Empire of Austenasia

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Empire of Austenasia
Flag	File:Arms Austenasia 01.png Arms
Musical Anthem: God Save the Emperor, by Jonathan Austen

Location:	312 Green Wrythe Lane, Carshalton, Sutton, London, United Kingdom
Co-ordinates:	51°22'53.2"N 0°10'18.5"W
Area:	0.0003 km²
Capital:	Wrythe
Membership:	11
Date of foundation:	20 September 2008
Leadership:	Declan MacDonagh, (Emperor Declan I)
Organisational structure:	Constitutional monarchy
Language:	English
Currency:	UK Pound Sterling

The Empire of Austenasia is a micronation located in the United Kingdom.

It was created on 20 September 2008 by Jonathan Austen (born 13 October 1994), a student at Stanley Park High School in the London borough of Sutton, and his father Terry Austen (born 16 May 1961), a gardener, dog breeder and former security guard.

The pair sent correspondence to their local member of Parliament, Tom Brake, to the office of then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and to the British Home Office, asserting independence for Austenasia, and declaring the elder Austen to be "Emperor Terry I". In February 2010, Emperor Terry was replaced as Austenasia's paramount leader by Esmond McLaughlin, (born 5 June 1995), a classmate of Jonathan Austen. McLaughlin was identified as "Emperor Esmond III" on Austenasia's website, but was joined as monarch by Emperor Declan I on 19 December 2010, who gradually took more power until he became sole Emperor in September 2011.

At the time of its creation, Austenasia consisted of the Austen family residence in the south London suburb of Carshalton. To this were later added a second private residence at an unspecified location in Greater London, and "one square foot of land" at an unspecified location in Argyll, Scotland. The Austenasia website asserts that legal title to the latter was purchased online by Jonathan Austen; the legal title holders of the former are family friends of the Austen family, the Kingsnorths.

In May 2011, Jonathan Austen visited the local British MP for the first time to discuss Austenasia's claim to independence. Austenasia is also in correspondance with the British Foreign Office, attempting (so far unsuccessfully) to gain recognition.