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Revision as of 05:03, 15 February 2019
Battle of Sealand
| Battle of Sealand | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Sealand Coup of 1978 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Sealand | Mercenaries employed by Alexander G. Achenbach | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Prince Michael of Sealand | Alexander G. Achenbach | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | All Captured | ||||||
The Battle of Sealand was a 1978 conflict in which the founders of Sealand, Prince Roy of Sealand and Prince Michael of Sealand successfully recaptured the micronation from the control of mercenaries hired by Alexander G. Achenbach, then designated the Prime Minister of Sealand.
Prelude
In 1978, approximately 10 years after the independence of Sealand, Prince Roy and his wife, Princess Joan, were summoned to Austria by a group of businessmen, who claimed to be interested in a proposed investment scheme involving Sealand. Upon arrival in Austria, however, the men were nowhere to be found. Concerned about the state of Sealand, the Bates attempted to contact their son, Prince Michael, who was still on Sealand, but they were unable to do so.[1] The proposed meeting in Austria was in fact a scam, meant to lure the Bates away from Sealand while a German businessman named Alexander G. Achenbach used Dutch and German mercenaries to storm the island. Achenbach, who was the Prime Minister of Sealand at the time, disagreed with Prince Roy over plans to turn Sealand into a luxury hotel and casino with fellow German and Dutch businessmen.[2] Prince Michael, who was on the island during the invasion, was subsequently thrown in a cell without food or water for three days by the invaders, before being sent on a Dutch ship to the Netherlands without a passport or money.[1]
Regrouping and attack by Sealand forces
Upon learning of their son's predicament and the capture of Sealand by enemy forces, the royal family of Sealand enlisted some mercenaries of their own, including a helicopter pilot who had been a part of several James Bond films, to attempt to retake Sealand. The battle began when Prince Michael slid down a rope from the helicopter, and fired one shot from his shotgun. The intruders subsequently surrendered to the original royal family.[3]
De facto recognition
After the capture of Achenbach, the German government petitioned the government of the United Kingdom for his release; the British government refused, citing an earlier 1968 court decision in which the UK ruled that they could not have jurisdiction over the tiny micronation. Subsequently, a German diplomat was dispatched from London to go to Sealand to directly negotiate the release of Achenbach with Bates.[4] Later, the government of Sealand would come to see this as the German government's de facto recognition of their authority.[5] Achenbach subsequently set up a Government of Sealand in exile after his release, and his deputies continue to assert their supposed control over Sealand.[6]
Cultural impact
The battle is the inspiration for the album The Battle of Sealand by the band Airiel.
- ^ a b "The History of Sealand". Damn Interesting.
- ^ UK, Adam Payne, Business Insider. "WELCOME TO SEALAND: The utterly bizarre independent micronation that's been sitting off the British coast for over 50 years". Business Insider.
{{cite web}}:|first=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Bates, Michael (1 June 2015). Principality of Sealand: Holding the Fort. Principality of Sealand. ISBN 978-0993320002.
- ^ "Sealand". www.evolutionaere-zellen.org.
- ^ "World's Smallest 'Nation' Grapples With Princess' Death". NBC News.
- ^ "Welcome to the Principality of Sealand - The official website of the Government". web.archive.org. January 23, 2007.