Every honest and self-respecting pirate (whose heart is obsessed with the sea, and whose soul yearns for freedom) dreams of one day conquering his own island, declaring himself its rightful lord and master. It was these beliefs that guided British radio journalist and retired British Army Major Paddy Roy Bates when he captured the abandoned Roughs Tower military platform and founded the Principality of Sealand on it in 1967.

During the Second World War in the North Sea, off the coast of Great Britain, defensive structures were installed - forts designed to protect the country from enemy attacks. Some of these concrete structures look like pontoon barges, others look like a cross between oil rigs and giant retro cameras mounted on tripods. Basically, all these strategic points had weapons for air defense, but some could withstand ships and even submarines. At the end of hostilities, all the surviving buildings lost their relevance and were forgotten as unnecessary.

The forts became an ideal location for illegal radio stations, which were popularly referred to as pirate ones. Encouraged by the clandestine broadcasting boom of the wild sixties, Bates, an avid radio amateur, was looking for a place for his own base with the modest name of "Britain's Best Music Radio". As a result (along with his wife Joan and 14-year-old son Michael) he reached one of the former military platforms called the Roughs Tower.

It was then that our “invader” felt completely free and even came up with his new life credo to celebrate: “Any group of people who are disappointed in the despotic laws and restrictions of existing states can declare independence in any place that does not fall under another sovereign jurisdiction ".

Yes, with light hand a settler who suddenly appeared, an empty concrete colossus became an independent state, and an extravagant family forgot about the ambitions of the “kings of the musical ether”, because they had much more interesting activity. Bates proclaimed himself the monarch (prince) of the territory, and his family the ruling dynasty.

The new ruler did not bother to search for the original name at all and settled on Sealand (in English, literally "Sea Land"). However, the modest name did not prevent Bates from inventing a completely immodest title for himself - "General-Admiral of Sealand, Prince Roy I Bates." Accordingly, his legal wife became a princess - Joanna I Bates.

No matter how crazy Bates' antics may seem, and no matter how small the Roughs Tower water fortress looks on the world map, Sealand really turned out to be a real mini-country. And, despite the fact that the local population can be counted on the fingers, and the total area of ​​the platform is not more than a thousand square meters, Sealand has everything that any state should have. There is a flag, and a coat of arms, and an anthem, and a constitution, as well as its own government, political system (constitutional monarchy), state posts and even a prison. Collectible postage stamps, coins are issued, and, of course, all the inhabitants of the wonderland have identity cards.

Of course, all this happiness did not arise just like that - I had to sweat a lot and fight for it. A year later, in 1968, the British authorities decided to put in place the smug Bates, who imagined that he could do whatever he wanted. From the shores of Foggy Albion, ships of the naval forces were sent towards the fort. But it was not so easy to wipe the nose of a real pirate. “This is not a princely business - it is on ceremony with the military,” thought Bates, meeting “ foreign invaders» warning fire from the towers. So the patrol boats sailed back home. And although the matter did not come to bloodshed, but against Major Bates, as a British subject, a trial…

On September 2, 1968, a truly historic event for Sealand took place - the Essex judge ruled that the case of Bates and the island he seized was outside the jurisdiction of Great Britain. The British had to admit that the laws of their country did not apply in the Tower of Storms. The thing is that the territorial waters of Great Britain extend 4.8 kilometers from the coast, while the distance to the fort is about 13 km.

Since then, Sealand has had a national slogan: E Mare Libertas (translated from Latin - Freedom of the Sea). And the second of September is celebrated as the main public holiday of Sealand, the few inhabitants of which wanted to spit on the fact that officially the principality remains unrecognized. It is not included in any international organization. The British government does not recognize the existence of Sealand, but no longer takes any action to eliminate or capture it.

As in any other civilized and advanced country, Sealand could not do without coup d'état and fight for the throne. It all started with a slight misunderstanding between Prince Roy I (Bates) and his closest associate, the country's prime minister, Count Alexander Gottfried Achenbach. The parties differed in their views on the issue of attracting additional investments, accusing each other of "anti-constitutional intentions." Everything was not limited to verbal skirmishes, and more radical methods were used. So, in August 1978, there was a putsch. Taking advantage of the temporary absence of the head of state, the Prime Minister, together with Dutch accomplices, stole the heir to the throne, the young Prince Michael I. First, he was locked in one of the basements of the platform, and then he was taken to the Netherlands by force. But the outrage did not last long. Michael escaped from captivity and met with his father.

The deposed monarch Roy, who already had experience in fighting unwanted intruders, enlisted the support of loyal citizens of the country and easily regained his rightful throne. The young heir was returned to his place, and the malicious rebel and his minions were caught and imprisoned in Sealand Island, in accordance with international law. However, all offenders were soon released, as the Geneva Convention for the Treatment of Prisoners of War requires the release of foreign prisoners after the conclusion of hostilities. When the passions subsided, Prince Roy gave a knee in the ass to his former loyal subject, removing the "infidel" from all government posts and accusing him of treason.

Being deported to his historical homeland (Germany), Achenbach continued to insist on his rights to a seat in the Sealand government. But left with nothing.

He was replaced by a new prime minister, Johannes Seiger. We add that the ex-premier, deprived of his Sealand citizenship and title of nobility, formed his own "government in exile."

But not only the closest relatives and associates of Bates can get a high and honorary public position in Sealand. The government is happy to accept celebrities into its ranks in exchange for the support of the principality. In particular, the automotive guru, Mr. Jeremy Clarkson, was asked to sit in the ministerial chair. “Clarkson is the right guy, and I would like him to become Prime Minister of Sealand, but he is silent for now,” Prince Michael I commented in an interview.

In the 21st century, such a phenomenon as Sealand is already exotic in itself. The history of this quasi-state is more like medieval tales about pirates, and it’s hard to believe that THIS can be done these days. All the more interesting is the episode associated with the issuance of passports for this unique micro-country. Or rather, not an episode, but a grandiose criminal scam. Let's start with the fact that many states were ready to put visas on Sealand passports, regardless of the unofficial status of the country.

By 1997, the number of Sealand passports suddenly rose to 150,000. This is despite the fact that no more than ten people live in the principality, and total number its citizens worldwide barely reach three hundred. Interpol became interested in the issue, which was quickly discovered by an international criminal syndicate that set up trade not only in fake Sealand passports, but also in diplomatic ones, as well as driver's licenses and university diplomas.

But these are just flowers! Soon, attempts were made to open bank accounts in several European countries, and even to acquire weapons using Sealand passports. The headquarters of malefactors was found out in Germany - the sphere of its activity covered the Great Britain, France, Spain, Slovenia, Romania and Russia. Not without the Russian mafia - a certain Russian citizen Igor Popov appeared in the role of Sealand's false foreign minister. And one of the "fake" passports was found with Andrew Cunanan - the killer of fashion designer Gianni Versace.

Here is such a political detective story, the culmination of which could well compete with Hollywood blockbuster scripts. After this unpleasant incident, the cup of patience was overflowing, and, having fully cooperated with the investigation, the Sealand government canceled passports, replacing them with identity cards. But today for only 29.99 pounds you can get title of nobility, becoming a baron or baroness of a unique micro-state. The title of earl or countess will cost a little more - £199.99. This service was called "Christmas gift for the man who has everything."

Continuing the list of action-packed sketches from the life of Sealand, it would not be superfluous to mention that the principality went down in history as the first state in the world to burn to the ground. On June 23, 2006, a short circuit in a generator started a serious fire, which was extinguished only with the help of the UK. It should be noted that this time the militant Bates family showed tolerance and friendliness towards the British and did not expel the "foreigners" with the usual rifles, shotguns and Molotov cocktails.

According to the website of the Sealand government, the island survived a terrible fire, "which destroyed most of the administrative center of the country and the main power generator that served its population and government." Nevertheless, Sealand quickly recovered from the stress - by November of the same year, all the damaged property had been restored.

Now Prince Roy I lives in Spain, but the life of Sealand did not stop there. The state is prosperous and healthy! The official ruler of the principality today is his son Michael (he is also the former Prince Regent Michael I). “My father is now 85, my mother is under 80, and I am over 50,” says Prince Michael of Sealand, “I think the project needs some updating.” Spanish real estate dealers that specialize in buying and selling islands have already contacted his family. At one time, there were even rumors that the Inmo Naranja company valued Sealand at 600 million English pounds. However, who knows what kind of money can force the “pirate son” to auction off the family principality. And what pirate wants to part with his treasures?!

Speaking of money, on the "Island of Freedom" the local non-freely convertible currency is in use - the Sealand dollar. On the obverse of the coins you can see a portrait of one of the monarchs, on the reverse - the coat of arms of Sealand. It is difficult to imagine how exactly the money circulation within the country works, and what exactly can be bought with this money, which is more like a fetish than a unit of account. The purpose of the post office and its own stamps seems no less mysterious, because the only possible way delivery of correspondence - by air or private transport by boat.

At the turn of the new millennium princely family Batesov remembered his noble pirate past. This time the family turned not to the radio, but to the World Wide Web. Sealand announced its readiness to host on its territory the servers of companies wishing to create Internet hosting, independent of the mainland jurisdiction. In turn, the government guarantees the inviolability of freedom of information legislation - everything is allowed in Sealand's Internet spaces, except for child pornography, spam and hacker attacks.

The initial idea was to capture a no-man's sea platform and organize some kind of entertainment center on it, like an amusement park. The adventure was interesting, if financially expensive, but two bosom buddies Paddy Roy Bates and Ronan O'Reilly decided to take a chance and secure a source of permanent income. Shortly after the landing, made in 1966, the friends disagreed and Bates sent O'Reilly "in the cold", declaring that from now on the platform belongs only to him. However, the retired major of the British Armed Forces did not have money for a complete re-equipment of the platform, and he decided on a breathtaking step - he announced the territory of the platform, equal to 1,300 square meters, the Principality of Sealand, and himself - the monarch and Prince Roy I. Do you think he is a potential patient in a psychiatric hospital? Everything is much more complicated...

The territory of the Principality of Sealand in its "youth" served in the army and was called "Fort Maunsell" - the offshore platform was created and installed by order of the British Navy in 1942. There were dozens of similar platforms along coastline England, each housed a detachment of two hundred soldiers serving the anti-aircraft gun complex. With their help, Churchill and the British Admiralty hoped to seriously thin out the ranks of German bombers in the event of an air strike from Nazi Germany, to track the setting of minefields by enemy minelayers - gun and anti-aircraft platforms were something like the first line of defense of Great Britain.

Second World War ended in victory for the Allies and the defense line from the sea platforms was dismantled, but Fort Maunsell remained in its place - guns and other army equipment were removed from it, but they had no right to remove it (Nock John Fort remained, it is in the image below). The fact is that under international law, the maritime territory along the perimeter of the British Isles, which is owned by Great Britain, is limited to three nautical miles from the coastline. All other anti-aircraft gun platforms were placed within it, but Fort Maunsell was set the farthest - six nautical miles from the coast, exactly opposite the mouth of the River Thames. Those. England had no right to it and therefore could not dismantle it - the platform became a no-man's land, located in neutral waters.

Another post-war platform and fellow Sealand - Knock John Fort

In the media of the middle of the last century, a no-man's offshore platform was nicknamed the "Hooligan Tower" or "Roughs Tower" - the platform exists, but it does not have an owner. And in 1966, this situation was changed by the British Bates and O'Reilly, they had reasons for that - both were in conflict with the law of Great Britain and were considered radio pirates for regularly airing illegal radio stations "Radio Essex" and "Radio Caroline" (lack of license, non-payment taxes, copyright infringement, etc.). Let's go back to the former Major Roy Bates, who became the sole owner of the Roughs Tower - the first thing he did was to start his Radio Essex again, enjoying the freedom from the jurisdiction of England. But the euphoria did not last long - the construction of the platform was in a deplorable state and required constant repairs, and Bates, who, moreover, England refused to pay a pension, had no money for this ... But he was found - after lengthy negotiations with lawyers and lawyers, a retired warrior declared himself prince and monarch of the Principality of Sealand, whose territory was the sea platform and the three-mile sea zone around it.

Two military conflicts immediately arose in the young principality - a former friend of O'Reilly tried to knock out a fellow radio pirate and appropriate the platform for himself, the British Navy made a similar attempt, also trying to return the platform to its jurisdiction and drive out the impudent invader, along with family and friends whom Bates by that time settled in the former army barracks of Sealand. We must pay tribute to the outstanding courage and determination of the retired major, his family and friends - both attacks were repulsed! In the first case, the population of the platform fought off the attackers with the help of rifles, machine guns and flamethrowers (!), In the second case, the boats of the coast guard of England turned to the shore as soon as rifle bullets whistled over their heads (Navy captains can be understood - getting injured just like that and fighting they didn’t want to deal with civilians, not the case).

Passport, coins and postage stamps of the Principality of Sealand

Now about the legal status of the Principality of Sealand. Having met armed resistance from the population of Sealand, representatives of the British Navy appealed to the Essex court with a demand to release the platform illegally occupied by an English citizen. But the Essex judge made the opposite decision - in early September 1968, he ruled that the Sealand offshore platform was outside the jurisdiction of the UK, i.e. The laws of a country have no power over its people. This was the first success of the young Principality, which Prince Roy I Bates immediately decided to consolidate by issuing his own postage stamps in 1969 (and demanding that the Universal Postal Union in Brussels accept the Principality of Sealand into its membership), starting to mint his own coin in 1972, and in 1975 - creating the Constitution of the Sealand Monarchy, its coat of arms, flag and anthem.

Those. According to the Montevideo International Convention, adopted in 1933 at the 7th Pan-American Conference, the principality of Sealand has all the features of an independent state, namely: it has its own territory, there is a permanent population, it has its own government and the principality is able (and has repeatedly tried!) to enter into diplomatic relations with other states.

So, since 1967 - for 45 years already - the Principality of Sealand has existed in good health, and the "August" family of a retired British major, who exchanged his homeland for a princely title, has accumulated a good fortune. I had a reasonable question - how much income can a principality located on the high seas and on an area the size of a football field bring? The first source of income was the pirated Radio Essex, then Roy I and his family switched to all sorts of promotional products - cups, T-shirts, posters, etc. Trade was greatly facilitated by the attempted coup d'état in Sealand in 1978, which brought incredible popularity to the microscopic principality and its population in the European media.

Crown Prince of Sealand Michael Bates

As the monarch of a sovereign state with all the necessary regalia, Roy I Bates, his wife, Princess Joan I Bates, the heir to the princely throne, Prince Regent Michael I and daughter Penelope are engaged in trading titles and other attributes of the Principality - to purchase a title and related documentation for 316 $ can anyone on the official website of the Principality of Sealand sealandgov.org. And the former putschist and Prime Minister of Sealand, Count Alexander Gottfried Achenbach, a German citizen, declared himself a “government in exile” and actively traded in fake passports of the principality, selling about 150,000 documents at $ 1,000 each (at the request of Interpol, Prince Roy I canceled the action all Sealand passports a few years ago). From 2000 to 2008, the servers of the hosting company HavenCo were located on the platform of the principality, which staked on an offshore zone and paid a tidy sum for rent.

Certificate of Title of the Principality of Sealand

Since 2007, the Principality on an offshore platform has been sold for only 750 million euros, and now only one of the 27 citizens of Sealand is permanently located on its territory. The elderly prince himself and his wife moved on land to England ten years ago - not the age to live on a platform in the middle of the sea.

The self-proclaimed state of Sealand is located in the North Sea and is a platform from the time of the Second World War, in each support of which there are 8 rooms.
Sealand can only be reached by helicopter or boat.
The platform was built for air defense and remained abandoned after World War 2. Since the platform was located outside the three-mile coastal zone and was deserted, it could well be considered a disputed territory, and Roy Bates hastened to officially occupy it. Taking ownership of a rectangle 30 meters long and less than 10 meters wide, Roy Bates declared it a monarchy, himself a prince and, accordingly, his wife a princess. The Royal Family and all loyal subjects of the newly formed principality declared absolute sovereignty. The new state was named the Principality of Sealand.
In 1975, His Majesty Prince Roy proclaimed a constitution. Later, the flag, anthem, postage stamps, silver and gold coins - Sealand dollars - were legalized. And, finally, the state and international passports of Sealand were accepted.
Physically, the territory of Sealand arose during the Second World War. In 1942, the British Navy built a series of platforms on the approaches to the coast. One of them was Roughs Tower (Roughs Tower, literally "hooligan tower"). During the war, anti-aircraft guns were stationed there and there was a garrison of 200 people. After the end of hostilities, most of the towers were destroyed, but Roughs Tower, being outside British territorial waters, remained intact. In 1966 retired major british army Paddy Roy Bates chose this place to base his pirate radio station "Britain's Better Music Station". To avoid prosecution by the British authorities, Bates declared the platform a sovereign state and proclaimed himself prince (prince) Roy I. The proclamation of Sealand took place on September 2, 1967 This day is celebrated as the main public holiday.
In August 1978, a putsch took place in the country. He was preceded by the emergence of tension between the prince and his closest associate, the country's prime minister Count Alexander Gottfried Achenbach (Alexander Gottfried Achenbach). The parties differed in their views on attracting foreign investment to the country and accused each other of unconstitutional intentions. Taking advantage of the absence of the prince, who was negotiating with investors in Austria, Achenbach landed on the island with a group of Dutch citizens. The invaders locked the young Prince Michael in the basement and then took him to the Netherlands. But Michael escaped from captivity and met with his father. With the support of the country's loyal citizens, the deposed monarchs managed to defeat the usurper troops and return to power.
Sealand territory with territorial waters The losers continued to insist on their rights. They formed the illegal government of Sealand in exile (FRG). Achenbach claimed to be the chairman of the Privy Council. In January 1989, he was arrested by the German authorities (naturally, they did not recognize his diplomatic status) and handed over his post to the Minister for Economic Cooperation, Johannes W. F. Seiger, who soon became Prime Minister. Re-elected in 1994 and 1999

September 2, 1967, a certain Paddy Roy Bates (Paddy Roy Bates) - a retired colonel of the British army, who chose Rough Sands Fort (or HM Fort Roughs, literally "hooligan tower") in 1966 to base his pirate radio station "Britain's Better Music Station" ”, announced the creation of the sovereign principality of Sealand (Principality of Sealand) on the territory of the sea fortress and proclaimed himself Prince Roy I.
In 1968, the British authorities tried to occupy the young state. Patrol boats approached the platform of the sea fortress, and the princely family responded with warning shots in the air. It did not come to bloodshed, but a lawsuit was launched against Prince Roy as a British citizen. On September 2, 1968, the judge of the English county of Essex issued a historic ruling: he recognized that the case was outside British jurisdiction - that is, he de facto recognized the sovereignty of the Principality of Sealand.

Sealand was founded in neutral waters before the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea came into force, prohibiting the construction of artificial structures on the high seas, and before the expansion of the UK sovereign maritime zone from 3 to 12 miles in 1987. Based on the fact that the Roughs Tower platform , on which Sealand is located, was abandoned and crossed out from the lists of the British Admiralty, its occupation is considered as colonization. The settlers who settled on it believe that they had every right to establish a state and establish a form of government at their discretion.
The Principality of Sealand has only five people, but it meets all the criteria for statehood specified in the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States. Sealand is a constitutional monarchy, headed by Prince Roy I Bates and Princess Joanna I Bates, although since 1999 direct power in the principality has been exercised by crown prince Michael I. The principality has its own constitution, flag and coat of arms, in Sealand they mint their own coin - the Sealand dollar and issue stamps. The smallest state in the world even has its own football team.

The Principality of Sealand went down in history as the first state in the world to burn to the ground - on June 23, 2006, a serious fire started due to a short circuit in the generator, which was extinguished thanks to the help provided by the UK. The restoration of an artificial island requires a lot of money and the Sealandian monarch, who has 40 years of his life connected with the island, decided that it was time to part with it. The state is up for sale - the starting price is 65 million pounds.

In an attempt to circumvent international copyright laws, the world's largest BitTorrent tracker, The Pirate Bay (lit. "pirate bay"), which has more than three million users who download "pirated" software, music, films and other protected materials from torrent for free copyright, recently launched a fundraising campaign to purchase the State of Sealand. "Help us - and you will become a citizen of Sealand!" the pirates say.

The "royal family" is already too old - Roy and Joanna Bates are already over eighty (and he died), their heir is over fifty. A couple of years ago they moved to Spain - it is not so easy for older people to live on the high seas, on a couple of hundred meters of concrete and iron blown by all the winds.

Sealand has long been a legend, and legends never die.

I want to tell you about an amazing country called Sealand (Sealand)
Physically, the territory of Sealand arose during the Second World War. In 1942, the British Navy built a series of platforms on the approaches to the coast. One of them was the Roughs Tower. During the war, anti-aircraft guns were stationed there and there was a garrison of 200 people. After the end of hostilities, most of the towers were destroyed, but Roughs Tower, being outside British territorial waters, remained intact.

In 1966, retired British Army Major Paddy Roy Bates and his friend Ronan O'Reilly chose the now abandoned Roughs Tower platform to build an amusement park. However, after a while they quarreled, and Bates became the sole owner of the island. In 1967, O'Reilly tried to take over the island and used force to do so, but Bates defended himself with rifles, shotguns, Molotov cocktails and flamethrowers, and O'Reilly's attack was repulsed.

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Roughs Tower platform Roughs Tower, on which Sealand is located

Roy did not build an amusement park, but chose a platform to base his pirate radio station, Britain's Better Music Station. On September 2, 1967, he announced the creation of a sovereign state and proclaimed himself Prince Roy I. This day is celebrated as the main public holiday.

In 1968, the British authorities tried to take over the platform. Patrol boats approached her, and the princely family responded with warning shots in the air. It did not come to bloodshed, but a lawsuit was launched against Prince Roy as a British citizen. On September 2, 1968, an Essex judge issued a historic ruling: he recognized that the case was outside British jurisdiction.

In 1972, Sealand began minting coins. In 1975, Sealand's first constitution went into effect.

There was a flag and coat of arms.

Sealand is a constitutional monarchy. The head of state is Prince Roy I Bates and Princess Joanna I Bates. Since 1999, Crown Prince Regent Michael I has exercised direct power. There is a constitution created in 1995, consisting of a preamble and 7 articles. The orders of the sovereign are issued in the form of decrees. In structure executive power three ministries: interior, foreign affairs and telecommunications and technology. The legal system is based on British customary law.

In August 1978, a putsch took place in the country. He was preceded by the emergence of tension between the prince and his closest associate, the country's prime minister Count Alexander Gottfried Achenbach (Alexander Gottfried Achenbach). The parties differed in their views on attracting investments to the country and accused each other of unconstitutional intentions. Taking advantage of the absence of the prince, who was negotiating with investors in Austria, Achenbach landed on the island with a group of Dutch citizens. The invaders locked the young Prince Michael in the basement and then took him to the Netherlands. But Michael escaped from captivity and met with his father. With the support of loyal citizens of the country, the deposed monarchs managed to defeat the usurpers and return to power.

The government acted in strict accordance with international law. The captured foreign mercenaries were soon released, as the Geneva Convention on the Rights of Prisoners of War requires the release of prisoners after the end of hostilities. The organizer of the coup was removed from all posts and convicted of high treason in accordance with Sealand laws, but he had a second - German - citizenship, so the authorities of the FRG became interested in his fate. The British Foreign Office refused to intervene in this matter, and the German diplomats had to negotiate directly with Sealand. The senior legal adviser of the German embassy arrived on the island in London Dr. Nimuller, which was the pinnacle of the actual recognition of Sealand by real states. Prince Roy demanded diplomatic recognition of Sealand, but in the end, given the bloodless nature of the failed putsch, he agreed to verbal assurances and generously released Achenbach.

The losers continued to insist on their rights. They formed the government of Sealand in exile (FRG). Achenbach claimed to be the chairman of the Sealand Privy Council. In January 1989, he was arrested by the German authorities (naturally, they did not recognize his diplomatic status) and handed over his post to the Minister for Economic Cooperation, Johannes W. F. Seiger, who soon became Prime Minister. Re-elected in 1994 and 1999.

Territory of Sealand with territorial waters

On September 30, 1987, Sealand announced the expansion of its territorial waters from 3 to 12 nautical miles. The UK made a similar announcement the next day. There was no reaction from the British government to the expansion of Sealand's territorial waters. From the point of view of international law, this means that the maritime zone between the two countries should be divided equally. This fact is considered by supporters of the independence of Sealand as a fact of his recognition. Although the lack of a bilateral agreement regulating this issue has caused dangerous incidents. So in 1990, Sealand fired warning shots at a British ship that approached its border without permission.

The name of Sealand, without the knowledge of the government, was involved in a grandiose criminal scam. In 1997, an extensive international syndicate came to the attention of Interpol, which established the trade in fake Sealand passports (Sealand itself never traded passports and did not provide political asylum). Over 150,000 false passports (including diplomatic ones), as well as driver's licenses, university diplomas and other fake documents were sold to citizens of Hong Kong (during its transfer to the control of the PRC) and Eastern Europe. In several European countries, attempts were made to open bank accounts and even purchase weapons using Sealand passports. The headquarters of malefactors was in Germany, the sphere of activity covered Spain, Great Britain, France, Slovenia, Romania and Russia. In the case, Russian citizen Igor Popov appeared as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sealand. In the United States, the connection of this case with the murder of Gianni Versace was discovered (the killer committed suicide on a yacht whose owner had a fake Sealand diplomatic passport). The Government of Sealand gave full cooperation to the investigation and after this unpleasant incident canceled the passports.

In 2000, the HavenCo company placed its hosting in Sealand, in return, the government undertook to guarantee the inviolability of freedom of information legislation (regarding the Internet in Sealand, everything is allowed except spam, hacker attacks and child pornography). HavenCo hoped that its location on sovereign territory would save it from being subject to the restrictions of British Internet law. HavenCo ceased to exist in 2008.

In January 2007, the owners of the country decided to sell it. Immediately after this, the torrent site The Pirate Bay began raising funds for the acquisition of Sealand.

In January 2009, the Spanish real estate agency Inmo-Naranja announced its intention to exhibit
Sealand for sale for 750 million euros.

The position of Sealand compares favorably with the position of other virtual states. The Principality has a physical territory and has some legal grounds for international recognition. The requirement of independence is based on three arguments. The most fundamental of these is the fact that Sealand was founded in neutral waters before the entry into force of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which prohibited the construction of artificial structures on the high seas, and before the expansion of the UK sovereign maritime zone from 3 to 12 nautical miles in 1987 year. Based on the fact that the Roughs Tower platform, on which Sealand is located, was abandoned and struck off the lists of the British Admiralty, its occupation is considered as colonization. The settlers who settled on it believe that they had every right to establish a state and establish a form of government at their discretion. Sealand meets all the criteria for statehood specified in the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States. According to international norms, the size of the state cannot be an obstacle to recognition. For example, the recognized British possession of Pitcairn Island has only about 60 people.

The second important argument is the decision of the British court in 1968 on the lack of UK jurisdiction over Sealand. No other country has also claimed Sealand.

Thirdly, there are several facts of de facto recognition of Sealand. The Montevideo Convention states that states have the right to exist and defend themselves, regardless of official recognition. In modern international practice, tacit (non-diplomatic) recognition is a fairly common phenomenon. It arises when a regime does not have sufficient legitimacy, but exercises actual power on its territory. For example, many states do not recognize Taiwan diplomatically, but treat it as a de facto sovereign country. With regard to Sealand, there are four such testimonies:

1. Great Britain does not pay a pension to Prince Roy for the period when he was in Sealand.
2. The UK courts refused to consider the claims against Sealand in 1968 and 1990.
3. The Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and Germany entered into negotiations with the Government of Sealand.
4. Belgian postal service accepted Sealand stamps for some time.

Theoretically, Sealand's position is very convincing. If recognized, the principality would become the smallest country in the world and the 49th state in Europe. However, according to the founding theory, more common in modern international law, a state can exist only insofar as it is recognized by other states. Therefore, Sealand cannot be accepted into any international organization, cannot have its own postal address, domain name. None of the countries established diplomatic relations with him.

Sealand is trying to achieve recognition of independence by some large state, but has not tried to achieve independence through the UN.

The first Sealand stamps with portraits of the great navigators were issued in 1968. Roy I intended to join the Universal Postal Union. To do this, in October 1969, he sent his emissary to Brussels, with a postal load of 980 letters. That is how many letters a new state needs to demand admission to this organization. The letters were provided with the first Sealand stamps. However, the intention of the prince remained only an intention.

In Sealand, there is the Sealand Anglican Church, founded on October 12, 2006.
On the territory of Sealand there is a chapel in the name of St. Brendan, nourished by the Metropolitan.
In Sealand there are people involved in various sports, such as mini golf. Sealand also registered its football team among the unrecognized teams.

In the vastness of our planet there are many interesting things and phenomena. One of these is the so-called virtual state, an entity that declares its statehood, but is not one. Most often, such territories are not taken seriously by countries and world states. Among them you can find the most diverse and interesting: the Kingdom of Northern Sudan is a land on the border of Egypt and Sudan, which both abandoned, but a resident of the American city of Abingdon claimed his rights to it, Christiania - located in the Copenhagen region, where its inhabitants can freely use " substances”, or the most famous Principality of Sealand, which will be discussed further.

So, the principality of Sealand is a state formed in 1967 by a retired British major, Paddy Roy Bates. Today, some principality is considered as an unrecognized state, and some as a virtual one, but it claims sovereignty over the maritime territory. Sealand is an offshore platform in the North Sea off the coast of Great Britain. After settling on the platform, Major Bates proclaimed himself a prince and his family the ruling dynasty. A few years later, the first constitution, flag and coat of arms appeared here.

Sealand as a platform originated during the Second World War, when the British Navy built a series of offshore platforms off the coast, and was called Roughs Tower. Anti-aircraft guns and a garrison were located here. After the end of the war, most of the forts were destroyed, but the Roughs Tower remained intact. So the platform remained abandoned until 1966, when retired Major Paddy Roy Bates and friend Ronan O'Reilly chose the platform to build an amusement park. After a fight with a friend, Bates reclaimed the platform to make a pirate radio station. But on September 2, 1967, he proclaimed himself Prince Roy I and announced the creation of the Principality of Sealand.

A year later, the British authorities tried to occupy Sealand, but it did not come to hostilities and a lawsuit was launched against Bates. Later, the court recognized that the case was outside British jurisdiction and the case was closed. Despite the tiny size of the Principality of Sealand, there was even an attempted coup d'etat. In 1978, during the absence of the prince, the prime minister kidnapped and took the prince to the Netherlands. With the support of the people, the prince returned the prince and brought the prime minister and the count concurrently to trial.

Until recently, Sealand had his own passports, but soon, due to an international incident, he decided to give them up. In the late 1990s, a syndicate selling false passports, in particular Sealand ones, came to the attention of Interpol. At the same time, about 150,000 fake passports, driver's licenses and university degrees were sold to citizens of China, Spain, Great Britain, France, Slovenia, Romania and Russia. After that, Sealand was forced to give up passports.

If recognized, the Principality of Sealand will become the smallest country in Europe and the world, especially since there is a reason for this. For example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands entered into negotiations with the principality, and the Belgian postal service recognized Sealand stamps for some time. In addition, Sealand has its own stamps and currency, the Sealand dollar, mints its own coins, and also provided space for servers. Surprisingly, it has its own Sealand Anglican Church, developed mini-golf and has its own football team, which is registered in the NF-Board federation, which accepts those who are not included in FIFA.