Proclamation of the Duchy of Bardo
We, the Duke of Bardo, solemnly proclaim the extension of the Duchy’s territoriality over the enigmatic and legendary Island of Buss.


Historical and Spiritual Premise
The Island of Buss, first recorded in September 1578 by sailors aboard the ship Emmanuel during the third expedition of the famed privateer Sir Martin Frobisher, is a land that transcends the boundary between the visible and the invisible. Marked on the nautical charts of the time between Ireland and the mythical Frisland, at approximately 57° N, the island takes its name from the "busse," the robust type of vessel used by its discoverers. It embodies mystery and the unknown—as a phantom island—values that are fundamental to the spirit of the Duchy of Bardo.
Henceforth, we rename it the Island of Bussardo, honoring its original bold discoverers while invoking our homeland and the citizens of the Duchy, who may one day visit it in peace and prosperity, guided by strange sounds reportedly emanating from within the island, according to accounts of the time. This name also evokes the marsh hawk (buzzard), a bird symbolizing freedom and vigilance, perfectly aligning with the island’s mystical essence.

Final Provisions
The Island of Bussardo will henceforth be integrated into our symbolic, multidimensional, and dreamlike cartography, represented in the artistic, musical, and literary works of the Duchy. We invite all our citizens, friends, and allies to celebrate this expansion, honoring the beauty of what is invisible to most. Naturally, it will be our duty to oppose, by all means, the hunting of whales or any other creatures, as indicated on the map of the time.
Done and proclaimed under the seal of the Duchy of Bardo.


The Duke of Bardo

Piercarlo von Bòrmida

 

Historical data
Bus, Buss, or Busse Island was a phantom island in the North Atlantic Ocean. It was recorded as discovered during the third expedition of Martin Frobisher in September 1578 by sailors aboard the ship Emanuel of Bridgwater (a "busse") and was indicated on maps as existing between Ireland and mythical Frisland at about 57° N. The island was then named for the type of vessel that its discoverers used. It is believed that Frobisher took Greenland for Frisland and Baffin Island for Greenland and Emanuel, returning home, made a mistake in dead reckoning and mistook optical effects near Greenland at around 62° N for new land.

A Thomas Shepard claimed to have explored and mapped the island from Golden Lion of Dunkirk in 1671. As Atlantic traffic increased, the island's existence was less certain and its supposed size was greatly reduced. By 1745, it was apparent there was no island at the site claimed and it was renamed the Sunken Land of Buss, as the supposed area was relatively shallow. The island or 'site of sunken island' persisted on charts into the 19th century. Its existence at the location was finally disproved by John Ross in Isabella in 1818 during his first Arctic expedition, finding no depth at 180 fathoms (330 m). But...