Colony of Calsahara

Westarctican Colony of Calsahara

Flag
Motto: From nothing, something! National Anthem: Viva La Calsahara!
Government Type	Colonial Administration
Founded	24 November 2009 As Kingdom of Calsahara
Area	117 acres
Overlord	His Royal Highness, Grand Duke Travis
Viceroy	His Viceroyal Highness, Prince Daniel Nicholas
Military Governor	His Excellency, Captain-General Ciani

The Colony of Calsaraha, formerly the Realm of Calsahara, the Imperial Kingdom of Calsahara, and originally the Kingdom of Calsahara, is a dependent colony of Westarctica located entirely within the U.S. state of California near the unincorporated community of California Valley on the Carrizio Plain. Calsahara was founded by Travis McHenry on 24 November 2009, and existed as an independent sovereign state until it was conquered without resistance during the Invasion of Calsahara by the Westarctican Royal Guards on 29 October 2018.

Kingdom of Calsahara: 2009 - 2011

Pre-founding

Travis McHenry had abdicated the throne of Westarctica in 2006 and served as a governor of two different Molossian provinces. After moving to southern California to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, he was convinced by fellow micronationalist, President Kevin Baugh, that since his time in the U.S. Navy was over, it was safe to return to being involved with a micronation again.

In late 2009, Travis learned that his mother-in-law was part owner of a 2.5 acre plot of land in an area of Central California called the Carrizo Plain. This area was completely barren and sparsely populated. After doing some research on the location, Travis determined it would be an ideal spot to create a new micronation.

Founding and early days

A loose collection of ideas about how the country should be run were put into a PowerPoint presentation with the file name Calsahara.ppt and this presentation became the original governing document of Calsahara, effectively serving as the constitution. The slides were completed and presented to Travis' wife and son on 24 November 2009, which became the official date of the founding of the nation. Calsahara is believed to be the first (and possibly only) country in history to have its constitution in the form of a PowerPoint presentation.

On 31 December 2004, Travis was formally proclaimed King of Calsahara. He chose the regnal name "King Montague." The same day, His Majesty addressed the assemblage of Calsahara's citizens at the Supreme Diet, a church sanctuary located in Yorba Linda, California that also served as Calsahara's seat of government. At this time, he officially declared Calsahara a sovereign nation by proclaiming "Royal Decree 0." It read:

The Executive Office of Calsahara hereby decrees the formation of The Realm of Calsahara and directs the immediate formation of a government.

We are attempting to build a nation on the barren plain of the California Valley, a nation which shall be completely self-reliant, and independent of the United States, by which it is surrounded.

As a nation, we do not seek, nor desire, any formal recognition of our sovereignty. We own, control, and are developing the land: therefore we already exercise sovereignty, and that's good enough for us.

Raising the flag

The first trip to visit the land of Calsahara didn't occur until 15 May 2010. The flag was raised over the capital city of Otisburg by King Montague and the Grand Chancellor. At the same time, a detailed survey of the land was taken and a photographic record was obtained for future reference.

Imperial Kingdom of Calsahara: 2011 - 2014

In January 2011, the Kingdom of Calsahara expanded from 2.5 acres to an area of over 100 acres.

Causes for the expansion

When Calsahara was first created, an institution called the Civil Office was established to provide new citizens with gainful employment. The available jobs were all drawn from the Queen song The Fairy Feller's Master Stroke (which in turn was inspired by the painting of the same name by Victorian artist Richard Dadd. The open positions were:

* Ploughman - a person who uses a plow
* Tinker - a person who travels from place to place mending metal utensils
* Tailor - a person who makes fitted clothes such as suits, pants, and jackets
* Dandy - a man unduly devoted to style, neatness, and fashion in dress and appearance
* Nymph - a beautiful maiden inhabiting rivers, woods, or other locations
* Tatterdemalion - a person in tattered clothing of shabby appearance
* Ostler - a man employed to look after the horses of people staying at an inn
* Apothecary - a person who prepares and sells medicines and drugs
* Harridan - a strict, bossy, or belligerent old woman
* Junketer - someone taking part in a junket or banquet: a partygoer

In late 2010, the Civil Office was dissolved by Royal Decree and the newly unemployed citizens (of which there were less than 20) were instructed by King Montage to “wander off and live in a nice little Hooverville somewhere.” The abandoned homestead a quarter mile away from Otisburg was to be the location of the Hooverville where refugees from the Civil Office could make their new home.

King Montague led the Calsaharan Corps of Engineers on a mission to conquer the vast empty plain surrounding Otisburg. The Carrizo Plain contains approximately 1,400 acres of empty land broken into 700 plots of around 2.3 acres each.

Realm of Calsahara: 2014 - 2017

in June 2013, McHenry and his wife filed for divorce and this resulted in a crisis in the Calsahara government. The members of the Chancellery voiced their desire to have someone other than the disgraced monarch rule their land. After months of bickering and internal pressure, King Montague abdicated and passed the throne to his son, who was crowned as King Nicholas in 2014. In a power-sharing agreement, the executive power to govern was split between King Nicholas and the newly-created office of Dictator For Life. Naturally, McHenry was the only serious candidate for the office.

Government

Since the government upheaval in 2014 that resulted in the abdication of King Montague and the ascension of King Nicholas, the power in the central government is shared by the King and the Dictator For Life.

The two branches of government are:

• The Executive Office
• The Chancellery

The Executive Office is controlled entirely by King Nicholas and the Dictator for Life. According to Decree of the Realm XII, no instrument of government (including decrees, titles of nobility, and military appointments) is valid unless is bears the official seals of both the King and the Dictator.

The Chancellery consists of four individuals who are direct descendants of the original owner of Calsahara's property, Boots Brannon. They serve in an advisory capacity and have no real power in the government. They are led by the Grand Chancellor, who is also King Nicholas' mother and the ex-wife of the Dictator For Life. She serves as a liaison between the Chancellery and the Executive Office, advocating for them when necessary.

Military

File:General-Montague.jpg

General Montague

In July 2011, Calsahara established its first military force, the Royal Corps of Engineers. The primary duty of the Corps is to defend against seasonal flooding which endangers the southern border of Calsahara. At the head of the Corps is the Dictator For Life, who is responsible for all military operations in Calsahara. During the 2010 state visit to Vikesland, members of the Corps of Engineers participated in the Joint Micronational Training Exercise-2010 (JMTEX-10) with the Vikesland Security Force. In 2011, they constructed the Otisburg Fire Pit, a small ring of rocks quarried from Calsahara.

Although capable of combat operations, Calsaharan soldiers do not carry firearms.

Links

• Official web site