01-06-2010, 09:19 PM
Many months ago before I reactivated my citizenship here, I was asked to prepare an address to Parliament on the occasion of the accession to the Throne of Morovia by the King of Hanover.
Before the invitation ever came, the Morovian Throne was abandoned for some reason that I cannot recall, and the address was never delivered.
Going through my files searching for something else, today, I chanced upon it...and since I went to the trouble to prepare remarks for the occasion, I post them now for the public record. They may be of interest to Hanoverian history buffs...if, indeed, such creatures exist:
Remarks to the Parliament of Hanover by His Majesty King James, First King of These Realms, On the Occasion of His Majesty the King's Accession to the Throne of Morovia
Madame Speaker,
My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Beloved Sons and Daughters,
Today I present myself before you, in response to your gracious and most thoughtful invitation, to address you on the occasion of His Majesty the King's accession to the Throne of the Kingdom of Morovia.
I cannot adequately express how touched I was to receive your greeting and your invitation; and how I rejoiced at the thought of being in your midst, so to speak, once again.
I am acutely sensible of the historical significance of the event we commemorate today. As many of you know, before I established the throne that (figuratively) stands behind me in this august chamber, I was, for a time, the subject of one who sat upon another throne. I refer, of course, to Vincent the Third, the first King of Morovia.
As Vincent's subject I learned for the first time what it meant to be the citizen of a non-territorial national community. I learned many lessons from my observations of the most active and outspoken political, religious and cultural leaders of the day within the community, and thanks to the kind encouragement of His Majesty and many, many others, I was able to become, myself, an active and enthusiastic contributor to the great civic pageant.
For the neophyte, an inaugural foray into this relatively new mode of encountering community can be a bewildering experience. One is instantly presented with a barrage of unfamiliar customs and expectations, and it is easy enough to stumble through what often amounts to a rather odd jungle planted thick with strange new flora. For some, this unique frontier may represent an appalling adjustment of paradigm. For others, the logic is quite clear from the very start. In every case, our experiences depend heavily upon the personalities we encounter along the way.
I was fortunate enough to encounter the Kingdom of Morovia and all the wonderful personalities there present before I did other similar communities. I say fortunate because I have observed many other such communities since discovering Morovia, and so many of them would have caused me to be repelled by this so-called 'micro-national' phenomenon had they been my first point of encounter with it.
The Kingdom of Morovia, however, a vibrant community of intelligent, politically active, and culturally astute citizens, immediately opened my eyes to the notion that community--even national community--is possible amongst persons scattered about the four corners of the earth. And in Morovia I found a second motherland, as it were; a national community in which one might have a significant impact upon the whole of society just for taking the initiative to become involved.
In the end, the engaging and vibrant community that I knew as Morovia would, sadly, collapse. Some of us who remained until the end, however, were fortunate enough to be able to salvage parts from her ruins and, by welding those parts saved from the ashes to new elements fashioned for a new nation, were able to rebuild our familiar society and expand upon it within the framework of a new kingdom. This kingdom of Hanover, of course, is that new kingdom.
Much later, the very centrepieces of Morovian society--whose neglect of their own creation led to what might have been her final dereliction--would approach the Hanoverian Crown in an attempt to presume upon this nation's life's blood for an infusion into the silenced heart of Morovia's ostensible remains, such as they were. It was not to be, however. What was once good and alive about Morovia now formed an inalienable limb of the living body of the Kingdom of Hanover. Hanover had Morovia coarsing through her veins for years by that time. Morovia was truly and genuinely present only in the heart of Hanover; and not in the suddenly rekindled nostalgia of the occasional champions of the ghosts of her past.
Although the Kingdom of Hanover had replaced Morovia's fallen infrastructure as the new home of the Morovian people, the Crown of Morovia, as such, remained a fact de jure. The name 'Morovia' still lingered; and her sovereign would re-emerge every now and again, to assure all that "reports of (his) demise were greatly exaggerated". Eventually, however, Vincent would abdicate in favour of another, and his successor has now forfeited Vincent's throne to the present King of Hanover according to the terms of an agreement between King Alexander and himself.
The irony that one of my successors upon the Hanoverian Throne should become King of Morovia will not be lost on those of you who have been around for the past six years or so. I suppose that does number very few of you, at this point. Many of the rest of you may not have heard the compelling stories of your nation's origins, and of how the disappearance of a king was responsible for the birth of a nation. I will spare this august body a detailed history lecture (beyond that which I have already delivered). There are those, here, who can, another time, relate the rest of the story to any who desire to hear it. And these fora are replete with archives documenting the nation's history.
Today, Morovia's long day's journey into night comes full circle: she returns again to behold the light of day; her future secure. Today, Morovia continues as she has since 2002: in the hearts and memories of the people of Hanover. But with the accession of King Alexander to the throne established by Vincent III, Morovia is no longer merely a fond memory or simply a point of law; she will continue wholly intact as a sovereign nation.
Throughout the course of my reign I witnessed all of those things one might expect to witness: subjects appearing and vanishing, governments coming and going, diplomats arriving and departing, news journals beginning and ending, banks rising and falling, churches demanding our faith in their everlasting mission before crumbling to dust, enthusiasms waxing and waning. I could never have anticipated in my most far-fetched imaginations, however, the event we celebrate on this occasion.
I offer, then, my most sincere congratulations to His Majesty the King. It was history chose His Majesty to be that monarch to seal and make formal the final union between Morovia and Hanover that has so long been in the making. Like the Stuart King James I at last, in 1603, astride both the Scotch and the English thrones--uniting two kindred kingdoms forever in an empire of fraternity--so does Hanover's king now sit happily upon the thrones of once estranged sister realms.
As I congratulate Morovia's new king, however, I would be remiss were I to fail to give thanks and praise to her first king for giving birth to that happy realm that drew so many of us to a very grand experience that has, ultimately, enriched all our lives. King Vincent's Morovia demonstrated that a community of this sort is only as good as the people who comprise it. The authenticity and vitality we so enjoyed during Morovia's golden years was only possible on account of the commitment to excellence that so many Morovians shared in those days.
That commitment to excellence followed us to Hanover. Whereas so many less-compelling communities of this nature lack appeal on account of their preference for a highly inauthentic shorthand approach to nation-building and statecraft, Hanover has usually been regarded as an example of the best sort of non-territorial nation.
My prayer is that the Kingdom of Hanover will faithfully resist the inexplicable temptation to trade an authentic experience of nationhood for something easier but far less worthy of her heritage. Alas, those who would be so tempted will never read my prayer, as their slight attention spans will not have permitted them to persevere this far in the reading of these remarks. But Hanover must never fall under the sway of those who clamour to lower the bar. In fact, it might be argued that Hanover is under an obligation to advance and to perfect herself. Having come this far, it might be said, not to go forward is to fail.
As my remarks draw to a close, allow me to express my sincere appreciation for all that you--my former people--have given me through the years. In your company I have known joys and sorrows, failures and triumphs. Through it all, we have grown together. Through it all, we have joined in a bond of unbreakable friendship. Through it all, we have sailed through largely uncharted waters to discover a new world.
Seven years ago, when I first joined with that happy company that would become the original populace of this nation, I could not help but fall in love with this kingdom we together built and called Hanover. I have returned several times since my first departure, and my affection has grown with each succeeding visit.
As this community begins a new chapter in her story, I offer my heartfelt prayer that these realms will continue to be blessed by the God by Whose grace the new King of Morovia reigns, and by which the King of Hanover ever has.
God save the King.
Before the invitation ever came, the Morovian Throne was abandoned for some reason that I cannot recall, and the address was never delivered.
Going through my files searching for something else, today, I chanced upon it...and since I went to the trouble to prepare remarks for the occasion, I post them now for the public record. They may be of interest to Hanoverian history buffs...if, indeed, such creatures exist:
Remarks to the Parliament of Hanover by His Majesty King James, First King of These Realms, On the Occasion of His Majesty the King's Accession to the Throne of Morovia
Madame Speaker,
My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Beloved Sons and Daughters,
Today I present myself before you, in response to your gracious and most thoughtful invitation, to address you on the occasion of His Majesty the King's accession to the Throne of the Kingdom of Morovia.
I cannot adequately express how touched I was to receive your greeting and your invitation; and how I rejoiced at the thought of being in your midst, so to speak, once again.
I am acutely sensible of the historical significance of the event we commemorate today. As many of you know, before I established the throne that (figuratively) stands behind me in this august chamber, I was, for a time, the subject of one who sat upon another throne. I refer, of course, to Vincent the Third, the first King of Morovia.
As Vincent's subject I learned for the first time what it meant to be the citizen of a non-territorial national community. I learned many lessons from my observations of the most active and outspoken political, religious and cultural leaders of the day within the community, and thanks to the kind encouragement of His Majesty and many, many others, I was able to become, myself, an active and enthusiastic contributor to the great civic pageant.
For the neophyte, an inaugural foray into this relatively new mode of encountering community can be a bewildering experience. One is instantly presented with a barrage of unfamiliar customs and expectations, and it is easy enough to stumble through what often amounts to a rather odd jungle planted thick with strange new flora. For some, this unique frontier may represent an appalling adjustment of paradigm. For others, the logic is quite clear from the very start. In every case, our experiences depend heavily upon the personalities we encounter along the way.
I was fortunate enough to encounter the Kingdom of Morovia and all the wonderful personalities there present before I did other similar communities. I say fortunate because I have observed many other such communities since discovering Morovia, and so many of them would have caused me to be repelled by this so-called 'micro-national' phenomenon had they been my first point of encounter with it.
The Kingdom of Morovia, however, a vibrant community of intelligent, politically active, and culturally astute citizens, immediately opened my eyes to the notion that community--even national community--is possible amongst persons scattered about the four corners of the earth. And in Morovia I found a second motherland, as it were; a national community in which one might have a significant impact upon the whole of society just for taking the initiative to become involved.
In the end, the engaging and vibrant community that I knew as Morovia would, sadly, collapse. Some of us who remained until the end, however, were fortunate enough to be able to salvage parts from her ruins and, by welding those parts saved from the ashes to new elements fashioned for a new nation, were able to rebuild our familiar society and expand upon it within the framework of a new kingdom. This kingdom of Hanover, of course, is that new kingdom.
Much later, the very centrepieces of Morovian society--whose neglect of their own creation led to what might have been her final dereliction--would approach the Hanoverian Crown in an attempt to presume upon this nation's life's blood for an infusion into the silenced heart of Morovia's ostensible remains, such as they were. It was not to be, however. What was once good and alive about Morovia now formed an inalienable limb of the living body of the Kingdom of Hanover. Hanover had Morovia coarsing through her veins for years by that time. Morovia was truly and genuinely present only in the heart of Hanover; and not in the suddenly rekindled nostalgia of the occasional champions of the ghosts of her past.
Although the Kingdom of Hanover had replaced Morovia's fallen infrastructure as the new home of the Morovian people, the Crown of Morovia, as such, remained a fact de jure. The name 'Morovia' still lingered; and her sovereign would re-emerge every now and again, to assure all that "reports of (his) demise were greatly exaggerated". Eventually, however, Vincent would abdicate in favour of another, and his successor has now forfeited Vincent's throne to the present King of Hanover according to the terms of an agreement between King Alexander and himself.
The irony that one of my successors upon the Hanoverian Throne should become King of Morovia will not be lost on those of you who have been around for the past six years or so. I suppose that does number very few of you, at this point. Many of the rest of you may not have heard the compelling stories of your nation's origins, and of how the disappearance of a king was responsible for the birth of a nation. I will spare this august body a detailed history lecture (beyond that which I have already delivered). There are those, here, who can, another time, relate the rest of the story to any who desire to hear it. And these fora are replete with archives documenting the nation's history.
Today, Morovia's long day's journey into night comes full circle: she returns again to behold the light of day; her future secure. Today, Morovia continues as she has since 2002: in the hearts and memories of the people of Hanover. But with the accession of King Alexander to the throne established by Vincent III, Morovia is no longer merely a fond memory or simply a point of law; she will continue wholly intact as a sovereign nation.
Throughout the course of my reign I witnessed all of those things one might expect to witness: subjects appearing and vanishing, governments coming and going, diplomats arriving and departing, news journals beginning and ending, banks rising and falling, churches demanding our faith in their everlasting mission before crumbling to dust, enthusiasms waxing and waning. I could never have anticipated in my most far-fetched imaginations, however, the event we celebrate on this occasion.
I offer, then, my most sincere congratulations to His Majesty the King. It was history chose His Majesty to be that monarch to seal and make formal the final union between Morovia and Hanover that has so long been in the making. Like the Stuart King James I at last, in 1603, astride both the Scotch and the English thrones--uniting two kindred kingdoms forever in an empire of fraternity--so does Hanover's king now sit happily upon the thrones of once estranged sister realms.
As I congratulate Morovia's new king, however, I would be remiss were I to fail to give thanks and praise to her first king for giving birth to that happy realm that drew so many of us to a very grand experience that has, ultimately, enriched all our lives. King Vincent's Morovia demonstrated that a community of this sort is only as good as the people who comprise it. The authenticity and vitality we so enjoyed during Morovia's golden years was only possible on account of the commitment to excellence that so many Morovians shared in those days.
That commitment to excellence followed us to Hanover. Whereas so many less-compelling communities of this nature lack appeal on account of their preference for a highly inauthentic shorthand approach to nation-building and statecraft, Hanover has usually been regarded as an example of the best sort of non-territorial nation.
My prayer is that the Kingdom of Hanover will faithfully resist the inexplicable temptation to trade an authentic experience of nationhood for something easier but far less worthy of her heritage. Alas, those who would be so tempted will never read my prayer, as their slight attention spans will not have permitted them to persevere this far in the reading of these remarks. But Hanover must never fall under the sway of those who clamour to lower the bar. In fact, it might be argued that Hanover is under an obligation to advance and to perfect herself. Having come this far, it might be said, not to go forward is to fail.
As my remarks draw to a close, allow me to express my sincere appreciation for all that you--my former people--have given me through the years. In your company I have known joys and sorrows, failures and triumphs. Through it all, we have grown together. Through it all, we have joined in a bond of unbreakable friendship. Through it all, we have sailed through largely uncharted waters to discover a new world.
Seven years ago, when I first joined with that happy company that would become the original populace of this nation, I could not help but fall in love with this kingdom we together built and called Hanover. I have returned several times since my first departure, and my affection has grown with each succeeding visit.
As this community begins a new chapter in her story, I offer my heartfelt prayer that these realms will continue to be blessed by the God by Whose grace the new King of Morovia reigns, and by which the King of Hanover ever has.
God save the King.