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Showing posts from August, 2023

Mosquitia: The native, Anglosphere kingdom, with an official Latinized name

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Besides the many Latin countries that emerged following the fall of the Spanish Empire, there was another country, though part of the Anglosphere, that initially ended up with an official Latinized name. That country was  Mosquitia . The toponym of the country was derived from the etymon  Miskito , the name of the most powerful ethnic group in the country at the time. Their name, however, was initially written, over the same territory that became the country, as  Moskitos , on an English map from 'A New Voyage around the World', by Captain William Dampier, published in 1697. Later, this name was translated as  Mosquitos , first on a French map published in 1703 and then on a Spanish one published in 1716. Thereafter, however, the latter translations were used more often, even on English maps. A map of the middle part of America , 1697. Teâtre de la guerre en Amerique telle que'elle est à present possedée par les Espagnols, Anglois, François, et Hollandois &c: nouvel

The Kingdom of Mosquitia: Wars, Peace, and Independence between Empires

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Before the United States of America became independent by issuing the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, and being officially acknowledged by Great Britain under the Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, Moskitia was already the first independent country in the Americas. The independence of Moskitia was diplomatically recognised by the Kingdom of England as early as 1666, when King Oldham visited London and was received at the Court of King Charles II of England, and again in 1687, when King Jeremy visited Jamaica and requested English protection over the country during the reign of James II of England. This somewhat informal political tie between Moskitia and England was formalised under the Declaration of Edward, or the Treaty of Senock Dawkra, better known as the Treaty of Friendship and Alliance, signed on March 16, 1740.  This treaty was signed after Spain declared war on Moskitia on August 30, 1739, to "dislodge and exte

Moskitian Digital Library (compilation)

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The Case of His Majesty’s subjects having property in and lately established upon the Mosquito Shore in America. Most humbly submitted to the King’s Most Excellent Majesty in Council, and the nation of Great-Britain at large. 1789. The Case of His Majesty’s Subjects, settled on the Coast of Yucatan, in the Bay of Honduras, under the special and sole protection of the Crown of Spain; who were, in the Month of September, 1779, robbed and despoiled of their property, and captivated in their persons by the King of Spain’s Forces and Subjects, in violation of the seventeenth article of the Treaty of Paris, concluded in February 1763, and in breach of other prior articles and treaties, then in force between His Majesty and the said King of Spain. Most humbly submitted to the King’s Most Excellent Majesty in Council, and the Lords and Commons in Parliament. 1789. The Case of the Agent to the Settlers of the Mosquito Shore. Stating the whole of his conduct, in soliciting compensation for the l

Seven facts about the Moskitian flag, or flag of Moskitia

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1 ) It was created on March 8, 1824. 2 ) It is the first official national flag that was created for Moskitia. 3 ) It was created by King George Frederic Augustus II, who was King of Mosquitia from 1800 to 1824. 4 ) It’s the second national flag that was created by a native monarch of an independent nation-state in the Americas, the first being the earlier version of the Hawaiian flag in 1816 , both of which are similar. 5 ) It was also known as the "King George Cross". 6 ) It it one of 35 different current flags that have the Union Jack as a canton. 7 ) It’s the oldest unmodified national flag in the Americas.