SOVEREIGN MERCIA

With a population of some sixteen million, Mercia has a diverse and affluent economy comprising industry, technology, services and agriculture. The Mercian state shall provide its citizens with full healthcare and welfare provision, and free access to education with an equal opportunity to attend any Mercian university, including Oxford and Cambridge. Citizenship shall be an inalienable hereditary right for all Mercians. Other persons may be granted non-voting resident status as guest workers, but shall not be eligible for state benefits. Mercia shall be a secular state with absolute freedom of expression, conscience and religion (with the exception of any doctrine promoting violence), and all citizens shall be encouraged to participate in the democratic process.

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Forest of Arden

With a population comparable to that of the Netherlands, but an area similar in size to the Netherlands and Belgium combined, Mercia has abundant agricultural land and other natural resources such as coal – more than enough to feed its people and provide them with a modern, high standard of living.

II. Youth

The future of any society is its youth, and Mercia shall implement wide-ranging measures to ensure that there are no more generations lost to violence and hopelessness. It shall be compulsory for all young Mercians aged between 11 and 25 to spend every weekend away from home at activity camps, where the emphasis shall be on team sport, physical exercise and character development. Those aged between 18 and 25 shall also comprise the Mercia Defence Force, and shall receive military training in addition to their other activities. Those most suited shall stay on after the age of 25 as instructors and officers. The defence force shall safeguard the security of all Mercians, and shall also take over the roll of the currently existing police forces.

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Mercia Defence Force

With a sense of pride and loyalty instilled by team sports and the compulsory uniform of blue, yellow and white – the colours of Mercia – young people, too long let down by modern society, shall become an unassailable force for good in the land, defending its people and bringing justice to all.

III. Economy

Mercia shall have a free market economy with no restrictions on the generation of wealth. Council tax shall be abolished, and a single income tax shall be applied to all wage earners on a sliding scale, based on their ability to pay. The Mercian government shall actively support the creation of employment with subsidies to firms and businesses, though no citizen shall be forced to take an uncongenial job. It shall also support new technologies in all fields, including nuclear, in order to ensure Mercian self-sufficiency in energy and food production. The Mercian transport infrastructure shall likewise receive massive government investment – air, road, rail and canal. Subsidised public transport shall be made available in all areas.

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Ironbridge

Mercia was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, which has been fundamental to our modern way of life. The Mercian state shall implement policies to reverse the decline of recent years, with a massive injection of cash and manpower, creating wealth, prosperity and security.

IV. Currency

Upon the attainment of sovereignty Mercia shall withdraw from the European Union and retain the pound sterling as its currency – or if by then the pound has been abolished in favour of the euro, Mercia shall switch back to the pound at the same conversion rate. The Mercian pound sterling shall be divided into 20 shillings (s), and each shilling shall be divided into 12 pence (d). New Mercian coins shall be minted in denominations of 1d, 3d, 6d, 1s, 2s, 5s, 10s and £1, and notes shall be printed in denominations of £5, £10, £20, £50 and £100. The Mercian pound sterling shall be allowed to float freely against other currencies, and a policy of deflation shall be implemented, forcing it to gradually increase in value.

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Staffordshire Hoard

By the 8th century Mercia was so wealthy that it aspired to equal status with Charlemagne’s empire in Europe. The pound sterling was introduced to Mercia by King Offa in the 790s in order to facilitate Continental trade, and was soon adopted by the other English kingdoms.

V. Government

The Mercian head of state shall have the title King of Mercia (or Queen of Mercia, if female), and shall be elected for a seven-year term by all Mercian citizens. Elections shall take place in years divisible by seven on the Monday following the first Sunday after 4 September, and the term of office shall begin on the subsequent New Year’s Day. The King shall also be the head of government, and shall have unlimited executive authority during his term of office, subject only to impeachment. He may stand for subsequent terms without limit. If the King dies, resigns or is impeached, an Acting King shall be elected by the legislature to complete his term. The official residence of the King shall be Tamworth Castle, Staffordshire, seat of the ancient Kings of Mercia.

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Tamworth Castle

Although the current structure is Norman in origin, it was built on the site of the Mercian royal fortress. Founded in the 580s, this was the chief residence of the Kings of Mercia until sacked by the Danes in the 870s, whereupon the monarchy decamped to Gloucester, remaining there until its extinction.

VI. Legislature

The legislative assembly of Mercia shall be known as the Witan, comprising 222 Aldermen (or Alderwomen, if female) elected by the citizens of each shire, plus the King, who may attend its meetings but not vote. The total number of Aldermen shall remain fixed at 222, but the number allocated for each shire shall vary according to its citizen population. Elections to the Witan shall take place at the same time as that for the King, who shall choose his cabinet from amongst its members. The King may refuse to assent to any legislation passed by the Witan, though he may be impeached by it with a two-thirds majority plus one (149). The Witan shall have its primary meeting place at Birmingham Town Hall, though may meet elsewhere when appropriate.

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Birmingham Town Hall

As the largest city, centrally located and at the hub of the transport network, Birmingham shall be the capital of Mercia. All meetings of the Witan shall be open to the public. With a capacity of over one thousand, Birmingham Town Hall is ideally suited.

VII. Culture

Mercia has a rich cultural heritage stretching back many centuries. From the time of Beowulf, right up to the present day, Mercians have produced some of the finest and most memorable works of literature in the English language. Yet for too long the Mercian dialects have been relegated to provincial status by the variety of English spoken in London. For example, if the plays of William Shakespeare, the most famous Mercian writer of all time, are performed in his own local dialect (the ancestor of that of modern Birmingham), all his rhymes work perfectly. Upon the attainment of Mercian sovereignty the London dialect shall be eschewed in favour of local ones, and a new Mercian standard shall be created and taught in all schools.

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William Shakespeare

Undoubtedly Mercia’s most brilliant, prolific yet enigmatic son, it is impossible to overestimate the influence that William Shakespeare (1564–1616) has had on our culture and language. The very words we speak and phrases we use have been shaped by his writings, and his plays are still loved the world over.

VIII. Religion

All Mercian properties of the Church of England shall be formed into an Order of Ancient Mercia. The male-dominated Anglican priestly hierarchy shall be replaced with a female order of Pagan priestesses with its own rites and observances, devised to reconcile the best of ancient Heathen practices with the demands and aspirations of a modern, sophisticated society. These changes, however, shall only affect what is already the state-owned Anglican Church. All other religious, spiritual, charitable and voluntary organisations shall remain free to pursue their activities as they see fit. The order of priestesses – with a High Priestess based at Lichfield Cathedral – shall also take over the role of the judiciary, acting as judges in courts of law.

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Order of Ancient Mercia

Each element in the proposed uniform for the priestesses of the Order of Ancient Mercia carries symbolic meaning. Blue, yellow and white are the colours of Mercia. The six-rayed headdress represents the cosmic energies of the universal life-force, channelled and directed by the cones attached to the hands. The priestesses shall take over the position currently occupied by the corrupt and discredited Anglican clergy, drawing on ancient Pagan practices and adapting them for modern society, incorporating the best elements from all traditions.

IX. Symbols

The Cross of St. Alban, a yellow/gold saltire (diagonal cross) on a blue field, has represented Mercia heraldically since the 13th century. It is derived from the arms of the Abbey of St. Alban, founded by King Offa of Mercia in the 8th century. The white/silver double-headed eagle surmounted by a three-pronged Saxon crown has been used by various units of the British Army to represent Mercia since the 1950s. It is derived from a device of Leofric, Earl of Mercia in the 11th century. In 2009 Mercians chose as their national anthem Tomorrow Belongs to Me (© 1966 John Kander & Fred Ebb), performed here on YouTube by Saga, the Swedish folk singer. Note also the Tolkien imagery, in particular that concerning the Rohirrim.

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Flag of Mercia

Although many variants exist, the flag favoured by Sovereign Mercia combines the Cross of St. Alban and the Eagle of Leofric into a single design. This shall not prevent either being used separately as needed, nor indeed any other emblem.

X. History

The Kingdom of Mercia was founded around AD 527 by King Icel, who led his people, the Angles, across the North Sea to Britain. From small beginnings along the River Trent, Mercia – Mierce in Old English, meaning ‘march’ – gradually expanded to include the whole of the Midlands and further afield, eventually controlling even London. Converted to Christianity in 655, for the next two hundred years it was the most powerful English kingdom, reaching its apogee under King Offa (reigned 757–796). Mercia was conquered by the Danes in 874, but survived in reduced form until 918, when it was annexed by Wessex. For further reading, please see the articles Mercia and List of monarchs of Mercia.

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Kingdom of Mercia

The various peoples of the English Midlands are listed in a document known as the Tribal Hidage, produced in Mercia sometime between the 7th and 9th centuries. This distinguishes between the Mercians ‘proper’ (dark green), and their later subject peoples (green). Some of the latter, such as Lindsey and the Hwicce, once formed their own kingdoms. Until the annexation of the Middle Saxons and London in the 8th century, all the Mercian folk-groups were Angles.

XI. Traditions

Mercia retains many ancient folk customs, the origins of which are lost in the mists of time. Some of these are world famous, such as the Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling held each May in Gloucestershire, and the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance held each September in Staffordshire. The latter in particular is thought to date back to pre-Christian times and may well have been connected with the Mercian monarchy, based in nearby Tamworth. Sovereign Mercia holds its annual conference at Abbots Bromley on Horn Dance day, which falls on the Monday following the first Sunday after 4 September, and it is proposed that the elections for the office of King (or Queen) of Mercia shall also be held on this auspicious date, once every seven years.

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Abbots Bromley Horn Dance

One of the most extraordinary Pagan survivals in Europe, the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance has been performed by members of the same family since the early Middle Ages. In origin it may have been a sympathetic magic ritual to ensure a successful hunt, and formerly took place at the winter solstice.

XII. Mythology

All nations require their own mythology, a common set of stories and motifs to shape their identity. In the case of Mercia this is provided by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, whose writings draw on a deep well of ancient lore and legend. Tolkien was always very proud of his own Mercian heritage, and in terms of literary influence is probably only surpassed by Shakespeare himself. The Tolkien Legendarium is etched into the very landscape and language of Mercia. The Shire, with its villages, fields and woods, is Mercia itself, but in a very real sense Mercia also encompasses the whole of Middle-earth. Although a devout Christian, Tolkien has had a crucial influence on the modern Pagan revival, and therefore represents all that is best in both traditions.

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J.R.R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892–1973) once said, ‘I am indeed in English terms a West-midlander at home only in the counties upon the Welsh Marches.’ He used the Mercian dialect of Old English for the Rohirrim (the Horse Riders of the Mark) in The Lord of the Rings, as well as names from Mercian royal genealogy.

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– External Links –

English Radical Alliance • Mercia Legacy • Mercia Society • Wessex Society

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