Kingdom of Tavolara
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In the 19th and 20th centuries, Tavolara island off the northeast coast of Sardinia was ruled by the Bertoleoni family as the Kingdom of Tavolara, one of the smallest kingdoms on the planet. It is now simply part of Italy, although it was never formally annexed.
In 1836, King Charles Albert of Sardinia visited the island and acknowledged Giuseppe Bertoleoni as an independent sovereign monarch.[1] When he died in the 1840s, his eldest son became King Paolo I.
Tavolara was not included in the Italian unification, and King Paolo actively sought and obtained recognition from Italy. During his reign, in 1868 the Italian government began operating a lighthouse on the northeast end of the island.[2] Tavolara's sovereignty was reconfirmed in 1903, when Victor Emmanuel III of Italy signed a treaty of friendship with the nation.[3]
After Paolo's death in 1886,[4] and according to his wishes, the island became a republic, with a president and council of six elected every six years by a vote of the people, male and female.[5] Its third president was elected in 1896.[6][7]
The monarchy, however, was reinstated in 1899. Since that time the island's kings have all come from the Bertoleoni family, recognized as the rulers of Tavolara by the Kings of Sardinia. Documents dating to 1767 affirm that Tavolara had never been a part of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
The third king of Tavolara was Carlo I, who was succeeded upon his death in 1928 by his son King Paolo II.[8] Paolo went abroad, however, and left Carlo's sister Mariangela as regent in his absence. Queen Mariangela died in 1934, leaving the kingdom to Italy.[9]
Her nephew Paolo II still claimed the kingdom, however, and ruled it until his death in 1962. That year marked the installation of a NATO station and the effective end of Tavolaran sovereignty.
The present King Tonino of Tavolara is an Italian citizen named Tonino Bertoleoni, who runs "Da Tonino," a restaurant on the island. Politically, the interests of the island are represented in its external dealings by Prince Ernesto Geremia di Tavolara, of La Spezia, Italy, who has written a history of the island.[10]
The royal tomb of King Paolo I is in the graveyard on the island, surmounted by a crown.
[edit] References
- ^ Wallechinsky, David, and Amy Wallace (2005), The New Book of Lists, pp 383-384, ISBN 1-84195-719-4
- ^ "Notice to Mariners," London Gazette, Aug 28, 1868, p 4734
- ^ "Tiny Republic Signs Treaty," Atlanta Constitution, Nov 22, 1903, p10
- ^ "E morto il Re!" La Sardegna, June 8, 1886, p 1
- ^ "Smallest State in the World," New York Times, June 19, 1896. p 6
- ^ "Tiny Nation to Vote: Smallest Republic in the World to Hold a Presidential Election," Lowell Daily Sun, Sep 17, 1896
- ^ "Nation of 55 People: Republic of Tavolara in Its Third Presidential Campaign" Boston Globe, Jan 10, 1897, p 34
- ^ "Tavolara's King Dies; Ruled Tiniest Realm; Charles Bartoleoni Was Monarch of Small Island Off Sardinia's Coast," New York Times, Feb 1, 1928, p 27
- ^ "Italy Gets Queen's Island of Tavolara," Hartford Courant, July 9, 1934, p 15
- ^ Geremia, Ernesto Carlo, and Gino Ragnetti (2005), Tavolara - l'Isola dei Re, ISBN 8-84253-441-2
- Fioretti, Ovidio, "La corona senza reame," Almanacco di Cagliari 1989
- Geremia, Ernesto Carlo, and Gino Ragnetti (2005), Tavolara - l'Isola dei Re, ISBN 8-84253-441-2
[edit] See also
- Bertoleoni
- List of extinct states
- Former countries in Europe after 1815
- Micronation
- Self-proclaimed monarchy
