Prince Renato II of the Principality of Pontinha. Prince Renato II of Pontinha When the wealthy British Blandy family tried to sell a disused island fort off the coast of Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal, at the turn of the 21st century, there were not many interested parties.

The rock, which is about the size of a one-bedroom house, is pretty uninviting. Its features include a cave and a small terrace, according to The Guardian, where we first heard about the Principality of Pontinha.

For this reason, the asking price was a mere $25,000 (£17,000). Even then, the Blandys found it hard to find a buyer. That was until the family met Renato Barros — a local art teacher — at a party. Barros immediately decided he wanted to buy Pontinha.

Barros was not a wealthy man and he struggled to raise funds. But he eventually scraped together enough cash to buy the fort, and, on November 30, 2007, he declared its independence from Portugal.

Now Portugal is threatening to reclaim the island, Barros told Business Insider.

"The Portuguese state wants to rob me," said Barros, who is now known as Prince Renato II of Pontinha. "I'm trying to avoid the blood and war but the Portuguese government and the international community do not take me seriously (sic) my pretensions," he added in an email.

This is the story of the struggle for Pontinhanese independence.