The humble island finally came to the fore in 1648, following a truce at the end of the Thirty Years’ War between France and Spain, when it was chosen as a neutral site to demarcate the new frontier. Indeed, 24 summits have taken place, with military escorts on hand in case talks break down. Eleven years later, the Pyrenees Peace Agreement was concluded. To mark the occasion, a royal wedding was organized and, in 1660, King Louis XIV of France married King Philip IV’s daughter, Maria Theresa of Spain, at the site of the declaration. Wooden bridges were built to facilitate passage, royal parties arrived in state barges and carriages, and tapestries and paintings were commissioned. Diego Velázquez, Philip’s court painter and whose major work remains Las Meninas (a portrait of Maria Theresa with her maids of honor) was put in charge of organizing much of the festivities. So symbolic was Pheasant Island as a metaphor for peace, in fact, that it was decided that both countries would have joint custody of the territory. Spain would be administered from 1 February to 31 July each year, while Pheasant Island would become an official part of France for the remaining six months. At that moment, the smallest condominium in the world was born. By definition, co-dominions are spaces defined by the presence of at least more than one sovereign state. The concept comes from Latin, with “com” meaning “together” and “dominium” meaning “right to own”. And over the centuries, many countries have engaged in geographic tug-of-war over condominiums, with governments merrily spending decades arguing over the finer points of who owns what and why. Most are not centers of empire, but rather experimental, geopolitical additions.
