Benetin

The Kingdom of Bénétin

The rock of Bénétin is located 48 degrees 41 min 30 sec North, 1 degrees 58 min West, off the French coast of St Malo, in Brittany.

The name of the Island can be checked on the French chart 7131 edited by Sthe SHOM in 1993. The following link gives a preview of the chart, on which Bénétin can clearly be seen (48 degrees 41min 30 sec North, 1 degrees 58 min West). The name itself can be checked on the chart in any nautical bookstore in France.
(http://www.shom.fr/fr_page/fr_prod_cartes/cc/html/cartes/carte7131.htm)

The name Bénétin is attributed to a member of the gang of pirates that used to lie in wait in the bay of the Lupin in Rothéneuf. The pirate Bénétin is one of the characters carved on rocks by the famous Abbé Fouré (http://www.art-insolite.com/pageinsolites/insofoure.htm).

Ownership of the island is disputed. While a handful of local fishermen claim it belongs to the French Maritime Domain, Sigismond made it an independent kingdom in 1989. He was proclaimed King of Bénétin by the population present on the Island a few days after the conquest.

Very few have had the chance to meet His Majesty Sigismond who is also Protector of La Bigne, a land mass located half a mile away in the West-North-West of Bénétin and conquered in 2004. For security reasons and by personal taste, His Majesty Sigismond spends most of his time in exile, travelling around the world. He can be contacted via the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bénétin in the United Kingdom.

The flag of the Kingdom of Bénétin represents the coat of arms of the Royal House: "De gueule à la croix d'argent couverte par une croix de sable chargée en abîme d'une croix d'argent fleuronnée et fichée".

The Crest of the royal house:

In 2004, for the fifteenth anniversary of the foundation of the Kingdom, a commemorative plaque and a flag were installed on the South-East end of the Island. The following picture was taken at this memorable event

The Kingdom of Bénétin has an active cavalry and an active naval fleet whose flagship is a type F70 frigate. The frigate is currently serving in the French Navy, as the Kingdom found it hard to maintain such a vessel at sea without the financial support of a larger nation. The Admiral of the Fleet of Bénétin is an experienced sailor and successful French writer whose name is kept secret for obvious reasons.

The Kingdom of Bénétin has an Embassy in the United Kingdom and in France. It also maintains friendly diplomatic relationships with The Kingdom of Patagonia, whose Consul General is the French writer Jean Raspail. ( article available in English, or for those who have the privilege te read French, more detailed information on: http://www.jeanraspail.free.fr)

A beautiful aerial view of Bénétin can be seen on Google maps, following the link below:

http://maps.google.fr/maps?fq&hlfr&geocode&time&date&ttype&q=Saint-Malo,+Ille-et-Vilaine,+Bretagne,+France&sll48.62786,-2.16465&sspn0.012934,0.028324&ieUTF8&ll48.690507,-1.969643&spn0.006459,0.014162&tk&z16&om1

As well as la Bigne:

http://maps.google.fr/maps?fq&hlfr&geocode&time&date&ttype&q=Saint-Malo,+Ille-et-Vilaine,+Bretagne,+France&sll48.62786,-2.16465&sspn0.012934,0.028324&ieUTF8&ll48.693836,-1.981981&spn0.006459,0.014162&tk&z16&om1

Opposite Bénétin is a restaurant (http://benetin.monsite.wanadoo.fr/index.jhtml) that took his name from the famous rock that can clearly be seen from the terrace ( http://benetin.monsite.wanadoo.fr/page7.html - middle picture in the row)

If you wish to contact The Government in exile of Bénétin, His Majesty Sigismond or any other services of the crown, please send correspondence to the Embassy in the United Kingdom that will forward.

Ambassade du Royaume de Bénétin au Royaume-Uni,

Flat 1,

62 Queen's Gate,

London,

SW75JP

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu