Redonda is a tiny, uninhabited island located between Nevis and Montserrat in the Caribbean, measuring less than a square mile and defined mostly by sheer cliffs and massive deposits of guano. Despite its unwelcoming terrain, it gave birth to one of the most intriguing micronational legends in history. In 1865, Matthew Dowdy Shiell, a trader from Montserrat, decided to claim the island as his personal domain while celebrating the birth of his son, Matthew Phipps Shiell.
He declared the boy King Felipe I of Redonda. Decades later, M. P.
Shiell became a well-known fantasy author in London. To promote his books, he popularized the story of his Caribbean coronation, claiming the title had been officially recognized by the British Colonial Office—an assertion with zero legal backing. Before his death in 1947, Shiell passed the royal title to his friend and fellow writer John Gawsworth.
Gawsworth took his role as King Juan I remarkably seriously, establishing an elaborate royal court consisting almost entirely of prominent London intellectuals, poets, and pub drinking buddies, bestowing aristocratic titles on literary figures like Dorothy L. Sayers, Dylan Thomas, and Arthur Machen. Over time, Gawsworth began 'selling' knighthoods and royalty rights to pay off his mounting tavern debts, leading to multiple competing claims to the Redondan throne after his death.
Today, the legendary Kingdom of Redonda exists as a famous literary joke, a quirky piece of Caribbean folklore, and a testament to how far a fantastical story can travel when fueled by bohemian eccentricities.