Greetings citizens, observers and onlookers all. I am His Socialist Majesty, Justinian I, Basileus of the Theodorist Regional Dominion of Burnham and its Land, although some may know me as Pope Declan III of the Orlian College of Cardinals and the Protocults associated with that institution. Others yet may know me by my common name, Richard Cunningham, which is used in all functions not involving the Regional Dominion or the Orlian College. In the greater scheme of things, it matters not which name you know me by, as it is my actions that should speak louder than my various titles and stations.
If you have read the news report of the Burnham Micropress from the 31st May, then you will be aware that I have recently inherited my station of monarch following the peaceful Theodorist revolution in the Regional Dominion of Burnham¹. This was done to give more democracy to the people, ultimately, and to enable me to assume a position to better develop Burnhamite culture, and to protect Socialism and Theodorism. These actions, if I am correct, will increase the activity of the nation, as the Doges of the Supreme Soviet Gorsedh will want to be present to have their say, and I will be holding more audiences like this one, under one or all of my titles, to give Burnham a public face that shows the inner workings of Burnham’s cultural and political systems.
Firstly then, I shall begin by explaining to you the addition of new Event Days to the Burnham Calendar. Event Days are days in the year that are to become festivals, commemorations or more solemn memorials for certain events happening now or for what has happened in the past. The addition of May Day was a major component of the Socialist State we in Burnham wish to become, and the day celebrated worldwide as a time of worker’s pride is a must-have no matter what nation we find ourselves living in.
The festivals of Lùnastal and Tan on the 1st and 6th August respectively are the two main celebrations of the year, however. To get back in touch with Burnham’s oft-overlooked pseudo-Celtic culture, celebrating the festivals of harvest and fire are key to the “going back to our roots” I argued for in the debate that led to the creation of the Theodorist Regional Dominion of Burnham. By staying as true to old customs as possible with the given dates, resources and social standards of the modern age, both the Lùnastal and Tan festivals are events I for one am looking forward to incredibly, be it the quartering of a bread loaf and scattering it to the four corners of the Declan Forest Settlership (by far the Dominion’s most beautiful location) at Lùnastal, or the prayer’s of good fortune and the supplicative event of casting bread onto the fire at Tan.
A more sobering thought is that of the memorial days, where we give memory to those Europeans who fought and died in the Napoleonic Wars. Although international remembrance days do exist (November 11th being a notable example), these are often more associated with the vast numbers of lives lost in the two World Wars. Tragic events though these are, the Napoleonic Wars, while only restricted to Europe and North Africa (Not counting the War of 1812 in Canada and America) left scars across Europe for hundreds of years, the effects of which burst forth only at the beginning of the 20th century. Continental patriotism and nationalism was kick-started in this conflict², especially in the ex-Confederation of the Rhine and in the Russian Empire, which led to the creation of a unified Germany and the USSR some 60 and 100 years later respectively. For these reasons alone, the deaths of the men that fought to create such a twist in Europe’s history deserve a day of their own to be remembered. Days of remembrance involving a one minute silence at a time which suits the citizen of Burnham in question (a certain time every year may not be practical) will be held from the 16th to the 19th October to commemorate the battle of Leipzig in 1813, and on the 18th of July to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
Secondly, I shall tell you of the work that shall I shall be putting into the Orlian College of Cardinals, to produce a new Protocult. This has been a duty of mine since before I ascended to the papacy to curb the imperialistic excesses of Pope Alexander III. However, although the basic tenets have been laid out and revised many a time, real work to ‘put meat on the bones’ as it were has been in short supply, thanks to a combined mixture of running various Micronational groups, revising and finishing work in anticipation of my own educational exams, and general procrastination. However, with the new Theodorist reforms in Burnham giving more power to the people and thus freeing up my own time, combined with me relinquishing power over some organisations (I will not be running for a second term as GUM Chair, for example), work has begun anew on the Protocult of ‘The Edict of the Three’, which acknowledges and divides worship between the Moon, the Sun, and the Darkness That Chases the Stars.
In addition to my work on a Protocult under the papacy, There is the possibility of me performing my first Protocult sermon in the not-too-distant-future. Although this has not been confirmed by the College of Cardinals, and the medium over which my sermon will be transmitted is as of yet undecided, the possibility of reaching out to the Micronational community by way of an Internet-based speech I hope will work wonders for public interest and a greater sense of community.
Finally, I will briefly mention that in my capacity as Basileus of the Theodorist Regional Dominion of Burnham and its Land, I will be suggesting the creation of new Gorsedhs (Assemblies) on the people’s behalf pending talks with Burnham territorial citizens over the next week or so. This could lead to the creation of a Burnham Socialist Civil Service, Police Force, or even State-based Folklore society – options abound. When these talks are over, I will give suggestions to the Supreme Soviet Gorsedh, who will then vote on the matter, creating them if there is a two-thirds (66%) majority overall.
I thank you all for reading this article, and I hope you have become interested in the Theodorist nation that Burnham’s people (myself included) run, and the work I undertake in other Micronational fields. I should like to have another audience soon, current dates permitting, perhaps involving Waterloo memorial Day or the Festival of Lùnastal.
With regards to you all,
His Socialist Majesty (HSM) Justinian I – Basileus of the Theodorist Regional Dominion of Burnham and its Land (TRDB&L), Pope Declan III of the Orlian Proto-cults, de-facto Doge of the Supreme Soviet Gorsedh of the TRDB&L):
Head Researcher of the Order of the Nebra Disk, ex-President of the Confederate States of Prosperity, Defence Minister of the Noble Republic of Lurk, His Royal Majesty (HRM) Richard I – King of Kothellond (Tsardom of Nolland region), Lord Chancellor of the Tsardom of Nolland, Secretary of Culture, Sport and Entertainment of the Cabinet of the Tsardom of Nolland, Foreign Affairs Minister of the Würtige Empire, MP of the Würtige Parliament, Delegate of the Würtige Imperial Council, Member of the Empire of New Winterdown Imperial Assembly, Knight of the Order of St Basil, Freedomian Baron, OGC
Sources:
¹ – https://burnhammicropress.wordpress.com/2013/05/31/regional-dominion-of-burnham-the-theodorist-revolution/
² – Wargames Illustrated Issue 272, Page 12, paragraph 4 ‘Kingdom of Westphalia’ AND Wargames Illustrated Issue 285, Page 43, paragraphs 4-11 ‘Epilogue’.
Leave a Reply