Principality of Marlborough

Principality of Marlborough
Flags




Motto: none
Musical Anthem: none
Type of entity: Micronation
Location: Near Rockhampton, Queensland
Area: tba km² (tba sq mi)
Membership: 2
Date of foundation: 1993
Leadership: Prince George (George Muirhead)
Purported organisational structure: Absolute monarchy
Language: English
Currency: Australian Dollar

The Principality of Marlborough was a short-lived micronation located at 22°30′18.19″S 149°9′6.45″E / 22.5050528°S 149.1517917°E / -22.5050528; 149.1517917Coordinates: 22°30′18.19″S 149°9′6.45″E / 22.5050528°S 149.1517917°E / -22.5050528; 149.1517917, 200 km (124 mi) north of Rockhampton, Australia in 1993.

The principality came into being when farmer George Muirhead, facing the possibility of the repossession of his properties - Kierawonga & Indicus - by the Commonwealth Bank, challenged the legality of their bills of exchange in the Queensland Supreme Court. When he lost the case, Muirhead returned to his property under the grounds that he had been denied natural justice, and, along with his wife and approximately 30 other supporters, declared it to be an independent principality where the bank and Queensland Government had no legal authority.

11 days after the proclamation of independence (at approximately 5:00am), 120 officers of the Queensland Police entered the property and forcibly evicted the Muirheads. The Muirheads won widespread media attention from across the world, with the media portraying them as hardworking people being victimized by a cold, heartless corporation. The Muirheads adopted the Australian flag, the Scottish Flag, the Australian Aboriginal Flag and the United Nations Flag as the symbol of their principality during the secession.

On the Queen's Birthday Long Weekend 1993, a small number of men, clad in surplus military fatigues, attempted to storm Parliament House in Canberra. When confronted by security officers, the group claimed to be the Marlborough Liberation Army. The group later turned out to be engaged in a high school prank.

As of 2004, the Muirheads have not pursued their claim to the principality.

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/17/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.