Grand Duke Travis

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His Royal Highness
Grand Duke Travis
Grand Duke of Westarctica
Overlord of Calsahara
Baron of Flandrensis

Grand Duke of Westarctica
Second Reign 2 June 2010 - Present
Preceded by Grand Duke Jon-Lawrence
King of Calsahara
Reign 24 November 2009 - October 2013
Preceded by Throne Established
Grand Duke of Westarctica
First Reign 6 June 2004 - 16 January 2006
Preceded by Throne Established
Successor Grand Duke Philip
Consul-General of the Achaean Territory
In Office 12 September 2001 - 6 June 2004
Preceded by Position Established
Consort Prince-Consort Dinny (m. 28 Dec 2016)
Grand Duchess Grand Duchess Cathryn (m. Nov 2004; div. Jun 2013)
Consular Consort Rebecca St. Ann (Jan 2003 - Mar 2004) never married
Issue Prince Ashton Roman
Prince Daniel Nicholas
Father Daniel McHenry
Mother Deborah McHenry
Born 4 June 1980

His Royal Highness, Grand Duke Travis (birth name Travis McHenry) is the founder and current Head of State of Westarctica, a micronation, new country project, and environmental non-profit corporation.

The Grand Duke has been involved with various micronations, and has founded three of his own, starting in 1996 with the Kingdom of Casbah, then Westarctica in 2001, and finally Calsahara in 2009. In between these projects, he served as a governor for two provinces of Molossia.

Early life

Travis Daniel McHenry was born 4 June 1980 in rural Benton, Pennsylvania, a town with a population of less than 1,000 people where the McHenry family has lived for over two hundred years; having first settled in the Fishing Creek Valley in the late 1700s on a 1,000+ acre tract of land deeded to Daniel McHenry by John Penn, the son of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania.

Travis was an unexceptional student in elementary school, being consistently reprimanded on report cards for having too much energy and being a distraction to others. In high school, he showed an aptitude for history, English, and acting, but repeatedly failed math classes and was reputedly the leader of a shadowy gang known as The Moonshine Crooks.

He was accepted into the undergraduate theater program at Bloomsburg University during his first semester as a high school senior and would leave high school early to attend university classes in the evenings.

The Kingdom of Casbah

Main article: Kingdom of Casbah

During the spring / summer of 1995, Travis founded the break-away Kingdom of Casbah in rural north-eastern Pennsylvania. Travis proclaimed himself Maharaja, and ruled the agrarian nation with an iron fist. As a result of his various eccentricities and demanding temperament (including the creation of a religion devoted to the worship of the pagan deity Pan) he was overthrown twice, with the second usurpation resulting in his exile and the collapse of Casbah’s government in October 2000. The events of his reign in Casbah were later satirized in his stage play Delusions of Grandeur.

Naval career

Travis left college to pursue a career in the United States Navy where he served for eight years as an Intelligence Specialist with a Top Secret/SCI security clearance onboard the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) and as an instructor the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia. His primary specialty was Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection (ATFP) and foreign country military capabilities.

Claiming Marie Byrd Land

Main article: Achaean Territory of Antarctica

In August 2001, while serving in the U.S. Navy, Travis discovered a loophole in the Antarctic Treaty which legally allowed him to claim a huge swath of land on the Antarctic continent for himself. Travis solidified this claim on 2 November 2001 when he notified nine world governments of his claim and his intention to establish a sovereign nation on the Antarctic ice. For three years, Travis ruled this new country project as the Consul-General of the Achaean Territory, until he underwent a religious conversion and became a born-again Christian in June 2004.

First reign over Westarctica

Main article: Westarctica

On 30 June 2004, Travis instituted new laws over his claimed territory and proclaimed himself Grand Duke of Westarctica. This new incarnation of the Antarctic micronation proved significantly more popular than the Achaean Territory and drew dozens of citizens and volunteers wishing to work in Westarctica's government.

During this time, he made many diplomatic friendships with other micronational leaders and conducted a state visit with President Kevin Baugh of the Republic of Molossia in Washington, D.C. During these early years ruling Westarctica, Grand Duke Travis' focus was on gaining recognition for his nation's sovereignty from member states of the United Nations. To this end, he sent a large volume of correspondence to leaders and representatives from countries around the world that he thought might be sympathetic to his cause. These included: Monaco, Luxembourg, Sudan, Great Britain, Haiti, Laos, Eritrea, Nepal, Nauru, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, Niue, Vatican City, and Taiwan (among others).

Of these, only Prince Albert II of Monaco and Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg replied to his letters, although former CEO of Antarctica New Zealand, Lou Sanson, once stated in an interview that he received Grand Duke Travis' letter claiming the Balleny Islands, but ultimately didn't respond because he "didn't want to encourage him."

In 2005, several news articles were released about Westarctica in publications such as COLORS Magazine, The Somaliland Times, and the Associated Press.

Abdication from the throne of Westarctica

The press coverage surrounding Westarctica led to Travis' superiors in the U.S. Navy learning about his routine correspondence with foreign nationals. In late 2005, Travis was asked to meet with an investigator from the Defense Security Service (DSS) who informed him that the government was considering revoking his security clearance due to his letters to leaders and representatives of foreign nations, some of which were deemed enemies of the United States. After several subsequent meetings and interviews, a representative from DSS asked Travis to sign a waiver agreeing to cease all communication with foreigners. In return, they would allow him to continue holding a security clearance.

After these meetings, Grand Duke Travis reviewed his options for several weeks and eventually decided to stop his correspondence with foreign governments. However, this meant he would be unable to continue advocating for Westarctica on the international stage. Therefore, on 14 January 2006, he signed an instrument of abdication relinquishing the crown of Westarctica, the title of Grand Duke, and the rights of his children to inherit the throne in the future.

Prior to the public abdication, Travis had already arranged a transfer of power with Westarctica's Minister of Information, Philip Karns, the Duke of Ravencroft. Philip had been Travis' friend since the late 1990s and was an important Minister in the Grand Ducal Cabinet.

Involvement with Molossia

Governor of New Antrim

Shortly after his abdication from the Westarctican throne, Travis was approached by President Baugh of Molossia and offered a position as Grand Admiral of the Molossian Navy. He graciously accepted the ceremonial military post and shortly thereafter was appointed to the post of Governor of New Antrim, a ten-acre Molossian protectorate in northeastern Pennsylvania. This area was roughly equivalent to the central plot of land owned by the McHenry family since the 1700s.

File:Molossia Visit.jpg
King Montague in Molossia

During his service with Molossia, Grand Admiral Travis fought in the Molossia-Mustachistan War, which lasted for two months in 2006. The Grand Admiral served with distinction on the Eastern Front by leading the Molossian Navy to victory in the Battle of Lake Jean, a feat for which he was awarded the Mustachistan War Medal.

As Governor he successfully mediated the New Antrim Tobacco Crisis in 2007. Travis served as Governor of New Antrim from 2006 until the dissolution of New Antrim in late 2008.

Governor of Desert Homestead

Not one to go unemployed for long, in early 2009, President Baugh asked Travis to continue his service to Molossia by becoming the Governor-General of Desert Homestead, a Molossian province near Joshua Tree, California. While the hot, desolate province was a dramatic change from the green forests and flowing rivers of New Antrim, Travis accepted the post and began his tenure as Governor-General. His accomplishments included the clearing of rubbish from Desert Homestead, and the construction of Baugh Terrace, a monument to the Baugh family.

King of Calsahara

Main article: Colony of Calsahara

Travis acquired 2.5 acres of barren land in California Valley and founded the nation of Calsahara on 24 November 2009, proclaiming himself king of the new country.

In an unusual move, Travis decided to adopt a regnal name, and chose the name Montague. While ruling as King Montague, he developed Calsahara into a thriving micronation with a rich, diverse culture.

=Return to Westarctica

On 3 June 2010, Travis reclaimed the throne of Westarctica from Grand Duke Jon-Lawrence and promptly proclaimed Westarctica a protectorate.

Personal life

From 2007 - 2013, the Grand Duke was a professional actor, frequently appearing on stage, film, and television.

In addition to acting, he has written many books including Tales of Terror, Delusions of Grandeur, The Murder of Michael O. Stogner, and his best-selling memoir, Into the Abyss: The Memoirs of a Paranormal Adventurer.

Full title

Main article: List of Titles and Honorifics of Grand Duke Travis

The Grand Duke's full title as used in his capacity as Head of State of Westarctica is His Royal Highness, Travis, Grand Duke of Westarctica, Overlord of Calsahara, and Baron of Flandrensis.

However, he also has numerous subordinate titles, many of which come from realms he previously ruled or various honorifics that have been granted by foreign governments. Additionally, he still possesses a litany of unused titles from his time as King of Calsahara, none of which were abandoned when he quit the throne.

Honors and Awards

Grand Duke Travis has received numerous awards, knighthoods, and honorary military appointments as a result of his diplomatic outreach and cooperation with foreign nations.

Westarctican Honors

Foreign Honors

Military Ranks

External links

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