The King of the Non-Existent Mary Ann Islands July 25, 2015
Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern , trackback
Strangehistory has enjoyed micronations on several occasions. However, here is a particularly early and exciting example from late nineteenth-century France.
A young pupil at the Ecole Normale of Grenoble, named Antoine Lanfrey, received by post in the course of the year a packet of papers, bearing the seal of a Royal Chancery constituting him King of the Mary Anne Islands.
A nice question is what or where were the Mary Ann Islands. One possibility is that they are the islands of this name off the western coast of Australia. Another possibility is that they were dreamt up by a con artist.
The first document was a pragmatic sanction, signed by the late King Ferdinand, who had died without direct descendants, fixing Antoine Lanfrey, who the document described as a scion of the junior branch of his family, his successor. Antoine was to marry the niece of the deceased King as a condition of his accession. Another document contained a letter addressed to Antoine’s father by the late Ferdinand, begging him to accept the crown for his son, who was under age; and a third document was from the Regent, the mother the King’s niece, who added her supplication to Ferdinand’s.
And the family’s reaction?
These papers were believed without hesitation by young Antoine and his mother to be genuine, while his father had doubts, which do not however, appear to have been strong enough to have led him to take any steps in the matter.
Now we move into the next phase of the con: for so, of course, it was.
Soon there appeared a notice in the local paper announcing the new accession to royalty, then there came courtiers, who pressed upon [Antoine] their services. In particular there were among the latter two suspended priests, and a young man who was under the influence of one of them. These three men were not long in getting themselves appointed, the one Duc de Bouillon, the Archbishop of Antoine’s new kingdom; the second, Grand Vicar of the Duke; and the third, captain of the Guards. Orders were created and showered on these dignitaries. These were everywhere displayed, and tradesmen were, in consequence, willing to supply the wearers on credit.
But it all ended in tears.
Eventually, payments being forthcoming, the swindlers were seized, and they were tried and sentenced to different terms of imprisonment. Madame Lanfrey and her son have had to settle down again to citizen life, a few hundred francs poorer for their too readily accepted pragmatic sanction.
And what happened to the niece?! Is she still on the Mary Ann Islands? Any other micronations: drbeachcombing AT yahoo DOT com
28 July 2015: Bruce T starts well: I’m going to have to do some digging, but this sounds a lot like the work of a trans-Atlantic con man of the late 19th and early 20th century known as “The Count”. The Count was known for selling the Eiffel Tower not once, but twice. The Count loved long cons like this one, but only if there were easy marks and lots of money to be had. If there was more info on the young man’s parents station in life it might be possible to deduce motive. As an aside, Germany took control of the Mariana Islands from Spain in 1899. Mariana = Mary Ann Islands? Of course, it could have been a French take-off on Princess Cariboo.”The Count” was a character named Victor Lustig who hailed from eastern Europe, Hungary, I believe. Lustig is worth at least a couple of paragraphs on your blog based on his legacy alone. Many of his cons are still around virtually unchanged. He also had a “10 Commandments” for con artists, but that’s another tale.
But Bruce can’t close the deal: Unfortunately, the Count wasn’t born until 1890. Unless he was the Mozart of con artists, he’s not our man.
Thanks Bruce!
