List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
These lists of historical unrecognized or partially recognized states or governments give an overview of extinct geopolitical entities that wished to be recognized as sovereign states, but did not enjoy worldwide diplomatic recognition. The entries listed here had de facto control over their claimed territory and were self-governing with a desire for full independence; or if they lacked such control over their territory, they were recognized by at least one other recognized nation.
Criteria for inclusion Edit
The criteria for inclusion in this list are similar to those of the list of states with limited recognition. To be included here, a polity must have claimed sovereignty, has not had recognition by at least one widely accepted state for a significant portion of its de facto existence, and either:
- had a population and an organized government with a capacity to enter into relations with other states; or
- had de facto control over a territory or a significant portion of the territory of an otherwise-recognized sovereign state
Historic unrecognized or partially recognized states with de facto control over their territory Edit
Africa Edit
The total number of countries in the African continent varies due to the instability throughout the region. See the List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Africa article for a current list.
Great instability was created by graft under leaders in West Africa.[1]
Many leaders marginalised ethnic groups and fanned ethnic conflicts (some of which had been exacerbated, or even created, by colonial rule) for political gain. In many countries, the military was perceived as being the only group that could effectively maintain order, and it ruled many nations in Africa during the 1970s and early 1980s. During the period from the early 1960s to the late 1980s, Africa had more than 70 coups and 13 presidential assassinations. Border and territorial disputes were also common, with the European-imposed borders of many nations being widely contested through armed conflicts.
A variety of other causes have been blamed for Africa's political instability, including Cold War conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union, over-reliance on foreign aid,[2] as well as the policies of the International Monetary Fund.[3] When a country became independent for the first time, it would often align itself with one of the two superpowers in order to get support. Many countries in Northern Africa received Soviet military aid, while many in Central and Southern Africa were supported by the United States, France or both. The 1970s saw an escalation, as newly independent Angola and Mozambique aligned themselves with the Soviet Union, and the West and South Africa sought to contain Soviet influence by funding insurgency movements. There was a major famine in Ethiopia, when hundreds of thousands of people starved. Some claimed that Marxist/Soviet policies made the situation worse. The most devastating military conflict in modern independent Africa has been the Second Congo War; this conflict and its aftermath have killed an estimated 5.5 million people.[4] Since 2003 there has been an ongoing conflict in Darfur which has become a humanitarian disaster. Another notable tragic event is the 1994 Rwandan Genocide in which an estimated 800,000 people were murdered. AIDS in post-colonial Africa has also been a prevalent issue.
In the 21st century, however, the number of armed conflicts in Africa has steadily declined.[a] For instance, the civil war in Angola came to an end in 2002 after nearly 30 years. The improved stability and economic reforms have led to a great increase in foreign investment into many African nations, mainly from China,[6] which has spurred quick economic growth in many countries, seemingly ending decades of stagnation and decline. Several African economies were among the world's fastest growing as of 2011 and that growth continues through 2019.[7] A significant part of this growth can also be attributed to the facilitated diffusion of information technologies and specifically the mobile phone.
18th and 19th centuries Edit
Name | Period | Today | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Shilluk Kingdom | 15th century–1861 | now part of Sudan | |
Ndwandwe | 1780–1825 | Now part of South Africa | |
Mthethwa Paramountcy | 1780–1817 | ||
Republic of Swellendam | 1795 | A republic declared in revolt against the Dutch East India Company. It lasted 3 months before being re-incorporated into the Cape Colony. | |
Graaff-Reinet | Formed in rebellion to Dutch East India Company; it took 2 years to be incorporated into the Cape Colony, though this time under British rule. | ||
Islands of Refreshment (Tristan da Cunha) | 1811–1816 | Now a British Overseas Territory | Declared by American whaler Jonathan Lambert and four others, who were the first permanent inhabitants of the modern day Tristan da Cunha islands in the South Atlantic. Lambert declared himself the sovereign of the islands. Annexed in 1816 by the Cape Colony under the United Kingdom to prevent France from obtaining the islands. |
Griqualand West | 1813 | Now part of South Africa | Enjoyed de facto independence since the founding of Griquatown in 1813, Griqualand West eventually proclaimed itself a British colony in 1873. It did not gain recognition by Britain nor the neighboring Cape Colony and was annexed in 1880. |
Potchefstroom Republic | 1830 | A republic that existed only for a couple of months before joining with Winburg Republic. It was effectively a city-state. | |
Winburg Republic | 1836 | Established on land on the Vet and Vaal Rivers donated to the Voortrekkers by Bataung Chief Makwana in 1836 in exchange for protection from neighboring Basotho tribes. Joined in union with the newly established Potchefstroom Republic in 1838 to form the Republic of Winburg-Potchefstroom. | |
Republic of Winburg-Potchefstroom | 1838 | Formed from the union of the Potchefstroom Republic and the Winburg Republic in 1838; the nation lasted until Potchefstroom left the union to join with Pietermaritzburg. | |
Natalia Republic | 1839 | Established in 1839 by local Afrikaans-speaking Voortrekkers after the Battle of Blood River. This Boer Republic lasted for four years before being annexed by British troops under George Napier. | |
Andries-Ohringstad Republic | 1845 | A fort was established by a group of Voortrekkers under the leadership of Andries Hendrik Potgieter with the help of a Dutch merchant Gregorius Ohrig. The settlers arrived in 1845 and were decimated by malaria. Forced to abandon the area, the republic was officially abandoned in 1849. | |
Liberia | 1847–1862 | Now independent | A collection of African American settlements in West Africa, sponsored by the American Colonization Society. The purpose of Liberia was to repatriate freed slaves back to Africa from the United States. The US government refused to recognize Liberia's independence until 1862, during the American Civil War. |
Republic of Maryland | 1854–1857 | Now part of Liberia | An African American settlement in West Africa, whose independence was unrecognized by the United States. It joined the also unrecognized Liberia in 1857 in reaction to a native insurgency. |
Utrecht Republic | 1854 | Now part of South Africa | A republic proclaimed by Andreas Theodorus Spies following a land purchase from the King of the Zulu, Mpande. It joined with the Lydenburg Republic in 1858. |
Lydenburg Republic | 1856 | A Boer republic which was created following the dissolution of the Andries-Ohringstad Republic. Eventually this nation expanded with the inclusion of the Utrecht Republic in 1858. The republic lasted until 1860 when it was incorporated into the South African Republic | |
Zoutpansberg Republic | 1857 | A small Boer Republic that joined with the South African Republic in 1864. The white settlers in Zoutpansberg had for many years a reputation for lawlessness, and were later regarded as typical "back velt Boers". Zoutpansberg contained a larger native population than any other region of the Transvaal. | |
Sultanate of Utetera | 1860–1887 | Now part of Democratic Republic of Congo | Founded by infamous slave trader Tippu Tip |
Griqualand West | 1861 | Now part of South Africa | Founded by Adam Kok III as a final resting place[clarification needed] for Griqua people. The State suffered from a secret deal signed between the British Empire and Orange Free State causing unceasing instability. Although the reasons for its annexation are still debated, it was eventually integrated with the Cape Colony in 1880. |
Klipdrift Republic | 1870 | A Republic proclaimed during a dispute over diamond mines near what would become Griqualand West. | |
Republic of Stellaland | 1882 | A Boer republic which existed briefly before its union with its neighboring Boer republic, the State of Goshen. | |
Free Republic of Rehoboth | 1872–1990 | Now part of Namibia | The Baster are a community of mixed race descent, who left the British-ruled Cape Colony in 1868 and settled in a territory on a high plateau between the Namib and Kalahari deserts in what is now central Namibia, where they founded the Free Republic of Rehoboth (Rehoboth Gebiet), in 1872. They adopted a constitution known in Afrikaans as the Vaderlike Wette (Paternal Laws), which still continues to govern the internal affairs of the Baster community into the 21st century. Since the independence of Namibia, in 1990, the new state confiscated all of their territory without compensation. |
Goshen | 1882 | Now part of South Africa | A Boer Republic which merged with the Republic of Stellaland to form the United States of Stellaland in 1883. |
United States of Stellaland | 1883 | A Boer republic which created from the union of neighboring Republic of Stellaland and State of Goshen. The republic lasted until it became a protectorate of the South African Republic on 10 September 1884 only to be annexed 6 days later. | |
Nieuwe Republiek | 1884–1888 | Created on 16 August 1884 with land donated by the Zulus through a treaty. The territory was part of the old Boer Republic of Natalia. The republic enjoyed independence until it was annexed by the South African Republic by its own request. | |
Colinsland | 1884–1885 | Now part of Guinea | Disputed German colony in modern-day Guinea. The colony was initiated by the German merchant Frederick Colin, with limited support from the German government. Conceded to France (which had already claimed the area) in exchange for minor territories in other parts of Africa, and respect for Colin's commercial rights in the territory. |
Republic of Lijdensrust | 1884–1887 | Now part of Namibia | was a short-lived Boer republic in the area of present-day Namibia. Later joined German South-West Africa. |
Mahdist State | 1885–1899 | Now part of Sudan | Islamic state established during the Mahdist War by rebels. The rebellion failed and the state was dissolved. |
Klein Vrystaat | 1886 | Now part of South Africa | A Boer republic which declared its independence from lands formerly controlled by the Swazi king Mswati II. It was eventually incorporated into the South African Republic in 1891 at its own request. |
New Moscow | 1889 | Now part of Djibouti | Russian colony set up by Cossacks in East Africa. The colony was unsanctioned by the Russian government. The territory of New Moscow was under the ostensible rule of French Somaliland, who forced the colonists to surrender and deported them back to Russia. |
Dervish State | 1895–1920 | Now part of Somalia, Somaliland and Ethiopia | A state in Ciid-Nugaal wherein Diiriye Guure was king and his emir Mohammed Abdullah Hassan launched an armed resistance against colonial powers (specifically the United Kingdom, Italy, and Ethiopia) in Somalia. It was eventually defeated in 1920 by the British and Italians. |
20th and 21st centuries Edit
Name | Period | Today | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Empire of the Sahara | 1903–1908? | Now part of Morocco | A self-proclaimed monarchy declared by wealthy Frenchman Jacques Lebaudy, who wished to establish an imperial territory in Cape Juby. Lebaudy was backed by as many as 400 mercenaries and sixteen cannons. Lebaudy later relocated his court to the Savoy Hotel in London. His claim was recognized by no nation. |
Zaian confederation | 1914–1921 | A confederation of Berber tribesmen in the interior of Morocco, which resisted French conquest in the Middle Atlas mountains for several years. The confederacy was supported by the Central Powers following the outbreak of the First World War, and was only subdued after the Treaty of Versailles. | |
South African Republic | 1914–1915 | Now part of South Africa | A provisional government set up in the Maritz Rebellion of the First World War. It was an attempt by Boer troops to revive the South African Republic, which had been annexed into the British Empire twelve years prior at the conclusion of the Second Boer War. The mutiny was put down in under six months by the South African government. |
Sultanate of Darfur | 1915–1916 | Now part of Sudan | A protectorate of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan. The Sultan, Ali Dinar, renounced his allegiance to the British Empire in support of the Ottoman Empire, after their entry into the First World War against Britain. The rebellion was put down in the 1916 Anglo-Egyptian Darfur Expedition. |
Senussiyya | 1915–1917, 1923–1932, 1939–1951 | Now part of Libya and Niger | An Arab religious order that controlled much of Libya and northern Niger throughout the early 20th century. Fought against French colonial expansion in Niger during the Kaocen revolt. Fought against Italian colonization in three stages:
|
Tripolitanian Republic | 1918–1923 | Now part of Libya | A republic proclaimed following the Paris Peace Conference; it disintegrated sometime in 1923 and was annexed into Italian Tripolitania. |
Republic of the Rif | 1921–1926 | Now part of Morocco | An independent Berber republic declared following a rebellion against Spanish rule within the Rif region of northern Morocco. The republic was made up of a confederation of many Berber tribes. Defeated by Spain, with French military assistance, in the protracted Rif War. |
Macha Oromo Confederation | 1936 | Now part of Ethiopia | Rump Oromo state in western Ethiopia that was proclaimed following Italian victory in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. Requested to be accepted as a British mandate territory to avoid annexation into the Italian Empire, but was recognized by no country and was occupied by the Italian army within the year. |
Ethiopian Empire | 1937–1941 | Occupied by Italy in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. Despite lobbying by Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie from exile, only six nations did not recognize Italy's control over Ethiopia by 1937 (China, New Zealand, the Soviet Union, the Republic of Spain, Mexico, and the United States). During the East African campaign of the Second World War, the Allies recognized Selassie and restored Ethiopia's full independence. | |
Sultanate of M'Simbati | 1959 | Now part of Tanzania | Latham Leslie-Moore, a retired civil servant, declared the secession of the "Sultanate of M'Simbati" from the then colony of Tanganyika. The "secession" was suppressed in 1962 by Tanzanian government troops. |
Kingdom of Sanwi | 1959–1970 | Now part of Ivory Coast | Following self-government in the Ivory Coast, the traditional kingdom of Sanwi attempted secession from the republic several times during the early decades of decolonization. In 1960, the king of Sanwi even formed an unrecognized government-in-exile in Ghana.[8] The movement was combated by President Félix Houphouët-Boigny, partially with the aid of the French Armed Forces. |
State of Katanga | 1960–1963 | Now part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo | Declared secession during the Congo Crisis. Controlled the state of the same name within the former Belgian Congo after decolonisation. Although not recognised by any other country, Katanga received considerable financial, military and political support from Belgium, the Central African Federation, and Portugal. Lobbyists on behalf of Katanga also unsuccessfully attempted to bribe the government of Costa Rica in return for diplomatic recognition.[9] |
South Kasai | 1960–1962 | Declared secession during the Congo Crisis. Unlike Katanga, South Kasai did not fully secede from the Congo, instead seeking full autonomy. Its autonomy was not recognized by any nation, but it received some aid from foreign powers, especially Belgium. The official name of the country was the Mining State of South Kasai. | |
Kingdom of Rwenzururu | 1962–1982 | Now part of Uganda | A secessionist movement that began just before decolonisation in Uganda and continued for twenty years. Within colonial Uganda, several kingdoms were allowed to continue their existence as subnational entities with some autonomy. The people of the Rwenzururu region demanded separation from the Tooro Kingdom as their own monarchy, but were denied by the colonial government. The Rwenzururu kingdom declared its independence three months before Uganda's independence. After two decades of conflict, Rwenzururu became an autonomous kingdom within Uganda. |
Kel Ahaggar | 1962–1977 | Now part of Algeria | A Tuareg confederation inhabiting the Hoggar Mountains (Ahaggar mountains) in Algeria. The confederation is believed to have been founded by the Tuareg matriarch Tin Hinan, whose monumental tomb is located at Abalessa. The official establishment is dated to around 1750. It has been largely defunct since 1977, when it was terminated by the Algerian government. |
People's Republic of Zanzibar | 1964 | Now part of Tanzania | Following the 17 January 1964 coup which deposed the Sultan of Zanzibar, the revolutionary group purporting to represent the island's black majority proclaimed a People's Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba. It immediately made an offer of union with the government of Tanganyika. |
Rhodesia | 1965–1979 | Now Zimbabwe | Unilateral Declaration of Independence in November 1965. It did not receive official recognition from any state. It had a trading relationship with apartheid South Africa, which did not formally recognise Rhodesia to preserve its fragile position with other nations and did not apply UN sanctions against the republic. Portugal also maintained informal relations until the Carnation Revolution of 1974. State received full international recognition after signing the Lancaster House Agreement in 1979 and became, on 18 April 1980, the independent Republic of Zimbabwe. |
Zimbabwe Rhodesia | 1979 | ||
Biafra | 1967–1970 | Now part of Nigeria | Majority Igbo state which seceded from post-independence Nigeria due to ethnic divisions, beginning the Nigerian Civil War. Controlled territory in eastern Nigeria, recognized by five states (Gabon, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Zambia). |
Republic of Benin | 1967 | Occupied by Biafra in August, later given independence in September as a puppet state. Retaken by the Nigerian army one day after the declaration of independence. | |
South Sudan Provisional Government | 1967–1969 | Now part of South Sudan | An African insurgency formed mostly from the Anyanya movement during the First Sudanese Civil War, in rebellion against the predominantly Muslim, Arabic-speaking Sudanese government. The separatist movement was rife with political wrangling and ethnic tensions within its own ranks. The SSPG collapsed in 1969 and was reformed into the Nile Provisional Government. |
Nile Provisional Government (Nile Republic) | 1969–1970 | Formed out of the SSPG as an attempt to rebrand the nation from South Sudan to the Nile Republic. Collapsed after one year due to a coup. Following this, most of the separatists agreed to the 1972 Addis Ababa Agreement, in which most of Anyanya agreed to recognize the Sudanese government in return for autonomy, ending the First Sudanese Civil War. | |
Kalakuta Republic | 1970–1977 | Now part of Nigeria | Micronation created by political activist Fela Kuti in defiance of the Nigerian military junta. Burned to the ground by the Nigerian Armed Forces in 1977. |
Republic of Martyazo | 1972 | Now part of Burundi | A state declared by Hutu separatists inside the mountainous Vuzigo commune, between the Makamba and Lake Nyanza; lasted for little over a week. |
Cabinda | 1975 | Now part of Angola | Cabinda was a Portuguese protectorate known as the Portuguese Congo. During the Portuguese Colonial War period, the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) fought for the independence of Cabinda from the Portuguese. The independence was proclaimed on 1 August 1975. After the Angolan independence came in effect in November 1975, Cabinda was invaded by forces of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) with support of troops from Cuba. |
Sultanate of Aussa | 1975–1991 | Now part of Ethiopia | Subnational monarchy in Ethiopia that represented the Afar people. When the Derg regime took power over Ethiopia in 1975, Sultan Alimirah Hanfare was exiled, partially resulting in the creation of the Afar Liberation Front which fought against the communist junta. The Sultan returned to Ethiopia in 1991 after the fall of the Derg. |
Ciskei | 1972–1994 | Now part of South Africa | Former apartheid Bantustan homelands, formed and recognized only by each other and South Africa. |
Transkei | 1976–1994 | ||
Venda | 1979–1994 | ||
Bophuthatswana | 1977–1994 | ||
Casamance | 1982–2014 | Now part of Senegal | A mostly defunct independence movement fought in the Casamance conflict, centered in the Casamance region of southern Senegal. The conflict largely stemmed from an ethnic divide between the more prosperous Wolof people of northern Senegal, who make up a plurality of the nation's overall population, and the less prosperous ethnicities of southern Senegal (primarily the Jola). The conflict lasted for over thirty years, with varying levels and stages of violence. In 2014, most separatist factions agreed to a ceasefire with the Senegalese government. |
Mohéli | 1997–1998 | Now part of Comoros | Seceded in 1997 but quietly rejoined the next year. |
Anjouan | 1997, 2008 | Joined with Comoros, then seceded twice to gain independence. Anjouan rejoined Comoros after talks during the first secession. After the second event, the secessionist government was forcefully removed. | |
Caprivi | 1999 | Now part of Namibia | Secessionist movement that waged an insurrection in 1999 for control of the Caprivi Strip. The Caprivi Strip has no uniform ethnic group and has been subject to ethnic division, especially between the Mafwe, majority group in the Caprivi Strip, and the Ovambo, majority group in Namibia. |
Jubaland | 1998–2001 | Now part of Somalia | Declared independent during the Somali Civil War. Led by General Mohammed Said Hersi Morgan, the former Somali minister of defense and son-in-law of Siad Barre, the previous military dictator of Somalia. Morgan was ousted by the Allied Somali Forces the next year, which allied with the Transitional Federal Government in 2001.[10] |
Puntland | 1998–2004 | Declared its own autonomy during the Somali Civil War. It did not seek outright independence, but rather recognition of its status as an autonomous state.[11] Reconciled with the government of Somalia with the signing of the Transitional Federal Charter in 2004. | |
Maakhir | 2007–2009 | Short-lived territory on the border between the Puntland state of Somalia, and Somaliland, and was proclaimed as a state independent of both. Quickly subsumed into Puntland. | |
Republic of Azania | 2011–2013 | Republic which claimed sovereignty over the Somali state of Jubaland. Following the capture of most of Jubaland by the Islamic militant group al-Shaabab, Kenya launched a counteroffensive and aided in setting up the republic from the former Jubaland administration. The action was condemned by Somalia. Azania reformed back into the Jubaland State of Somalia in 2013. | |
Democratic Republic of Bakassi | 2006–2009 | Now part of Cameroon | Small secessionist movement led by the Bakassi Movement for Self-Determination (BAMOSD). The movement began during the transfer of the disputed Bakassi territory from Nigeria to Cameroon, with local leaders who were against the transfer declaring independence. By 2009, Cameroon had assumed complete control over Bakassi. |
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya | 2011 | Now part of Libya | Many countries began to withdraw recognition of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya as the rightful government of Libya from the early stages of the First Libyan Civil War in February 2011 and shifted recognition to the National Transitional Council. |
Azawad | 2012 | Now part of Mali | Controlled territory in Northern Mali, it was unrecognized by any state. |
Khatumo State | 2012–2017, 2023- | Now part of Somaliland | Declared an autonomous state in 2012. Ceased to function by 2015, and was reincorporated into Somaliland by 2017. |
Logone | 2015–2021 | Now an insurgency in the Central African Republic | Also known as Dar al-Kuti (French: Dar el-Kouti), was a partially-realized, self-declared autonomous region and proto-state internationally recognised as part of the Central African Republic. It was formed by the Muslim rebel movement Popular Front for the Rebirth of Central African Republic (FPRC) with support of other armed groups on 14 December 2015. On 10 April 2021 Kaga-Bandoro was recaptured by government forces. |
Americas Edit
17th through 19th centuries Edit
Name | Period | Today | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Theocratic Republic of Guairá | 1627–1632 | Now part of Brazil | Jesuit missions in western of Paraná |
Republic of Pirates | 1706–1718 | Now part of the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands | Loose confederacy ran by various pirate ship crews according to an informal pirate code. It was set up following the collapse of English authority in much of the Bahamas. English rule was restored by 1718 with the Acts of Grace. |
United States | 1776–1783 (Internationally recognized in 1783) | Now independent | Thirteen British colonies declared themselves independent in 1776 during the American Revolution and united to form the United States of America, which was recognized following the Treaty of Paris of 1783. |
Watauga Association | 1772–1778 | Now part of the United States | Annexed into the State of North Carolina. |
Vermont Republic | 1777–1791 | Admitted to the Union as the State of Vermont, after a compromise ended its jurisdictional disputes with New York. | |
Northwestern Confederacy | 1783–1795 | Native American confederacy in the Great Lakes region. It was formed at the end of the American Revolutionary War with the goal of resisting the westward expansion of the United States. The U.S. claimed all the territory of the confederacy with the Northwest Ordinance. The alliance fell apart after the Northwest Indian War. | |
State of Franklin | 1784–1788 | Began operating as a de facto independent republic after the failed statehood attempt | |
Trans-Oconee Republic | 1794–1794 | A short-lived, independent state west of the Oconee River (in the state of Georgia). Established by General Elijah Clarke in May 1794, it was an attempt to head off the new Federal government's ceding of lands claimed by Georgia back to the Creek. In September 1794, state and federal troops forced Clarke and his followers to surrender and leave the settlements. . | |
State of Muskogee | 1799–1802 | A Native American state in Spanish Florida; consisted of several tribes of Creeks and Seminoles. Disappeared when the Spaniards captured its founder, William Augustus Bowles and removed him to a prison in Cuba. | |
Tecumseh's confederacy | 1808–1813 | Native American confederacy formed around the leadership of Tecumseh, a Shawnee chief, who resisted American claims to the Northwest territory of the Great Lakes. The alliance fell apart during the War of 1812, after Tecumseh's death in 1813. | |
Republic of South Haiti | 1810 | Now part of Haiti | Haiti declared its independence in 1804 under Jean Jacques Dessalines. That same year, Dessalines declared himself Emperor. After his assassination in 1806, Haiti was divided between the Republic of Haiti in the south and the Kingdom of Haiti, under Henry Christophe, in the north. The situation was further complicated by the secession of South Haiti in the southwest corner of the country under André Rigaud in 1810. His own republic contained the former Maroon enclave of La Grande Anse under Goman, who was allied with King Henry. A few months after Rigaud seized power, he died, and South Haiti rejoined the Republic. In 1820, Henry Christophe committed suicide. Haiti was reunited soon afterwards. |
Republic of West Florida | Now part of the United States | Republic formed out of an Anglo-American rebellion in Spanish West Florida. Consisted of the part of Louisiana now known as the Florida Parishes. None of these Florida Parishes were in what today is the state of Florida. Against the wishes of most of its leaders, the republic was forced to acquiesce to American authority, and later annexed. | |
First Republic of Venezuela | 1811–1812 | Now Venezuela | |
Republic of East Florida | 1812 | Now part of the United States | Republic declared by mostly American insurgents against Spanish rule in East Florida, with the goal of annexation into the United States. The republic had the support of President James Monroe. A day after declaring independence, the insurgents surrendered their territory to the American army. The American government later disavowed their support of the insurgents and returned all captured land. |
Second Republic of Venezuela | 1813–1814 | Now part of Venezuela and Guyana | |
Republic of the Floridas | 1817 | Now part of the United States | Republic proclaimed by Gregor MacGregor, Scottish soldier and adventurer, after capturing Amelia Island in East Florida. The republic claimed all of West and East Florida, but in reality Amelia Island was the only territory it held. Following the failure of the Spanish to retake the island, it was occupied by the United States navy. The Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819, effective 1821, transferred West and East Florida to the United States. |
Pernambuco | 1817 | Now part of Brazil | The Pernambucan revolt of 1817 occurred in the province of Pernambuco in the Northeastern region of Brazil, and was sparked mainly by the decline of sugar production rates and the influence of the Freemasonry in the region. Other important reasons for the revolt was to establish an independent state. |
Third Republic of Venezuela | 1817–1819 | Now part of Venezuela and Guyana | |
Republic of Texas | 1819 | Now part of Mexico | was an 1819 attempt to take control of Spanish Texas by filibusters. It was led by James Long and successfully established a small independent government, known as the Republic of Texas (distinct from the later Republic of Texas created by the Texas Revolution). The expedition crumbled later in the year, as Spanish troops drove the invaders out. Long returned to Texas in 1820 and attempted to reestablish his control. In October 1821, Long was defeated by Spanish troops, captured and sent to Mexico City where he was killed by a guard. |
Republic of Tucumán | 1820 | Now part of Argentina | Now part of Argentine provinces of Catamarca, Santiago del Estero and Tucumán. |
Republic of Entre Ríos | 1820–1821 | Today the Argentine provinces of Entre Ríos and Corrientes. | |
Free Province of Guayaquil | 1820-1822 | Now part of Ecuador | |
Protectorate of Peru | 1821–1822 | Now part of Chile and Peru | Had claims outside of Chile and Peru |
Confederation of the Equator | 1824 | Now part of Brazil | Another attempted independence from Pernambuco, in the Empire of Brazil. |
Republic of Madawaska | 1827–1842 | Now divided between Canada and the United States | Within the provinces of New Brunswick, Quebec and the state of Maine. |
Republic of Indian Stream | 1832–1835 | Now part of the United States | Annexed by the United States. Within the state of New Hampshire. |
Cabano Government | 1835–1840 | Now part of Brazil | |
Riograndense Republic | 1836–1845 | The state was proclaimed by the Farroupilha rebels during the Ragamuffin War in 1836. The rebellion eventually failed and republic was dissolved. It is currently the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. | |
Republic of South Peru, Republic of North Peru and Peru-Bolivian Confederation | 1836–1839 | Now part of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Ecuador and Peru | The Peru-Bolivian Confederation (or Confederacy) was a confederate state that existed in South America between 1836 and 1839. Its first and only head of state, titled "Supreme Protector", was the Bolivian president, Marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz. The confederation was a loose union between the states of Peru (by this time divided into a Republic of North Peru and a Republic of South Peru, which included the capital Tacna) and Bolivia. |
Bahia Republic | 1837–1838 | Now part of Brazil | The Sabinada (1837–1838) was a revolt by military officer Francisco Sabino that occurred in Brazil's Bahia province between 6 November 1837 and 16 March 1838. Calling for the abolition of slavery and the redistribution of land, the rebel "Bahia Republic" fought against the government for one year until their capital of Salvador was conquered. |
Republic of Canada | 1837–1838 | Now part of Canada | The self-proclaimed government was established on Navy Island in the Niagara River in the latter days of the Upper Canada Rebellion |
Republic of Lower Canada | 1837–1838 | A government established on the aftermath of Rebellions of 1837 in Lower Canada. | |
Republic of Los Altos | 1837–1840 | Now part of Guatemala | The United Provinces of Central America were riven by strife for much of their existence. Guatemala’s ruling class was appalled by the thought of an illiterate and brutish peasant Governor Rafael Carrera, and led the six western provinces into secession. The new state of Los Altos, under Liberal leadership, appealed for recognition to the UPCA. In January 1840, Carrera reconquered Los Altos, and then defeated the UPCA's army in March, sounding the death knell for the United Provinces. Los Altos rebelled again when Carrera declared Guatemala an independent republic in 1847, but was again rapidly crushed. |
Juliana Republic | 1839 | Now part of Brazil | Today's Santa Catarina. |
Republic of the Río Grande | 1840 | Now part of the United States and Mexico | Consisted of part of southern Texas and the 3 Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas. |
Republic of Yucatán | 1841–1843, 1846–1848 | Now part of Mexico | A state from 1841 to 1848, it was proclaimed after the Mexican government tried to centralize and tried to join the US during the Mexican–American War; it was rejected and joined a federal Mexico after the war ended. A revolt in Yucatán in 1916, led by Felipe Cerillo but with active Mayan involvement, effectively separated the region from the weak Mexican state. On 3 April 1916 Carillo declared the independence of the Socialist Republic of Yucatan, but the Republic failed to garner much support, and was quickly overrun by Mexican forces.[12][13] |
Adelsverein | 1842–1853 | Now part of the United States | A colonial attempt to establish a new German settlement within the borders of Texas. |
Chan Santa Cruz (Noh Cah Santa Cruz Balam Nah) | 1847–1915 | Part of Mexico | Chan Santa Cruz was a Mayan territory in the southeast of what is now the Mexican state of Quintana Roo (within the Republic of Yucatán at the time). The local Mayan people revolted in 1847 following the Republic of Yucatán's second secession from Mexico, driving nearly all whites from the Yucatán peninsula in what became known as the Caste War. After being defeated, some rebel Maya established a stratified religious community in the jungle known as Chan Santa Cruz, which remained a base of operations for rebel Cruzobs for the next fifty years. After decades of campaigning on both sides, the Cruzobs recognized the Mexican government in 1915, though some settlements continued anti-Mexican resistance until the 1930s and 40s. |
California Republic | 1846 | Now part of the United States | Formed during an Anglo-American revolt in Mexican California during the Mexican–American War. This "state" never actually possessed a high level of organization, and was only in existence for a matter of weeks before the rebels deferred to the US government and American troops. |
Beaver Island | 1850–1856 | Mormon theocracy led by James Strang, who was declared king of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and whose branch was in opposition to Brigham Young and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in considering itself to be the sole legitimate successor of the Church of Christ organized by Joseph Smith. This “Strangite” faction controlled Beaver Island of Michigan until Strang was murdered in 1856, whereupon the Strangites were expelled from the area by neighbouring islanders. | |
Great Republic of Rough and Ready | 1850 | A short-lived secessionist state from the United States to avoid mining taxes. It rejoined less than three months later. | |
State of Buenos Aires | 1852–1861 | Now part of Argentina | |
Republic of Baja California | 1853–1854 | Now part of Mexico | The filibuster William Walker took control of La Paz, the capital of the sparsely populated Baja California, and 200 more men joined him. Walker declared La Paz the capital of a new Republic of Baja California, with himself as president and a constitution copied from that of Louisiana. Although he never gained control of Sonora, less than three months later, he pronounced Baja California part of the larger Republic of Sonora. |
Republic of Sonora | 1854 | A lesser to William Walker's Republic of Baja California, it was a merger between that and Sonora. | |
Provisional Revolutionary Government of Cibao | 1857–1861 | Now part of Cibao within the Dominican Republic (Spanish occupation of the Dominican Republic 1861–65) | On July 7, 1857, a popular civic-military movement broke out in Santiago with the purpose of overthrowing the government of the conservative president Buenaventura Báez. Immediately his spokesmen announced the integration of a revolutionary provisional government based in Santiago de los Caballeros. The Cibaenians launched a manifesto and expressed that they did it to "shake off the yoke of Mr. Báez's government that they do not know from now and declare themselves governed (until a congress elected by direct vote, constitute new powers) by a provisional revolutionary government, with its seat in the city of Santiago de los Caballeros." General José Desiderio Valverde was chosen as president of the anti-Báez and Santana provisional government, and the lawyer Benigno Filomeno Rojas as vice president. Both counted on the support of the tobacco producers and the Cibaenian trade. Among its first measures was the organization of an armed movement to march to the city of Santo Domingo, in order to overthrow President Buenaventura Báez, who was prepared to resist. The troops of the provisional revolutionary government of the Cibao were commanded by General Juan Luis Franco Bidó. In a few days they surrounded the city of Santo Domingo, thus initiating a civil war. The hostilities lasted almost a year. The groups in conflict fought with all the means at their disposal to emerge victorious, increasing violence and destruction in the country. The triumph of the revolution was resounding, Báez renounced power and traveled to exile, but the project would be frustrated, since the liberal thinking of the Cibaenians would be overshadowed by the military figure of General Pedro Santana, who returned to the Presidency of the Republic in 1858 and ignored the liberal constitution of Moca. In this way, the revolution of July 7, 1857, ended and the liberal constitution of Moca was annulled. Santana returned to govern with the Constitution of 1854 that guaranteed an authoritarian government. The following day, July 8, 1857, the "Dominican Republic" awoke with two government administrations: the provisional revolutionary government of Cibao and the "government" of President Buenaventura Báez. On September 25, the provisional revolutionary Government of the Cibao summoned the country to elect the deputies as of December 7, 1857. At that time the women and men of greater intellectual capacity in the Cibao wished to produce a constitution that would allow an authentically democratic and representative government by the people. "The new constitution was drafted in Moca and proclaimed on February 19, 1858." That day, the Constituent Assembly meeting in Moca proclaimed the liberal constitution that repealed the conservative one of December 1854. Established public freedoms and abolished the death penalty for political reasons and enshrined as rights the freedom of expression, free transit and freedom of peaceful assembly. He did not re-elect the president in succession and absolute respect for civil liberties without restrictions, including freedom of expression. established that the capital of the so-called republic, outside the city of Santiago de los Caballeros. The constitution of Moca consecrated free transit and freedom of peaceful assembly. That the government would be civil, republican, popular, representative, elective and responsible, and every citizen with the right to vote could do it directly and secretly, instead of the indirect way as established by the previous constitutions. In addition, the governors of provinces could not be the commanders of arms as it was available until February 19, 1858. Under the constitution of Moca, the municipal power was restored and the Armed Forces were declared obedient to the civil power, without powers to deliberate and with the function of defending national sovereignty, public order, as well as observing and complying with the constitution and laws. It was established on a transitory basis that the next constitutional government was chosen by the members of the constituent assembly, which they did on March 1, 1858. The constituent assembly of Moca was integrated by the provisional government of Santiago, chaired by General José Desiderio Valverde, who convened on September 25, 1857, to elect deputies from December 7, 1857. For the assembly, the most enlightened women and men of the country were chosen, whose thought corresponded to the movement proclaimed by the revolution of July 7, 1857, to overthrow the government of Buenaventura Báez, which they described as a dictatorship. |
Palmetto Republic | 1860–61 | Now part of the United States | Secessionist state established on December 20, 1860, when South Carolina became the first state to secede from the United States. It lasted a month and a half before being a founding member of the Confederate States of America. |
Republic of Mississippi | 1861 | Secessionist state established January 9, 1861 when Mississippi seceded from the United States. It only lasted a month before joining the Confederate States of America. | |
Republic of Florida | Secessionist state established January 10, 1861, when Florida seceded from the United States. Only lasted a month before being a founding member of the Confederate States of America. | ||
Republic of Louisiana | Secessionist state formed on January 11, 1861, when Louisiana seceded from the United States. It only lasted two and a half weeks before joining the Confederate States of America on February 8, 1861. | ||
Alabama Republic | Secessionist republic declared January 11, 1861 when Alabama seceded from the United States. It only lasted a month before being a founding member of the Confederate States of America. | ||
Republic of Texas | Texas seceded from the United States on February 1, 1861, and lasted as an independent state for a month before joining the Confederate States of America. Not to be confused with the earlier (1836–1845), partially recognized Republic of Texas. | ||
Confederate States of America | 1861–1865 | Originally formed by seven southern states that seceded from the United States, it consisted of South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Louisiana. After the beginning of the American Civil War, the states of Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and North Carolina seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy. Reintegrated back into the United States throughout the Reconstruction Era. | |
Republic of Winston | 1860–1862 | Reintegrated back into the United States after the Union occupied Northern Alabama | |
State of Scott | 1861–1865 | Following Tennessee's secession the Free and Independent State of Scott declared independence, remained an unorganised unrecognised state for well over a hundred years | |
Kingdom of Araucanía and Patagonia | 1860–1862 | Now part of Argentina and Chile | Set up by a French adventurer who tried to gain legitimacy for his state, only to be denied. The self-proclaimed kingdom was mostly a legal fiction and did only loosely control a small portion of the territory it claimed. In fact the Mapuche warlords that submitted to it were totally autonomous, and used the kingdom only as pretext to obtain foreign support. It was conquered and partitioned by Chile and Argentina. |
Confederate government of Kentucky | 1861–1865 | Now part of the United States | |
Confederate government of Missouri | |||
Confederate government of West Virginia | |||
Republic of Manitobah | 1867–1869 | Now part of Canada | Within the province of Manitoba. |
Republic of Puerto Rico | 1868, 1898 | Now part of the United States | State declared during the Lares uprising against Spanish rule in Puerto Rico, following the repeated refusal of Spain to give the island autonomy. The uprising began in September in the town of Lares, where the rebels were defeated by November at the latest. The revolt succeeded in garnering limited political reforms. A group of anti-Spanish rebels also declared independence in 1898 in the closure of the Puerto Rican campaign during the Spanish–American War, but were unable to secure independence. |
Provisional Government of Saskatchewan | 1885 | Now part of Canada | A self-declared Métis territory formed during the North-West Rebellion. Led by Métis political leader Louis Riel, who had previously organized the Red River Rebellion in 1869. Defeated by the Canadian army after just over two months of fighting. Riel was later found guilty of high treason and hanged. |
Republic of Independent Guyana | 1886–1891 | Now part of Brazil | Established by French settlers in defiance of both France and Brazil. |
Transatlantic Republic of Mato Grosso | 1892 | Modern day's Mato Grosso do Sul | |
Principality of Trinidad | 1893–1895 | American James Harden-Hickey divorced his wife in 1893 (1894?) and announced his intention to move to India and take up a life of Hindu asceticism. On the trip there, a storm forced his ship aground on the island of Trinidad (no relation to the Caribbean Trinidad) in the South Atlantic. Seeing that the island was uninhabited, Harden-Hickey declared himself Prince James I of Trinidad and advertised for settlers in the London Times. The following year, the United Kingdom annexed the island in order to anchor a transatlantic telegraph cable. Prince James was encouraged, hoping that the cable would bring the attention he needed to start his reign. However, the plan was scrapped and Brazil annexed the island again in 1897. | |
Federal State of Loreto | 1896 | Now part of Peru | |
Manhuassu Republic | 1896 | Part of Brazil | Manhuassu Republic was a republican state proclaimed on May 15, 1896, in the municipality of Manhuassu, which lasted twenty-two days. |
20th century Edit
Name | Period | Today | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Jungle Nation | 1899–1900 | Now part of Peru | Proclaimed on 22 May 1899, by colonel Emilio Vizcarra, who then acquired the title of the Supreme Leader. The state was formed from the territory of Department of Loreto, Peru. It was reincorporated into Peru in 1900, shortly after the death of Vizcarra on 27 February 1900. |
Republic of Acre | 1899–1903 | Now part of Brazil | A trio of attempts to free Acre from Bolivia. Each attempt was defeated, but part of Acre was turned over to Brazilian control after the final attempt. |
Celestial Monarchy | 1912–1916 | ||
Morelos Commune | 1913–1917 | Now part of Mexico | During the Mexican Revolution, from roughly around 1913 to 1917, the peasants from the Mexican region of Morelos established a territory with an alternative political, and economic system. They were heavily influenced by Emiliano Zapata and his ideology of zapatism. |
Third Federal State of Loreto | 1921–1922 | Now part of Peru and Ecuador | |
Republic of Tule | 1925 | Now part of Panama | A short-lived state of the indigenous Guna people, which was declared in reaction to colonial persecution. Developed into the Guna Revolution against Panamanian authority. After just under two months, the Gunas agreed to revoke their declaration of independence in return for civil rights. |
Socialist Republic of Chile | 1932 | Now Chile | A political entity in Chile, that was proclaimed by the Government Junta that took over that year. |
State of Maracaju | 1932 | Now part of Brazil | Modern day's Mato Grosso do Sul |
State of São Paulo | 1932 | Modern day's São Paulo | |
Socialist Republic of Brazil | 1935 | Unrecognised government of Brazil lasted 4 Days | |
Marquetalia Republic | 1948–1958 | Now Part of Colombia | Attempted Communist state |
Principality of Outer Baldonia | 1949–1973 | Now part of Nova Scotia, Canada | |
State Union of Jeová | 1952–1953 | Now part of Brazil | |
Republic of Anguilla | 1967–1969 | Now a British overseas territory | Created due to opposition to a union with modern St. Kitts and Nevis. It ceased to exist after being occupied by the British Army. |
Republic of New Afrika | 1968–1971 | Now part of the United States | Black separatist organization active in the southeastern United States during the Civil rights movement, which sought to annex Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina and form a black-majority nation. The movement's leaders drafted a constitution and declaration of independence in 1968, but after being involved in two shootouts and the resulting prosecution of some leading members, the provisional government ceased to function as a serious organized entity. |
Provisional Government Committee of Rupununi | 1969 | Now part of Guyana | Secessionist government formed during the Rupununi Uprising, an insurrection aimed at breaking away from the newly independent state of Guyana, and becoming either an independent territory protected by Venezuela, or being directly incorporated into Venezuela. |
Ganienkeh | 1974–1977 | Now part of the United States | Attempt at a Native American State |
Military Administration of the Malvinas, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands | 1982 | Now a British overseas territory | |
Republic of Airrecú | 1993 | Now part of Nicaragua | Relations between Costa Rica and Nicaragua have traditionally been strained. This situation was not improved when the Costa Rican government granted land rights to settlers along the San Juan River, which forms part of the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. A dispute ended with Costa Rica acknowledging that the territory in fact belonged to Nicaragua, and promised to remove the settlers. The settlers, however, refused to leave. In June 1993, they declared their independence as the Republic of Airrecú, which means "friendship" in a local Indian language. The Nicaraguan Army immediately descended upon the area and escorted the Republic into Costa Rica. |
Asia Edit
17th to 19th centuries Edit
Name | Period | Today | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Jaxa | 1665–1674 | Now part of Russia | Russian Microstate along the border with the Qing dynasty along the Amur River. |
Free Ilocos | 1762–1763 | Now part of the Philippines | |
Lanfang Republic | 1777–1884 | Now part of Indonesia | Established by Chinese in Indonesia as the Dutch began to conquer Indonesia to protect the ethnic Chinese; it was a tributary state of the Qing dynasty of China. When the Qing dynasty weakened, it was conquered by the Dutch, who added it to integrated it into the Dutch East Indies. |
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom | 1851–1864 | Now part of China | This heterodox Christian secessionist state was established by the God Worshipping Society led by Hong Xiuquan who claimed to be the brother of Jesus Christ. They incited the Taiping Rebellion against the Qing dynasty. After seizing some territories in southern China, they established their capital in Nanking and proclaimed the founding of the kingdom. However, the Tianjing incident caused a major setback for the kingdom, after infighting between their leaders the number of their supporters began to dwindle. This allowed the modernized Qing armies with the help of western aid to quash the rebellion. Although the Qing were victorious, the rebellion weakened the Qing empire and some Taiping remnants continued the fight in other rebellions and struggles against western powers. |
Yettishar | 1865–1877 | Now part of China | Muslim Turkic state that existed in Xinjiang between 1865 and 1877 during the Dungan Revolt against the Qing dynasty. |
Republic of Ezo | 1869 | Now part of Japan | Set up in Hokkaido by supporters of the Tokugawa clan following the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate after the Boshin War and Meiji Restoration; they received support from France, but only lasted five months. |
Sultanate of Aceh | 1874–1904 | Now part of Indonesia | A sultanate in modern Indonesia, it was later conquered by the Dutch. |
Zheltuga Republic | 1883–1886 | Now part of China | A proto-state set up by Russian and Chinese prospectors illegally mining on the Chinese side of the Amur River. The settlement was known for its lawlessness, housing escaped convicts, deserters from other mines, sex workers on the other side of the river (as women were not allowed in Zheltuga), and some punishments being carried out with spiked whips. Zheltuga was later discovered by the Chinese, resulting in the deportation of all Russians and the settlement being burned to the ground. |
Kingdom of Sedang | 1888–1889 | Now part of Vietnam | Marie-Charles David de Mayréna was born in France in 1842. He stopped in Vietnam 1884 and started a plantation. In 1888, the King of Siam began claiming territory west of French territory. Anxious, the Governor of the Indochinese Union agreed to Mayréna's proposed expedition to the interior. When Mayréna reached the central highlands, he organized the local tribes into the Kingdom of Sedang, and declared himself King Marie I. He offered to cede his kingdom to France in exchange for monopoly rights. When the French government declined, Mayréna approached the English at Hong Kong. When he was rebuffed there, Mayréna went to Belgium. In 1889, a Belgian financier named Somsy offered arms and money to Mayréna in exchange for mineral rights. The French Navy blockaded Vietnamese ports to prevent his return, and his arms were seized as contraband at Singapore. |
Republic of Formosa | 1895 | Now part of the Republic of China | Declared independence upon the Japanese annexation of Taiwan following Chinese defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War. |
Sovereign Tagalog Nation | 1896–1897 | Now part of the Philippines | A revolutionary state that later became the First Philippine Republic |
Republic of Biak-na-Bato | 1897 | A revolutionary state that later became the First Philippine Republic. | |
Dictatorial Government of the Philippines | 1898 | Succeeded by the Revolutionary Government of the Philippines. | |
Revolutionary Government of the Philippines | Succeeded by the First Philippine Republic. | ||
Cantonal Republic of Negros | 1898–1901 | On January 1, 1899, the Federal Republic of Negros was proclaimed as a State or Canton with two Provinces. Notice of its establishment was sent to General Aguinaldo. On March 4, the island of Negros was surrendered to U.S. forces.[14][15][16] | |
First Philippine Republic | 1899–1902 | Existed as an unrecognized independent sovereign state from its declaration on June 12, 1898, up to the surrender of Géneral Miguel Malvar on April 16, 1902[17][18] It was formally established with the proclamation of the Malolos Constitution on January 23, 1899, in Malolos, Bulacan, and pursued a protracted war against the United States following the 1898 cession of the Philippines to the U.S. by Spain. | |
Republic of Zamboanga | 1899–1903 | República de Zamboanga was a revolutionary republic, founded shortly after the collapse of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. | |
Xibei San Ma | 1862–1949 | Now part of China |
20th and 21st centuries Edit
Name | Period | Today | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Tagalog Republic | 1902–1906 | Now part of the Philippines | Revolutionary body set up during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War. |
Tianjin Provisional Government | 1900–1902 | Now part of China | |
Heavenly Kingdom of the Great Mingshun | 1903 | Now part of China | An attempted Chinese Christian state that bore reference to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Its leaders wished to establish a Westernized constitutional monarchy, but were captured a few days before the main insurrection was set to occur. The kingdom lasted for three days. |
Uryankhay Republic | 1911–1914 | Now part of Russia and Mongolia | |
Fengtian | 1911–1928 | Now part of China | |
Shanxi | 1911–1937 | ||
Sinkiang | 1911–1944 | ||
Uryankhay Krai | 1914–1921 | Now part of Russia | |
Empire of China | 1915–1916 | Now part of China | |
Yunnan clique | 1916–1927 | ||
Basmachi Kokand | 1916–1922 | Now part of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan | |
Turkestan | 1916–1934 | Now part of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan | |
Sultanate of Tarim | 1916–1945 | Now part of Yemen | |
Guizhou | 1916–1949 | Now part of China | |
Green Ukraine | 1917–1922 | Now part of Russia | Areas with a Ukrainian majority declared independence |
Yakutia | 1918 | In February 1918 the acting government of Yakutia proclaimed the independence of Yakutia in response to the Bolshevik seizure of power. This independent government was overthrown on July 1 | |
Provisional Siberian Government | |||
Provisional Government of Autonomous Siberia | |||
Great Mongol State | 1911–1919, 1921–1924 | Now part of Mongolia and Russia | In 1911, the 8th Bogd Gegeen of Outer Mongolia proclaimed independence from the Qing dynasty of China. After 1915 it became a de facto self-governing autonomous region under the suzerainty of the Republic of China. After rebelling against Chinese rule of 1919–1921, it reaffirmed its independence and became the predecessor of the Mongolian People's Republic. Internationally, territories held by this state were widely regarded as part of the Republic of China. |
Tibet | 1912–1951 | Now part of China | In 1913, the 13th Dalai Lama proclaimed independence from the Qing dynasty of China,[19] which was only recognized by the internationally unrecognized Mongolia.[20][21] However, there have been doubts over the authority of the Tibetan representative to sign the treaty, and thus its validity.[22] The following year, a treaty accepting Chinese suzerainty was signed and the border was adjusted in favor of British India.[23] The 14th Dalai Lama acknowledged Chinese sovereignty in the Seventeen Point Agreement of 1951,[24] but China continues to reject the 1914 treaty and claims South Tibet (now part of India's Arunachal Pradesh). Internationally, territories held by this state were widely regarded as part of China. |
Harbin Soviet of Workers and Soldiers Deputies | 1917 | now part of China | |
Alash Autonomy | 1917–1920 | Now part of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan | De facto self-governing autonomous region. |
State of Buryat-Mongolia | 1917–1921 | Now part of Russia | Established during the Russian Civil War. |
Constitutional Protection Junta | 1917–1921 | Now part of China | Established during the Warlord Era. |
Turkestan Autonomy | 1917–1918 | Now part of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan | |
Republic of Aras | 1918–1919 | Now part of Azerbaijan | Established during the Russian Civil War, this state only lasted several months.[25] |
Siberian Republic | 1918 | Now part of Russia | was an unrecognized short-living state that existed on the territory of Russia during the Civil War. |
Provisional Regional Government of the Urals | The Provisional Regional Government of the Urals was an anti-Bolshevik provisional government, created in Yekaterinburg on August 13 or 19, 1918, which controlled the Perm Governorate, parts of the Vyatka, Ufa, and Orenburg Governorates. It was abolished in October 1918. | ||
Mughan Soviet Republic | 1919 | Now part of Azerbaijan | The Mughan Soviet Republic was a short-lived pro-Bolshevik state that existed in present-day southeastern Azerbaijan from March to June 1919. |
Anhui clique | 1920 | Now part of China | |
Zhili | 1920–1928 | ||
Provisional Government of the Far East | 1920 | Now part of Russia | |
Government of South Russia | Now part of Russia and Ukraine | ||
South Russian Government | Now part of Russia, Moldova and Ukraine | ||
Eastern Okraina | Now part of Russia | ||
Far Eastern Soviet Republic | 1920–1922 | ||
Khorezm People's Soviet Republic | 1920–1924 | Now part of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan | |
Bukharan People's Soviet Republic | Now part of Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan | ||
Republic of Mountainous Armenia | 1921 | Now mostly part of Armenia | An anti-Soviet Armenian state which existed from 26 April until 13 July 1921, roughly corresponding with the territory that is now the present-day Armenian provinces of Vayots Dzor and Syunik, and some parts of the present-day Azerbaijan. |
Autonomous Government of Khorasan | 1921 | Now part of Iran | |
Kingdom of Syria | 1920 | Now independent | Lasted for 4 months at the end of World War I until dissolved by the French, who took control. |
Azadistan | 1920 | Now part of Iran | |
Persian Socialist Soviet Republic | 1920–1921 | Now Gilan province in Iran | Created by local guerilleros (Jangali) when Red Army troops entered Iran, but failed to spread the revolutionary movement over the whole of Iran. |
Kingdom of Kurdistan | 1921–1924 | Now part of Iraq | Established by Kurdish nationalists following the collapse of Ottoman Turkey, but were defeated by Britain and incorporated into the British Mandate of Mesopotamia. |
Tuvan People's Republic | 1921–1944 | Now part of Russia | Attempt by Tuvans to gain independence following centuries of Chinese rule and years of domination by Imperial Russia; it was put under Soviet control and later formally annexed. Internationally, territories controlled by this state were widely recognized as part of the Republic of China. The Soviet Union and the Mongolian People's Republic were the only countries to recognize its independence.[26][27] |
Mongolian People's Republic | 1921–1945, 1953–1992 | Now independent | Was unrecognized by several countries from 1940 to 1960 due to being claimed as an integral part of the Republic of China.[28] |
Republic of Ararat | 1927–1930 | Now part of Turkey | One of the first Kurdish republics in history, founded in Ağrı Province, Turkey. |
Sichuan | 1927–1938 | Now part of China | |
Hailufeng Soviet | 1927 | ||
Shanghai Commune | |||
Emirate of Afghanistan | 1929 | Now Afghanistan | Government set up in Kabul during the Afghan Civil War (1928–1929). Was not recognized by any country.[29] |
Korean People's Association in Manchuria | 1929–1931 | Now part of China | An autonomous anarchist zone in Manchuria near Korea populated by two million Korean migrants. |
Nghệ-Tĩnh Soviet | 1930–1931 | Now part of Vietnam | |
Chinese Soviet Republic | 1931–1937 | Now part of China | Recognised by the People's Republic of China (PRC) as a "rehearsal" of the PRC and a "cradle" in which the Communist Party seized power. |
Hunan–Jiangxi Soviet | 1931–1935 | Now part of People's Republic of China | |
Manchukuo | 1932–1945 | Puppet state of the Empire of Japan ruled by the Puyi. Manchukuo was diplomatically recognised by El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Soviet Union, Italy, Spain, Nazi Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Vichy France, Romania, Bulgaria, Finland, Denmark, Croatia, China's Wang Jingwei government, Thailand, and the Philippines. The League of Nations never recognized Manchukuo's annexation by Japan. Manchukuo was occupied by the Soviet Red Army in 1945, ending its puppet state status. | |
Mengjiang | 1932–1945 | Puppet state of the Empire of Japan | |
First East Turkestan Republic | 1933–1934 | Set up as part of the movement for an independent Xinjiang. It was defeated by the Nationalists of the Republic of China. | |
Fujian People's Government | Formed following the Fujian Incident, when the former 19th Route Army of the National Revolutionary Army broke with commander Chiang Kai-shek and declared a new government. Although originally enjoying popular support, the government lost favour and was crushed by Nationalist forces in 1934. | ||
Tunganistan | 1934–1937 | ||
Northwest Chinese Soviet Federation | 1935–1936 | was a confederation of two ethnic minority governments established on May 30, 1935, including the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Geledesha and the Tibetan People's Republic | |
Great Way Government | 1937–1938 | The Great Way or Dadao Government, formally the Great Way Municipal Government of Shanghai, was a short-lived puppet government proclaimed in Pudong on December 5, 1937, to administer Japanese-occupied Shanghai in the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War. | |
Hatay State | 1938–1939 | Now part of Turkey | |
Wang Jingwei regime | 1940–1945 | Now part of China | Puppet government of the Empire of Japan dissolved at the end of World War II. Recognized by the Empire of Japan and its allies. |
Second Philippine Republic | 1943–1945 | Now the Philippines | The Second Philippine Republic, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines or known in the Philippines as Japanese-sponsored Philippine Republic, was a puppet state established on October 14, 1943, during the Japanese occupation. |
State of Burma | 1943–1945 | Now Myanmar | Japanese puppet states |
Provisional Government of Free India | 1943–1945 | Now India | |
Second East Turkestan Republic | 1944–1949 | Now part of China | Soviet satellite state set up in Xinjiang. The Soviets later turned against it and approved its incorporation by China. |
Inner Mongolian People's Republic | 1945 | Now part of China | |
Kingdom of Luang Prabang | 1945 | Now Laos | Japanese puppet states |
/ Empire of Vietnam | 1945 | Now Vietnam | |
Kingdom of Kampuchea | 1945 | Now Cambodia | |
Inner Mongolian People's Republic | 1945 | Now part of China | During World War II, the Japanese support in Inner Mongolia was established, and a new puppet state named Mengjiang was created. In August 1945, it was destroyed by Soviet and Mongolian troops. On September 9, 1945, the Sunid Yutsi held a Congress of People's Representatives and aimags khoshuns of Inner Mongolia. Held for three days, the Congress proclaimed the establishment of the People's Republic of Inner Mongolia and elected an interim government. In November, the Chinese Communist Party managed to bring the situation under control, and reorganized the Provisional Government of the People's Republic of Inner Mongolia in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Government. |
Republic of Indonesia | 1945–1949 | Now fully recognized as Indonesia | Independence de facto recognized by the Netherlands, de jure recognition by Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon. |
Azerbaijan People's Government | 1945–1946 | Now part of Iran | Soviet puppet state set up in Iranian Azerbaijan but later reclaimed by Iran. |
Republic of Mahabad | 1946–1947 | Declared independence from Iran, but then occupied by Iran after the withdrawal of the Soviet Red Army from the north of the country. | |
Hyderabad State | 1947–1948 | Now split up among Telangana, Maharashtra and Karnataka states of India | One of the largest client rulers of India. At independence in 1947 the UK allowed the local rulers of the princely states to choose between joining India, Pakistan or to become independent. The Nizam of Hyderabad chose independence declaring Hyderabad a free, self-governing independent state but the Government of India, desirous of ending marginalization of the population under Nizam, refused to accept his point of view, citing as reasons Hyderabad being surrounded by India on all sides and not having an access to the sea. After extensive attempts by India to persuade the Nizam to accede to India failed, the Indian government finally launched a military operation named Operation Polo to overthrow his rule.[30] |
Manipur State | 1947–1949 | Now part of India and Myanmar including Kabaw Valley | Manipur was a princely state of India from 1891 to 1947. It was granted independence at midnight of 14 August 1947. From 14 August 1947 to October 1949, the region was de jure independent, before acceding to India on 15 October 1949. After intense diplomatic pressure, the Manipur King Bodhchandra Singh relented and acceded Manipur to India in 1949[31] following the Manipur Merger Agreement.[32] |
Khanate of Kalat | 1947–1948 | Now part of Balochistan province in Pakistan | Kalat was a princely state in Baluchistan Agency, one of the agencies of British India. The Khan of Kalat declared his nation's independence on August 15, 1947, one day after India and Pakistan declared independence. From 15 August 1947 to 27 March 1948, the region was de facto independent before acceding to Pakistan on 27 March 1948. After intense diplomatic pressure, the Khan relented and acceded Kalat to Pakistan in 1948. |
People's Republic of China | 1949–1971 | Now widely recognized as the legitimate government of China | Recognised by the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc states from 1949, and the United Kingdom from 1950.[33] Not recognized by the United States or the Western Bloc until the 1970s. Territories held by the People's Republic of China are claimed by the rivaling Republic of China based in Taipei. See Dates of establishment of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China for details. |
1950–1963 | Now part of Indonesia | The Moluccas formed part of the United States of Indonesia (27 December 1949 - 17 August 1950), but declared independence in April 1950 in reaction of centralizing tendencies from Jakarta. It was quickly conquered by Indonesian troops, but maintains a government in exile in the Netherlands. | |
Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia | 1958–1961 | ||
Suvadive Islands | 1959–1963 | Now part of the Maldives | Attempted break-away state; it was supported by Britain briefly before being abandoned. |
Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli | 1954–1961 | Now part of India | Territory made up of two former exclaves of the Portuguese district of Daman (Portuguese India). In 1954, it was invaded and occupied by supporters of their integration in the Indian Union. Thereafter and until formal annexation by India in 1961, it enjoyed a de facto independence. Portugal continued to consider Dadra and Nagar Haveli as Portuguese territory until 1974. The native citizens of the territory continued to be entitled to the grant of Portuguese citizenship until 2006. |
Republic of Timor | 1961 | Now independent as Timor-Leste | In early 1961 the Battle Office for the Liberation of Timor (Bureau de Luta pela Libertação de Timor) was formed under the leadership of Maoclao and backed by Indonesia. A republic was proclaimed in the border town of Batugade on 9 April 1961. It was quickly put down by Portuguese troops.[34] |
Champa state | 1964–1992 | Now part of Vietnam | |
Shanghai People's Commune | 1967 | Now part of China | Attempt at recreating a Paris commune-style revolution in China. |
Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam | 1969–1976 | Now part of Vietnam | |
Democratic Republic of East Timor | 1975 | Now Independent | Declared independence in 1975; Indonesia invaded and occupied the territory, declaring it the country's 27th province. The United Nations did not recognize the annexation or the declaration of independence and made Portugal the legal administrating power. |
Free Lebanon State | 1979–1984 | Now part of Lebanon | In 1976, as a result of the ongoing civil war, the Lebanese army began to break up. Major Saad Haddad, commanding an army battalion in the south which had been part of the Army of Free Lebanon, broke away and founded a group known as the Free Lebanon Army (FLA). The FLA fought against various groups including the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the Amal Movement and (after the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon) the emerging Hezbollah. The 1978 Israeli invasion allowed the Free Lebanon Army to gain control over a much wider area in southern Lebanon. On April 18, 1979, Haddad proclaimed the area controlled by his force "Independent State of Free Lebanon" (Dawlet Lebnaan El Horr El Mest’ell) with the capital Beirut, though his actual headquarters were in Marjayoun. In May 1980, " Free Lebanon Army" was renamed "South Lebanon Army". The statehood claim was downplayed following the death of Haddad in 1984, though his successor Antouan Lahed continued to exercise some authority in Southern Lebanon until the year 2000. On 24 May 2000, following Israeli withdrawal and final collapse of the SLA, Lebanese forces occupied the small town Marjayoun, which was the "capital" of southern Lebanon. |
People's Republic of Kampuchea State of Cambodia | 1979–1992 | Now part of Cambodia | Khmer Rouge was ousted by Vietnam in 1979. Not recognized by the People's Republic of China, North Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States, ASEAN countries and the UN. |
Federal Republic of Mindanao | 1986 | Now part of the Philippines | |
Heavenly Kingdom of Everlasting Satisfaction | 1990–1992 | Now part of China | a secret society founded in 1990 in Song County, Henan Province, headed by Li Chengfu (1952–1993), that wanted to take over the world. |
Islamic Emirate of Kunar | 1991 | Now part of Afghanistan | Was a short-lived unrecognized Salafi quasi-state in Kunar Province, which was led by Jamil al-Rahman and established by his group, Jamaat al-Dawah ila al-Quran wal-Sunnah. The Islamic Emirate of Kunar was the first modern Islamic state |
Gorno-Badakhshan Republic | 1992 | Now part of Tajikistan | When the civil war broke out in Tajikistan in 1992, the local government in Gorno-Badakhshan declared independence from the Republic of Tajikistan. |
Provisional Government of National Union and National Salvation of Cambodia | 1994–1998 | Now part of Cambodia | Rival government of the restored Kingdom of Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge. Dissolved following the death of Pol Pot. |
Democratic Republic of Yemen | 1994 | Now part of Yemen | Breakaway state formed during the 1994 civil war in Yemen. It only lasted six weeks before being reconquered. |
Islamic Emirate of Badakhshan | 1996 | Now part of Afghanistan | |
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan | 1996–2001 | Now part of Afghanistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan | In 1996, The Taliban took control over Kabul but lost control of the regions they controlled in 2001. However, after the Fall of Kabul in 2021, the Taliban reinstated their rule. |
Islamic Emirate of Byara | 2001–2003 | Now part of Iraq | The Islamic Emirate of Byara was a short-lived unrecognized Kurdish Islamic quasi-state, which declared independence from Iraq in 2001 and ended in 2003. |
Tamil Eelam | 2004–2009 | Now part of Sri Lanka | For much the Sri Lankan Civil War, the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka were controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a Tamil militant organization which fought to establish a separate state known as "Tamil Eelam". Tamil Eelam was not recognized by any other state. After a failed 26–year military campaign, the Sri Lanka Armed Forces began a relentless offensive against the LTTE in 2006, beginning the final stage of the civil war. By 18 May 2009, the Sri Lankan Army had recaptured all land formerly controlled by the LTTE, and the self-declared Tamil Eelam ceased to exist. |
Bangsamoro Republik | 2013 | Now part of the Philippines | Following their defeat in Zamboanga City by the Armed Forces of the Philippines on September 28, 2013, the Moro National Liberation Front self-declared Bangsamoro Republic ceased to exist. |
Islamic State | 2014–2020 | Now part of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Nigeria, Libya and Afghanistan | A self-proclaimed worldwide caliphate, ISIL claimed religious, political and military authority over all Muslims in the world. |
Europe Edit
10th to 19th centuries Edit
Name | Period | Today | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Couto Misto | 10th century - 1868 | Now part of Spain and Portugal | De facto independent microstate on the border between Galicia (Spain) and Northern Portugal. By the 1864 Treaty of Lisbon, its territory was partitioned between Spain and Portugal. |
Miecław's State | 1037–1047 | Now part of Poland | |
Commune of Rome | 1144–1193 | Now part of Italy and the Vatican City | |
Senarica | 1343–1797 | Now part of Italy | Had a Peak population of 300 |
Duchy of Gniewkowo | 1373–1374 1375–1377 | Now part of Poland | |
Principality of Wales | 1400–1415 | Now part of the United Kingdom | Controlled the Majority of Wales between 1403 and 1406 |
Earldom of Desmond | 1569–1572 | Now part of Ireland | |
Earldom of Desmond | 1579–1582 | Now part of Ireland | |
Irish alliance | 1593–1603 | Now part of Ireland and the United Kingdom | |
Grand Duchy of Lithuania | 1655–1657 | Now part of Lithuania, Belarus and Poland | Part of the Swedish Empire for roughly 2 years during the Second Northern War. |
Kingdom of Corsica | 1736 | Now part of France | Seceded from Republic of Genoa. |
Kingdom of Finland | 1742–1743 | Now part of Finland and Russia | Short-lived puppet state of Russia. Was divided between Sweden and Russia |
Corsican Republic | 1755–1769 | Now part of France | Seceded from Republic of Genoa. Recognized only by Bey of Tunis.[35] |
Republic of Liège | 1789–1791 | Now part of Belgium | Republic formed following the Liège Revolution. |
United Belgian States | 1790 | Now independent, part of Belgium and Luxemburg | |
Rauracian Republic | 1792 | Now part of Switzerland | |
Transpadane Republic | 1796–1797 | Now part of Italy | |
Republic of Crema | 1797 | ||
Ligurian Republic | 1797–1805 | ||
Roman Republic | 1798–1799 | ||
Tiberina Republic | 1798 | ||
The Gozitan Nation | 1798–1801 | Now part of Malta | Independent kingdom under Neapolitan King Ferdinand III. It was actually ruled by a provisional government set up by Saverio Cassar, after French troops on the island capitulated to rebels. It became part of the British protectorate of Malta in 1801. |
Republic of Connacht | 1798 | Now part of Ireland | French client republic. |
Lemanic Republic | 1798 | Now part of Switzerland | Formerly a subject territory of Bern. The Lemanic Republic declared its independence in January 1798 before being incorporated into the Helvetic Republic as Canton of Léman (today: Vaud) in April of the same year. |
Revolutionary Serbia | 1804–1813 | Now Serbia and parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
Kingdom of Norway | 1814 | Now part of Norway | Norway declared its independence, as a result of the refusal of the Treaty of Kiel after the Napoleonic Wars, adopted a Constitution and elected Danish Prince Christian Frederik as its own king. Resulting to a short war with Sweden, leading to Norway accepting entering into a personal union with Sweden at the Convention of Moss. |
First Hellenic Republic | 1822–1832 | Now Greece | |
Italian United Provinces | 1831 | Now part of Italy | |
First Paris Commune | 1832 | Now part of France | |
Kingdom of Tavolara | 1836–1962? | Now part of Italy[36] | The Bertoleoni family claimed to be monarchs of an island off the northeast coast of Sardinia. |
Sonderbund | 1845–1847 | Now part of Switzerland | A rival Confederation which broke away from Switzerland 1845 to protect their interests against a centralization of power. |
Sicily | 1848–1849 | Now part of Italy | |
Provisional Government of Milan | 1848 | ||
Republic of Mosina | 1848 | Now part of Poland | |
Ruthenian State | 1848–1851 | Now part of Ukraine and Poland | |
Repubblica di San Marco | 1848–1849 | Now part of Italy | Following 1848 unrests, the republic was proclaimed in 1848 in the territories of Venetia with the capital Venice. Allied with the other Italian states against Austrian Empire, it eventually voted to federate under Kingdom of Sardinia, but it went back to independence after piedmontese defeat. Remaining only Venice and its lagoon under control, the republic surrendered after almost 5 months of siege and after 17 months of existence. |
German Empire | 1848–1849 | Now part of Germany | was a short-lived proto-state which existed from 1848 to 1849. In one view, it was a revolutionary new created national state. According to another view, it was the reformed German Confederation. |
Slovak National Council | 1848–1849 | Now part of Slovakia | |
Serbian Vojvodina | 1848–1849 | Now part of Serbia and Romania | |
Hungarian State | 1849 | Now part of Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Austria, Slovakia and Ukraine | |
Roman Republic | 1849–1850 | Now part of Italy and Vatican City | |
United Provinces of Central Italy | 1859–1860 | Now part of Italy | |
Second Paris Commune | 1870 | Now part of France | |
Lyon Commune | 1870–1871 | ||
Third Paris Commune | 1871 | ||
Besançon Commune | 1871 | ||
Canton of Cartagena | 1873–1874 | Now part of Spain | In 1873 Cartagena was proclaimed as an independent canton, called the Canton of Cartagena. This proclamation started the Cantonal Revolution in Spain, during the First Spanish Republic. It was the beginning of the cantonalism, a movement that sought to establish a federal state composed of autonomous cantons. Some cities and territories joined the cantonal cause and were declared independents too, but they surrendered a few days later. The only canton with an organized government as state, control on its territory and military power was Cartagena, which declared war and faced the Spanish central government during six months, until it was invaded. |
Canton of Málaga | 1873 | ||
Republic of Tamrash | 1878–1886 | Now part of Bulgaria | The Republic of Tamrash was a self-governing administrative structure of the Pomaks, living in the Tamrash region of the Rhodope Mountains. |