Dominion of British West Florida

The Dominion of British West Florida is a separatist micronation founded in 2005 "on an eccentric interpretation of actual historic events"[1] and based in the Gulf Coast of the United States. It claims the territory of the 18th-century colony of West Florida, which includes land that the US currently splits between parts of the states of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi,[2] and Florida.

Not to be confused with British West Florida.
Dominion of British West Florida

Micronation
Flag
Coat of Arms
Motto: Dieu et mon Droit
God, and my Right
StatusCurrent
CapitalPensacola
Official languagesEnglish
Organizational structureMonarchy
Establishment
• Declared
November 29, 2005[1]
Purported currencyPound Sterling

The Dominion claims to be "striving for Dominion Status as a Commonwealth Realm, on a par with Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and The Bahamas".[3] The organization neither is acknowledged by any government nor exercises any authority over its claimed territory, and its activities are largely limited to the internet.

History

The micronation was founded in November 2005 in order to "reassert Britain's rights" over the region, by an individual identified on the micronation's website only as "Robert VII, Duke of Florida".[4] The website asserts that Duke Robert "inherited the Peerage of the Dominion" in 1969, and "accepted the position of Governor General" in 1994. The micronation has issued cinderella stamps and has minted several base metal coins, produced by Jorge Vidal and issued in denominations based on pre-decimal pounds.[1]

The US received Florida from Spain in 1821 in accordance with the Adams–Onís Treaty, but the founders of the Micronation assert that control of the region had actually defaulted to the United Kingdom in 1808, upon the removal from office of King Charles IV of Spain.[4] This interpretation of historic events is not supported by any mainstream historian.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Unrecognised States Numismatic Society". Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  2. Ryan, John; Dunford, George; Sellars, Simon (2006). Micronations. Lonely Planet. p. 139. ISBN 1-74104-730-7.
  3. "dbwf.net". dbwf.net. Archived from the original on 2020-01-02. Retrieved 2020-10-21.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. "Dominion of British West Florida". Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  5. Mathson, S and Lorenzen, M.G. (2008). We Won't Be Fooled Again: Teaching Critical Thinking via Evaluation of Hoax and Historical Revisionist Websites in a Library Credit Course. College and Undergraduate Libraries, 15 (1/2): 211-230.
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