Principality of Seborga: Difference between revisions
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| coordinates = {{coord|43|50|N|7|42|E|region:IT|display=inline,title}} | | coordinates = {{coord|43|50|N|7|42|E|region:IT|display=inline,title}} | ||
| image_map = | | image_map = Principato di Seborga map.JPG | ||
| map_caption = Map the [[Seborga|Italian Comune of Seborga]] and the Principality of Seborga marked in red within [[ | | map_caption = Map the [[Seborga|Italian Comune of Seborga]] and the Principality of Seborga marked in red within [[Italy]] | ||
| area_km2 = 14 | | area_km2 = 14 | ||
| ethnic_groups = | | ethnic_groups = | ||
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The '''Principality of Seborga''' ({{langx|it|Principato di Seborga}}, [[Ligurian language|Ligurian]]: ''Prinçipâtu de | The '''Principality of Seborga''' ({{langx|it|Principato di Seborga}}, [[Ligurian language|Ligurian]]: ''Prinçipâtu de Seburga'') is an unrecognised [[micronation]] that claims a {{convert|14|km2|mi2 acre|abbr=on|adj=on}} area located in the northwestern [[Italy|Italian]] [[Province of Imperia]] in [[Liguria]], near the [[France|French]] border, and about {{convert|35|km|mi|-1}} from [[Monaco]].<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news |title=Obituary: His Tremendousness Giorgio Carbone |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/royalty-obituaries/6671765/His-Tremendousness-Giorgio-Carbone.html |access-date=17 January 2021 |work=The Telegraph |date=27 November 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091201012903/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/royalty-obituaries/6671765/His-Tremendousness-Giorgio-Carbone.html |archive-date=1 December 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> The principality is coextensive with the [[comune]] of [[Seborga]]; assertions of sovereignty were instigated in 1963 by a local campaigner based on unproven claims about territorial settlements made by the [[Congress of Vienna]] after the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. | ||
==History == | ==History == | ||
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The claim of sovereignty for [[Seborga]] was put forward in 1963 by a Seborgan former [[Floriculture|flower grower]] named Giorgio Carbone. He claimed to have found documents from the [[Vatican archives]] which, according to Carbone, indicated that Seborga had never been a possession of the [[House of Savoy]] and was therefore not legitimately included in the [[Kingdom of Italy]] when it was formed in 1861 during [[Italian unification]]. Carbone claimed that Seborga had existed as a [[List of historic states of Italy|sovereign state of Italy]] since 954, and that from 1079 it was a principality of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. Sovereignty claims assert that Seborga was overlooked by the [[Congress of Vienna]] in its redistribution of European territories after the [[Napoleonic Wars]].<ref name="Telegraph" /><ref name="Klieger">{{cite book |last1=Klieger |first1=P. Christiaan |title=The Microstates of Europe: Designer Nations in a Post-Modern World |date=29 November 2012 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=978-0-7391-7427-2 |page=177 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CrfwGa4aCwYC&pg=PA177 |access-date=17 January 2021 |language=en}}</ref> | The claim of sovereignty for [[Seborga]] was put forward in 1963 by a Seborgan former [[Floriculture|flower grower]] named Giorgio Carbone. He claimed to have found documents from the [[Vatican archives]] which, according to Carbone, indicated that Seborga had never been a possession of the [[House of Savoy]] and was therefore not legitimately included in the [[Kingdom of Italy]] when it was formed in 1861 during [[Italian unification]]. Carbone claimed that Seborga had existed as a [[List of historic states of Italy|sovereign state of Italy]] since 954, and that from 1079 it was a principality of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. Sovereignty claims assert that Seborga was overlooked by the [[Congress of Vienna]] in its redistribution of European territories after the [[Napoleonic Wars]].<ref name="Telegraph" /><ref name="Klieger">{{cite book |last1=Klieger |first1=P. Christiaan |title=The Microstates of Europe: Designer Nations in a Post-Modern World |date=29 November 2012 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=978-0-7391-7427-2 |page=177 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CrfwGa4aCwYC&pg=PA177 |access-date=17 January 2021 |language=en}}</ref> | ||
Carbone promoted the idea of Seborgan independence as a principality, and in 1963 the town's inhabitants elected him as their putative head of state. Carbone [[False titles of nobility|assumed the style and title]] ''His Tremendousness (Sua Tremendità)'' Giorgio I, Prince of Seborga.<ref name=Telegraph /><ref name="italymag">{{cite web |title=Prince of Seborga fights on for 362 subjects {{!}} Liguria {{!}} ITALY Magazine |url=http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy/liguria/prince-seborga-fights-362-subjects/ |website=The Telegraph |access-date=17 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101119012259/http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy/liguria/prince-seborga-fights-362-subjects/ |archive-date=19 November 2010 |date=15 June 2006}}</ref> He formed a "cabinet" of ministers; minted a local currency, the | Carbone promoted the idea of Seborgan independence as a principality, and in 1963 the town's inhabitants elected him as their putative head of state. Carbone [[False titles of nobility|assumed the style and title]] ''His Tremendousness (Sua Tremendità)'' Giorgio I, Prince of Seborga.<ref name=Telegraph /><ref name="italymag">{{cite web |title=Prince of Seborga fights on for 362 subjects {{!}} Liguria {{!}} ITALY Magazine |url=http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy/liguria/prince-seborga-fights-362-subjects/ |website=The Telegraph |access-date=17 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101119012259/http://www.italymag.co.uk/italy/liguria/prince-seborga-fights-362-subjects/ |archive-date=19 November 2010 |date=15 June 2006}}</ref> He formed a "cabinet" of ministers; minted a local currency, the luigino; introduced a Seborgan flag, a white cross on a blue background; and established a Latin motto, {{lang|lt|Sub Umbra Sede}} (Sit in the shade). | ||
Carbone's campaign has generally not been taken seriously and is widely viewed as a ruse to attract tourists to the town, although his supporters in the town claim that their small state has been recognised by [[Burkina Faso]].<ref name="Telegraph" /><ref name="huffingtonpost">{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/anneli-rufus/seborga-the-micronation-i_b_5760864.html|title=Seborga: The Micronation Inside Italy Where Time Stands Still|date=11 September 2014|author=Anneli Rufus|publisher=HuffPost|access-date=5 May 2018}}</ref> | Carbone's campaign has generally not been taken seriously and is widely viewed as a ruse to attract tourists to the town, although his supporters in the town claim that their small state has been recognised by [[Burkina Faso]].<ref name="Telegraph" /><ref name="huffingtonpost">{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/anneli-rufus/seborga-the-micronation-i_b_5760864.html|title=Seborga: The Micronation Inside Italy Where Time Stands Still|date=11 September 2014|author=Anneli Rufus|publisher=HuffPost|access-date=5 May 2018}}</ref> | ||
In January 2006, Carbone announced that he would [[Abdication|abdicate]] on reaching the age of 70, apparently as a result of a row over rebuilding the village centre, but he | In January 2006, Carbone announced that he would [[Abdication|abdicate]] on reaching the age of 70, apparently as a result of a row over rebuilding the village centre, but he did not and continued to hold the office until his death.<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article718377.ece "Wanted: prince to rule village"], Richard Owen, ''The Times'', 24 January 2006</ref> Even so, this decision was the subject of a feature on the [[BBC World Service]] [[radio]] programme ''World Today'' on 25 January 2006.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/worldtoday/news/story/2006/01/060116_wtselect_wk3.shtml "The best of the World Today"], BBC, 16 January 2006</ref> | ||
Giorgio Carbone retained his ceremonial position until his death on 25 November 2009 (age 73), due to complications due to [[amyotrophic lateral sclerosis]].<ref name=Telegraph/> The position of the Serborgan "monarch" is not hereditary, and since Carbone's death, elections have been held in Seborga every seven years among the town's 200 registered voters.<ref name="telegraph180832017">{{cite news |last1=Squires |first1=Nick |title=Radio DJ from West Sussex vies to become next leader of tiny self-declared principality in Italy |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/18/british-dj-west-sussex-vies-become-next-leader-tiny-self-declared/ |access-date=17 January 2021 |work=The Telegraph |date=18 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111222517/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/18/british-dj-west-sussex-vies-become-next-leader-tiny-self-declared/ |archive-date=11 November 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Carbone was succeeded by businessman Marcello Menegatto, who was elected on 25 April 2010 and crowned on 22 May 2010 as ''His [[Serene Highness]]'' (''Sua Altezza Serenissima'' or ''SAS'') Prince Marcello I.<ref>[http://seborgatimes.blogspot.com/2010/05/seborga-will-crown-his-new-elected.html Seborga Times], Article "Seborga will crown his new elected Prince: Menegatto I"</ref><ref name="telegraph-tremendousness"/><ref name="principe-biog">{{cite web |title=S.A.S. il Principe di Seborga |url=https://www.principatodiseborga.com/pds/s-a-s-il-principe-di-seborga |website=Principato di Seborga |access-date=28 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928091926/https://www.principatodiseborga.com/pds/s-a-s-il-principe-di-seborga |archive-date=28 September 2019 |language=it-IT|url-status=dead}}</ref> Menegatto was re-elected as Prince on 23 April 2017, after an unsuccessful challenge to the position by Mark Dezzani, a British-born [[Disc jockey|radio DJ]] who had lived in Seborga for nearly 40 years.<ref name="telegraph180832017" /> | Giorgio Carbone retained his ceremonial position until his death on 25 November 2009 (age 73), due to complications due to [[amyotrophic lateral sclerosis]].<ref name=Telegraph/> The position of the Serborgan "monarch" is not hereditary, and since Carbone's death, elections have been held in Seborga every seven years among the town's 200 registered voters.<ref name="telegraph180832017">{{cite news |last1=Squires |first1=Nick |title=Radio DJ from West Sussex vies to become next leader of tiny self-declared principality in Italy |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/18/british-dj-west-sussex-vies-become-next-leader-tiny-self-declared/ |access-date=17 January 2021 |work=The Telegraph |date=18 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111222517/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/18/british-dj-west-sussex-vies-become-next-leader-tiny-self-declared/ |archive-date=11 November 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Carbone was succeeded by businessman Marcello Menegatto, who was elected on 25 April 2010 and crowned on 22 May 2010 as ''His [[Serene Highness]]'' (''Sua Altezza Serenissima'' or ''SAS'') Prince Marcello I.<ref>[http://seborgatimes.blogspot.com/2010/05/seborga-will-crown-his-new-elected.html Seborga Times], Article "Seborga will crown his new elected Prince: Menegatto I"</ref><ref name="telegraph-tremendousness"/><ref name="principe-biog">{{cite web |title=S.A.S. il Principe di Seborga |url=https://www.principatodiseborga.com/pds/s-a-s-il-principe-di-seborga |website=Principato di Seborga |access-date=28 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928091926/https://www.principatodiseborga.com/pds/s-a-s-il-principe-di-seborga |archive-date=28 September 2019 |language=it-IT|url-status=dead}}</ref> Menegatto was re-elected as Prince on 23 April 2017, after an unsuccessful challenge to the position by Mark Dezzani, a British-born [[Disc jockey|radio DJ]] who had lived in Seborga for nearly 40 years.<ref name="telegraph180832017" /> | ||
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There have been [[pretender]]s to the Seborgan throne, which include such pretenders as the self-styled "[[Princess]]" Yasmine von Hohenstaufen Anjou Plantagenet,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Moore |first1=Malcolm |author1-link= |title=Battle rages for His Tremendousness's throne {{!}} Italy {{!}} Europe {{!}} International News {{!}} News {{!}} Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/13/wsebo13.xml |access-date=17 January 2021 |work=The Telegraph |date=13 June 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311031813/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/13/wsebo13.xml |archive-date=11 March 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="italymag" /> and Nicolas Mutte, a French writer.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ruler of self-declared principality on the Italian Riviera faces 'coup d'etat' from rival |first=Nick |last=Squires |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/21/ruler-of-self-declared-principality-on-the-italian-riviera-faces/ |access-date=17 January 2021 |work=The Telegraph |date=22 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160622124827/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/21/ruler-of-self-declared-principality-on-the-italian-riviera-faces/ |archive-date=22 June 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> | There have been [[pretender]]s to the Seborgan throne, which include such pretenders as the self-styled "[[Princess]]" Yasmine von Hohenstaufen Anjou Plantagenet,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Moore |first1=Malcolm |author1-link= |title=Battle rages for His Tremendousness's throne {{!}} Italy {{!}} Europe {{!}} International News {{!}} News {{!}} Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/13/wsebo13.xml |access-date=17 January 2021 |work=The Telegraph |date=13 June 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311031813/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/13/wsebo13.xml |archive-date=11 March 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="italymag" /> and Nicolas Mutte, a French writer.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ruler of self-declared principality on the Italian Riviera faces 'coup d'etat' from rival |first=Nick |last=Squires |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/21/ruler-of-self-declared-principality-on-the-italian-riviera-faces/ |access-date=17 January 2021 |work=The Telegraph |date=22 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160622124827/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/21/ruler-of-self-declared-principality-on-the-italian-riviera-faces/ |archive-date=22 June 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
Yasmine von Hohenstaufen wrote to Italy's [[President (government title)|president]] and offered to return the principality to the state on June | Yasmine von Hohenstaufen wrote to Italy's [[President (government title)|president]] and offered to return the principality to the state on 13 June 2006.<ref name="tremendousness">{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Malcolm |date=13 June 2006 |title=Battle rages for His Tremendousness's throne {{!}} Italy {{!}} Europe {{!}} International News {{!}} News {{!}} Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/13/wsebo13.xml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311031813/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/06/13/wsebo13.xml |archive-date=11 March 2007 |access-date=16 October 2024 |website=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]}}</ref> | ||
== Seborga today == | == Seborga today == | ||
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The unrecognised [[micronation]] that claims Seborga Town understands that the town still falls directly within the laws and borders of [[Italy]].<ref>{{Cite web |author=Jacopo Prisco |title=Seborga: The Italian village that wants to be a country |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/italy-village-seborga-country/index.html |access-date=2022-03-29 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> | The unrecognised [[micronation]] that claims Seborga Town understands that the town still falls directly within the laws and borders of [[Italy]].<ref>{{Cite web |author=Jacopo Prisco |title=Seborga: The Italian village that wants to be a country |url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/italy-village-seborga-country/index.html |access-date=2022-03-29 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> | ||
=== State Symbols === | |||
{{Multiple image | |||
| direction = vertical | |||
| image1 = Flag of the Principality of Seborga (current).svg | |||
| caption1 = Flag | |||
| alt1 = Flag of the Principality of Seborga | |||
| width1 = 175 | |||
| image2 = Coat of Arms of the Principality of Seborga (current).svg | |||
| caption2 = Coat of arms | |||
| alt2 = Coat of arms of the Principality of Seborga | |||
| width2 = 175 | |||
}} | |||
==== Flag ==== | |||
The flag of Seborga consists of 9 blue horizontal stripes consisting of the right two thirds of the flag, symbolising the first 9 [[Templar Knights]], of whom would have been called in Seborga, according to legend. The left part of the flag consists of a [[crown|royal crown]], above a blue [[Samnite (gladiator type)|Samnite]] shield with a [[Greek cross]] emblazoned on it (both from the coat of arms).<ref name="pds-state-symbols">{{cite web | url=https://www.principatodiseborga.com/en/flag-coat-of-arms-national-anthem | title=Flag, coat of arms, national anthem | work=Principality of Seborga | accessdate=25 June 2025 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20250625035202/https://www.principatodiseborga.com/en/flag-coat-of-arms-national-anthem | archive-date=25 June 2025 | url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
==== Coat of arms ==== | |||
The coat of arms of Seborga seems to be from the [[House of Savoy]] (about 1760), since it presents a [[crown|royal crown]] which appears to be very similar to its own. They both have a white cross, however the shield is light blue in contrast to Savoy's red, perhaps representing that Seborga is in a seafaring area, or because the village that was bought by Savoy from the monks, lived on the [[Lérins Islands]]. Coming out of the crown is a royal [[Mantle and pavilion (heraldry)|mantle]], going behind everything else within the coat of arms.<ref name="pds-state-symbols" /> | |||
The ribbon with Seborga's motto ("Sub Umbra Sedi") is said to originate from the 19th century, instead of ~1760 as the rest of the coat of arms is. It is at the bottom of the coat of arms.<ref name="pds-state-symbols" /> | |||
==== Motto ==== | |||
Sub Umbra Sedi ("I sat in the shade") is the official motto of Seborga. It appears in the ''Statutes of Regulations'' which were made for Seborga in 1261, and it seems to derive from a sentence said by [[Prince-Abbot Aicardo]] in the time that he visited Seborga. Specifically, when he said that, during his walk along the steep and sunny paths that led to the village, he had found refreshment under some olive and chestnut trees that surrounded it.<ref name="pds-state-symbols" /><ref name="pds-luigini">{{cite web|url=https://www.principatodiseborga.com/en/the-luigini|title=The luigini|website=Principality of Seborga|language=en}}</ref> | |||
=== Currency === | === Currency === | ||
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[[File:Seborga_Coin_-_Arms.JPG|thumb|230x230px|A ''15 centesimi'' Seborga luigino coin]] | [[File:Seborga_Coin_-_Arms.JPG|thumb|230x230px|A ''15 centesimi'' Seborga luigino coin]] | ||
Seborga's [[local currency]], the Seborga luigino, is divided into 100 centesimi. Luigini coins circulate in Seborga alongside the [[euro]]. The currency has no value outside of the town. The [[Value (economics)|value]] of the luigino is [[pegged currency|pegged]] to the [[United States dollar|US dollar]] at SPL{{nbsp}}1 = USD{{nbsp}}6.00.<ref | Seborga's [[local currency]], the Seborga luigino, is divided into 100 centesimi. Luigini coins circulate in Seborga alongside the [[euro]]. The currency has no value outside of the town. The [[Value (economics)|value]] of the luigino is [[pegged currency|pegged]] to the [[United States dollar|US dollar]] at SPL{{nbsp}}1 = USD{{nbsp}}6.00.<ref name="pds-luigini" /> On 20 August 2023, the Principality presented the first banknote ever of the ''luigini''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.principatodiseborga.com/2023/08/p=9466|title=Festa di San Bernardo 2023 / Resoconto della giornata, rassegna stampa, foto, video – Presentata la prima banconota della storia del Principato di Seborga|website=Principality of Seborga|language=en}}</ref> | ||
=== | === Demographics === | ||
As of | As of 2025, Seborga has a population of 283 people, of which 48.4% are males and 51.6% are females. With 35% of the population aged over 65, it would be the second-oldest country in the world only besides Monaco.<ref>{{cite web |title=Resident population |url=https://demo.istat.it/app/?i=POS&l=en |publisher=[[Italian National Institute of Statistics|ISTAT]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Population ages 65 and above (% of total population) - Monaco |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.65UP.TO.ZS?end=2024&locations=MC&start=1960&view=chart |publisher=[[World Bank]]}}</ref> | ||
==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
{{Commonscat|Principality of Seborga}} | {{Commonscat|Principality of Seborga}} | ||
{{Wikivoyage|Seborga}} | {{Wikivoyage|Seborga}} | ||
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[[Category:Geography of Liguria]] | [[Category:Geography of Liguria]] | ||
[[Category:Secessionist towns and cities]] | [[Category:Secessionist towns and cities]] | ||
[[Category:Seborga]] | [[Category:Seborga]] | ||
[[Category:Self-proclaimed monarchy]] | [[Category:Self-proclaimed monarchy]] | ||
[[Category:Micronations in Italy]] | |||
Latest revision as of 05:40, 3 December 2025
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about". Script error: No such module "Infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
The Principality of Seborga (Template:Langx, Ligurian: Prinçipâtu de Seburga) is an unrecognised micronation that claims a Script error: No such module "convert". area located in the northwestern Italian Province of Imperia in Liguria, near the French border, and about Script error: No such module "convert". from Monaco.[1] The principality is coextensive with the comune of Seborga; assertions of sovereignty were instigated in 1963 by a local campaigner based on unproven claims about territorial settlements made by the Congress of Vienna after the Napoleonic Wars.
History
The claim of sovereignty for Seborga was put forward in 1963 by a Seborgan former flower grower named Giorgio Carbone. He claimed to have found documents from the Vatican archives which, according to Carbone, indicated that Seborga had never been a possession of the House of Savoy and was therefore not legitimately included in the Kingdom of Italy when it was formed in 1861 during Italian unification. Carbone claimed that Seborga had existed as a sovereign state of Italy since 954, and that from 1079 it was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire. Sovereignty claims assert that Seborga was overlooked by the Congress of Vienna in its redistribution of European territories after the Napoleonic Wars.[1][2]
Carbone promoted the idea of Seborgan independence as a principality, and in 1963 the town's inhabitants elected him as their putative head of state. Carbone assumed the style and title His Tremendousness (Sua Tremendità) Giorgio I, Prince of Seborga.[1][3] He formed a "cabinet" of ministers; minted a local currency, the luigino; introduced a Seborgan flag, a white cross on a blue background; and established a Latin motto, Script error: No such module "Lang". (Sit in the shade). Carbone's campaign has generally not been taken seriously and is widely viewed as a ruse to attract tourists to the town, although his supporters in the town claim that their small state has been recognised by Burkina Faso.[1][4]
In January 2006, Carbone announced that he would abdicate on reaching the age of 70, apparently as a result of a row over rebuilding the village centre, but he did not and continued to hold the office until his death.[5] Even so, this decision was the subject of a feature on the BBC World Service radio programme World Today on 25 January 2006.[6]
Giorgio Carbone retained his ceremonial position until his death on 25 November 2009 (age 73), due to complications due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.[1] The position of the Serborgan "monarch" is not hereditary, and since Carbone's death, elections have been held in Seborga every seven years among the town's 200 registered voters.[7] Carbone was succeeded by businessman Marcello Menegatto, who was elected on 25 April 2010 and crowned on 22 May 2010 as His Serene Highness (Sua Altezza Serenissima or SAS) Prince Marcello I.[8][9][10] Menegatto was re-elected as Prince on 23 April 2017, after an unsuccessful challenge to the position by Mark Dezzani, a British-born radio DJ who had lived in Seborga for nearly 40 years.[7]
On 12 April 2019, Menegatto abdicated from his position,[11] and he was succeeded by his ex-wife, Nina Menegatto, who was elected by the town as Her Serene Highness Princess Nina on 10 November 2019.[12]
List of Seborgan monarchs
| Title | Given name | Reign began | Reign ended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Giorgio I | Giorgio Carbone | 14 May 1963 | 25 November 2009 |
| Prince Marcello I | Marcello Menegatto | 25 April 2010[9][13] | 10 November 2019 |
| Princess Nina | Nina Menegatto | 10 November 2019[12] | incumbent |
False titles
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". There have been pretenders to the Seborgan throne, which include such pretenders as the self-styled "Princess" Yasmine von Hohenstaufen Anjou Plantagenet,[14][3] and Nicolas Mutte, a French writer.[15]
Yasmine von Hohenstaufen wrote to Italy's president and offered to return the principality to the state on 13 June 2006.[16]
Seborga today
Seborga's independence claims continue today, and an official Principato di Seborga website asserts the historical arguments put forward by Carbone.[17] Seborga claims to maintain a volunteer border guard, the Corpo delle Guardie. Participants wear a blue-and-white uniform and during the tourist season they stand guard at sentry boxes on the unofficial border crossing on the main road into Seborga.[7][18]
The unrecognised micronation that claims Seborga Town understands that the town still falls directly within the laws and borders of Italy.[19]
State Symbols
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Flag
The flag of Seborga consists of 9 blue horizontal stripes consisting of the right two thirds of the flag, symbolising the first 9 Templar Knights, of whom would have been called in Seborga, according to legend. The left part of the flag consists of a royal crown, above a blue Samnite shield with a Greek cross emblazoned on it (both from the coat of arms).[20]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms of Seborga seems to be from the House of Savoy (about 1760), since it presents a royal crown which appears to be very similar to its own. They both have a white cross, however the shield is light blue in contrast to Savoy's red, perhaps representing that Seborga is in a seafaring area, or because the village that was bought by Savoy from the monks, lived on the Lérins Islands. Coming out of the crown is a royal mantle, going behind everything else within the coat of arms.[20]
The ribbon with Seborga's motto ("Sub Umbra Sedi") is said to originate from the 19th century, instead of ~1760 as the rest of the coat of arms is. It is at the bottom of the coat of arms.[20]
Motto
Sub Umbra Sedi ("I sat in the shade") is the official motto of Seborga. It appears in the Statutes of Regulations which were made for Seborga in 1261, and it seems to derive from a sentence said by Prince-Abbot Aicardo in the time that he visited Seborga. Specifically, when he said that, during his walk along the steep and sunny paths that led to the village, he had found refreshment under some olive and chestnut trees that surrounded it.[20][21]
Currency
Seborga's local currency, the Seborga luigino, is divided into 100 centesimi. Luigini coins circulate in Seborga alongside the euro. The currency has no value outside of the town. The value of the luigino is pegged to the US dollar at SPLScript error: No such module "String".1 = USDScript error: No such module "String".6.00.[21] On 20 August 2023, the Principality presented the first banknote ever of the luigini.[22]
Demographics
As of 2025, Seborga has a population of 283 people, of which 48.4% are males and 51.6% are females. With 35% of the population aged over 65, it would be the second-oldest country in the world only besides Monaco.[23][24]
Notes
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- ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ "Wanted: prince to rule village", Richard Owen, The Times, 24 January 2006
- ↑ "The best of the World Today", BBC, 16 January 2006
- ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Seborga Times, Article "Seborga will crown his new elected Prince: Menegatto I"
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ Letter of resignation Template:Webarchive on principatodiseborga.com
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Bibliography
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External links
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- Template:In lang Script error: No such module "Official website".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
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- Template:In lang La Gazzetta di Seborga Template:Webarchive