About Us
Our History
About the Kingdom
The Kingdom of Fristehen is an independent nation located in and surrounded by the State of Oklahoma, United States of America. We consider our founding to be August 17th 1995.
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The Kingdom started out from an idea when a few friends would gather and talk about politics in the world and feel hopeless. Then one day one of them discovered mico-nationalism and thought maybe he did have the power to do something to effect politics after all. We are not trying to rebel or overthrow any government but we do feel that we want a government that takes responsibility for its actions and has a genuine interest in improving peoples lives. We feel that we have a right to assert that ourselves if the current government will not. We also feel we have a right to defend ourselves if provoked.
We were a nation almost known to ourselves until August 17th, 2005. On this day our government decided to go world wide with the launching of a web site. That site is now long gone but it was an important step in our development. We have in recent years watched many new nation emerge, micro and macro nations. For a macro example, take the peaceful break up of Czechoslovakia in 1993 into the independent Czech and Slovak republics. Or Bosnia was once of six federal units of the now former Republic of Yugoslavia. Kosovo also broke away from Serbia in 2008 and declared its independence. Even the super power Russia (as in U.S.S.R) broke up and changed its flag and became a federation.
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So we decided at that time that it was time for us to take a more proactive approach in the world with other nations. We have not declared ourselves and independent country but we have declared our Kingdom and independent nation.
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Yes, their is a difference in a country and a nation. For example, a country is defined as a political place occupying a particular territory, like Germany, France, the United States or The Bahamas. A nation is a group of humans who belong to the same social, cultural identity, or ethnic origin. In Oklahoma the state and federal government recognize several Native American tribes as a nation.
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The Indian nations have their own laws, customs, and ever their own police and judicial system. Many operate casinos as a source of industry and income for their nation, and its all legal. Simply put a nation is not a political state/country but has its own government and identity.
At one time we had some acreage and a small population living on the Kingdom's land. However, due to a natural disaster and then legal battles over the land, the kingdom was forced to move from our land. The financial cost of legalities was to much of a burden.
Now the Kingdom sits on a much smaller plot of land. Once one is found, we have plans in place that will really make our kingdom take off and develop into a beautiful place. However, the search for a suitable homeland is ongoing. We do still have citizens but I guess you can say the history of Fristehen is still being written.
Our name "Fristehen" is a blended word. Or more specifically a portmanteau word. This means it combines both sound and meaning from two other words. For example the word "smog" was coined by blending smoke and fog. Fristehen is derived from two different German words. One is frieden meaning peace. The other is verstehen meaning understanding. The German language was chosen because the king has German blood in his family and because of their wonderful culture. By the way, we pronounce it like fry-stay-in. So the meaning of our name is Peace and Understanding. This is where we also draw our national motto. We try to keep this in our minds and approach things in our daily lives and our government with peace and understanding. We believe the world needs alot more of this.
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Basic Facts
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Official name: The Kingdom of Fristehen
Capital: The City of Knappe
Official Language: English and German
Elections: Yes for the Senate, Governors, and all municipal leaders.
Free Speech: No, their are restrictions. No one shall slander another to a point of relentless harassment or make outright lies against another. No taking the Lords name in vain while in public. No one has the right to threaten the life of another.
Location: North America, United States of America, State of Oklahoma.
Political System: Constitutional Monarchy
Political Leader/Title: King J.C. Huffines
Military: Yes, Royal Fristehen Army, Royal Fristehen Navy.
Judicial System: Yes, detailed court system as spelled out in the constitution.
Age of Suffrage: 20
Taxes: No income tax, only tax is a 10% sales tax on all purchases.
Constitution: Yes, it is the supreme law of the land and by which the government draws its power and the people their rights.
Legally Accepted Currency: U.S. Dollar, German Marks, Euro, or the Royal Credit.
National Holidays:
January 1st - New Years Day
April - Easter (celebrated on 3rd Sunday in April)
July 1st - Veterans Day
July 2nd - Armed Forces Day
August 17th - Establishment Day
September 7th - Flag Day
End of September - usually the last week in Sept. various Oktoberfest celebrations around the Kingdom.
October 31st - Halloween
November 15th - Cultural Diversity Day
November - 4th Thursday in Nov is Thanksgiving
December 12th - Family Day
December 25th - Christmas Day
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LEFT: The sunflower is commonly found growing in our Kingdom and grows in large fields all over the area. Here you see a sunflower taking in the sunlight from a clear Fristehen sky.
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BELOW: The Horned Toad, or commonly called the Horny Toad in this area, is one of the many fascinating wildlife found native to the Kingdom.
LEFT: On any summer night in the Kingdom you can hear the Cicada whistling out load. Some can whistle at 120 decibels, which makes it pretty noisy. Most people mistake the Cicada and call it a Locust. Actually a Locust is more grasshopper in appearance. Just don't correct the citizens, they've been calling it a locust for years. Just let them roll with it.