Daniel Jackson

Here’s the story of Daniel Jackson — a young micronation-founder who declared himself “president”, only to be deported from the land he claimed.

Origins & the claim

• Daniel Jackson is a young Australian digital designer (also based in the UK) who, at the age of 14, began researching a small piece of unclaimed land on the Danube River between Croatia and Serbia. (mint)

• The area is known on maps as “pocket three” — a tiny forested strip that neither Croatia nor Serbia officially claims, due to ongoing border-disputes. (TheRoundTable)

• On 30 May 2019, Jackson officially declared the territory the “Free Republic of Verdis”, proclaiming himself its president. (The Economic Times)

What he built

• Verdis claims official languages: English, Croatian and Serbian.

• It uses the Euro as currency (symbolically) and has a national flag, a cabinet, and reportedly ~400 approved “citizens” (from more than 15,000 applicants). (mint)

• Jackson characterises the project as more than a novelty — a vision for a “new country” built on a border-quirk and the notion of terra nullius (land claimed by none). (CyprusNews.eu)

• He emphasises it started as an experiment among friends, but evolved into a structured micronation model. (TV9 English)

The deportation & conflict

• In October 2023, Croatian police intervened when Jackson and settlers attempted to access the territory via boat from Osijek, Croatia.

• They were detained, and Jackson was deported and given a lifetime ban from entering Croatia. (The Economic Times)

• Jackson claims the Croatian authorities said they were “a threat to homeland security,” though no formal reason was clearly given in public. (TheRoundTable)

• Since then, he operates what he calls a “government in exile”, citing surveillance and access-blocks to the land from the Serbian side. (unigag.com)

Why it matters & what to keep in mind

• The story touches on interesting themes: sovereignty, micronations, the weird outcomes of unresolved border disputes, and young people re-imagining governance.

• Legally, recognition of states is complex: even if land is unclaimed in practice, establishing a recognized sovereign state requires far more (consent of population, effective control, recognition by other states).

• Jackson’s Verdis remains unrecognised. (freedompress.com)

• Jackson calls himself the “youngest president” of his self-declared nation.

• While this is mostly symbolic, it draws attention precisely because of his age (around 20 at time of many reports) and status.

• The deportation underscores how host/neighboring states react: Even if land is technically disputed, they may assert jurisdiction and reject third-party nation-building on their borders.

What’s next?

• Jackson says if Verdis ever achieves broader recognition or a stable settlement, he would step down and allow elections. (unigag.com)

• Meanwhile the situation is unresolved: access is blocked, the legal status ambiguous, recognition absent, and real settlement minimally achieved.

• For observers the case remains a curious blend of youthful idealism, internet-era experimentation (he comes from a Roblox/virtual-world background) and geopolitical oddity.