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The Reichs Council of The Nobility of Germany
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The Reichs College of Princes and Counts of The Holy Roman Empire
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The Reichs College of Princes and
Counts of The Holy Roman Empire
1489-2008
Imperial Council of Princes
and Counts of Germany
The Imperial Nobility of Italy
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(Above)
His Serene Highness Prince Diego
Pignatelli-Aragona-Cortes ,
Prince of The Holy Roman Empire .
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF IMPERIAL ITALY
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Imperial Italy embraced an area of around 65,000 sq km and included the Principalites of Savoy, Milan, Parma, Piacenza, Modena, Mantua, Tuscany and Mirandola, as well as the civic republics of Genoa and Lucca and a few minor states, apart from Savoy, none of these territories were included within the Kreis structure or Reichstag representation and Savoy's memberships of the upper rhine Kreis remained tenuous and longer exercised its vote from the seventeenth centary. Nonetheless, links between the region and the Empire proper extended beyond the fact that it had once constituted the Italian Kingdom alongside that of Germany. Like the German lands, the Imperial Italian territories were bound within the same network of overlapping Feudal ties and the Emperor remained the supreme Feudal overlord of all 250-300 Italian greater and lessor Fiefs.
Upon the deposition in 887 of the last ruler of the Carolingian Empire, Charles III the Fat, his nephew Arnulf became ruler of Germany, or the East Frankish kingdom, as it is often referred to. Arnulf was crowned king of Italy and emperor in 896. After him, Italy became prey to various Lombard dynastic rivalries.
Although nominally part of the German side of the Carolingian imperial inheritance, the claim on Italy was in abeyance until Otto I the Great vanquished all rivals and in 962 was crowned in Rome as emperor and founder of the Holy Roman Empire, in which Italy was included.
It was a country divided into different fiefs and sovereignties, roughly (not counting effective local rule, which was probably the norm): Milan, Friuli, Venice, the margravate of Tuscany, the Papal States (mainly Lazio, Umbria, and Romagna), the principalities of Salerno and Capua (Naples), the duchies of Spoleto, and Benevento. Southern Italy (Calabria, Basilicata, and Apulia) was Byzantine and Sicily Islamic.
Imperial rule in northern Italy was intermittent and weak and this permitted every important town there to become a free commune from the 10th to the 12th centuries. The Saxon emperors of the Holy Roman Empire were succeeded by emperors originally from Lorraine (1024-1125), during whose rule the German stem duchies tended to disintegrate and the struggle with the papacy over investiture (naming of bishops) began.
In 1040, with the approval of the papacy, French Normans undertook the conquest of southern Italy and Muslim Sicily. Robert Guiscard took Calabria in 1060, Bari in 1071, and Salerno in 1076, all from the Byzantine Empire. The Lombard duchy of Benevento also fell to the Normans, but the city itself became a papal fief. The Normans also tried to establish footholds in Byzantine Greece. Robert's brother Roger subjected Sicily from 1061 to 1091. He inherited all Norman lands in Italy as Roger I, count of Sicily. In 1098, he was named papal legate, although there was later a falling out with the papacy.
Among the first crusaders was Bohemond of Taranto, son of Robert Guiscard. The first Crusader States were Antioch and Edessa (1098). Bohemond led the assault on Antioch, of which he became prince.
The survival of crusader principalities required continuous campaigns. Bohemond was taken prisoner during one of them. After being ransomed, Bohemond and his nephew Tancred went to war but were defeated at Harran. Bohemond realized that all he had to expect as ruler of Antioch was more of the same in defense of what he considered a meagre realm. He had greater ambitions, so he went to Europe on a virulent anti-Byzantine campaign. As a veteran Crusader he became a center of attraction at the courts he visited. His one message was that that it was the Greeks and not the Turks that were the real enemy. Bohemond did not convince many people, so he went boldly an invaded the Byzantine Empire in Durazzo (modern Albania) but failed so badly that his career was ended.
Roger II (1130-1154) established his capital in Palermo and was recognized as King of Sicily by pope Innocent II (1130-1143). In 1139 Naples and Capua accepted his sovereignty. By 1154, the Normans had integrated Sicily and southern Italy to the limits with the Papal States.
In 1079, emperor Henry IV had made Frederick Hohenstaufen duke of Swabia. Through marriage, the Welf house of Bavaria also ruled in Saxony and the magnates passed it over and elected the duke of Swabia, Conrad III Hohenstaufen (1138-1152), as emperor. These political maneuvers were the origin of the rivalry in the Holy Roman Empire between Hohenstaufens and Welfs which climaxed during the reign of Frederick I Barbarossa (1155-1190), nephew of Conrad.
In Italy, Barbarossa's out-and-out imperialism failed. Bavaria and the papacy were not making life easy for him. Barbarossa named an anti-pope to pope Alexander III, but the latter had the support of France and called on the Italian communes to resist him. It is this quarrel between emperor and pope that marks the start of the rivalry between the pro-imperial or Ghibelline party and the pro-papal or Guelph (from Welf) party. Barbarossa was defeated by the Lombard League at the battle of Legnano (1176). Bavaria's "active" lack of support--it could close the Alpine passes between Germany and Italy--probably contributed to the emperor's discomfiture.
Barbarossa's son, Henry VI, became Holy Roman Emperor without much opposition, but he fell into a trap he couldn't resist. The last Norman king of Sicily and Naples, William II (1166-1189), named his aunt Constance, wife of Henry, as his heir. Henry, who like all Hohenstaufens panted for an Italian empire as part of the wider Holy Roman Empire, went to Sicily to claim his new crown. Henry arrived there disposed to let nothing stand in his way.
Although they appeared to have accepted their Norman rulers without undue restiveness, the Sicilians already had a reputation for silent, obdurate, and lethal subversion. Henry applied drastic means. Tancred of Lecce had taken over after William's death. He died and was succeeded by count Giordan. Henry had Tancred's corpse disinterred and beheaded and in the same public function he placed on Giordan's head a red-hot crown of iron without the benefit of a beheader such as the Japanese allow in ritual seppuku.
Henry died unexpectedly in Sicily (1197). His heir, Frederick, a minor, became a spectacular historical figure. Frederick II Hohenstaufen (1215-1250) is something of an icon to some historians, who consider that he created nothing less than the modern state. Frederick was certainly outstanding among monarchs for his erudition and his many interests. Even in his time he was called the "wonder of the world" (stupor mundi). He founded universities in Salerno and Naples. Salerno became the most prestigious center of medical education in Europe. Frederick also had the constitution of Melfi written by Pietro della Vigna for his Italian domains. When Frederick later became suspicious of della Vigna's loyalty to him, he had him blinded with a hot iron. Vigna smashed his skull against a pillar in his cell for fear of worse tortures.
The most enthusiastic admirer of Frederick cannot dissimulate that he was a sadist and a ruthless practitioner of state terrorism. Much has been made of Frederick's tolerance of Saracens. However, when the Muslims in Sicily rebelled he put them down and he ripped open their leader's guts with his spurs. Subsequently, he settled them in a self-ruling colony in southern Italy. When the town of Celano in Puglia staged an insurrection, at about the time Frederick was founding the university of Salerno, his reprisal was so devastating that its smoking ruins inspired in a former resident, the monk Thomas of Celano, the most famous chant ever composed, the frightfully majestic "Dies Irae".
Frederick barely made it to emperor. After being crowned king of Sicily at the age of four, he was relegated by his regent, Philip of Swabia, and pope Celestine III (1191-1198) claimed the island for the papacy. The neglect in which Frederick spent his childhood allowed him to move freely in Palermo where he mixed with the foreigners that arrived in that central Mediterranean port. These contacts awakened in him the curiosity about other cultures and the penchant for learning which he manifested throughout his life. While Frederick cultivated his interest in Islam, in Germany there were dynastic squabbles. Some authorities believe that the papacy reached the height of its power and influence in the Middle Ages during Frederick's minority.
With Otto of Brunswick, duke of Bavaria, the Welf dynasty tried to get back into imperial competition. Pope Innocent III (1198-1216), who preferred free communes to imperial hegemony, at first favoured his candidacy for the imperial throne but when he suspected Otto of having designs on Italy, he excommunicated him and chose Frederick, who was only sixteen, hence manipulable (or so thought the pope). Otto's political ambitions were crushed by French king Philip Augustus at Bouvines (1214) and the adolescent Frederick, who was the legitimate Hohenstaufen heir, crossed the Alps and was crowned emperor in Aachen, the ancient Carolingian capital.
His struggles with the papacy began some years after that when, already an adult, Frederick returned to his Sicilian kingdom. Pope Honorius III (1216-1227) did not relish having the same Hohenstaufen emperor in Germany and king in Sicily. Frederick tried to allay his fear by having his minor son Henry, from his marriage to Constance, crowned King of the Romans, with the right of inheritance to the crown of the Holy Roman Empire. Frederick did not renounce the imperial crown and there was enough ambiguity in his gesture to make the pope suspicious about his avowed intention to keep Germany and Sicily separate.
One way to test Frederick's obedience to the church was for him to go to the Holy Land where the situation was desperate. Frederick kept postponing this and corresponded with the Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt, Abd al Malik, brother and successor of Saladin. He was genuinely trying to reach an understanding that would ensure peaceful Christian pilgrimages to Jerusalem. But what the pope saw was disobedience and Frederick was excommunicated. Finally, Frederick undertook the Sixth Crusade (1228-1229), during which his previous epistolary friendship with the Ayyubid sultan resulted in a treaty by which Christian pilgrims would be allowed in the Holy Land. On the surface, it was a triumph. In reality, the treaty was never respected. Frederick knew that the Christian cause in Palestine was lost and what he did was the best that reason suggested. Frederick's excommunication was lifted by pope Gregory IX (1227-1241) at the papal palace of Anagni.
When his son Henry rebelled against his father, Frederick had him imprisoned for life. In northern Italy, Frederick allied to Verona routed Milan at Cortenuova (1237). These events were an indication that Frederick was still attached to the idea of a Hohenstaufen empire comprising Germany and Italy. The pope certainly thought so. Gregory excommunicated him again. The bishops and many Italian cities were against him, thus exacerbating the Guelph and Ghibelline political rivalry. Constance had died young and Frederick had a son, Conrad, from his marriage to the daughter of the Lusignan claimant to the crown of Jerusalem. Frederick named this son emperor Conrad IV, still a minor, thus keeping up the fiction of two separate Hohenstaufen monarchies, which Gregory was not about to swallow.
The “septicemic” conclave, when Gregory died, Frederick penned the bishops in the Septizonum Conclave (1241), from which he expected the election of a more compliant pope. The highly polarized conclave was under lock and key for months in such unsanitary conditions that when it finally emerged with Celestine IV, the new pope almost immediately died from septicemia. Without Frederick's pressure, Innocent IV (1254-1261) was quickly elected to succeed him. He was not disposed to bend to Frederick's impositions and fled to Lyon. Frederick was "dissuaded" by king Louis IX from going after him. There was a rebellion at Capaccio whose leaders Frederick mutilated and quartered. But Germany was rudderless and William of Holland emerged as anti-king.
After Frederick died (1250), Conrad IV became the Hohenstaufen claimant to the imperial throne in Germany. Manfred, a natural son of Frederick, took over in Sicily and became its virtual king. Pope Clement IV (1265-1268), who wanted to recover Sicily as a vassal of Rome, vested the island on Charles of Anjou, brother of Louis IX king of France. Charles occupied Naples and defeated and killed Manfred at Ponte Calore (1266). His corpse was thrown into a rubbish pit and Charles' soldiers marched by throwing pebbles to cover it.
Conrad IV died (1254) and left his son Conrad V or Conradin as imperial heir. William of Holland pipped all his rivals and Conradin fled to Italy where he was easily defeated by the French at Tagliacozzo (1268). He was taken prisoner and hung in Naples. Thus ended the direct male Hohenstaufen line. The Saracen community that Frederick had established in Italy was exterminated.
When the French tried to impose their rule in Sicily, there was a general uprising, known as the Sicilian Vespers (1282), whose purpose was to kill as many of the newcomers as possible. John of Procida is often identified as the promoter of the uprising. Momentarily without a sovereign, the Sicilians opted for the house of far-away Aragón , whose claim was based on the marriage of its king to Constance Hohenstaufen. Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos reputedly stated that he had instigated the French debacle to prevent Charles from carrying out an attack on Constantinople. Some fanciful etymologists trace the origins of the term "Mafia" to the sentence "Morte ai Francesi Italia anela" (Italy desires the death of Frenchmen), which makes for entertaining reading in encyclopedias of oddities.
Despite the Hohenstaufen failure, the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire remained inextricable in politics. The emperors had been the losers and the magnates the beneficiaries in the struggle to control the church in Germany. Notwithstanding this, imperial successions were hotly contested and this gave the popes the opportunity to intervene in the German dynastic wars. When William of Holland died (1256), the Holy Roman Empire entered a factional interregnum. Count Rudolf Habsburg, with domains in western Germany and Switzerland, was chosen king (1273-1291) mainly because he was not considered powerful enough to try to be hegemonic. However, he obtained the duchies of Austria and Styria, thus increasing Habsburg power considerably.
Rudolf tried to have his sons elected as his successors but he was opposed by the other German princes who opted for Adolf of Nassau (1291). When Nassau in turn tried to expand his domains in Thuringia, Albert Habsburg and the other magnates, who by now held the informal title of electors, deposed him (1298). Albert assumed the German crown, in theory also the emperorship.
In northern Italy, the more important cities were passing from communal regimes to the rule of lords known as signori (signorias). Italy, in sum, was growing independent of foreign dynastic claims and interventions. This should have benefitted the wordly authority of the papacy, but this was not the way things turned out. Pope Boniface VIII (1294-1303) condemned French king Philip IV the Fair's taxation of church properties. A French cabal physically assailed the pope at Agnani and barely stopped short of killing him. Subsequently, the French Pope Clement V (1305-1314) moved to Avignon, which was ceded to the papacy and where the popes were to remain for 73 years, responsive to French monarchs.
Albert Habsburg was murdered in a conspiracy (1308), which included a member of his own family, an undecorous incident which checked the Habsburgs' aspiration to become hereditary emperors. The German electors next chose Henry of Luxemburg. Crowned emperor Henry VII (1312-1313) by the papal legate in Rome, he gained the crown of Bohemia for his minor son John of Luxemburg. He tried to meddle in the imbroglio of Italian politics and died as head of the Ghibelline faction. This left the Holy Roman Empire acephalous again, the electors divided, and conflict looming between Frederick duke of Austria and Louis Wittelsbach of Bavaria. Frederick obtained a slender majority from his peers--tradition required unanimity--and Wittelsbach took up arms and defeated Frederick at Mühldorf (1322).
In the absence of the popes, the political situation in Italy had deteriorated. Under the precarious authority of legates, the papal states disgregated. The cities were jealous of their independence and fought each other constantly. Although the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire, the "two suns" of Italian politics (as Dante had called them), were eclipsed, Guelph and Ghibelline rivalries still cut across northern Italy. This was the age of the mercenary warlords known as condottieri, who shifted allegiances according to their own convenience and gain. Genoa and Venice were usually at odds. Venice expanded to the Italian mainland.
It was in the midst of this unsettled state of affairs that Cola di Rienzi, the son of an innkeeper with a head full of fantasies and the gift of eloquence, took over Rome and called for Italian unity (1347). Surprisingly, many cities responded, but Cola di Rienzi's ambitions, later the theme of a Wagnerian opera, were way above his reach and the easily wearied Romans killed him in an uprising. These events did not mean that there was social anarchy within the multiple Italian sovereignties and it was in those troubled times that Lorenzetti painted in Siena his magnificent allegorical frescoes representing good and bad government.
In Germany, Louis IV Wittelsbach (1328-1347) antagonized the dukes with his annexations. In 1346, Pope Clement VI declared him deposed and named in his stead Charles IV of Luxemburg (1346-1378), son of Henry VII and king of Bohemia. Another long conflict appeared imminent, but Louis died and the electors switched to the papal candidate. By now it was generally agreed that there was a crying need to regularize successions and thus it was that Charles, after being crowned in Rome by Gil Albornoz, the most forceful of the papal legates, promulgated the Golden Bull, which was accepted by a German diet as a sort of constitution of the Holy Roman Empire (1356).
What had finally obtained, more by implication than by explicit command, was the essential pattern of German imperial politics until the dissolution of the empire. In particular by ignoring the papacy the Golden Bull instituted that there was to be no papal interference in imperial elections and conversely it was implicit that the emperors were not to meddle in Italian affairs. Italy was still part of the empire, but separate from it. After that, the history of Italy is that of its principal component states: Naples and Sicily in the south, and Venice, Lombardy, Genoa, Tuscany, and the Papal States in the rest of the country. The German claim to northern Italy was theoretically undiminished and was not finally extinguished until the Holy Roman Empire was split apart by the Protestant Reformation. Holy Roman emperor Charles V Habsburg (1519-1556) fought Francis I (1515-1547) of France tooth and nail for Milan, which became Spanish in 1535. By then northern Italy had become a national rather than an imperial issue.
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THE IMPERIAL ROLL OF HONOUR OF
THE NOBILITY OF THE HOLY ROMAN
EMPIRE OF THE GERMAN NATION,
A REGISTER OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL,
AND SECULAR MEMBERS, NOBLE
FAMILIES & TITLES OF THE
HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE IN ITALY
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THE IMPERIAL NOBILITY OF ITALY
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ACEDO
H.E. Count / Graf Don Francisco Acedo Fernández Pereira ,
Count of Dominè , Patrician of Naples ,
Noble of Paternò , Hidalgo of Navarre and Castille.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
ALBERTI DI POJA
H.E. Count / Graf Antonia Clemente Alberti di Poja .
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
ALDOBRANDINI
H.E. Marquis / Margrave Don Camillo Aldobrandini.
( Marquess of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF ALLIATA
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Don Gabriele Alliata di Villafranca .
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF ALONZO DI ANCONA
See: Count and Baron von Reinheim and
Baron von Steffenberg, Senior line*
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Don Aaron Alonzo di Ancona ,
Duke / Herzog of Filottrano and of Monte Conero ,
Marquess / Margrave of Apiro, Count / Graf of Visso ,
Noble and Patrician of Rome and Ancona .
(Prince, Duke, Marquess and Count of The Holy Roman Empire)
H.S.H. Princess / Furstin Donna Arianna Alonzo di Ancona ,
Duchess of Filottrano and of Monte Conero ,
Marchioness of Apiro, Countess of Visso .
( Princess of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.S.H. Princess / Furstin Donna Alyssandria Alonzo di Ancona ,
Duchess of Filottrano and of Monte Conero ,
Marchioness of Apiro, Countess of Visso .
( Princess of The Holy Roman Empire )
ANTONELLI
Carlo Antonelli.
( Noble of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF d'AQUINO
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Don Alessandro d'Aquino.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
ATTEMS or ATTIMIS
H.E. Count / Graf Federico Cristiano Attems.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF d'AVALOS
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Don Francesco d'Avalos.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
AVENTI
Luciano Aventi.
( Noble of The Holy Roman Empire )
BARBASETTI DI PRUN
Giangiorgio Barbasetti di Prun.
( Noble of The Holy Roman Empire )
BARBIANNO DI BELGIOIOSO D'ESTE
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Barbianno di Belgioioso D'Este .
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
BARBIANNO DI BELGIOIOSO
H.E. Count / Graf Guido Barbianno di Belgioioso.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
BENVENUTI
H.E. Count / Graf Ferrante Mercurino Benvenuti.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
BERTOLINI
Luigi Bertolini.
( Noble of The Holy Roman Empire )
BLANCHETTI REVELLI
Lanfranco Blanchetti Revelli.
( Noble of The Holy Roman Empire )
BONACOSSI
Knight / Ritter Bonacolsa Bonacossi.
( Knight of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF BONCOMPAGNI LUDOVISI
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Don Nicolo Francesco Boncompagni Ludovisi.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF BONIFAZI DI STATTE
H.R.H. Giancarlo Bonfazi di Statte
de jure Prince of Tournai ,
Count of The Holy Roman Empire ,
Count of Statte, Baron of Ardgour .
( Count of The Holy Romann Empire )
H.R.H. Simona Bonfazi di Statte
de jure Princess of Tournai ,
Countess of The Holy Roman Empire ,
Countess of Statte, Baroness of Ardgour .
( Countess of The Holy Romann Empire )
BOSSI FEDIGROTTI
H.E. Count / Graf Frederico Bossi Fedigrotti.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
BRAGADIN
Marco Alvise Bragadin.
( Noble of The Holy Roman Empire )
BUFFA
H.E. Baron / Freiherr Guido Buffa.
( Baron of The Holy Roman Empire )
CAPPONI
H.E. Count / Graf Neri Capponi.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF CARACCIOLO
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Don Francesco Caracciolo.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF CARAFA DELLA SPINA
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Don Gregorio Carafa Della Spina.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
COMPAGNINO
H.E. Baron / Freiherr Giuseppe Compagnino .
( Baron of The Holy Roman Empire )
CASTELBARCO ALBANI VISCONTI SIMONETTA
H.E. Count / Furst Carlo Castelbarco Albani Visconti Simonetta.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
CASTRACANE DEGLI ANTELMINELLI
H.E. Count / Furst Castracane Degli Antelminelli.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
COZZARELLI
Lady / Frau Lucrecia Herrera Cozzarelli.
( Noble of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF CHIGI ALBANI DELLA ROVERE
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Don Agostino Chigi Albani Della Rovere.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
CIGALA
H.E. Count / Graf Oscar Cigala.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
CLARICINI DI DORNPACHER
Raimondo Claricini di Dornpacher.
( Noble of The Holy Roman Empire )
D'ANTONINICH / BARONY VON DEM CHERSO
( House of Steinhurst von der Steinhorst, (*Senior line )
See: Princely County and Barony von der Steinhorst,
Barony of Dromcummer , *Senior Line .
Kingdom of Westphalia, Prince Electorship of Westphalia
Principality of Fulda, Marquisate of Auvergne, *Cadet Line .
H.Ill.H. Count / Graf Nelson Keith Steinhurst von der Steinhorst ,
Baron / Freiherr von dem Cherso .
( Baron of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.Ill.H. Countess / Graefin Diana Elaine Antoninich-Steinhurst von der Steinhorst ,
Baroness / Freifrau von dem Cherso .
( Baroness of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Prince Keith Patrick Steinhurst of Westphalia ,
Baron / Freiherr von dem Cherso .
(See: Kingdom of Westphalia, *Cadet Line)
( Baron of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.Ill.H. Countess / Graefin Joanna Nicole Steinhurst von der Steinhorst ,
Baroness / Freifrau von dem Cherso .
( Baroness of The Holy Roman Empire )
di COLLALTO
H.E. Count / Graf Giovanni di Collalto.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
COLLOREDO MELS
H.E. Count / Graf Antonio Vicardo Colloredo Mels.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
COZZARELLI
Lady / Frau Lucrecia Cozzarelli.
( Noble of The Holy Roman Empire )
de CONTI
H.E. Countess / Graefin Gisella de Conti.
( Countess of The Holy Roman Empire )
KINGDOM OF EPIRUS / POZZI DI ST. SOFIA
H.R.H. Prince Davide Pozzi Di St. Sofia,
Prince of Epirus de jure King of Epirus.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Princess Patrizia Pozzi Di St. Sofia,
Princess of Epirus de jure Queen of Epirus.
( Princess of The Holy Roman Empire )
DI GERASA
H.E. Count / Graf Kyrill di Gerasa ,
Conte di Gerasa , Bishop of Aurora and Illinois .
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF DORIA PAMPHILJ LANDJ
H.S.H. Don Prince / Furst Jonathan Paul Andrea Doria Pamphilj Landj .
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
DORIA
H.E. Marquess / Margrave Giorgio Doria ,
Count / Graf of Montaldeo .
( Marquess of The Holy Roman Empire )
KINGDOM OF ETRURIA IN THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE
(The Royal House of Johnson,*Senior Line)
(See: Duchy of Florence and Principality of Santa Croce)
H.R.H. Prince Ralph of Etruria,
Duke of Florence, de jure King of Etruria,
Imperial Vice-Chancellor of Italy .
( Kingdom in the Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Princess Marianne of Etruria,
Duchess of Florence, de jure Queen of Etruria.
( Kingdom in the Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Prince Rutherford of Etruria ,
Hereditary Prince of Etruria,
Duke of Florence.
( Kingdom in the Holy Roman Empire )
FIORIO
H.E. Baron / Freiherr Carlo Fiorio.
( Baron of The Holy Roman Empire )
DUCHY OF FLORENCE
(The Royal House of Johnson,*Senior Line)
(See: Kingdom of Etruria and Principality of Santa Croce)
H.R.H. Prince Ralph of Etruria,
Duke / Herzog of Florence ,
( Duke of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Princess Marianne of Etruria,
Duchess / Herzogin of Florence ,
( Duchess of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Prince Rutherford of Etruria ,
Hereditary Duke / Herzog of Florence ,
( Duke of The Holy Roman Empire )
SCIORTINO
H.E. Count / Graf Antonio Sciortino .
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
FRANCHINI STAPPO
Piero Alessandro Franchini Stappo.
( Noble of The Holy Roman Empire )
dalla FRATTA PASINI
H.E. Count / Graf Alessandro dalla Fratta Pasini.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
della GHERARDESCA
H.E. Count / Graf Walfredo della Gherardesca.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
GIOVANELLI
H.E. Count / Graf Don Alberto Carlo Giovanelli.
(Count of The Holy Roman Empire)
PRINCELY HOUSE OF GONZAGA
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Don Maurizio Gonzage.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
GRAMATICA
Giovanni Gramatica.
(Noble of The Holy Roman Empire)
GROPPLERO DI TROPPENBURG
Knight / Ritter Gian Andrea Gropplero di Troppenburg.
( Knight of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF GUASCO GALLARATE or GALLARATI
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Don Francesco Guasco Gallarate.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
GUIDOBONO CAVALCHINI GAROFOLI
H.E. Baron / Freiherr Giuseppe Guidobono Cavalchini Garofoli.
( Baron of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF HERCOLANI
H.H. Prince / Furst Don Andre Hercolani.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
IMPELLIZZERI
H.E. Baron / Freiherr Vincenzo Impellizzeri.
( Baron Of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF LANDI
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Landi of Valditaro ,
Prince of Valditaro .
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCE ELECTORSHIP OF LOMBARDY
His Imperial and Royal Highness
Prince Karl Friedrich of Germany ,
Imperial Prince Elector of Lombardy ,
Duke and Prince of Lombardy ,
de jure King of Lombardy .
( Prince Elector of The Holy Roman Empire )
KINGDOM OF ITALY / LOMBARDY
H.I.&.R.H. Prinz Karl Friedrich von Deutschland,
Herzog von Swabia , Herzog von Saxe-Altenburg ,
de jure Charles VIII I.R. ,
de jure King of Italy / Lombardy.
( King in The Holy Roman Empire )
DUCHY OF LOMBARDY
H.I.&.R.H. Prinz Karl Friedrich von Deutschland,
Herzog von Swabia, Herzog von Saxe-Altenburg,
de jure Charles VIII I.R.
Duke / Herzog of Lombardy.
( Duke of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCIPALITY OF LOMBARDY
H.I.&.R.H. Prinz Karl Friedrich von Deutschland,
Herzog von Swabia, Herzog von Saxe-Altenburg,
de jure Charles VIII I.R.
Prince / Furst of Lombardy.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
DUCHY OF LUCCA
Reverts back to the Imperial Crown.
Duke / Herzog of Lucca.
( Duke of The Holy Roman Empire )
MACH DI PALMSTEIN
Gianfranco Mach Di Palmstein.
( Noble of The Holy Roman Empire )
MARESCA
H.E. Marquis / Margrave Antonio Maresca .
( Marquis of The Holy Roman Empire )
MARULLI DI SAN CESARIO
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Marulli Di San Cesario .
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
MARULLI
H.E. Count / Graf Marulli.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
DUCAL HOUSE OF MASSA AND CARRARA
H.S.H. Don John Malcolm James Cracknell,
Duke and Marquis of Massa and Carrara.
( Duke and Marquis of The Holy Roman Empire )
SOVEREIGN DUCHY OF MODENA
Reverted back to the Imperial Crown and Emperor,
Duke of / Herzog von Modena.
( Sovereign Duchy of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCIPALITY DI SANTA CROCE
(The Royal House of Johnson,*Senior Line)
(See: Kingdom of Etruria and Duchy of Florence)
H.R.H. Prince Ralph of Etruria,
Prince di Santa Croce, Prince del Monte Titano ,
Duke di Santa Croce , Duke del Monte Titano,
Marquis del Monte Titano , Count of Valais ,
Count del Monte Titano , Count and Baron Johnson ,
Reichsritter of The Holy Roman Empire ,
Noble of Rome and Patrician of Rome .
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Princess Marianne of Etruria,
Princess di Santa Croce, Princess del Monte Titano ,
Duchess di Santa Croce , Duchess del Monte Titano,
Marchioness del Monte Titano , Countess of Valais ,
Countess del Monte Titano , Countess and Baroness Johnson
( Princess of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Prince Rutherford of Etruria ,
Hereditary Prince di Santa Croce ,
Duke del Monte Titano, Marquis del Monte Titano .
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
HOUSE OF JOHNSON DI SANTA CROCE
(*Cadet Line)
H.E. Count / Graf Charles Daniel II Johnson di Santa Croce ,
Baron / Freiherr di Santa Croce .
( Count and Baron of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.E. Countess / Graefin Rebecca Johnson di Santa Croce ,
Baroness / Freifrau di Santa Croce ,
( Countess and Baroness of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.E. Count / Graf Charles Daniel III Johnson di Santa Croce ,
Baron / Freiherr di Santa Croce .
( Count and Baron of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.E. Countess / Graefin Jennifer Johnson di Santa Croce ,
Baroness / Freifrau di Santa Croce , (Mrs. Anderson).
( Countess and Baroness of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.E. Count / Graf Andrew Johnson di Santa Croce ,
Baron / Freiherr di Santa Croce
( Count and Baron of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF MELI LUPI
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Don Bonifazio Meli Lupi.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
DUCHY OF MILAN
Part of the Imperial Patrimony of the Emperor.
Duke of / Herzog von Milan.
( Duke of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF MILANO D'ARAGONA
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Don Pietro Milano Franco D'Aragona.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
MISTRUZZI DI FRISINGA
Francesco Milano di Frisinga.
( Noble of The Holy Roman Empire )
DUCHY AND COUNTY OF FRIULI
Part of the Imperial Patrimony of the Emperor.
Duke / Herzog and Count / Graf of Friuli.
( Duke and Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
MONTECUCCOLI DEGLI ERRI
H.E. Count / Graf Montecuccoli Degli Erri.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
MONTECUCCOLI-LADERCHI
H.E. Count / Graf Montecuccoli-Laderchi.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
DUCHY OF NAPLES
Part of the Imperial Patrimony of the Emperor.
Duke / Herzog of Naples.
( Duchy of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF ODESCALCHI
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Don Ladislao Odescalchi.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF ORSINI
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Heinrich von Orsini und Rosenberg.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF PALLAVICINI
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Don Giulio Pallavicini.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.S.H. Princess / Furstin Donna Elvina Pallavicini.
( Princess of The Holy Roman Empire )
PALLAVICINI - PALLAVICINO
H.E. Marquis / Margrave Adalberto Pallavicini.
( Marquis of The Holy Roman Empire )
PARETO SPINOLA
H.E. Marquis / Margrave Raffaele Pareto Spinola.
( Marquis of The Holy Roman Empire )
PARIBELLI
Pier Giacinto Paribelli.
( Noble of The Holy Roman Empire )
PAVAROTTI
H.E. Count / Graf Luciano Pavarotti di Modena
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
PECORI GIRALDI
H.E. Count / Graf Francesco Pecori Giraldi.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
PIANETTI
H.E. Marquis / Margrave Bernardo Pianetti.
( Marquis of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF PIGNATELLI ARAGONA CORTES
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Don Nicola Pignatelli Aragona Cortes.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.S.H. Prince / Furst Don Mario Pignatelli Aragona Cortes.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
PONTOGLIO-BINO
H.E. Count / Graf Alessandro Pontoglio-Bino.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF di PORCIA e BRUGNERA
H.S.H. Prince / Furst di Porcia e Brugnera.
( Prince and Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
RAGGI
Antonio Raggi.
( Noble of The Holy Roman Empire )
RAVIGNANI DE'PIACENTINI
Gianluigi Ravignani de'Piacentini.
( Noble of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCELY HOUSE OF ROSPIGLIOSI
H.H. Prince / Furst Don Filippo Rospigliosi.
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
SARCHI
H.E. Count / Graf Auselmo Sarchi.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
SAIBANTE
Ugo Vittorio.
( Noble of The Holy Roman Empire )
SALVADORI DI WIESENHOF
H.E. Baron / Freiherr Vittorio Emanuele Salvadori di Wiesenhof.
( Baron of The Holy Roman Empire )
KINGDOM OF ITALY / ROYAL HOUSE OF SAVOY
H.R.H. Prince Vittoria Emanuele of Savoy, Prince of Naples .
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Princess Marina of Savoy, Princess of Naples .
( Princess of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy ,
Prince of Venice and Piedmont .
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Princess Clotilde Marie of Savoy ,
Princess of Venice and Piedmont .
( Princess of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Princess Vittoria of Savoy .
( Princess of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Princess Luisa of Savoy .
( Princess of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Princess Maria Pia of Savoy .
( Princess of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Princess Maria Gabriella of Savoy .
( Princess of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Princess Maria Beatrice of Savoy .
( Princess of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Prince Amedeo of Savoy, 5th Duke of Aosta .
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Priness Silvia of Savoy, Duchess of Aosta .
( Princess of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Princess Bianca of Savoy .
( Princess of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Prince Aimone of Savoy, Duke of Apulia .
( Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Princess Mafalda of Savoy .
( Princess of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Princess Isabella of Savoy .
( Princess of The Holy Roman Empire )
PRINCIPALITY OF SEBORGA
H.M.S.H. Prince / Furst Giorgio I of Seborga ,
( Sovereign Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
di SEREGO ALIGHIERI
H.E. Count / Graf Pieralvise di Serego Alighieri.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
SOLARO
H.E. Count / Graf Fausto Solaro.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
STANCHINA
Knight / Ritter Camillo Stanchina.
( Knight of The Holy Roman Empire )
STRASSOLDO
H.E. Count / Graf Giovan Battista Strassoldo.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
TAXIS BORDOGNA VALNIGRA
H.E. Baron / Freiherr Carlos Taxis Bordogna Valnigra.
( Baron of The Holy Roman Empire )
TOMASELLA
H.E. Count / Graf Don Federico Tomasella ,
Count and Baron Tomasella , Noble of Rome.
( Count and Baron of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.E. Countess / Graefin Donna Carmen Alicia Dotti-Tomasella,
Dowager Countess and Baroness Tomasella.
( Countess and Baroness of The Holy Roman Empire )
H.R.H. Princess Alicia Gabriela of Westphalia,
(nee: H.E. Countess Donna Alicia Gabriela Tomasella )
Countess and Baroness Tomasella .
(See: The Kingdom of Westphalia).
( Countess and Baroness of The Holy Roman Empire )
MARGRAVIATE OF TUSCANY
Part of the Imperial Patrimony of the Emperor.
Margrave of Tuscany.
( Margraviate of The Holy Roman Empire )
GRAND DUCHY OF TUSCANY
H.I.&.R.H. Archduke Sigismund von Habsburg of Austria,
Prince of Tuscany, Head of the Grand Ducal House of Tuscany.
( Prince, Duke, and Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
DUCHY AND COUNTY OF TURIN
Part of the Imperial Patrimony of the Emperor.
Duke / Herzog and Count / Graf of Turin.
( Sovereign Duke and Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
VALVASONE
H.E. Count / Graf Ettore Valvasone.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
dal VERME
H.E. Count / Graf Ludovico dal Verme.
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
MARGRAVIATE AND PRINCIPALITY OF VERONA
Part of the Imperial Patrimony of the Emperor.
Margrave and Prince / Furst of Verona.
( Margrave and Prince of The Holy Roman Empire )
WINDISCH-GRAETZ
H.E. Count / Graf Mariano Ugo Windisch-Graetz
( Count of The Holy Roman Empire )
ZORZI GIUSTINIANI
Antonio Zorzi Giustiniani.
( Noble of The Holy Roman Empire )
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THE HISTORY OF ITALIAN NOBILITY
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As recently as the eleventh century, the sovereign rulers of vast regions --Savoy in the north and Sicily in the south-- were known by the simple title of count. Until around 1300, titles of nobility were hardly necessary as indications of high birth because aristocrats bore surnames, while the common people were known only by given names. At this early date, aristocratic surnames were usually toponymic, based upon the name of the family's fief (di Grosseto, di Noto, etc.). This has led some to believe that there exists in Italian a surname prefix or other onomastic characteristic, akin to the German von, which indicates nobility. This is not true, nor do double-barrelled surnames indicate aristocratic origins; most often, a dual surname simply indicates that numerous families in the same town bore the same surname and eventually required differentiation to distinguish among themselves. As mentioned above, a nobleman's name sometimes includes a predicato, though not a title. Thus, Giuseppe Lanza, Prince of Trabia bears the surname Lanza di Trabia, rather than simply Lanza (a common surname), on legal documents. So great were the differences between the rulers and the ruled in medieval Italy that a common man would not think to impersonate a knight or lord, although this has certainly changed.
The majority of feudatories were simply signori (from the French seigneur, a title introduced into Italy by the eleventh-century Normans), vassali (vassals) or cavalieri (knights). Eventually, this class came to be known collectively as the baroni (barons), as in Italy barone was not always a title descriptive of a particular feudal rank. During the fourteenth century, most minor feudal lands became baronies, their holders barons. It must be observed that the use of these titles usually required some form of sovereign sanction or feudal tenure.
Though they had been used rarely, titles of nobility had certainly existed before circa 1300, but these were usually military ranks and not hereditary. During the fourteenth century, nobiliary titles became hereditary in most of Italy, usually transmitted by male primogeniture and almost invariably linked to land.
Under the Longobards and their residual civilization (the Lombards) in Italy, a fief might devolve to heirs male general of the feudatory, which is to say, to all of his legitimate sons. Yet, this was not a uniform or universal practice. With the Norman influence, Frankish law, dictating male primogeniture as a means of feudal succession, supplanted the Longobard norm in most of Italy. With very few exceptions, Italian titles are inherited only by eldest sons.
By tradition, certain peerages, usually dukedoms, are vested in the persons of royal princes. The Head of the Royal House of Italy, though a royal prince, is the Duke of Savoy. The Head of the Royal House of the Two Sicilies, also a royal prince, is the Duke of Castro. These titles are analogous to the royal dukedoms (York, Kent, Windsor, etc.) accorded to members of the British Royal Family.
There was a time, until 1812 in some regions, when the purchase of land designated "feudal" ennobled the buyer ipso facto; the purchaser of a comital fief (a county) thus became a count. This practice ceased with the abolition of feudalism. (Serfdom, a feudal institution, was abolished in Italy during the Middle Ages.) A number of families still own portions of their traditional feudal holdings, but feudal rights and prerogatives of any kind were finally abrogated by the time that Italy was united in 1870. Although most Italian titles are attached to nominal "seats" (territorial designations), usually the names of fiefs or dimore, the ranks and titles are incorporeal. That is to say that, like an idea, name or copyright, the titles constitute a form of intangible property, but property nonetheless. In fact, this is true of nobiliary titles in most nations; the Duke of Westminster, for example, would retain his ancestral title even if he had no actual property in the dukedom of Westminster.
In the Kingdom of Italy, titles of nobility did not accord their holders parliamentary seats or, indeed, any particularly noteworthy privileges save for some purely heraldic (armorial) ones, such as the legal use of a title and coat of arms and precedence at the Royal Court. The principle that the person of a peer was inviolable was not applied in nineteenth-centuruy Italian law, for it did not exist. That a titled nobleman ("pari" or "peer" in common parlance) might enjoy freedom from attachment was likewise an unknown right.
One reason for this is that with the introduction of liberal Savoyard (Piedmontese) law throughout most of Italy by 1870, the Neapolitan and Papal attitudes toward the rights of the nobility had already begun to disappear, and in the event were no longer supported by statute.
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TITLES AND RANKS OF THE ITALIAN NOBILITY
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Principe, Principessa. (Prince, Princess). From the Latin princeps, meaning first, this is the highest Italian title of nobility, and also the title accorded members of the royal families. Many of Italy's noble princes, particularly in northern regions, are princes "of the Holy Roman Empire," and lack feudal territorial designations attached to their titles. Some southern princes descend from the most ancient medieval feudatories. In most cases, the holder of a princely title in Italy is the descendant of forebears who in antiquity were barons or counts, the family having been elevated through the nobiliary ranks over the centuries. Until the latter part of the nineteenth century, princes were addressed most formally as "Your Excellency," a form of address that may be compared, in this instance, to the British use of "Your Grace" for a duke or duchess. The wife of a prince is a princess. The younger son of a prince, and the heir before succession to the title, is a nobile dei principi di (seat), namely a "noble of the princes of" some place. Use of the honorific appellations don (lord) and donna (lady) for the son and daughter of a prince is obsolete except in formal documents issued by institutions that recognize Italian titular nobility. Princes and their consorts are most formally addressed verbally by title and territorial designation. The heraldic coronet of a noble prince is a jewelled circlet of gold surmounted by four visible pearls between five visible strawberry leaves. In most representations, the deep red tasselled cap is not rendered within the coronet.
Duca, Duchessa. (Duke, Duchess). Derived from the Latin dux, a military leader, this title originally was reserved to the sovereign rulers of important territories, such as the Duchy of Spoleto. Like princedoms, dukedoms are sometimes borne by peers whose early medieval forebears were barons, enfeoffed knights or other feudatories. Like princes, dukes were formerly accorded the address "Your Excellency." The younger son of a duke, and the heir before succession to the title, is a nobile dei duchi di (seat), namely a "noble of the dukes of" some place. Dukes and their consorts are most formally addressed verbally by title and territorial designation. The heraldic coronet of a duke is a jewelled circlet of gold surmounted by five visible strawberry leaves. Usually, the crimson tasselled cap is not rendered within the coronet.
Marchese, Marchesa. (Marquess, Marchioness). The term derives from the Old Italian marchio, referring to the man charged with guarding a march, or border territory, and the French marquis shares the same origin. The Marches region, which borders Umbria, is so-called because it was once such a territory. Some attribute the origin of this word to the Middle Latin marchisus, a prefect. Most marquessates are of modern foundation; one reads of few marchesi before the fifteenth century, and the title is quite rare even today. The younger son of a marquess, and the heir before succession to the title, is a nobile dei marchesi di (seat), namely a "noble of the marquesses of" some place. Marquesses and their consorts are most formally addressed verbally by title and surname; since in Italy a woman usually continues to use her own father's surname even after marriage, a marchesa may bear a surname other than her husband's. The heraldic coronet of a marquess is a jewelled circlet of gold surmounted by three visible strawberry leaves, the central leaf flanked by two rows of three pearls each, supported by stems or set directly upon the rim.
Conte, Contessa. (Count, Countess). The word traces its origin from the Latin comes, for military companion. Comital territories were large in the eleventh century, but virtually indistinguishable from baronies by the fourteenth. For purposes of precedence, there is no contemporary distinction between a feudal count and a count palatine; the latter was usually a court officer who lacked a territorial designation attached to his title. It is noteworthy that conte is one of the few Italian titles sometimes, though rarely, inherited by all heirs male, depending on the terms set forth in the patent of creation. The younger son of a count, and the heir before succession to the title, is a nobile dei conti di (seat), namely a "noble of the counts of" some place. Counts and their consorts are most formally addressed verbally by title and surname. Counts palatine were created by certain sovereigns and by the Popes and usually bore no territorial designations attached to their surnames The heraldic coronet of a count is a jewelled circlet of gold surmounted by nine visible pearls, supported by stems or set directly upon the rim.
Visconte, Viscontessa. (Viscount, Viscontess). Originally vice comes, for the attendant of a count, this is the rarest of the modern Italian peerage titles, almost unknown in some regions. The younger son of a viscount, and the heir before succession to the title, is a nobile dei visconti di (seat), namely a noble of the viscounts" of some place. The standard crest coronet of a viscount is a jewelled circlet of gold surmounted by five visible pearls, the middle and outer ones supported by stems, the remaining two rendered in a smaller diameter and set directly upon the rim.
Barone, Baronessa. (Baron, Baroness). The title is probably of Germanic origin; the Latin root baro referred to a simpleton, but by the Middle Ages baronis was a title of nobility or, more often, a nobiliary rank employed in reference to holders of feudal property. Most seigneuries (see below) were eventually elevated to baronies. In the South, the most important medieval baronies were elevated to princedoms or dukedoms by the eighteenth century. Though often employed loosely in the remote past, the title barone was by 1800 established to be a creation or recognition resulting from royal prerogative, not an honorific privilege to be appropriated by any wealthy landholder. Heraldic regulation in the Kingdom of Italy further established that the sons of barons could no longer appropriate cavaliere as a courtesy title. Barone is the most frequent of the modern Italian peerage titles. The younger son of a baron, and the heir before succession to the title, is a nobile dei baroni di (seat), namely a noble of the barons of" some place. The standard heraldic coronet of a baron is a jewelled circlet of gold surmounted by seven pearls, supported by stems or placed directly upon the rim.
Signore (seigneur). Originally a feudal lord, the title was introduced into Italy by the Franks and Normans. Formerly a minor peerage, the title is rarely used today because most signori bear greater titles by which they are commonly known, and because, in common parlance, signore has come to mean "Mister." It may, albeit in an abstract sense, be compared to such ancient titles as mor, esquire or manorial lord. Seigneuries were feudal lands, similar to baronies, appertaining to certain lords, either as sub-fiefs attached to baronies or, more often, depending from the Crown directly. A signore might therefore owe fealty to a baron or directly to the king. This is the lowest title which carries a seat. As these noblemen bear a title which is no longer in use, though still mentioned in peerage directories, no particular crest coronet is displayed for this rank. In practice, a signore may display the coronet of an untitled nobleman (see below).
Patrizio (Patrician). The term obviously derives from that used to describe the aristocratic class of ancient Rome. A patrizio is said to be "of" a certain place, such as Venice or Florence, without it being his feudal seat, just as an American might be "of New York." The rank is normally transmitted to heirs male general. According to legislation enacted by the Consulta Araldica, there is no feminine, but the daughter of a patrizio might be said to be dei patrizi [surname], namely "of the patricians [surname]. Patrizio is also the translation of Patrick; Patrizia is Patricia but is never used as a title. The crest coronet of a patrician is a simple jewelled circlet of gold.
Nobile (Untitled Nobleman). In the Dark Ages, local leaders known to their people were nobiliti, from the Latin nobilitas, meaning, appropriately, "known." The rank denotes some, but not all, aristocratic Italian families which lack titles. This class may be compared to the landed gentry of Great Britain. There are, strictly speaking, two kinds of nobili-the younger sons of peers and male members of the aforementioned noble families in which there have never been titles. The crest coronet of a nobile is a jewelled circlet of gold surmounted by five pearls, supported by stems or set directly upon the rim.
Cavaliere Ereditario (Hereditary Knight Bachelor). This rank, usually transmitted by male primogeniture but sometimes to heirs male general, is quite similar to a British baronetcy but much older. However, it does not, as is commonly believed, have any direct connection to the medieval rank of the enfeoffed knight. Most cavalieri ereditari descend from the younger sons of peers or from historically untitled families ennobled with this form of knighthood in the fifteenth or sixteenth centuries in Sicily, Sardinia and some parts of mainland Italy. Writing in 1925, Francesco San Martino de Spucches speculated that, at least in theory, hundreds of Sicilians entitled to no other hereditary honour could lawfully succeed to particular hereditary knighthoods which were long-dormant for lack of claimants.
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For Further Information the
Correspondence Address is:
The Imperial College of Princes
and Counts of The Holy Roman Empire,
The Grand Reichs-Chancellors Office,
Royal Mail Post Office Box 276,
Teddington, Middlesex, TW11 0UL,
United Kingdom.
Tel: +44 (0) 208 943 4520
Fax: +44 (0) 208 943 4520
E-mail: hirhprincekarlfrederickevondeutschland@msn.com
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Counts and Princes of The Holy Roman Empire,
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