ TNP Talossan Nationalist Party 3 May 1985
2 2 Florence Yarney PC Progressive Conservatives 5 June 1985
3 3 2 Frédéric Maugey FUN Front Uni Pour la Nation 26 December 1985
3
4 4 4 Weston Erni MN La Mhà Nheagrâ 26 September 1986
5 5 5 Danihel Lauriéir PUNK People United for No King 28 March 1987
6 6 6 Sandee Prachel PC Progressive Conservatives 15 August 1987
7 7 7 Robert Murphy BFT Bob Fights Ticket 7 February 1988
8 8 8 Thomas Bufone PC Progressive Conservatives 21 September 1988
9
9 9 10 Jack Schneider PV Päts Vräts 22 July 1989
10 11 Thomas Buffone 30 December 1989
11 Danihel Lauréir PW Peculiar Way 9 March 1990
10 12 J. Harrison Wozniak 16 March 1990
13 12 Weston Erni PC Progressive Conservatives 27 September 1990
14 13 Ián von Metáiriâ 20 April 1991
14
15 15 Thomas Buffone UNP Un-Named Party 24 July 1992
16 16 Ián von Metáiriâ PC Progressive Conservatives 16 January 1993
17
11 17 Gary Schwichtenberg 26 March 1994
18
12 18 19 John McGarry 27 March 1995
13 19 20 Geoffrey Toumayan 15 September 1995
21
22
14 20 Albrec'ht Mananséir 6 March 1997
15 21 Dale Morris 22 April 1997
23
16 22 Dan Wardlow 19 January 1998
17 23 24 Tamorán dal Navâ 29 March 1998
25
18 24 Michael Pope 18 May 1999
26
27
28
29
30
19 25 Gödafrïeu Válcadác'h 25 June 2002
31
20 26 32 Mximo Carbonel MN La Mhà Nheagrâ 11 November 2003
21 27 Gary Cone ZPT Els Zefençadéirs del Päts Talossán 28 November 2003
28 Gödafrïeu Válcadác'h PC Progressive Conservatives 2 December 2003
22 29 Quedeir Castiglha MN La Mhà Nheagrâ 1 January 2004
30 33 Gary Cone ZPT Els Zefençadéirs del Päts Talossán 17 June 2004
23 31 34 Marcus Cantaloûr MN La Mhà Nheagrâ 15 February 2005
24 32 35 Fritz von Buchholtz CLP Conservative Loyalist Party 20 August 2005
25 33 36 Samuhel Tecladeir 15 July 2006
26 34 37 Ma la Mha RUMP Restore and Uphold the Monarchy Party 18 April 2007
38 Revitalisation Under the Monarch Party
27 35 39 Ieremiac'h Ventrutx Remove Useless Ministers Party 23 October 2008
28 36 40 Iustì Canun Really Unpopular Majority Party 20 July 2009
29 37 41 Alexandreu Davinescu Raßemblamaintsch Unusual dels Misfätsilor Pareßeis 21 April 2010
30 38 42 Litz Cjantscheir Restent Uçind ár Mocts Previösen 18 January 2011
43 Restent Utramaßind els Muiteux Progreßíus
39 44 Ma la Mha Rexhalistaes Unificheschti per el Monarc'h es els Popuis 19 July 2012
31 40 Çesli da Chilseu 12 December 2012
32 41 45 Txec Róibeard dal Nordselva Rexhalistaes Unenuxhinds pr'iensa Monarc'hà Panincestind 19 April 2013
33 42 46 Glüc da Dhi MRPT Moderate Radical Party of Talossa 24 January 2014
34 43 47 Lüc da Schir 19 September 2014

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Alex Blumberg, "It's Good to Be King". Wired, March 2000, 8.03.
  2. ↑ "Castles in the air." The Economist, 20 December 2005.
  3. ↑ "Shortcuts: Starting your own country" CNN.com, 27 September 2006.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Stephen Mimh (2000) Utopian Rulers, and Spoofs, Stake Out Territory Online. New York Times, May 25, 2000
  5. ↑ Roberta Smith, "Art in Review: We Could Have Invited Everybody". New York Times July 15, 2005.
  6. ↑ "Talossan Database".
  7. ↑ "List of Talossan Parties".
  8. ↑ http://wiki.talossa.com/47th_Cosa
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 R. Ben Madison (2008), Ár Päts: The Classic History of the Kingdom of Talossa Partial online edition accessed on 2010-01-01.
  10. ↑ Talossa entry in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Accessed on 2010-01-01.
  11. ↑ Talossa entry in the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions register. Accessed on 2010-01-01.
  12. ↑ La Mha, M.; A Complete Guide to the Talossan Language, Second English Edition (2008). ISBN 978-1-4537-7729-9.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Republic of Talossa website. Accessed on 2011-01-20.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 King John page from the Kingdom of Talossa website. Accessed on 2011-01-20.
  15. ↑ Courtroom: Erni v. Talossa
  16. ↑ The Kingdom of Talossa home page. Accessed on 2011-01-20.
  17. ↑ The Claimant Kingdom of Talossa home page (2007-2011), now defunct.
  18. ↑ Kingdom of Talossa Facebook page.

External links