Bertoleoni family

Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Tavolara
King Carlo I Bertoleoni and his family, which the Bertoleoni family informs was displayed in Buckingham Palace with the caption "The royal family of Tavolara, in the gulf of Terranova, the smallest kingdom in the world."[1]

Bertoleoni is the proclaimed ruling family of the styled "Kingdom of Tavolara" (Sardinia, Italy), which claimed to be "the smallest kingdom of the world". The members of this family were also the only inhabitants of this island (whose land is owned partly by the Marzano family in Rome, and partly by a NATO military base) that had been abandoned in 1962. The island was claimed by Italy, however, it was never officially annexed and therefore this does not abolish any prior royal titles. The people of the island sustained themselves by goat farming and fishing. Currently, the supposed kingdom is a tourist attraction for the 57 or so native inhabitants of the island, where the current king and crown princess run its two restaurants and sell souvenirs to visitors of the Natural Park. The family has more influence over the island than anyone else.

A Giuseppe Bertoleoni informed that during a hunting trip, Charles Albert, King of Sardinia, verbally appointed him "king of Tavolara" in 1836. According to Giuseppe Bertoleoni, Charles Albert also (verbally) sanctioned the use of the title Prince for the oldest male heir, and the titles "Lord of the Islands" (Signore delle Isole) and "Lady of the Sea" (Signora del Mare) for the younger children of the king. Evidence for this was a scroll written by the prince later that confirmed officiating him as king.

The present claimant to the throne is King Tonino, an Italian citizen who runs Da Tonino, a restaurant on the island.

  1. ^ "Semana". Semana. 60 (1154–1166). 1962.