The Principality of Marlborough was a short-lived

micronation A micronation is a political entity whose members claim that they belong to an independent nation or sovereign state, but which lacks legal recognition by world governments or major international organizations. Micronations are classified se ...

established in 1993 located at near

Marlborough Marlborough may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Marlborough, Wiltshire, England ** Marlborough College, public school * Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England * The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England Austral ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia, about 200 km (124 mi) north of

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...

. The principality came into being when farmer George Muirhead, facing the possibility of the repossession of his properties - ''Kierawonga & Indicus'' - by the

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, challenged the legality of their bills of exchange in the

Queensland Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Queensland is the highest court in the Australian State of Queensland. It was formerly the Brisbane Supreme Court, in the colony of Queensland. The original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court allows its trial division to he ...

. When he lost the case, Muirhead returned to his property under the grounds that he had been denied natural justice, and, along with his wife and approximately 30 other supporters, declared it to be an independent principality where the bank and

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...

had no legal authority. 11 days after the proclamation of independence (at approximately 5:00am), 120 officers of the

Queensland Police The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is the principal law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto ...

entered the property and forcibly evicted the Muirheads. The Muirheads won widespread media attention from across the world, with the media portraying them as hardworking people being victimized by a cold, heartless corporation. The Muirheads adopted the

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, the

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, the Australian Aboriginal Flag and the

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Flag as the symbol of their

principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) can either be a monarchical feudatory or a sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a regnant-monarch with the title of prince and/or princess, or by a monarch with another title considered to fall under ...

during the

secession Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...

. On the Queen's Birthday Long Weekend 1993, a small number of men, clad in surplus military fatigues, attempted to storm

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. When confronted by security officers, the group claimed to be the Marlborough Liberation Army. The group later turned out to be engaged in a high school prank. As of 2004, the Muirheads have not pursued their claim to the principality.

References

*
DIY Sovereignty and the Popular Right in Australia
, by Judy Lattas, Macquarie University, March 2005. * "Defiant Graziers Under Arrest", ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 14 June 1993. * "Rebel graziers' bid to keep land ends in contempt charge", ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 14 June 1993. * "Defiant graziers stay in jail", ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 15 June 1993. * "A Principality without walls near Jericho", ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 15 June 1993. * "The great conspiracy to enslave Australia", ''Sydney Morning Herald'', 21 June 1993. * Queensland Title Office records from 1993 for Kierawonga & Indicus. {{DEFAULTSORT:Marlborough Micronations in Australia Politics of Queensland States and territories established in 1993 Former unrecognized countries Micronations