Aself-proclaimed monarchy is established when a person claims a monarchy without any historical ties to a previous dynasty.[1][2] In many cases, this would make them apretender to the throne (when a ruling dynasty is already established). Theself-proclaimedmonarch may be of an established state, such asZog I of Albania, or of amicronation, such asLeonard Casley ofHutt River, Western Australia.
In 1928,Ahmet Zogu, a president ofAlbania, proclaimed himself "King Zog I".[3] He ruled for 11 years in a nominally constitutionalmonarchy that was overthrown in theItalian invasion of Albania.[4]
In 1934,Boris Skossyreff declared himself "Boris I, King ofAndorra". His pretended reign only lasted a few days. He was expelled when he declared war onJustí Guitart i Vilardebó, Bishop of Urgell and ex officioco-prince of Andorra.[5]
In 1970, after a dispute over wheat production quotas,Leonard Casley proclaimed his wheat farm inWestern Australia the "Principality of Hutt River", styling himself as "HRH Prince Leonard I of Hutt".[6] The Australian government did not recognize his claim of independence.[7] Casley abdicated in 2017, passing the principality to his son, "Prince Graeme I". The principality formally dissolved in 2020.[8]
Lekeaka Oliver was a separatist rebel commander who fought in theAnglophone Crisis. In 2019, he proclaimed himself "Paramount Ruler"[9] or "King" ofLebialem, adepartment of Cameroon.[10] This move was condemned both by Cameroonian loyalists as well as other rebels.[9][10] Oliver was killed in 2022.[11]
In 1976, a short-lived 'Imperial' monarchy, the "Central African Empire", was created when dictatorJean-Bédel Bokassa of theCentral African Republic proclaimed himself "Emperor Bokassa I". The following year, he held alavish coronation ceremony. He was deposed in 1979.
In 1860, aFrench adventurer,Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, proclaimed the "Kingdom of Araucanía" inChile with the support of localMapuche chiefs. He called himself "Orélie-Antoine I". In 1862, he was arrested and deported by the Chilean government.
Hong Xiuquan proclaimed himself the leader of theTaiping Heavenly Kingdom during theTaiping Rebellion in 1851.
In 1915, the president ofChina,Yuan Shikai, declared arestoration of the Chinese monarchy, with himself as emperor. The plan failed, and he wasforced to step down.[12]
Since then, there have been repeated attempts by individuals to declare themselves Chinese emperor or empress. In the 1920s and 1930s, there were several peasant rebels who declared themselves members ofHouse of Zhu and tried to restore theMing dynasty, such as the self-proclaimed emperors "Chu the Ninth" (1919–1922, backed by theYellow Way Society), "Wang the Sixth" (1924),[13] and Chu Hung-teng (1925, backed by theHeavenly Gate Society).[14] In course of theSpirit Soldier rebellions (1920–1926), a former farm worker and rebel leader named Yuan declared himself the "Jade Emperor".[15] Following theChinese Civil War, there have been hundreds of monarchist pretenders who oppose theChinese Communist Party and often gathered small groups of supporters. Notable self-proclaimed monarchs include: Li Zhu, declared a new dynasty in 1954;[16] Song Yiufang, leader of the Nine Palaces Way (crowned by his followers after sneaking into theForbidden City in 1961);[16] Yang Xuehua, empress of the Heavenly Palace Sect (arrested in 1976 and executed after allegedly planning a rebellion); Chao Yuhua, empress of the "Great Sage Dynasty" (crowned in 1988 in a factory);[17] Tu Nanting, ex-soldier and emperor (believed in his emperorship after reading several books on prophecies, the arcane, and morals);[18] Yang Zhaogong who attempted to establish a new dynasty with alleged backing ofCCCPC members.[19] In general, these self-proclaimed monarchs were not very successful and quickly arrested by security forces.[19] However, one self-proclaimed emperor,Li Guangchang, organized a large sect of supporters and factually governed a small territory inCangnan County, called the "Zishen Nation", from 1981 to 1986 inde facto independence from China. He was eventually arrested, reportedly after attempting to organize a wider rebellion.[16]
Within days of being independent from Belgium, the newRepublic of the Congo found itself torn between competing political factions, as well as by foreign interference. As the situation deteriorated,Moise Tshombe declared the independence ofKatanga Province as theState of Katanga on 11 July 1960.Albert Kalonji, claiming that theBaluba were being persecuted in the Congo and needed their own state in their traditionalKasai homeland, followed suit shortly afterwards and declared the autonomy ofSouth Kasai on 8 August, with himself as head.[20][full citation needed] On 12 April 1961, Kalonji's father was granted the titleMulopwe (which roughly translates to "emperor" or "god-king"),[21] but he immediately "abdicated" in favor of his son.[20] On 16 July, but retained the title ofMulopwe and changed his name to Albert I Kalonji Ditunga.[22] The move was controversial with members of Kalonji's own party and cost him much support.
Shortly thereafter, as preparation for the invasion of Katanga, Congolese government troops invaded and occupied South Kasai, and Kalonji was arrested.[20] He escaped, but South Kasai ultimately returned to the Congo.[20]
In 1736,Freiherr Theodor Stephan von Neuhof established himself asKing of Corsica in an attempt to free the island ofCorsica fromGenoese rule.
In 1804, FrenchConsulNapoleon Bonaparte proclaimed himself "Emperor Napoleon I".[23] Although this imperial regime ended with his fall from power, Napoleon's nephew,Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, was elected in 1848 asPresident of France. In 1852, he declared himself "Emperor Napoleon III"; he was deposed in 1870.[24]
In 1804, inHaiti, the governor general,Jean-Jacques Dessalines, proclaimed himself "Emperor Jacques I". He ruled for two years.[25][full citation needed] In 1811, the president,Henry Christophe, proclaimed himself "King Henri I" and ruled until 1820.[26] In 1849, the president,Faustin Soulouque, proclaimed himself "Emperor Faustin I" and ruled until 1859.[27]
On 19 May 1822,Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Arámburu, was crowned asEmperor of Mexico. He was a Mexican-born general who had served in the Spanish Army, during theMexican War of Independence, but switched sides and joined the Mexican rebels in 1820. He was proclaimed president of the Regency in 1821. WhenKing Ferdinand VII of Spain refused to become a constitutional monarch, Iturbide was crowned Emperor. He ruledMexico for less than as a year as he abdicated and went into exile during a revolt in March 1823. He returned to Mexico on 14 July 1824 and was executed by theProvisional Government of Mexico.
Florin Cioabă proclaimed himselfKing of the Roma Everywhere. He died in 2013.[28]
In 1823, inManila,Philippines, a regimental captain,Andrés Novales, staged a mutiny and proclaimed himself "Emperor of the Philippines". After one day,Spanish troops fromPampanga andIntramuros removed him.[29]
In 1893,James Harden-Hickey, an admirer of Napoleon III, crowned himself "James I of thePrincipality of Trinidad".[30] For two years he tried but failed to assert his claim.
In 1850,James J. Strang, who claimed to beJoseph Smith's successor as leader of theLatter Day Saint movement, proclaimed himself king of his followers onBeaver Island, Michigan. On 8 July 1850, he was crowned in an elaboratecoronation ceremony. Strang evaded Federal government charges oftreason and continued to rule until 1856, the year he was assassinated by two disgruntled "Strangites".[31]
In 1859,Joshua Abraham Norton, a failed businessman fromSan Francisco, declared himself "Emperor of the United States", followed by assuming the additional title "Protector of Mexico" in 1863 in the wake ofFrance's invasion of the country; he became and remained a local celebrity for the rest of his life.[32]
Several self-proclaimed monarchies exist inGermany within the context of theReichsbürger movement in which some people declare themselves or their group the rightful rulers of theGermanReich, a part thereof, or their ownmicronation.[33] Notable figures in Germany includePeter Fitzek who was crowned 'Peter I of the Kingdom of Germany' in 2012[34] andFriedrich Maik who claims to be thehead of state of Mecklenburg since 2019.[35]
ThePrincipality of Seborga (Italian:Principato di Seborga) is amicronation that claims a 14 square kilometres (5.4 sq mi) area located in the northwesternItalianProvince of Imperia inLiguria, near theFrench border, and about 35 kilometres (22 mi) fromMonaco.[36] The principality is in coexistence with, and claims the territory of, the town ofSeborga. In the early 1960s, Giorgio Carbone, began promoting the idea that Seborga restore its historic independence as a principality.[37][38] By 1963 the people of Seborga were sufficiently convinced of these arguments to elect Carbone as their Head of State. He then assumed the style and titleHis Serene HighnessGiorgio I, Prince of Seborga, which he held until his death in 2009. The Principality of Seborga is anelective monarchy and elections are held every seven years. The subsequent monarch was PrinceMarcello Menegatto (Prince Marcello I) who ruled from 2010 to 2019. On 23 April 2017, Prince Marcello was re-elected and took office for another seven years,[39] but abdicated the throne in 2019.[40]Nina Menegatto was elected head of state as Princess Nina on 10 November 2019.[41]
In 1967,Paddy Roy Bates, a former major in theBritish Army, took control ofRoughs Tower, a Maunsell sea fort situated off the coast ofSuffolk and declared it the "Principality of Sealand".[42] Upon his death in 2012, "Prince" Paddy Roy Bates was succeeded by his son,Michael.[43]
Romana Didulo, a Filipina–Canadian woman, claimed to be the "secret Queen of Canada" in June 2021, and amassed a cult-like following, mainly consisting of right-wingQAnon supporters, being followed by 17,000 users ofTelegram, a messaging platform favoured by the far-right and QAnon figures. She and her followers began to hand out "cease and desist" letters, demanding people and businesses stop following CanadianCOVID-19 restrictions.[44]
In an introductory video on Telegram, Didulo claimed to be "the founder and leader of Canada1st", an unregistered political party, and "the head of state and commander in chief of Canada, the Republic". She alleged that Canada's actual head of state, QueenElizabeth II, had been secretly executed and that she had been appointed as Queen by "the same group of people who have helped president Trump", in reference to a common belief within the QAnon conspiracy theory.[45][46] In reality, Elizabeth II died of natural causes onSeptember 8, 2022.[47][48]