The Sovereign State of Aeterna Lucina[1] (also known as the Sovereign Humanitarian Mission State of Aeterna Lucina[2]), was an Australian micronation. It was founded in 1978,[3] and continued until the death of its founder.[1]
| Sovereign State of Aeterna Lucina | |
|---|---|
| Unrecognised micronation | |
 Flag | |
| Claimed by | Paul "Baron" Neuman |
| Dates claimed | 1978–founder's death |
| Area claimed | 1,400 hectares (5.4 sq mi) |
| Location | Byron Bay, Curl Curl, and finally Cooma, New South Wales, Australia |
The founder and "Supreme Lord" of Aeterna Lucina was German migrant Paul Neuman, who changed his name by deed poll to Paul Baron Neuman. He founded it when living in Byron Bay, and later moved it with him to Curl Curl in Sydney, and finally Cooma.[4] He claimed to have received the title Baron Neuman of Kara Bagh from the exiled former king Hassan III of Afghanistan and also claimed to have been awarded hundreds of other honours, including professorships, Doctorates of Philosophy, and degrees in divinity.[1] He sold at least one "knighthood".[5]
Aeterna Lucina came to public attention in 1990 when Neuman faced fraud charges in the New South Wales court system relating to land sale offences.[2][6] The case involved A$144,000 and was eventually abandoned in 1992.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "'Isn't it every little boy's dream, to control everybody?'". The Daily Telegraph. 14 April 2017. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ^ a b "Trouble in baron's 'peace State'". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 August 1990. p. 22. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ^ a b "Clouds clear on baron's reign". Sydney Morning Herald. 24 June 1992. p. 10. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2017.
- ^ Hobbs, Harry; Williams, George (2022). "Motivations". Micronations and the Search for Sovereignty. Cambridge Studies in Constitutional Law. Cambridge University Press. pp. 82–125. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
- ^ "Padbury Mining's $6.4b financier raises questions". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 April 2014. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
- ^ "Dreams of a promised land end in court". The Sydney Morning Herald. 28 August 1990.