The United Republics of Jamtland, Herjeådalen and Ravund (often shortened to the Republic of Jamtland) is a humorous culture and marketing

project A project is any undertaking, carried out individually or collaboratively and possibly involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular goal. An alternative view sees a project managerially as a sequence of even ...

or micronation, with regionalist and historical elements based in the

Swedish County The counties of Sweden (Swedish: ''Sveriges län'') are the top-level geographic subdivisions of Sweden. Sweden is today divided into 21 counties; however, the number of counties has varied over time, due to territorial gains/losses and to div ...

Jämtland Jämtland (; no, Jemtland or , ; Jamtish: ''Jamtlann''; la, Iemptia) is a historical province () in the centre of Sweden in northern Europe. It borders Härjedalen and Medelpad to the south, Ångermanland to the east, Lapland to the north a ...

, located in the middle of Scandinavia. From the 10th to 12th century Jamtland was self-governing and was independent of any crown, hence the name "Republic of Jamtland". It was annexed in 1178 to the crown of Norway. It still exercised significant self-rule, and its primary connection to the Norwegian king was through paying royal taxes. The

Orkney Islands Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

were the only other area that enjoyed similar self-rule.

History

The Republic of Jamtland was founded in 1963 (recalling the former 10th-century republic) in reaction to emigration from the county. The event that triggered its foundation was the centralist plan of Swedish officials to merge Jämtland County with Västernorrland County. The founders organized an association, ''The Liberation Movement'', and mobilized the people through the "freedom festival"

Storsjöyran Storsjöyran or just Yran (''literal meaning: The Great Lake Giddy Festival'') is an annual Swedish musical event going back to the early sixties. Festival history The festival was started in honor of the ancient can-do spirit of the people of J ...

. TV entertainer

Yngve Gamlin Yngve Gamlin (17 March 1926 – 1 February 1995) was a Swedish actor and film director. His 1965 film '' The Chasers'' was entered into the 16th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Silver Bear Extraordinary Jury Prize. Ga ...

was "elected" president, and ''Jamtland'' was proclaimed a republic in its own right, within the Kingdom of Sweden. The second president, the comedian Moltas Erikson, described the Liberation Movement as "51% in jest and 49% in earnest". It is largely seen as a humorous hoax, and actual support for an independent state among the local population is low. The movement's main focus is to preserve and promote the Jamtlandic culture, language and way of life, but not independence for the three "constituent republics". The third president was

Ewert Ljusberg Karl Ewert Alvar Ljusberg (7 May 1945 – 1 October 2021) was a Swedish troubadour, ballad singer, entertainer, and the fictitious Republic of Jamtland's president from 1989 until his death. He lived in Hällekis. Career During his career as ...

, a man again from show business. Once a year he made a popular speech at the city festival Storsjöyran in Östersund where he agitated against and mocked the "Big-Swedes", the

Swedish government The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden ( sv, Konungariket Sveriges regering) is the national cabinet of Sweden, and the country's executive authority. The Government consists of the Prime Ministerappointed and dismissed by the Speaker of the R ...

and the European Union, in a simultaneously serious and joking manner. Actress and television host

Eva Röse Eva Röse (born 16 October 1973) is a Sweden, Swedish actress and television host. She is best known internationally for her role as the sinister android Niska in Season 1 of the Swedish science fiction TV series ''Real Humans''. Since 2022, she ...

was elected the Republic's fourth president in 2022.

National symbols

In addition to the

flag of the Republic of Jamtland The flag of the Republic of Jamtland was created in 1983 by activists Kent Backman and Bo OscarssonOscarsson, BoJamtamot
Originally Published in J ...

(which unmistakably has the Norwegian Lion in its centre), the republic boasts its own national anthem, entitled "Jämtlandssången". Versions of the song exist in both

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

and Jamtlandic, the official language of the republic.

The Jamtland song

Presidents of the Republic of Jamtland

*1963–1983:

(1926–1995) *1983–1988: Moltas Erikson (1932–1988) *1988–2021:

(1945–2021) *2022–present:

(born 1973)

References

External links