Sealand is a micronation on a maritime platform off the British coast. A micronation or Micronation is generally defined as an entity that claims sovereignty over a very small area and is not recognized by any international organization or state. Roughs Tower is a sea tower located in the North Sea, in the south east of England, in the middle of the border between England and the Netherlands. In 1967, Major Paddy Roy Bates and his family declared Roughs Tower a state in international waters and established the “Prince of Sealand”.
During the Second World War, Britain decided to create a defensive line on the sea in order to protect its coasts against the Germans. For this purpose, many fortress-like islands were built in the North Sea. Some of the islands that were built were located outside the maritime borders of England. Since these islands were in international waters, they were considered unlawful and had to be demolished. But an unexpected event took place and one of the 550 square meters of islands became a real state and declared its independence.
Roughs Tower Radio Station
Roughs Tower is one of the islands located approximately 7 nautical miles from the coast. This distance is more than double the 3 miles considered regional sea waters. For this reason, it was among the castles that needed to be demolished. However, these castles, which were abandoned in the early 1950s, remained out of the agenda for a long time and were forgotten. In 1960, Roy Bates, a Major in the British Army, established a radio station called “Radio Essex” in Fort Roughs Tower.
Its aim was to react to the radio broadcasting within the borders of the country, just like other pirate radios, and to take control of the radio broadcasting monopolized by the BBC. Bates and his team were successful in this regard. They were loved by the British public in a short time, as they could easily publish any content that could not be published and was subject to censorship.
The activities of Roy Bates caught the attention of the British government after a while, and Bates and his family were tried to be expelled from the island. However, thanks to the warning fire from the island, the soldiers could not reach the island and the attempt was unsuccessful. He went down in history as the first example of Roy Bates and his family’s resistance against England. Later, the case went to court and Bates was arrested. However, due to the fact that the area is outside of British territorial waters, the court decided that Roy Bates was right and ordered his release.
Establishment of the Principality of Sealand
Sealand is a principality that declared its independence on September 2, 1967 by Roy Bates. Immediately afterwards, the basic elements of the country’s institutions such as a constitution, flag, anthem and coat of arms were determined. There is also a currency such as the Sealand dollar and even football teams. With all these elements, Sealand has become a full-fledged country. Sealand has created its own football team and its team has achieved recognition as a member of the NF-Board and has played international matches with many unrecognized countries. Currently, Sealand is managed separately from the United Kingdom.
However, the British Government did not recognize Sealand and it was not recognized as a state in international law. The existence of the Principality of Sealand caused controversy in international law. Sealand’s main sources of income consist of officially signed nobility title, identity and product sales over the internet and the service of storing data that is not allowed to be stored in other countries. For this reason, Sealand is also referred to as a data paradise.
Roy Bates, a British journalist “Why did you start Sealand?” In his answer to the question, he said that he founded Sealand as a reaction to the excessive bureaucracy in other countries and their inability to be fully independent. Sealand was put up for sale for 10 million pounds in 2007 but could not find a buyer. On top of that, the country hosted a hosting company until 2008. Later, he started working on the online casino project. In addition, Sealand tries to keep its economy alive by selling titles such as citizenship identity card, lord/lady, earl/countess.
Prince Roy Bates, the founder of Sealand, died on October 9, 2012, at the age of 91, from Alzheimer’s disease in a nursing home in England. After Bates’ death, his son Michael Bates serves as the new Prince. The most important legacy Bates left behind was Sealand, an interesting country, and ideas that inspired many. Sealand is still considered an unrecognized state under international law and is seen by many as a micro-nation with an interesting history. Today, the Principality of Sealand still exists and is visited by tourists.
