Kingdom of Quixotica

Kingdom of Quixotica 2017 - 2018
Official Flag of Quixotica Flag Great Seal of Quixotica Coat of arms
Motto: Solus Mortuus est Cum Pisces Ire Flow (Latin: Only Dead Fish Go With the Flow)
Anthem: Boléro by Maurice Ravel
Capital and largest city	Redemption Hill
Official languages	English (de facto)
Demonym(s)	Quixot, Quixotican
Government	Enlightened Absolute Monarchy
• Monarchs	Miles I (2017 - 2018) Stephanie (2018)
• Prime Ministers	Dylan Light (2017 - 2018) Stephanie Eaton (2018) Esther Eaton (2018)
Legislature	Advisory Council
Establishment	April 11, 2017
Population
• (as of January, 2018) census	14
Currency	Article of Credit

The Kingdom of Quixotica was a political entity self-described as an enclaved nation-state. Most external observers of the polity considered its claim to sovereignty as baseless, and thus regarded it as merely a micronation. Quixotica was located in the western half of the United States. Quixotica's government was an enlightened absolute monarchy. The Kingdom ceased to exist when its government was replaced by a republican one on September 28, 2018.

Etymology

Quixotica was named for the adjective “Quixotic” meaning “exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical”, all of which adequately describes the eccentric polity and the more imaginative members of its leadership. The English word "Quixotic" is a reference to the Spanish literary work The Ingenious Nobleman Sir Quixote of La Mancha and its main protagonist Don Quixote.

History

Pre-Quixotica

The land on which Quixotica was founded was first occupied by humans over 13,000 years ago. These first hunter-gatherers were eventually succeeded by the various plains tribes met by the Europeans upon their explorations in the 16th century. Cultures like the Arapaho, Cheyenne lived on the lands now occupied by the United States and the Kingdom of Quixotica. By the late 19th century all the land which Quixotica would one day lay claim to was encapsulated within an American state.

Early History

Having experimented with micronationalism since he was a child, Miles Eaton was no stranger to founding a nation-state with little to no legal justification for doing so. Feeling inspired, Eaton declared himself King of the new nation of Quixotica on April 11, 2017. In the nation’s founding proclamation, Miles envisioned an eccentric polity of friends, family, and cohorts. The plan was for him to lead Quixotica in a manner similar to a benevolent dictatorship.

One day after the country's founding, Eaton drafted the first ever Quixotican constitution, which laid the crucial framework for much of how the Kingdom would function. This early document described a “court” of appointed nobles advising the King on various matters of state. This "court" would eventually come to be the body of nobility known simply “the Advisory Council”.

Seeking to expand this primordial government, Miles offered his long-time friend Dylan Light inclusion as a member of the Advisory Council, retaining the previously held title “Lord of the Lights” upon his officially becoming a nobleman. Despite the council consisting of only one person, King Eaton felt it was imperative to establish a leadership position for said council. An office by which the concerns of the Quixotican nobility could be best voiced to the Monarch (a representative of all the other advisors) was needed. The position of Prime Minister was born, with Dylan as its inaugural holder (after an obvious unanimous victory in the council). Not long into the Light Premiership, King Miles created the position of Deputy Prime Minister for the purposes of government continuity, aiding the Prime Minister, and for there to be the mechanic of running mates in future elections. Giving himself the power to appoint a Deputy in the event of a vacancy, King Miles quickly appointed his good friend Michael to the position. With the council’s leadership established, Miles now felt obliged to include more of his friends and family as members of the Quixotican oligarchy. He declared some of his family members representatives of what would become the new capital city, and two of his friends Barons of their own constituencies within the Kingdom.

On June 17, the capital of Quixotica officially moved from Eatonville to the city of Redemption Hill. In the earlier part of July, 2017 the King made a trip to the American state of Oregon. While on his trip, Miles officially incorporated the cities of Irving and Sivania as well the Province of the Quixotican Far West into his Kingdom.

The incumbent Dylan Light declared his campaign officially on June 23, assured he would win re-election handily. He won re-election on August 4, 2017 with nearly seventy percent of the Advisory Council vote, defeating the more conservative candidates Lea and Kohler.

Light's Second Term

Prime Minister Light won the Second ever Advisory Council Leadership Election with all but two of the Council's six votes. Upon tallying these votes in the presence of Light, the King declared his victory "a landslide" and promptly congratulated him heartily on his winning re-election. Light was subsequently inaugurated with his hand on a randomly opened New Testament and the Quixotican flag draped over his back. The ceremony was filmed for posterity in a manner not dissimilar from Dylan's first inauguration.

The First ever official meeting of the Advisory Council was convened by King Miles on August 17, 2017. This first ever meeting resulted in not only the removal of two Barons from office, but the creation of the Quixotican Ministry of the Interior and National Park System respectively. This meeting was later deemed by the reigning Monarch to be the beginning of the second incarnation of the Advisory Council. Soon the Advisory Council was re-organized further with the annexation of the Duchy of Galapago on September 2. This addition did not, however, add any new members to the Council, but rather gave old ones replacement titles to match a new domain. The Second meeting of the Advisory Council was held on September 4, and resulted in the creation of more cabinet positions and official symbols for the Lordship of the Lights. During an intermission in the second meeting, Prime Minister Light and King Miles "conquered" an empty rural cul-de-sac just south of Redemption Hill, formally incorporating the region into the Federal District. The two named this newly acquired territory "Point Agraria".

The Third Meeting of the Advisory Council on October 14 saw the further establishment of the Ministry of the Treasury as well as the creation of the different denominations of Quixotican Articles of Credit. During this same autumnal meeting, Prime Minister Dylan Light declared his intention to run for a third term in the Advisory Council Leadership election of November, 2017.

Through a Royal Declaration, the Monarch granted himself ability to appoint "canines deemed to be of 'special merit'" to the Advisory Council as non-voting members. This decision to allow dogs honorary roles on the Council did, however, come with the stipulation that no canine be "permitted any Advisory Council office higher than that of Deputy Prime Minister."

Lord Dylan Light ran unopposed for a third term of office, which he won on November 11, 2017. As a result of that election, Duchess Eaton became not only the first person elected Deputy Prime Minister, but also the first ever woman elected to that position. Prime Minister Light hoped to issue in a new era for Quixotica as he took on his third term as the country's original Head of Government.

End of 2017

Whilst together on December 3, Prime Minister Light and King Miles I "conquered" lands in their hometown, south of the old capital at Eatonville. Specifically, a hill known locally as Legend's Ridge, which they renamed "Memory Hill" upon its declared admission into the Kingdom. Dylan felt the territory rightfully belonged to the closer city of Eatonville, whereas Miles believed the newly conquered land could be integrated nicely into the Lights Lordship. Ultimately the two simply decided to incorporate Memory Hill as its own Quixotican constituency, with Light as its appointed Suzerain. This was the first time since the capture of Point Agraria in September that any new land had been added to Quixotica, and the first time in his tenure as General of the Army that Dylan engaged in any form of "conquering".

King Miles I finished a compilation of Quixotican law on December 21, declaring the resulting document to be the nation's first ever amalgamated Constitution. It was adopted as law through the Monarch's signature the same day and was made over the course of several months with the intent of unifying the legal code of Quixotica into one cohesive 'law of the land'. Prime Minister Light called together the Fifth meeting of the Advisory Council on December 31, a meeting which resulted in the creation of the Ministry of Defense, the re-branding of the National Security office, the incorporation of Memory Hill into the Light's Lordship, and the ratification of the new Quixotican constitution.

Early 2018

Thrice-elected Prime Minister of Quixotica Dylan Light announced his intention to run for a fourth term of office just prior to the Sixth meeting of the Advisory Council. Speaking into a camera held by the reigning Monarch King Miles I Dylan stated his belief that the last three months had been good for the nation and urged the Quixot populace to keep him power as a result. During the meeting that followed Prime Minister Light declared the creation of his own brand-new political party: the Wool Hat Party. Light had been asked whether or not he would like to found his own party in the past, but the day he ended up doing so was the first time he was truly willing to establish one. Dylan named his party in honor of the wool hat he often wears going on to explain “we’re the type of people who go out and work hard even when it’s cold … and wear wool hats”. When asked what the head of his new party would be referred to as, the Prime Minister took no time in replying "the Big Wooly". The Council subsequently approved and Dylan officially became the Big Wooly of the Wool Hat Party. This was the first time in Quixotican politics that a major politician chose to no longer remain nonpartisan. The other major event of the Sixth meeting of the Advisory Council on January 14, 2018 was the ratification of ten human rights related amendments to the Quixotican Constitution. Among these amendments were protections for free speech, freedom of religion, and freedom from discrimination.

Prime Minister Dylan Light was unanimously re-elected to a fourth term of office on February 11, 2018. As per the Quixotican Constitution, the reigning Monarch King Miles I inaugurated Light the same day. Dylan's fourth inauguration was held in the city of Wertopolis I, the capital of the Lordship of the Lights. Light's election as a member of the Wool Hat Party was important as it allowed for his running mate, Duchess Stephanie Eaton, to also become a member of the party once re-elected Deputy Prime Minister. With the addition of Queen Mother Lori as a member on the same day, the Wool Hat Party officially became the first ever majority party of the Advisory Council.

On March 10, 2018, the Duchy of Galapago was ceded back to the United States without incident. Deputy Prime Minister, and former Duchess of Galapago, Stephanie Eaton was immediately given the peerage of Mayor of Eatonville upon the dissolution of the Duchy in order for her to remain a noble on the Advisory Council. The Royal Decree that dealt with both the return of Galapago and the creation of the new position of Mayor of Eatonville was known as the Galapago-Eatonville Declaration.

Light Leadership Crisis

Prime Minister Light disappeared from Quixotican politics in late February. Several attempts were made to contact him by the reigning Monarch, but there were no responses from Lord Light. Eventually, King Miles was forced to make the tough decision to remove Light from office in the interests of the nation’s continued stability. The Unthinkable Declaration, titled as such because the Monarch never thought he would need to write it, removed Light from his positions as Prime Minister and Minister of the Treasury and had his Deputy Prime Minister Stephanie Eaton immediately succeed him in those positions. It also appointed his successor as the first ever Quixotican Ambassador to the United States. Dylan Light was succeeded as Prime Minister by Stephanie Eaton on March 23, 2018 via a simple inauguration ceremony in the old capital city of Eatonville.

Stephanie Eaton's Ministry

The Seventh Meeting of the Advisory Council on March 30 resulted in the passage of Amendment XI to the Quixotican Constitution, Prime Minister Eaton going from de facto party leader to officially being Big Wooly of the Wool Hat Party, and the addition of some provincial symbols for the independent city of Eatonville. Amendment XI created 5 new Cabinet positions, including Attorney General, Minister for Peace, Minister of Commerce, Minister of Agriculture, and Postmaster General.

Prime Minister Stephanie Eaton ended her tenure as Mayor of Eatonville to take up the position of Archduchess in the newly acquired Archduchy of Coaltrium on April 20, 2018. Dylan Light, former Prime Minister of Quixotica, declared his disinterest in remaining a part of the Quixotican political experiment on May 16, 2018. As a result he was to be removed from his remaining offices within the Quixotican government through a document known simply as the 'Farewell Declaration'. The Lordship of the Lights, save Memory Hill, was subsequently gifted to the United States.

Prime Minister Stephanie Eaton was elected in May, 2018 under a new political affiliation. The new party, named the Amethyst Party, replaced the Wool Hat Party as both the political party of the Prime Minister and as the majority party of the Advisory Council following her election. The Amethysts, named for the gemstone that symbolizes the attainment of wisdom, was founded unofficially prior to the election under the encouragement of King Miles. Miles asked Eaton to found a new party in the hopes her doing so would further distance the newer Eaton ministry from its disgraced predecessor.

The official flag of New Albion.

Miles, hoping to better separate his powers as reigning Monarch from those of the Advisory Council and the Prime Minister's Cabinet appointed fellow royal Esther Eaton as his successor in the positions of Representative of Redemption Hill, Marquis of the Quixotican Far West, and Minister of Foreign Relations. Esther, who was appointed during the Eighth Meeting of the Advisory Council on June 16, decided to found her own political party upon becoming a Councillor. That same day she also declared her intention to run for the office of Prime Minister in the August, 2018 Advisory Council Leadership Election.

Members of the royal family, including the reigning Monarch, traveled to some of Quixotica's more western territories during July, 2018 as part of a family vacation. During this expedition, the Quixotican Far West and the independent city of Irving, both surrounded by the American state of Oregon were united into one new constituency through a royal declaration. The resulting province was named New Albion in honor of the explorations of Sir Francis Drake. Esther Eaton, Marquise of the Quixotican Far West at the time, was appointed as the first ever Satrap of this new province on July 11. An official flag for the new constituency was designed by Esther on July 23.

On July 25, friend of the Monarch, Salvatore Miller was appointed to the Advisory Council in order for him to become Deputy Prime Minister of Quixotica. Miller chose to name his constituency New New South Wales. He then requested the Icelandic title of Goði (pronounced "Go-thi"). Salvatore decided to not join either the Amethyst or Egalitarian Parties, opting instead to remain an independent politician. Esther's friend Deputy Prime Minister Salvatore agreed to run alongside her in the August, 2018 Advisory Council Leadership Election, but insisted that he remain independent of the Egalitarian Party. As a result, Miller was Esther's running mate in a Egalitarian-Independent coalition ticket that allowed for him to continue to be nonpartisan.

Esther Eaton's Ministry

Esther Eaton won the August, 2018 Advisory Council Leadership election, defeating incumbent Stephanie Eaton with nearly 70% of the vote. Stephanie had little time to contemplate her loss however as that same day King Miles announced she would be succeeding him as monarch. Miles, the founder of Quixotica, explained his abdication by saying it was in the interests of "passing on the torch" and avoiding "government stagnation". As a result of Esther being elected just prior to Miles' abdication Stephanie's first act as Queen was to inaugurate her former electoral rival as Prime Minister. Esther then reciprocated by crowing Stephanie the second monarch in Quixotican history. Stephanie was the first Quixotican monarch to receive an official coronation. Stephanie's political party, the Amethyst Party, was disbanded upon her ascension to throne. This resulted in the Egalitarians becoming the majority party of the new sixth incarnation of the Advisory Council.

As Prime Minister Esther has been responsible for the creation of all new government seals and the adoption of Constituency pictograms.

On September 24, 2018 the Advisory Council created the 2018 Act of Quixotican Renewal. This Act served as a formal request for the dissolution of the Quixotican Monarchy and the establishment of a republican government in Quixotica. Four days later a new constitution was written and Quixotica was declared a Republic. The Republic of Quixotica immediately succeeded the Kingdom as the legitimate government of Quixotica.

Politics and Government

The Kingdom of Quixotica was an enlightened absolute monarchy, with the monarch receiving the advice of a number of nobility either directly through meeting with them, or indirectly through the Prime Minister and their Deputy. The Prime Minister was the head of the government, and one of only two elected officials in Quixotica. They were tasked with the proper representation of the Advisory Council’s “advice” as well as the coordination of council meetings, votes, and elections. The Prime Minister was elected alongside the Deputy Prime Minister every three months to serve an infinitely renewable term of the same length by all the voting nobility of the Advisory Council. The Prime Minister could be removed from office by the Monarch, however it is customary for the Advisory Council to take it upon itself to remove the Premier if they believe doing so would be beneficial to the state. Much the Monarch’s power was “ad hoc” meaning it can be justified in the moment by citing the absolutism detailed in the Kingdom’s founding documents.

The last Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Quixotica was Esther Eaton. She was the third person to hold said office and the second woman to do so. There have so far been six Advisory Council Leadership Elections in the history of Quixotica.

For much of the nation's early history political parties played a relatively minor role in Quixotican politics, with most members of the Advisory Council serving as independent politicians. This changed on January 14, 2018 when long-time independent Prime Minister Dylan Light chose to found his own political faction with himself as its leader. A person appointed to the Council can choose to associate themselves with an already existing party or found one of their very own. There have been four political parties in the history of Quixotica: the 'Bachelor Party', the 'Right On! Party', the 'Traditionalist Party', and the 'Wool Hat Party'. Only the latter two are still active with the other two getting abolished upon the removal of their respective party leaders from office during the First meeting of the Advisory Council. The Wool Hat Party became the first ever majority party of the Advisory Council on February 11, 2018.

Law and Order

All civilian crimes are tried by either the Monarch or a special adjudicator appointed by said Monarch. The issues of treason, corruption, or any sort of crime within the Advisory Council are tried within the council itself- this includes crimes committed by the council’s leadership. The Monarch is allowed to remove any councillor from office at any time (via Royal Declaration) on account of political inactivity.

The Constitution of the Kingdom of Quixotica was compiled over the last few months of 2017 by the reigning Monarch and details the exact nature of every position within the government, how they all interact, many rules, and a whole host of exceptions to rules. A ten amendment addition to this Constitution, known as the Declaration of the Rights of Quixot Humanity, was written by the Monarch on January 7, 2018 as a symbol of the Quixotican Government's dedication to individual liberty and progress.

Foreign Relations

The Kingdom of Quixotica had an established Ministry of Foreign Relations. A Royal Decree created the department on June 1, 2017. The first ever Prime Minister of Quixotica Dylan Light was appointed by the reigning Monarch as “Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary to the Court of Saint James”. This sole diplomatic mission was the extent of Quixotican foreign affairs, apart from the ongoing (implied) war of independence with the United States, until Prime Minister Eaton was declared Ambassador the United States in March, 2018. Prime Minister Dylan Light spent a month of his second three month term in the United Kingdom. During this time he was regarded by King Miles I as 'representing the Kingdom abroad'. On April 5, 2018 King Miles appointed himself Minister of Foreign Relations. The Kingdom's last Minister of Foreign Relations was Esther Eaton.

List of Nations with which the Kingdom of Quixotica had Diplomatic Relations

Polity	Relations began	Notes
Cignolago	April 5, 2018	The King of Quixotica has maintained informal amiable relations with the President of Cignolago since April, 2018.
Karnia-Ruthenia	April 23, 2018	King Miles I of Quixotica signed a Treaty of Mutual Recognition with Emperor-King Oscar of Karnia-Ruthenia in late April, 2018.

Foreign Policy

Quixotica is a peaceful nation with an open diplomatic policy regarding mutual recognition with other polities.

Military

The Military of Quixotica was once described as "untested, unproven, and practically non-existent". Though, it was nonetheless at the command of the Monarch (with the advice of their most trusted confidants). It was decided at the first meeting of the Advisory Council that the Quixotican military become a greater priority to the government, however, little was done to that end.

During the Fourth Meeting of the Advisory Council, Prime Minister Dylan Light was bestowed the title of "General of the Army" by the reigning King Miles I. The title was granted partly in honor of Light's re-election, but also as a genuine position within the nearly non-existent Quixotican military. During the same meeting, it was also decided that a war against the Danish colony of Greenland would be relatively easy and thus war was declared on the northern land mass. However, this war against Greenland is generally regarded as another example of Quixot humor. During the Fifth meeting of the advisory Council the Quixotican Ministry of Defense was finally established, with its Minister intended to be a military advisor to the Prime Minister on how best to represent Council opinion to the Monarch. The Minister of Defense was defined as being subject to the direction of the Monarch in their capacity as the supreme commander of the Quixotican armed forces.

Two times in Quixotican history has a region been "conquered" by the nation. This usually involved the King and Prime Minister going to an undeveloped, unowned piece of property and claiming it for Quixotica. These two conquered areas are Point Agraria in the Federal District of Redemption Hill and the region of Memory Hill south of the old Quixotican capital Eatonville. Neither "conquest" involving any actual battling as both were peaceful annexations of empty land.

Culture

The culture of the Kingdom was heavily influenced by that of the nation it was surrounded by: the United States. Cultural themes between its citizens were likely the result of their being raised in America. The culture of the young nation was further complicated by the high levels of individualism enjoyed within its small population.

"Quixot" v. "Quixotican"

It is traditional for the people of Quixotica to be referred to as "Quixots", especially those with close ties to the reigning Monarch. The term "Quixoticans" is rarely used by the government to describe the nation's populace, but was nonetheless also an official demonym. The difference between these two terms was once surmised by King Miles I as being "things related to Quixotica are Quixotican, but the people of Quixotica are Quixots".

Quixotican Standards of Universal Measurement

On January 29, 2018 King Miles granted himself the authority to establish new units of measurement to be used within Quixotica. This royal declaration established whatever units the Monarch decides to create and define as being part of the "Quixotican Standards of Universal Measurement", an alternative to the Metric or Imperial systems used by the rest of the world. Miles began work on the system's units for length on February 3.

Length

Unit	Relation to Previous	ISU	USC
1 Qualong (q)		1.7272 centimeters	0.68 inches
1 Dekkaqualong (dq)	10 Qualongs	17.272 centimeters	6.8 inches
1 Dukakis (Dk)	10 Dekkaqualongs	172.72 centimeters	68 inches
1 Qualonger (ql)	476 Dukaki	822.1472 meters	0.51085859 miles
1 Dyloregon (dyl)	150 Qualongers	123.32208 kilometers	76.6287878788 miles

Speed

Unit	ISU	USC
1 Dukakis per second	6.21792 kilometers per hour	3.863636364 miles per hour
1 Dyloregon per hour	123.32208 kilometers per hour	76.6287878788 miles per hour

List of Quixotican Honors

Orders in the Kingdom of Quixotica were established and the corresponding knighthoods were awarded by the reigning Monarch for acts done in service to the nation and or its people.

Name and Abbreviation		Honor created	First awarded	First recipient	Awarded for
Hero of the Kingdom of Quixotica	HKQ	March 25, 2018	March 30, 2018	Stephanie Eaton	"Ensuring the continuation and or preservation of the government, culture, or society of the Kingdom of Quixotica"
Order of the Yellow-Bellied Finch	KYBF	September 9, 2017	October 14, 2017	Dylan R. Light	"Impeccable acts of service in the interests of the Advisory Council, including the representation of its members, a dedication to its constituencies, and the preservation of its doctrine"
Order of Saint Brendan	KSB	December 2, 2017	December 31, 2017	Dylan R. Light	"Acts of diplomacy, peace-keeping, and communication made across the vast distances of the Earth by Ambassadors both to and from Quixotica"