This article is about the claimed micronation in Italy. For the town, see Seborga.
The Principality of Seborga (Italian: Principato di Seborga) is an unrecognised micronation that claims a 14 km2 (5.4 sq mi; 3,500-acre) area located in the northwestern ItalianProvince of Imperia in Liguria, near the French border, and about 35 kilometres (20 mi) from Monaco.[2] The principality is coextensive with the town of Seborga; assertions of sovereignty were instigated in 1963 by a local campaigner based on unproven claims about territorial settlements made by the Congress of Vienna after the Napoleonic Wars.
The "frontier" post on the road approaching Seborga
The claim of sovereignty for Seborga was put forward in 1963 by a Seborgan former flower grower named Giorgio Carbone. He claimed to have found documents from the Vatican archives which, according to Carbone, indicated that Seborga had never been a possession of the House of Savoy and was therefore not legitimately included in the Kingdom of Italy when it was formed in 1861 during Italian unification. Carbone claimed that Seborga had existed as a sovereign state of Italy since 954, and that from 1079 it was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire. Sovereignty claims assert that Seborga was overlooked by the Congress of Vienna in its redistribution of European territories after the Napoleonic Wars.[2][3]
Carbone promoted the idea of Seborgan independence as a principality, and in 1963 the town's inhabitants elected him as their putative head of state. Carbone assumed the style and titleHis Tremendousness (Sua Tremendità)Giorgio I, Prince of Seborga.[2][4] He formed a "cabinet" of ministers; minted a local currency, the luigino; introduced a Seborgan flag, a white cross on a blue background; and established a Latin motto, Sub Umbra Sede (Sit in the shade). Carbone's campaign has generally not been taken seriously and is widely viewed as a ruse to attract tourists to the town, although his supporters in the town claim that their small state has been recognised by Burkina Faso.[2][5]
Giorgio Carbone retained his ceremonial position until his death on 25 November 2009.[2] The position of the Serborgan "monarch" is not hereditary, and since Carbone's death, elections have been held in Seborga every seven years among the town's 200 registered voters.[6] Carbone was succeeded by businessman Marcello Menegatto, who was elected on 25 April 2010 and crowned on 22 May 2010 as His Serene Highness (Sua Altezza Serenissima or SAS) Prince Marcello I.[7][8][9] Menegatto was re-elected as Prince on 23 April 2017, after an unsuccessful challenge to the position by Mark Dezzani, a British-born radio DJ who had lived in Seborga for nearly 40 years.[6]
On 12 April 2019, Menegatto abdicated from his position,[10] and he was succeeded by his ex-wife, Nina Menegatto, who was elected by the town as Her Serene Highness Princess Nina on 10 November 2019.[11]
Pretenders to the "throne" of Seborga have included the self-styled "Princess" Yasmine von Hohenstaufen Anjou Plantagenet,[13][4] and Nicolas Mutte, a French writer.[14]
Seborga todayEdit
Seborga's independence claims continue today, and an official Principato di Seborga website asserts the historical arguments put forward by Carbone.[15] Seborga claims to maintain a volunteer border guard, the Corpo delle Guardie. Participants wear a blue-and-white uniform and during the tourist season they stand guard at sentry boxes on the unofficial border crossing on the main road into Seborga.[6][16]
The unrecognised micronation that claims Seborga Town understands that the town still falls directly within the laws and borders of Italy.[17]
CurrencyEdit
A 15 centesimi Seborga luigino coin
Seborga's local currency, the Seborga luigino, is divided into 100 cents. Luigini coins circulate in Seborga alongside the euro. The currency has no value outside of the town. The value of the luigino is pegged to the US dollar at SPL1 = USD6.00.[18] On 20 August 2023 the Principality presented the first banknote ever of the luigini.[19]
PopulationEdit
As of 1 January 2018, Seborga had a population of 297 people, with 146 males and 151 females.[20]
^ ab"Bandiera, stemma, inno" (in Italian). Principato di Seborga. 8 February 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
^ abcde"Obituary: His Tremendousness Giorgio Carbone". The Telegraph. 27 November 2009. from the original on 1 December 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
^Klieger, P. Christiaan (29 November 2012). The Microstates of Europe: Designer Nations in a Post-Modern World. Lexington Books. p. 177. ISBN978-0-7391-7427-2. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
^ ab. The Telegraph. 15 June 2006. Archived from the original on 19 November 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
^Anneli Rufus (11 September 2014). "Seborga: The Micronation Inside Italy Where Time Stands Still". HuffPost. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
^ abcSquires, Nick (18 March 2017). "Radio DJ from West Sussex vies to become next leader of tiny self-declared principality in Italy". The Telegraph. from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
^Seborga Times, Article "Seborga will crown his new elected Prince: Menegatto I"
^ abSquires, Nick (27 April 2010). "Tiny Italian principality announces new monarch called 'His Tremendousness'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
^. Principato di Seborga (in Italian). Archived from the original on 28 September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
^Letter of resignation 2019-09-28 at the Wayback Machine on principatodiseborga.com
^ abVogt, Andrea (10 November 2019). "'Her Tremendousness' elected leader of self-declared micro-nation on hilltop in Italy". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
^. The Metro. London. 28 April 2010. Archived from the original on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
^Moore, Malcolm (13 June 2006). . The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
^Squires, Nick (22 June 2016). "Ruler of self-declared principality on the Italian Riviera faces 'coup d'etat' from rival". The Telegraph. from the original on 22 June 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
^"Why we are independent". Principality of Seborga.
^. Principato di Seborga (in Italian). Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
^Jacopo Prisco. "Seborga: The Italian village that wants to be a country". CNN. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
^"Festa di San Bernardo 2023 / Resoconto della giornata, rassegna stampa, foto, video – Presentata la prima banconota della storia del Principato di Seborga". Principality of Seborga.
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This article is about the claimed micronation in Italy For the town see Seborga The Principality of Seborga Italian Principato di Seborga is an unrecognised micronation that claims a 14 km2 5 4 sq mi 3 500 acre area located in the northwestern Italian Province of Imperia in Liguria near the French border and about 35 kilometres 20 mi from Monaco 2 The principality is coextensive with the town of Seborga assertions of sovereignty were instigated in 1963 by a local campaigner based on unproven claims about territorial settlements made by the Congress of Vienna after the Napoleonic Wars Principality of SeborgaMicronationFlag Coat of ArmsMotto Sub umbra sedi 1 Anthem La Speranza 1 Map the Province of Imperia with the town of Seborga marked in redLocationSeborgaOfficial languagesItalianReligionRoman CatholicDemonym s SeborganOrganizational structureElective monarchy Prince PrincessGiorgio I 1963 2009 Marcello I 2010 2019 Nina 2019 incumbent Establishment Declared1963Area claimed Total14 km2 5 4 sq mi Population Estimate297 Density21 2 km2 54 9 sq mi Purported currencySeborga luigino de jure Euro de facto Time zoneUTC 1 CET Summer DST UTC 2 CEST Websitewww wbr principatodiseborga wbr com Contents 1 History 2 Seborga today 2 1 Currency 2 2 Population 3 Flags 4 Notes 5 Bibliography 6 External linksHistory Edit nbsp The frontier post on the road approaching SeborgaThe claim of sovereignty for Seborga was put forward in 1963 by a Seborgan former flower grower named Giorgio Carbone He claimed to have found documents from the Vatican archives which according to Carbone indicated that Seborga had never been a possession of the House of Savoy and was therefore not legitimately included in the Kingdom of Italy when it was formed in 1861 during Italian unification Carbone claimed that Seborga had existed as a sovereign state of Italy since 954 and that from 1079 it was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire Sovereignty claims assert that Seborga was overlooked by the Congress of Vienna in its redistribution of European territories after the Napoleonic Wars 2 3 Carbone promoted the idea of Seborgan independence as a principality and in 1963 the town s inhabitants elected him as their putative head of state Carbone assumed the style and title His Tremendousness Sua Tremendita Giorgio I Prince of Seborga 2 4 He formed a cabinet of ministers minted a local currency the luigino introduced a Seborgan flag a white cross on a blue background and established a Latin motto Sub Umbra Sede Sit in the shade Carbone s campaign has generally not been taken seriously and is widely viewed as a ruse to attract tourists to the town although his supporters in the town claim that their small state has been recognised by Burkina Faso 2 5 Giorgio Carbone retained his ceremonial position until his death on 25 November 2009 2 The position of the Serborgan monarch is not hereditary and since Carbone s death elections have been held in Seborga every seven years among the town s 200 registered voters 6 Carbone was succeeded by businessman Marcello Menegatto who was elected on 25 April 2010 and crowned on 22 May 2010 as His Serene Highness Sua Altezza Serenissima or SAS Prince Marcello I 7 8 9 Menegatto was re elected as Prince on 23 April 2017 after an unsuccessful challenge to the position by Mark Dezzani a British born radio DJ who had lived in Seborga for nearly 40 years 6 On 12 April 2019 Menegatto abdicated from his position 10 and he was succeeded by his ex wife Nina Menegatto who was elected by the town as Her Serene Highness Princess Nina on 10 November 2019 11 Title Given name Reign began Reign endedPrince Giorgio I Giorgio Carbone 14 May 1963 25 November 2009Prince Marcello I Marcello Menegatto 25 April 2010 8 12 10 November 2019Princess Nina Nina Menegatto 10 November 2019 11 incumbentPretenders to the throne of Seborga have included the self styled Princess Yasmine von Hohenstaufen Anjou Plantagenet 13 4 and Nicolas Mutte a French writer 14 Seborga today EditSeborga s independence claims continue today and an official Principato di Seborga website asserts the historical arguments put forward by Carbone 15 Seborga claims to maintain a volunteer border guard the Corpo delle Guardie Participants wear a blue and white uniform and during the tourist season they stand guard at sentry boxes on the unofficial border crossing on the main road into Seborga 6 16 The unrecognised micronation that claims Seborga Town understands that the town still falls directly within the laws and borders of Italy 17 Currency Edit nbsp A 15 centesimi Seborga luigino coinSeborga s local currency the Seborga luigino is divided into 100 cents Luigini coins circulate in Seborga alongside the euro The currency has no value outside of the town The value of the luigino is pegged to the US dollar at SPL 1 USD 6 00 18 On 20 August 2023 the Principality presented the first banknote ever of the luigini 19 Population Edit As of 1 January 2018 Seborga had a population of 297 people with 146 males and 151 females 20 Flags Edit nbsp 12th century 1729 21 nbsp 1995 1997 21 nbsp 1997 present 21 Notes Edit a b Bandiera stemma inno in Italian Principato di Seborga 8 February 2014 Retrieved 23 August 2022 a b c d e Obituary His Tremendousness Giorgio Carbone The Telegraph 27 November 2009 Archived from the original on 1 December 2009 Retrieved 17 January 2021 Klieger P Christiaan 29 November 2012 The Microstates of Europe Designer Nations in a Post Modern World Lexington Books p 177 ISBN 978 0 7391 7427 2 Retrieved 17 January 2021 a b Prince of Seborga fights on for 362 subjects Liguria ITALY Magazine The Telegraph 15 June 2006 Archived from the original on 19 November 2010 Retrieved 17 January 2021 Anneli Rufus 11 September 2014 Seborga The Micronation Inside Italy Where Time Stands Still HuffPost Retrieved 5 May 2018 a b c Squires Nick 18 March 2017 Radio DJ from West Sussex vies to become next leader of tiny self declared principality in Italy The Telegraph Archived from the original on 11 November 2020 Retrieved 17 January 2021 Seborga Times Article Seborga will crown his new elected Prince Menegatto I a b Squires Nick 27 April 2010 Tiny Italian principality announces new monarch called His Tremendousness The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 18 June 2010 S A S il Principe di Seborga Principato di Seborga in Italian Archived from the original on 28 September 2019 Retrieved 28 September 2019 Letter of resignation Archived 2019 09 28 at the Wayback Machine on principatodiseborga com a b Vogt Andrea 10 November 2019 Her Tremendousness elected leader of self declared micro nation on hilltop in Italy The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 11 November 2019 The King of Nylon kingdom of Seborga ruled by hosiery heir The Metro London 28 April 2010 Archived from the original on 16 November 2012 Retrieved 18 June 2010 Moore Malcolm 13 June 2006 Battle rages for His Tremendousness s throne Italy Europe International News News Telegraph The Telegraph Archived from the original on 11 March 2007 Retrieved 17 January 2021 Squires Nick 22 June 2016 Ruler of self declared principality on the Italian Riviera faces coup d etat from rival The Telegraph Archived from the original on 22 June 2016 Retrieved 17 January 2021 Why we are independent Principality of Seborga Le Guardie Principato di Seborga in Italian Archived from the original on 9 January 2021 Retrieved 17 January 2021 Jacopo Prisco Seborga The Italian village that wants to be a country CNN Retrieved 2022 03 29 The luigini Principality of Seborga Festa di San Bernardo 2023 Resoconto della giornata rassegna stampa foto video Presentata la prima banconota della storia del Principato di Seborga Principality of Seborga Statistiche demografiche ISTAT demo istat it Imperia Retrieved 2019 03 21 a b c Seborga Liguria Italy www crwflags com Retrieved 2021 04 05 Bibliography EditCais de Pierlas Eugene 1884 I Conti di Ventimiglia il priorato di San Michele ed il principato di Seborga Turin G B Paravia External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Principality of Seborga nbsp Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Seborga in Italian Official website Official English language blog in Italian La Gazzetta di Seborga43 49 33 N 7 41 40 E 43 8259 N 7 6944 E 43 8259 7 6944 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Principality of Seborga amp oldid 1172360614 Flags, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
