Sovereign State of Forvik - Declaration of Dependence

Declaration of Dependence

Hill is an Englishman who settled in Shetland after being shipwrecked there in 2001 during a failed attempt to circumnavigate the British Isles. This earned him the nickname "Captain Calamity". On 21 June 2008, Hill unilaterally declared Forvik to be a British Crown Dependency, and thus not a part of the United Kingdom or of the European Union.

Hill's declaration of dependence is founded on an arrangement struck in 1469 between King Christian I of Denmark/Norway and Scotland's King James III, whereby Christian effectively pawned the Shetland Islands to James in order to raise money for his daughter's dowry. Hill contends that, as the loan was never repaid and no other legal agreement ever put in place, Shetland remains in a constitutional limbo, and should properly enjoy the status of Crown Dependencies such as the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands.

Hill's announcement coincided with an actual legal challenge by Shetland Islands Council to the British Crown Estate's control over the seabed surrounding the islands.

Hill is quoted in one British media report as saying "It's all jolly good fun," and that "Every pensioner should do something like this."

However, he has also stated that "this is not just a whim, something I am doing to amuse myself. This is a serious endeavour to change things here in Shetland, to have a better democracy which will ripple out to the rest of the world, because it is sorely needed. There has been absolutely no response from the authorities so far. It has to come to a confrontation at some point, whether that be physical or in the courts. I am ready when they are."