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 an old man, the oldest republic ever, being 1,725 years old as of 2026.

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.

San Marino declared independence from the Roman Empire, and not only that, he survived 1700 years almost entirely uninterrupted, was partially responsible for the creation of modern Italy, and somehow managed to vote the communists away, yet still gets no mention in history.

History

Early Years and Origin

According to tradition, San Marino, the world's fifth smallest state and purportedly the oldest surviving republic, traces his origins to 301 AD. Legend has it that a Christian stonemason named Marinus, later venerated as Saint Marinus, fled persecution from 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

Years went on, and this tiny country was doing his own thing peacefully while 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 a 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

In 1503, Cesare Borgia who was an illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI occupied San Marino but was kicked out by Pope Julius II. 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 sovereignty 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 in 1849, who was being chased by Austrians, the French, the Spanish, and the Portuguese. San Marino told Garibaldi that he 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 (1861-1865), the Union allied with the Republic of San Marino against the Confederacy, and San Marino made Abraham Lincoln an honorary citizen because republics together strong.

WWI and WWII

Between 1914 and 1918, San Marino stayed neutral during the Great War. Italy was not happy because he feared that San Marino was hiding Austrian spies so he sent some troops to San Marino but San Marino did not comply and cut off communications with Italy. Even though he cut off communications, he 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 as well.

During the Interwar period, San Marino built railways. From 1939 to 1945, San Marino maintained neutrality throughout World War II. 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 the conflict, San Marino provided refuge for more than a hundred thousand civilians, which is a huge effort considering that his inhabitants were numbered around 15,000 citizens at that time. Allied bombing of German-occupied San Marino led to the deaths of 23 civilians, which was more than San Marino's army (one ceremonial guard).

Cold War and Modern Era

After WWII, San Marino fell in love with the communists for two periods, the former being 1945-1957, 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. On 5 September 2024, San Marino defeated Liechtenstein 1–0 in the 2024-2025 UEFA Nations League for his first competitive win since joining FIFA and UEFA. 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 his neighbors in time of need, and so everyone wants to protect this tiny and friendly nation today.

Relationships

Friends

• 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.

Neutral

• First French Empire - Thanks but no. Also you're still too violent.

Enemies

• Roman Empire - I gained independence. YOU WILL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE, CHRIST-KILLER!
• Emilia-Romagna - Why yuo block my access to the sea? GIB SEA PLOX!!!

How to draw

Flag of San Marino

San Marino has a drawing rating of hard.

1. Draw a ball
2. Fill the top half with white and bottom with blue
3. Draw a hollow yellow shield in the middle
4. Draw a blue sky and green land in the hollow shield
5. Add three gray castles on the green land
6. Add a yellow crown on top of the shield
7. Add green leaves around the shield
8. Add a white banner with the black text “LIBERTAS” on it
9. Add eyes and done!

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
	Dark Leaf Green	#466343
	Grey	#BDBFC1
	Brown Beige	#A48253
	Light Grey	#F1F1F2
	Dark Blue	#4C819A
	Sky Blue	#A0CFEB
	Black	#000000