Empire of Agber

Empire of Agber
Flag Coat of Arms
Capital city	Agber
Official language(s)	English
Short name	Agber
Government	Absolute Monarchy
- Empress	Empress Arlene
Established	20 September 1995 (as Kingdom of Kolios) 7 January 1998 (as Empire of Agber)
Population	43
Currency	Gulden (Imperial and Kolios)

The Empire of Agber is a micronational project that was founded on 20 September 1995 as the Kingdom of Kolios The project was reimagined in early 1998 as the Empire of Agber, with Kolios becoming a nation within the Empire. The primary focus of the Empire is activity at Renaissance Festivals and other such events where period dress is deemed acceptable.

History

Prior to Founding of the Empire

Main article: Principality of Kolios

In 1995, three friends began discussing a book one of them had been gifted for his birthday on the Order of Malta. This led to a fair amount of research and discussion on what it would be like to establish a country of their own. These early discussions primarily took place in local playgrounds and libraries. After a number of weeks and the addition of three other youths, a decision was made to found their own country as the Kingdom of Kolios on 20 September 1995. It was founded under the rule of King Stephen, who ruled until 24 May 1997, when he abdicated in favor of Queen Arlene.

In 1998, after her family moving from Augsburg, Germany, to Fort Drum, New York, Queen Arlene of Kolios decided to revamp the project as the Empire of Agber, using the capital of Kolios as the eat of a self-declared Empire.

First and Second Eras

The first era of the Empire, sometimes called the Founding Era, lasted from its founding on 7 January 1998 until 30 October 2004. During this time, the second and third nations, the Grand Duchy of Carthage and the Enclave de Cordova, saw their founding and subsequent addition to the Empire. During this phase, Empress Arlene also claimed the areas of Bir Tawil and Marie Byrd Land as protectorates. During this time, the entirety of Agber operated as a single entity or court, with the heads of individual nations serving as more of a retinue for Empress Arlene. This era ended when Empress Arlene joined the United States Air Force.

The second era, sometimes called the Transient Era, ran from 1 November 2004 until 28 February 2013 (the length of Empress Arlene's tenure in the US Air Force). This era functioned as a scaled down version of the first, with a number of appointees coming and going, Empress Arlene being the only real constant. This is owed primarily to the Empire's lack of an internet presence essentially keeping the functional government limited to the area of whichever military base the Empress was assigned to, at the time. While still active, the Empire saw no real growth or additions in terms of policy, initiatives, or additions of orders of chivalry, the last of these having become a cornerstone of the pageantry within Agber's culture.

Third Era

The Empire's third era, also known as the Renaissance, is regarded as having run from 1 March 2013 until 8 April 2020. This era saw an increase in the types of activities and stability seen in the first era. It also saw the addition of the Empire's most recent addition, Sawatch. One of the most notable changes during this era was Empress Arlene's insistence that each of the nations of the Empire were charged with developing their own cultures. Those that emerged included:

• Kolios (and Agber, as a whole) developing more of a focus on inspirations from the Holy Roman Empire.
• Carthage leaning into France's era of the House of Valois, with a few elements from early Bourbon rule.
• Cordova emerging as a society influenced by early Spanish Colonialism.
• Sawatch taking on influences from the early and mid-Ottoman Empire.

This era solidified Agber's primary existence as a vehicle for Renaissance Fair culture. A large part of court life revolved around this fact; court was often held within the confines of a Fair, and various retinues were charged with roaming the events and interacting with visitors. This often included the bestowing of knighthoods and taking oaths of fealty from those who wished to pledge service to the Empire or its subsidiary nations.

Current Era

The Empire's fourth and current era began on 9 April 2020. The groundwork for the transition in eras began when one of the founding nobles of the original Kingdom of Kolios rediscovered a notebook containing details of the Kingdom by way of his mother sorting through old items in her charge. As this individual, the Margrave of Sulli was then involved in the online micronational community as Westarctica's Prime Minister, this forgotten project was of great personal interest to him. As his record of events ceased in mid 1997, he assumed the Kingdom to be defunct and began trying to track down other members of the project.

Margrave Jordan discovered the continued existence of Kolios, and its evolution into the Empire through Empress Arlene. The beginning of their correspondence is regarded by the Empress as the start of a fourth era, when the Empire was introduced to the wider community of micronations. As this era is in its infancy, much of its earmarks and changes remain to be seen.

Government

The Empire is overseen by an Emperor or Empress. Each territory has their own head, who is known by their own title, and has autonomy over their nation. This autonomy can only be overridden by Imperial authority. The exception to this rule is the Principality of Kolios. Given that its capital of Agber is also the seat of the Empire, the Emperor or Empress also serves as the Sovereign (Prince or Princess) of Kolios. Owing to Kolios' status as a "realm of preservation," minimal governance for it is needed, and is overseen by a Chancellor, who also serves as the Imperial advisor and right-hand.

Territories and Protectorates

The Empire is broken up into four separate national territories, with two protectorates that are administered by the Empire, but are not officially members, since they have no permanent populations.

Territory	Flag	Capital	Title of Head	Established	Geographical Area	Notes
Principality of Kolios		Agber	Prince/Princess	20 September 1995	Bavaria, Germany	Capital is also seat of the Empire
Grand Duchy of Carthage		Drumm Stronghold	Grand Duke/Grand Duchess	7 January 1998	New York, USA
Enclave de Cordova		Mariposa	Don/Doña	27 August 2002	California, USA
Sawatch	100px	Tiene Vista	Emir/Emira	31 January 2014	Colorado, USA	Current headquarters of the government
Marie Byrd Protectorate	100px	Russkaya Station	Warden	23 December 1998	Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica	Under consideration for renunciation of claim
Bir Tawil Protectorate	100px	Gabal Hagar El Zarqa	Warden	10 January 2001	Bir Tawil, Northeast Africa

Religion

While all faiths are welcomed with open arms, the official religion of the Empire is Christian. During the Kingdom of Kolios era, a Church of Kolios existed with the Koliosian Sovereign at the head, much like the Church of England within the United Kingdom. Although this entity still exists officially, it has not been active for a number of years.

Orders of Chivalry of the Empire of Agber

The Empire of Agber has three orders of chivalry common to all realms the current Font of Honor for these orders is Empress Arlene.

Order Name	Established	Classes/Ranks	Awarded For	Notes
Order of the Empire of Agber	8 September 1999	Knight/Dame Grand Collar Knight/Dame Grand Cross Knight/Dame Commander Knight/Dame	Service to the Empire
Sanctified Order of the Crucifix	20 September 1995	Knight/Dame	Service to the Sovereign of the Empire	Originally the highest order of the Kingdom of Kolios Made an Imperial Order on 7 January 1998
Order of Arlene I	15 March 2013	Knight/Dame Commander Knight/Dame	Excellence, personal achievement, or noteworthy performance	Primarily used as an on-the-spot knighthood at Renaissance Festivals

Orders of the Principality of Kolios

The Principality of Kolios currently has only one order of chivalry, the current Font of Honor is Empress Arlene, in her role as Princess of Kolios.

Order Name	Established	Classes/Ranks	Awarded For	Notes
Order of Kolios	20 September 1995	Knight/Dame Grand Cross Knight/Dame Commander Knight/Dame	Service to the Principality	Originally the second-highest Koliosian order

Orders of the Grand Duchy of Carthage

The Grand Duchy of Carthage currently has two orders of chivalry. The current font of honor for Carthagean orders is Duke Louis, except for the Order of Carthage, which is awarded by Empress Arlene on his recommendation.

Order Name	Established	Classes/Ranks	Awarded For	Notes
Order of Carthage	7 January 1998	Knight/Dame Grand Cross Knight/Dame Commander Knight/Dame	Service to the Grand Duchy
Order of the White Lion	1 January 2001	Knight/Dame Grand Cross Knight/Dame Commander Knight/Dame	Service to the Grand Duke	Majority of first set of regalia unrecovered from first Grand Duke, who disappeared Only Grand Cross and Knight/Dame rank currently awarded

Orders of the Enclave de Cordova

The Enclave de Cordova currently has four orders of chivalry. The current font of honor for Cordovese orders is Doña Celestina, except for the Order of Cordova, which is awarded by Empress Arlene on her recommendation.

Order Name	Established	Classes/Ranks	Awarded For	Notes
Order of Cordova	27 August 2002	Knight/Dame Grand Cross Knight/Dame Commander Knight/Dame	Service to the Enclave
Order of the Redwood	27 August 2003	Knight/Dame	Personal achievement	Not currently awarded
Order of the Grizzly	27 August 2016	Knight/Dame Commander Knight/Dame	Personal achievement
Order of the Mariposa	27 August 2004	Knight/Dame	Conservation work	Not currently awarded

Orders of Sawatch

Sawatch currently has two orders of chivalry. The current font of honor for Sawatchi orders is Emir Victor, except for the Order of Sawatch, which is awarded by Empress Arlene on his recommendation.

Order Name	Established	Classes/Ranks	Awarded For	Notes
Order of Sawatch	31 January 2014	Knight/Dame Grand Cross Knight/Dame Commander Knight/Dame	Service to the realm
Order of the Mile High Breeze	1 October 2015	Knight/Dame	Personal recognition from the Emir	Remaining first set of regalia stolen in 2017, second set yet to be produced

External Links

Empire of Agber on MicroWiki Agber Empire's Order on MicroWiki