Kingdom of Talossa (Madison)

''This article is about the Madison version of the Kingdom of Talossa. For other uses of the word Talossa, see Talossa''

The Kingdom of Talossa was a micronation led by Marcus Cantelour. Some believe that John Woolley has a better claim to the title of King of Talossa. Both of these kingdoms split off in 2005. The Madison faction dissolved itself in 2011.

Foundation
Talossa was founded as a kingdom on December 26, 1979 by Robert Ben Madison, a 13 year-old resident of Milwaukee, shortly after the death of his mother. At that time the kingdom occupied Madison's bedroom, and he adopted the name "Talossa" for it after discovering that the word means "inside the house" in Finnish. Over the years, Talossa's territorial claims expanded from Madison's childhood bedroom to encompass most of Milwaukee's East Side, as well as the French island of Cézembre and a large chunk of Antarctica (called Pengopäts, which means Penguin-land in the Talossan language).

Growth of Talossa
Madison maintained Talossa throughout his adolescence and college years. During this time, some 40 other people joined Talossa, mostly in the Milwaukee area but including several of Madison's friends and acquaintances in Europe. In 1996, Talossa's web page came to the attention of hundreds of thousands of readers via a series of stories published in such newspapers as the New York Times and Wired, which were subsequently republished by newspapers in many other countries. Several dozen new "citizens" joined Talossa as a result.

Secession of the Republic of Talossa
In the early 2000s, some members of the Kingdom accused Madison, and the majority of citizens who supported him, as intolerably eccentric and autocratic. Led by Christopher Gruber, they responded by creating the "secessionist" Republic of Talossa on 1 June, 2004. As of 2007 the breakaway group claims approximately 30 members. The Republic is not officially recognized by the Kingdom of Talossa.

Abdication of Robert Ben Madison and Interregnum
An elected government, supported by Madison, continued to lead the Kingdom until 2005, when the Kingdom's immigration minister, Fritz Buchholtz, declared dozens of friends and relatives "citizens" in violation of Talossa's Organic Law (constitution) and election laws. Fearing a repeat of the destructive flame-wars that had accompanied the formation of the "Republic", Madison abdicated as King in favour of his wife's grandson Louis, who became King on 16 August. Of the 40 citizens of Talossa, eight supported Buchholtz while about 25 supported Madison, including Prime Minister Marcus Cantalour and six (of seven) Senators. Buchholtz declared his friend Dr Gregory Rajala as Regent, then proclaimed (on the grounds that Louis's legal guardian did not sanction his involvement, although this was not legal under Talossan law) that Louis had abdicated on 29 November 2006. An "interregnum" was in effect until 14 March 2007, when John W. Woolley was elected King of Talossa.

Formation of the Woolley Kingdom of Talossa
In 2007, Madison and the original Talossans (including nine current and former Prime Ministers, as well as King Louis) accepted each other as Talossans and reactivated the government under Marcus Cantalour, drafting a new Constituziun which enshrined fourteen long-time Talossans as permanent "Founders." As a result of these actions, there were two groups calling themselves the Kingdom of Talossa. One is the group claimed by Buchholtz and Woolley in 2005, and the other is the version of Talossa re-started by Madison and most of the original Talossans. Both claim historical continuity; the Woolley Kingdom (despite the debatable actions of its founders) has continuously existed since 2005. The Madison kingdom's primary claims to legitimacy are its possession of the trademarked name "Talossa" (which Madison owns), its non-profit corporation status in the State of Wisconsin, and the fact that the large majority of the 2005 citizenry, including most of the core group from the Kingdom's 1979 founding who were still active, supported it.

End of an Era
Talossans have always prided themselves on their level of activity within the Talossan framework; in fact, in the earlier days of the Kingdom (before any of the schisms), a minimum amount of activity was required to maintain one's citizenship. However, after the multiple splits, scant recruitment and aging population (typically mid to late 40's) with less time to spend took its toll. Activity dwindled to almost nothing, a fact that, while unavoidable, went against the Talossan grain. Even the legislative routines that were supposed to be the very purpose of having a Kingdom ground to a halt. In May of 2011, Robert Madison, the former King Robert, founder of the Kingdom, current Prime Minister and co-regent of King Louis I, placed a resolution before the Kingdom's parlaiment (and any Founders not currently in that body) to rescind Talossa's 1979 Declaration of Independance, dissolve the Kingdom, and officially return Talossa's citizenry to their native polities. The resolution passed, and took effect on July 4, 2011, on the United States of America's Independance day, giving the citizens of that nation something extra to celebrate; the return of citizenry and territory to the Union.

The Wolley Kingdom and Republic have not relinquished their respective claims.