Holy Salanian Empire

The Holy Salanian Empire, HSE, or simply Salania ([suh-LEY-nee-uh]), was a mostly fictional nation created by self-declared Emperor Jordan I on 10 July 2010. It existed for less than a year, gaining widespread recognition and infamy in the community as an argumentative and aggressive state. It was slightly less dishonest about its achievements and citizenry than its predecessor, but still had virtually no physical presence outside of the internet. The nation became involved in a great number of highly controversial projects and conflicts, most notably the Atlantis Civil War, which lead to the Empire’s downfall and capitulation on 31 May 2011.

History
The Empire was created two days after the second anniversary of the foundation of its predecessor. The President of the then-stagnant Republic of Salania discovered the MicroWiki community and wished to reorganize his domain and create a new set of national symbols, as well as perhaps inspire new interest in his citizens. Additionally, he hoped this would help him to improve his standing among other micronationalists. A short time into the HSE’s MicroWiki debut, the Emperor discovered the Republic of Atlantis. He became fast friends with several members of the nation, joining the newly-created World Micronational Alliance (WMA) and even entering proceedings to join the Italy-based micronation. However, several disputes with Atlantis and WMA leadership led to the termination of this deal. Despite this, the two nations retained a strong “military” alliance until the Empire’s downfall. During the short term of its existence, the Empire became involved in a large number of controversial micronational “conflicts”: the Second War for Victoria, the War of the Forest, the Pimpville War, and most famously the Atlantis Civil War. The combined backlash from the community over these events, the WMA, and separate disagreements with prominent micronationalists Alexander Reinhardt and Gordon Freeman virtually destroyed the HSE’s international credibility and were major contributors to its death in 2011.

Government
As dysfunctional as the government of its predecessor was, the Empire’s administrative body was worse. The Emperor introduced even more executive departments, at least half of which never had an incumbent. To make matters worse, the Emperor claimed the entirety of two United States counties, subdivided into 22 administrative regions with provincial status, many of which were uninhabited by the Empire’s citizens. The nation itself only had 23 citizens, hardly adequate for a 22 seat Parliament.

Military
The “Grand Imperial Army” was truly the successor to the “Grand Republican Army” in all but name. While it and the “Salanian Police Force” had a “well-developed system of ranks and awards” and a rudimentary organizational structure, little else in the way of an actual military force was ever apparent. Again, hunting and Boy Scouts were the closest its citizens ever came to any sort of training.

Salanian Antarctic Territory
The HSE claimed Drygalski Island, off the coast of Antarctica, as the “Salanian Antarctic Territory”. This was largely in a bid to join the Antarctic Micronational Union. The territory was reneged when the Empire capitulated.

Media
One thing the Empire did improve on over its predecessor was the press. The Salanian Herald was an electronic and printed newsletter that documented many goings-on in Salania, albeit with some exaggeration on the part of the Editor-in-Chief, the Emperor.