What Is the Kingdom of Jerusalem?
The Kingdom of Jerusalem is a modern micronational project inspired by the historical Kingdom of Jerusalem. It brings together history, Christian heritage, social and political thought, art, craftsmanship, and collaborative creativity into one living whole.
It is not an internationally recognised state, nor does it claim any territory or political authority. Nor is the purpose of the project to pretend to be something that it is not.
Its starting point is something different:
History need not only be read. It can also be brought to life.
Historia reviviscat, prosit delectetque
May history come alive, be of benefit, and bring delight.
These words are the motto of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, but they also sum up the purpose of the entire project.
History can be learned from books, museums, and lectures. But it can also be approached through making and doing. Designing a coat of arms leads into the world of heraldry. Designing a coin or banknote opens a door to monetary history. Drafting a law raises questions about authority, justice, and society. Planning a ceremony leads into medieval history, ecclesiastical traditions, and symbolism.
In the Kingdom of Jerusalem, history is therefore not merely something to be studied. It becomes the foundation for creating something new.
The project could be described as a combination of living history, worldbuilding, art, craftsmanship, and a communal experiment. The form of a state brings these different elements together into one coherent whole.
The aim is not for the Kingdom of Jerusalem one day to become a state like Finland or France. Its value does not depend on whether any government recognises it or whether it possesses territory that can be marked on a map.
A model railway can be meaningful even though it carries no real passengers, and historical reenactment can be worthwhile even though its participants do not actually live in the Middle Ages.
The making, learning, creativity, community, and ideas that arise from the project are worthwhile in themselves.
The three central ideas of the Kingdom of Jerusalem can be summed up in three words:
History – Creativity – Service.
History gives the Kingdom its roots.
Creativity gives it form.
Service gives it the possibility of bringing something good into the world around it.
The Historical Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem takes its name from the historical Kingdom of Jerusalem, a real medieval state.
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was founded in 1099 as a result of the First Crusade. Its territories lay along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, in areas corresponding broadly to present-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and their surroundings. Jerusalem was initially the capital of the Kingdom.
Jerusalem held particular significance for Christians because of its connection with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. At the same time, the region was already in the Middle Ages a meeting place of different peoples, languages, cultures, and religions.
Jerusalem was lost to the forces of Saladin in 1187, but the Kingdom of Jerusalem continued to exist afterwards in the coastal regions. The last major Crusader strongholds were lost in 1291.
This history is fascinating, but also complex. The Kingdom of Jerusalem does not seek to restore the Middle Ages, nor does it seek to romanticise its wars and conflicts.
Instead, it draws symbols, traditions, questions, and inspiration from history and asks:
What might a Kingdom of Jerusalem look like if its heritage were brought to life again in our own time?
What Exactly Is a Micronation?
In this project, the word micronation refers to a community or undertaking created by people that adopts some of the characteristics of a state.
A micronation may have, for example, its own name, flag, coat of arms, monarch or president, constitution, laws, citizens, honours, currency, postage stamps, and national holidays.
A micronation is not, however, a sovereign state in the same sense as Finland, Sweden, or France. It generally has no international recognition and no independent sovereign territory.
Micronations can take many different forms. Some are humorous, while others are political or social experiments. Others are connected with art, history, culture, or worldbuilding.
The Kingdom of Jerusalem belongs primarily to the latter group.
It can be thought of as building an entire imagined kingdom in the real world.
Instead of existing only on the pages of a novel or inside a computer game, the Kingdom is given real documents, symbols, objects, traditions, and events.
What Is Done in the Kingdom?
The Kingdom of Jerusalem is being built gradually, piece by piece.
A constitution and Royal Decrees are drafted for the Kingdom. These define matters such as government, public offices, citizenship, titles, honours, and other structures of the realm.
The purpose is not merely to invent impressive-sounding rules. At the same time, the project provides an opportunity to consider real questions about how authority should be exercised, what responsibilities come with leadership, and what a just society might look like.
The Kingdom has its own coats of arms, emblems, and Great Seal. Their design follows the genuine principles of heraldry while also drawing upon symbols connected with the history of Jerusalem.
Some designs are also turned into real physical objects.
Coins, banknotes, seals, decorations, crowns, ceremonial objects, documents, and other insignia can all be designed and made for the Kingdom.
In this way, an idea that begins on a computer screen or a sheet of paper can gradually become something tangible.
Art, Craftsmanship, and Creativity
Art and craftsmanship play an important role in the project.
The Kingdom needs illustrations for its website, coats of arms, ornamental designs, postage stamps, greeting cards, banknote artwork, decorations, and many other things.
There are therefore many different ways to take part.
One person may draw or paint. Another may work with crafts or 3D modelling. Someone else may enjoy photography, writing, composing music, designing websites, or studying history.
New ideas can continually be added.
Someone might design a postage stamp. Another might create a new order or decoration. Someone else might write an article about the history of the Kingdom or develop a new feast day or tradition.
And sometimes an idea like this may become a lasting part of the traditions of the Kingdom.
Serious and Playful at the Same Time
Not everything has to be serious.
One of the most important purposes of the Kingdom of Jerusalem is simply the joy of creating.
There may be crowns, coats of arms, ceremonies, and elaborate titles simply because they are enjoyable to design and bring to life.
That does not mean, however, that the project cannot also contain more serious ideas.
Playfulness, creativity, and learning are not opposites.
Indeed, imagination is often what inspires people to become interested in history, art, society, or culture in ways that simply reading a textbook may never accomplish.
Jerusalem as a Shared Heritage
Jerusalem is more than the name of a medieval kingdom.
For thousands of years, it has been one of the most significant religious and cultural centres in the world. It has particular importance for Christians, while also holding profound significance in Judaism and Islam.
For this reason, the Kingdom of Jerusalem is not intended to build its identity upon confrontation or division.
Quite the opposite.
One of the ideals of the project is to see Jerusalem as a place that reminds us both of the complexity of history and of humanity’s need for peace, encounter, and mutual respect.
A small project such as the Kingdom of Jerusalem cannot resolve the conflicts of the Middle East, nor should it imagine that it can.
It can, however, in its own modest way, uphold the idea that Jerusalem may also be a symbol of shared cultural heritage, peace, and encounter.
Christian Heritage and Service
Because of Jerusalem’s importance to Christianity, Christian heritage naturally forms part of the identity of the Kingdom.
This includes values such as love of one’s neighbour, human dignity, mercy, responsibility, justice, and peace.
The unity of Christians is also one of the ideas behind the project.
The purpose of titles and offices within the Kingdom is therefore not simply to elevate one person above another.
The principle is the opposite:
The higher the position, the greater the responsibility.
Even the role of the King is not merely to rule. His duty is to bear responsibility for the Kingdom and its people.
The same principle can be applied to other offices, titles, and honours. A position of distinction should also imply a duty to do something good.
If the Kingdom grows, this may in time also lead to concrete forms of service: promoting cultural heritage, supporting charitable work, developing shared projects, or encouraging greater unity among Christians.
In this way, a symbolic kingdom may bring about something entirely real.
A Kingdom Built Together
The Kingdom of Jerusalem is not intended ever to become completely finished.
That is part of its appeal.
It can continue to grow through new people, new ideas, and new skills.
No one needs to be a historian, lawyer, or heraldist in order to take part. There is no need to know Latin or to be an expert on the Middle Ages.
It is enough that something about the project interests you.
Perhaps you are interested in history.
Perhaps you draw, paint, or make things by hand.
Perhaps you are interested in music, writing, computers, society, religion, or old stories.
Or perhaps you simply want to see what might eventually grow out of an idea that is just a little unusual.
The Kingdom of Jerusalem is not merely a story to be read.
It is a world to be built.
History gives it its roots, but its future is shaped by the people who choose to take part in building it.
Welcome to Build the Kingdom
Every kingdom begins, at some point, with its first stone.
This Kingdom is not built through conquest or borders.
It is built from history, ideas, skill, imagination, service, and working together.
And if, in the process, history comes alive, brings joy, teaches something new, and creates even a little good in the world, then the time devoted to it has not been wasted.
Historia reviviscat, prosit delectetque.
May history come alive, be of benefit, and bring delight.