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'Kingdom of Redonda'

Flag Flag	Seal
Motto: ''Floreat Redonda'' Musical Anthem: ''God Who Gave Our Island Soil''
'Type of entity:'	Hypothetical micronation
'Location:'	The island of Redonda, Leeward Islands, West Indies
'Area claimed:'	400-640 sq km (est)
'Membership:'	Less than 100. (Population of island itself is zero, not counting goats.)
'Date of foundation:'	1865
'Leadership:'	Various competing claimants
'Purported organisational structure:'	Absolute monarchy
'Language:'	English
'Currency:'	none

The "'Kingdom of Redonda'" refers to the idea that the tiny uninhabited island of Redonda in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, West Indies, may, arguably and briefly, have existed as an independent kingdom, the title to which is still to this day contested in a half-serious fashion.
According to a story told many years later by his son, who was a fantasy fiction writer, in 1865, Matthew Dowdy Shiell, from the nearby island of Montserrat, proclaimed himself to be the rightful, and supposedly legal, "King" of the island of Redonda. He felt he could legitimately do this, because it appeared to be the case that no country had officially claimed the islet as territory.
The small (approx 1 square mile) island of Redonda, is essentially one very large rock. It is the remnant of an ancient volcanic core, and the land rises extremely steeply from sea level, mostly as sheer cliffs. Although to Columbus the island appeared to be round when viewed from the side, it is in reality long and narrow. Redonda is uninhabited, except by wildlife and a flock of feral goats, who manage to survive on the poor grazing on top of the island. Redonda is situated between the islands of Nevis and Montserrat, within the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain, in the West Indies. The island is now part of the country of Antigua and Barbuda.

Contents

History of the Kingdom

Javier Marías

William Leonard Gates, aka "King Leo"

Historical "Kings"

More recent and contested succession of "Kings"

Scenario 1 (Literary)

Scenario 2

Scenario 3

Scenario 4

Notes

References

External links

History of the Kingdom

The history of the "Kingdom" of Redonda is shrouded in doubt and legend, and it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. According to one of several different versions of the story, Matthew Dowdy Shiell, a banker from Montserrat, claimed the island when his first son, Matthew Phipps Shiell, was born. He supposedly requested the title of King from Queen Victoria and as legend has it, she granted it to him as long as there was no revolt against colonial power. However, the whole story seems to originate from the son, later known as M.P. Shiel, a fantasy and science fiction writer, and it is possible that some, or most, or possibly all of the story, may be pure invention.
In any case, again according to one version of the story, M.P. Shiel in later life gave the title, and the rights of his work, to the writer John Gawsworth, who seems to have sold the title several times, due to permanent bankruptcy. Gawsworth in turn is considered to have bestowed the title, and the rights to his and Shiel's work, to Jon Wynne-Tyson.
Tired of the problems of the kingdom, Wynne-Tyson supposedly resigned his title in 1997, when he decided to name Javier Marías as his successor (and bearer of the rights of the work of both Shiel and Gawsworth). Wynne-Tyson chose to do this because of the positive way in which Marías portrayed Gawsworth in his novel ''Todas las almas'' (published in English as ''All Souls'').
Why do so many different people claim to be King of Redonda? Part of the incentive to be the recognized sole "King" of Redonda might be because of the rights to Gawsworth's literary sales, but a greater part of the appeal seems to be simply the lure of the fabled and ridiculous, and the joy of telling tall tales.

Javier Marías

The Spanish writer Javier Marías, one of the current claimants of Redonda, tells the story of his "coronation" in ''Negra espalda del tiempo'' (published in English as ''Dark Back of Time''). He operates a pet publishing house under the name of ''Reino de Redonda'' ("Kingdom of Redonda"), and has created a literary prize with the same name. The reward is several thousand euros and a Redondan duchy.
Several Spanish and foreign artists and writers have been granted Redondan titles, including Pedro Almodóvar (Duke of Trémula), Francis Ford Coppola (Duke of Megalópolis), Alice Munro (Duchess of Ontario), J. M. Coetzee (Duke of Deshonra), Arturo Pérez-Reverte (Duke of Corso), Guillermo Cabrera Infante (Duke of Tigres), A. S. Byatt (Duchess of Morpho Eugenia), and António Lobo Antunes (Duke of Cocodrilos).

William Leonard Gates, aka "King Leo"

William Leonard Gates lives in Norfolk, England, and his claim to be King (government in exile) is through the line of succession that involves King Juan II, aka Arthur John Roberts. King Leo has an organization called "The Redondan Foundation" which has numerous members, and which publishes a newsletter called "The Times of Redonda".

Historical "Kings"

★ Matthew Dowdy Shiell, 1865 - 1880

★ Matthew Phipps Shiell¹, 1880 - 1947 (styled as ''King Felipe'')

★ John Gawsworth², 1947 - 1967 (styled as ''King Juan I'')

More recent and contested succession of "Kings"

Scenario 1 (Literary)

★ Jon Wynne-Tyson, 1967 - 1997 (styled as ''King Juan II'')

★ Javier Marías, 1997 - present (styled as ''King Xavier I'')

Scenario 2

★ Arthur John Roberts, 1967 - 1989 ('also' styled as ''King Juan II'')

★ William Leonard Gates, 1989 - present (styled as ''King Leo'') [followed Roberts]

Scenario 3

★ Robert Williamson, 1984/5 - present (styled as ''King Robert the Bald'')

Scenario 4

★ Max Leggett, 1950 - present

Notes

#Matthew Phipps Shiell changed his surname to 'Shiel'.
#John Gawsworth is the pseudonym of ''Terence Ian Fytton Armstrong''.

References

★ Óscar López, "Érase una vez un Reino". ''El Periódico de Catalunya'', July 6, 2001. (Can be consulted, in Spanish, at Javier Marías's site.)

★ Historia del Reino de Redonda, by Pablo Martín Cerone

External links

★ The Redonda Foundation, operated by "King Leo".

★ Kingdom of Redonda, operated by "King Robert" aka "Bob the Bald"

★ Javier Marías's site, with information about the Kingdom, publishing house and prize (in Spanish).

★ The Redonda Legend: A Chronological Bibliography