Principality of the Pontinha

The Fort of Saint José (Portuguese: *Forte de São José*) is the headquarters of the ****Principality of the Pontinha****, self-proclaimed country by Prince D. Renato Barros. The Fort of Saint José is located off the coast of the port of Funchal, capital of the Madeira Islands, an autonomous region of Portugal.

The **Principality of the Pontinha** (Portuguese: *Principado da Pontinha* or *Principado do Ilhéu da Pontinha*), is located about 70 meters off Madeira Island, the principal island of the archipelago, and with Porto Santo Island the only inhabited island. It has an area of about 178 square metres, or 1,916 square feet.

## History

The history of the rock begins as early as 1 July 1419, when Portuguese sea captains João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira, at the service of Prince Henry the Navigator, land on a rock, and carve steps and a shelter that can still be seen today. The history of the country, on the other hand, begins on 9 October 1903, when the then King D. Carlos I of Portugal, ancestor of D. Renato Barros, first Prince of the Pontinha, signed a Regal Letter (the original is kept in the Tower of London) that stated that the territory of the said Principality of the Pontinha, a rock where the Fort of Saint José is located (the building of the Principality), shall be sovereign.

## The Principality Today

Currently the case is being analyzed by the international community, including the United Nations. Prince D. Renato Barros expects to obtain the rights of a country, including the 200 nautical miles.

Prince D. Renato Barros states that he has good relations with the Brazilian Government, and if the Principality shall be recognized, it will be the door of entry to Europe.

The Principality of the Pontinha is a member nation of the Micronational Professional Registry, an international and intermicronational professional registry.

On 30 November 2007, Prince D. Renato Barros formally announced the secession of the Principality from Portugal.

## External links

* Current official website
* Video: The World's Smallest Principality
* Video: Principality of the Pontinha
* Video: Owner Principality of the Pontinha wants its independence
* Video: VTV - Renato Barros, Príncipe da Pontinha (Part 1 of 2)
* Video: VTV - Renato Barros, Príncipe da Pontinha (Part 1 of 2)
* PALCUS: History, Genealogy and Research
* Links on Portuguese colonial history

## References

* Forte de São José
* Forte de São José
* Da Silva, M.L. João Gonçalves Zarco, o primeiro herói dos descobrimentos portugueses!, 30 July 2005
* Camacho, P.A. Christies - a loja de leilões londrina - vai avaliar o Forte de São José, no Funchal, Madeira, *Jornal da Madeira*, 7 October 2005
* Ilhéu de São José, *Vagueando pela Madeira*, 8 August 2006
* Gonçalves, Raquel. O "Príncipe" da Pontinha. *Revista Diário (Diário de Notícias)*, 21-27 January 2007, pp. 8-13.
* Dono do ilhéu da Pontinha quer independência, *TSF Online*, 3 October 2007
* Gandum, Alex. Histórias de Reis Nesta República Monárquica!, 4 October 2007
* The Principality of the Pontinha secedes from Portugal, *ProLog.org*, 29 November 2007
* The Principality of the Pontinha secedes from Portugal, *Free-Press-Release.com*, 29 November 2007
* The Principality of the Pontinha secedes from Portugal, *SANEPR.com*, 30 November 2007
* The Principality of the Pontinha secedes from Portugal, *openPR.com*, 30 November 2007
* Carta de D. Renato I, *Apdeites V2*, 30 November 2007
* Comunicado 124/2007. Assunto: Pedido de reunião e fecho de fronteiras do Principado do Ilhéu da Pontinha, 30 November 2007
* The Principality of the Pontinha "breaks away" from Portugal, *Blog Thoughts Madeira*, 1 December 2007
* Notícias do Principado, *Fúria do cajado*, 1 December 2007
* O "país" do eu sozinho, *Em Público*, 6 December 2007
* Comunicado 145/2007. Assunto: Cancelamento do Encerramento de Fronteiras, 29 December 2007
* Stretch, Euan. Nail from the time of Christ's crucifixion found in a dig, *Mirror.co.uk*, 2 March 2010
* Nail from Christ's crucifixion found?, *Telegraph.co.uk*, 2 March 2010
* Stanglin, Doug. Archaeologists find crucifixion-style nail from the time of Jesus, *USA TODAY*, 2 March 2010