Are France’s other republics megalomania or fun?

France and its Republic are actually the fertile ground for a myriad of inner ‘microstates’ and Republics founded for various purposes.

Its most famous is the République du Saugeais, founded in 1947 and reigning over 11 municipalities of the Haut-Doubs in the Doubs department), or the Principality of Aigues-Mortes in the Gard.

But France counts many others with no legal recognition.

These include the self-proclaimed Basse-Chesnaie’s empire (Ille-et-Vilaine), the Principauté de Laàs (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), Hélianthis (Gironde), Figuerolles (Bouches-du-Rhône), the République de Montmartre (Paris) or the Angyalistan empire.

More than 20 of them reunite at the Organisation de la microfrancophonie, an association for the promotion of such states founded in 2016. 

While they have not been counted up, the organisation told The Connexion it believes France counts about 50 around its territory.

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Started from a joke

“The aim is to promote our territory. It is apolitical and has no interest in meddling with religion,” said Vincent Merchadou, the prince of Hélianthis and a civil servant at Cenon’s mairie, whose Principality began as a joke between friends on June 1, 2013.

That joke turned into a more serious adventure. 

Mr Merchadou was crowned prince Vincent I during an official two-hour-long ceremony at Blaye’s citadel last August 5 to mark the tenth year of the principality’s existence. His empire is centred around Blaye and its surrounding municipalities.

Humour is a major component behind the establishment of such nations, republics or Principalities. The République du Saugeais started from a joke as well, much like the République de Montmartre in 1920.

Official Napoleon doppelganger

Megalomania is another, particularly in the case of Frank Samson, 56, a French lawyer with an infatuation for Napoleon – and his official doppelganger during Napoleonic battle reconstitutions.

Mr Samson reigns over the empire of Basse-Chesnaie as its emperor Franck-Marc the first. His empire? His one-hectare house in Saint-Thual, 35 kilometres north of Rennes.

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The exiled emperor

Others have more poetic goals such as Olivier Touzeau, 50, the emperor of the empire of Angyalistan or the juxtaposition of angyal – angel in Hungarian – and the suffix -stan (location in Farsi). His territory? The horizon, an unfathomable limit that coerces Mr Touzeau into an emperor in eternal exile.

“What lies behind these grotesque impetuses that give rise to laughter? We look to defend universalism, fraternity and respect of the surrounding world. These are our values,” said Frédéric C., one of Mr Touzeau’s ministers in an interview with Le Monde.

Scam republics

Many, however, are also founded on shadier grounds, often tax-evasion tactics or scam passport companies for immigrants.

More than 400 micronations are reported around the world. 

The United States has the famous Conch or Lakota Republics while the United Kingdom has Austenasia, the empire of Adammia, The People’s Republic of Podjistan or the Principality of Sealand.