San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino, formerly known as Land of San Marino is an enclaved microstate located in Europe, on the Italian Peninsula. He is the oldest republic ever, being 1,723 years old as of 2024.
The country's economy is mainly based on finance, industry, services, retail, and tourism. He The country's economy is mainly based on finance, industry, services, retail, and tourism. He is one of the wealthiest countries in the world in GDP per capita, with a figure comparable to the most developed European regions. Despite this, his Human Development Index score is 44th, the lowest in Western Europe.
History[edit | edit source]
Early Years and Origin[edit | edit source]
According to tradition, San Marino, the world's fifth smallest state and purportedly the oldest surviving republic, traces its origins to 301 AD. Legend has it that a Christian stonemason named Marinus, later venerated as
Saint Marinus, fled persecution in the
Roman Empire and settled on
Mount Titano after the emperor
Diocletian called for the reconstruction of
Rimini's city walls. Marinus established a small community that eventually evolved into the Republic of San Marino.
Middle Ages[edit | edit source]
Years went on, and this tiny country was doing its own thing peacefully because the other nations of the Italian Peninsula were having their fights and squabbles with each other. The other nations did not care about this tiny rock.
Later papers from the 9th century report a well-organized, open, and proud community: the writings report that the bishop ruled this territory. In the Lombard age, San Marino was a fief of the dukes of Spoleto, but the free commune dates to the tenth century.
Originally, San Marino's government was run by a self-governing group called the Arengo, made up of family leaders similar to the ancient Roman Senate. In 1243, the roles of Captains Regent were established as the shared leaders, each serving for six months. The earliest laws of the state go back to 1263. San Marino had a strong alliance with the Pope and, together, they fought against the
Malatesta family in
Rimini. As a result, San Marino gained control over the regions of
Fiorentino,
Montegiardino, and
Serraville.
Renaissance, Napoleon, and Italian Unification[edit | edit source]
In 1503, Cesare Borgia who was an illegitimate son of
Pope Alexander VI occupied San Marino but was kicked out by
Pope Julius II and
Borgia left. Then in 1543,
Fabiano di Monte San Savino, the nephew of
Pope Julius III tried to invade San Marino but then lost due to heavy fog and the army retreated.
Because San Marino was tiny, he sought protection from the Pope. The Holy See confirmed the independence of San Marino in 1631. It was a big deal because in those days, having your Pope recognize your country meant that your country was legitimate. In 1739,
Giulio Alberonni, the Papal Governor of
Ravenna occupied San Marino but then got scolded by
Pope Clement XII and left. In the 1800s,
Napoleon came along and invaded
Italy.
Against all odds, San Marino wasn't invaded by Napoleon nor imported into Italian states because
Antonio Onofri, the Captain's Regent of San Marino was friends with
Napoleon. San Marino at that time also had
Republicanism, something that
Napoleon was a big fan of.
Napoleon offered to expand San Marino's territory but he rejected it. When Napoleon was defeated in 1815, San Marino did not get any repercussions and stayed independent according to the Congress of
Vienna.
During the Italian unification, San Marino provided refuge for Garibaldi who was being chased by
Austrians, the
French, the
Spanish, and the
Portuguese. San Marino told
Garibaldi that it did not wish to be incorporated into Italy.
Garibaldi decided that San Marino should stay independent.
Garibaldi decided to beat
Southern Italy in the Expedition of the Thousand which happened between 1860 and 1861. Italy was united by
Garibaldi and kept his promise to allow San Marino to be independent.
During the American Civil War, The Union allied with the Republic of San Marino against the
Confederacy and made
Abraham Lincoln an honorary citizen because republics together strong.
WWI and WWII[edit | edit source]
During WW1, San Marino stayed neutral during the war. Italy was not happy because they feared that San Marino was hiding
Austrian spies so they sent some troops to San Marino but San Marino did not comply. San Marino cut off communications with
Italy. Even though they cut off communications, they still sent 20 volunteers to the
Italian Army.
Austria-Hungary was not happy with these troops and they decided to cut off communications with San Marino.
During the Interwar period, San Marino built railways. During WW2, San Marino maintained neutrality throughout the war. However, the Brits still mistakenly bombed San Marino. In September 1944, the
Germans briefly occupied San Marino but were kicked out by the
British and the
Germans lost. Throughout WW2, San Marino provided refuge for more than a hundred thousand civilians, which is a huge effort considering that its inhabitants were numbered around 15,000 citizens at that time.
Cold War and Modern Era[edit | edit source]
After WW2, San Marino fell in love with the communists for two periods, the former between 1945 to 1957, and the latter being 1978-1990. At that time, San Marino had the world's first
democratically elected communist government because the
Communist Party and
Socialist Party formed a coalition with each other. Since San Marino was weak, tiny, and harmless, the
United States did not bother to invade the crap out of San Marino.
In 1992, the Most Serene Republic of San Marino became a member of the United Nations but did not care to join the European Union, although he uses the
Euro as his currency. Throughout history, San Marino has had long-standing neutrality, preceding that of
Switzerland by several centuries. In summary, he loved his
God and the Pope, helped its neighbors in time of need, and so everyone wants to protect this tiny and friendly nation today.
Relations[edit | edit source]
Friends[edit | edit source]
Italy - A necessary friend, and a best! Also control your virus!
Andorra - Another microstate friend who is old. Is a peaceful country like me.
Malta - Microstate friend. Also helpings me in
Eurovision 2018.
Vatican City - Another fellow enclave completely surrounded by
Italia.
Enemies[edit | edit source]
Roman Empire - I gained independence. YOU WILL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!
Emilia-Romagna - Why yuo block my access to the sea? GIB SEA PLOX!!!
Flag Colors[edit | edit source]
![](/images/thumb/f/fe/SanMarinoFlag.png/222px-SanMarinoFlag.png)
Main Colours
Color Name | HEX | |
---|---|---|
Blue Jeans | #5EB6E4 | |
White | #FFFFFF |
Emblem Colours
Color Name | HEX | |
---|---|---|
Saffron | #F1BF31 | |
Satin Sheen Gold | #D99F31 | |
Russian Green | #658D5C | |
Olivine | #94BB79 |