Our Story

How it all began

Ruboria got its start in september of 2013. Back then, a young King Roland hadn't even heard of micronations before. But he unknowingly created and led something very similar on the school playground with his friends. They called it the Leaf Fort, and it existed from 2013 to 2015. It had a flag, a system of government, claimed territory, citizens, many of the key components of micronations. For only existing for two years during recess breaks, the Leaf Fort had a surprisingly rich and eventful history involving unifications, conflicts, and triumphs, much of which is entirely irrelevant to Ruboria. But, the Leaf Fort played a very important role in the founding of Ruboria in 2019. Though it was just kids playing games on the playground, it is possible that Ruboria may never have existed without the Leaf Fort that preceded it.

Holdout years

The Leaf Fort ceased to exist in 2015 as Roland and his friends grew up. But it was difficult for Roland to let go of, as the fort had become an important thing to him. He spent countless hours keeping it together and acting as its leader, and it had provided him with many great memories. He knew he had to move on, but it was tough.

Not long after the end of the Fort, Roland came across a unique group of people through a YouTube compilation; Micronations. While learning about places such as Molossia and Sealand, he drew connections to what the Fort once was. In many ways it was essentially a micronation. If he had known about the concept during the fort years, he likely would have declared it as such. But that time had passed. Aside from a wooded section of his home property that he had declared a "colony" of the Leaf Fort, he no longer held any connection to the former territories of his old micronation. The old colony acted as a sort of dormant holdout of the fort, never having been un-declared as a colony but not being acknowledged in any way. With Roland's friends long having moved on from the fort, he saw little point in trying to establish a micronation in its name on his own. 

Founding of Ruboria

It wasn't until 2019 that Roland's interest in beginning his own micronation was truly rekindled. It was this year when the third microcon event was held in Hamilton, Ontario. Roland came across more videos of previous microcons and social media accounts of various micronations, and their unique stories gave him inspiration and a desire to become a part of the community. He saw no reason why he couldn't create his own micronation, even if he was on his own. With this renewed interest, Roland decided to officially re-launch the fort on July 3rd, 2019, acknowledging the existence of the colony near his home and bestowing it with a new name, The Leaf Fort Holdout of Ruboria (LFHOR).

Five days later Roland declared himself king, and he began reclaiming the old colony from nature by creating trails and clearing deadfall. Ruboria at its start though was not much more than a remnant of the Leaf Fort. Its flag was a white field with the Leaf Fort flag in its canton, and the wordy name is especially evident that the micronation's sole purpose was to carry the legacy of the old fort.

New Direction

Gradually, Ruboria shifted away from the Leaf Fort and gained a new identity of its own. In December of 2019, the flag was changed to the black, white, and green tricolor we see today, and the LFHOR name was later quietly dropped in favor of the Kingdom of Ruboria. Ruboria was finding a new identity for itself that did not rely on the past.

Instead of existing only to keep old memories alive, Ruboria became a micronation focused on conservation and self sufficient living, as well as the preservation of values and history such as the Leaf Fort. With the acquisition of New Georgia in late 2021, the goals of living off the land and conserving nature became more feasible.

Ruboria continues to grow and evolve with time. What was once just a bastion of a school yard game is now taking the shape a true micronation, fostering the development of new skills while also preserving the past. King Roland is excited to develop his kingdom in the years to come, and looks forward to sharing his nation with the world.