Kingdom of Tavolara
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

__NOTOC__ The Kingdom of Tavolara is a micronation on
Tavolara Island Tavolara is a small island off the northeast coast of Sardinia, Italy. The island is a limestone massif long and wide, with steep cliffs except at its ends. Its highest point, Monte Cannone, is above sea level. A cove and beach can be found ...
, off the northeast coast of
Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...
. Set up by the Bertoleoni family, allegedly sanctioned by Charles Albert, King of
Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...
, it claims to be one of the smallest
kingdoms Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
in the world. The island was known in ancient times as Hermea. According to tradition,
Pope Pontian Pope Pontian ( la, Pontianus; died October 235) was the bishop of Rome from 21 July 230 to 28 September 235.Kirsch, Johann Peter (1911). "Pope St. Pontian" in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company. In 235, duri ...
died on Tavolara following his abdication and exile in 235. It is probably the island previously called Tolar, which was used by some Arab ships in 848–849 as a base to attack nearby coasts. Joachim Murat visited Tavolara in 1815 during his attempt to regain the
Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...
. At that time the island was uninhabited. Giuseppe Bertoleoni claimed to be its monarch. When he died in the 1840s, his eldest son became King Paolo I. During his reign, in 1861 the Italian government paid 12,000 Italian lire for land at the northeast end of the island to build a lighthouse, which began operating in 1868. After Paolo's death in 1886, a number of newspapers published the report that according to his will, the island had become a republic. The ''New York Times'' described a government (supposedly recognized by Italy in 1887) with president and council of six elected every six years by a vote of the people, regardless of gender. Others reported on Tavolara's alleged third presidential election in 1896. These reports, however, did not end the Bertoleoni kingdom. The third king of Tavolara was Carlo I, who was succeeded upon his death in 1928 by his son King Paolo II. Paolo went abroad, however, and left Carlo's sister Mariangela as regent in his absence. Mariangela died in 1934, leaving the kingdom to Italy. Her nephew Paolo II still claimed the kingdom until his death in 1962, a year that marked the installation of a
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
station on the island. The present head of the Bertoleoni family is Tonino Bertoleoni, who runs "Da Tonino", a restaurant on the island. Politically, the interests of the micronation are represented in its external dealings by Ernesto Geremia of
La Spezia La Spezia (, or , ; in the local Spezzino dialect) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy. La Spezia is the second largest city ...
,
Liguria Liguria (; lij, Ligûria ; french: Ligurie) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is ...
, Italy, who has written a history of the island.Geremia, Ernesto Carlo, and Gino Ragnetti (2005), ''Tavolara – l'Isola dei Re'', The tomb of Paolo I is in the graveyard on the island, surmounted by a crown.


See also

* List of islands of Italy


References


Sources

*


External links

*Fioretti, Ovidio
"La corona senza reame,"
''Almanacco di Cagliari 1989'' * *
BBC: The World's Smallest KingdomTonino Bertoleoni, King of Tavolara
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tavolara, kingdom of Micronations in Italy History of Sardinia Self-proclaimed monarchy States and territories established in 1836 Island countries