Georgia is a country in the Caucasus
region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern
Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by
Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the southeast by
Azerbaijan. The capital of Georgia is Tbilisi. Georgia covers a
territory of 69,700 square kilometres (26,911 sq mi), and its population
is almost 4.7 million.
The Bagratides are one of the oldest
Royal dynasties in the world, claiming descent from Davit, the biblical
hero and slayer of Goliath. The oldest family in the Orthodox Christian
world, they established themselves as rulers over Speri (now Ispir), and
governors of Samtzkhe and Klarjeti. The Persians appointed members of
the family to the office of marzpan (Viceroy) before 628 and the
Byzantine Emperors to that of kuropalates in 645. Gaining in power and
influence over Kartli, Ashot I become Eristav of Kartli in 809. His
great great-grandson, Adarnase II, became King of the Georgians in 888.
Different branches of the family held sway over Meshkheti and Javakheti
as Pitiakshshs, and over Armenia as Kings.
King Bagrat III
expelled the Turks from the Eastern provinces, threw off his allegience
to Constantinople and established his rule over the Abkhazis,
Kartvelians, Ranians, Kakhetians and the Armenians, unifying all
Georgia. Giorgi III, Bagrati's grandson, was the first to assume the
title of Shahanshah (King of Kings) and Master of all the East and West.
His reign, and that of his successor, his daughter Thamar the Great,
are seen as the 'golden age' of Georgian history, the era of empire,
diplomatic success, heroic triumphs at arms against the infidel, great
learning, cultural, spiritual, and artistic flowering. However, within
two reigns the irrepresible westward advance of Mongol power proved too
great.
The Great Khan took advantage of a missunderstanding
amongst the Georgian nobles to split the power of the dynasty by
appointing two rival Kings. Davit VII Ulu Giorgishvili, of the male but
illegitimate line, being established as senior ruler in Mtzkheta, in
Kartli. Davit VI Narin, representing the legitimate but female line,
fleeing to the west to establish his kingdom in Imereti. Almost
simultaneously the Mongols encouraged the great magnates and provincial
grandees to establish rival centres of power or direct allegience to
themselves. Thereafter, the history of Georgia became a continuous and
unequal, though often heroic struggle against the forces of Islam, the
Persians in the southeast and the Turks in the southwest.
Dissentions and dissagreements within the Royal family had reduced the
once powerful kingdom into three, Kartli, Imereti and Kakheti. Although
the three kingdoms formally accepted the separation in the 1490s,
competition to reunify the kingdom continued between them for another
two hundred and fifty years. The eastern kingdoms of Kartli and Kahkheti
fell under Persian dominion, while Imereti in the west, succumbed to
the Turks. The Persian rulers insisting on appointing the Bagratide
kings as their governors or viceroys provided they converted to Islam.
The Turks preferred to leave the Kings of Imereti with their religion,
but to govern with a heavy hand. These long years of subjugation saw the
country devastated and plundered of its wealth and treasures, its
churches and monuments raised to the ground, its population removed to
far off lands, and its women sold as prized slaves throughout the Muslim
world.
Muslim converts amongst the Bagratides and the Georgian
nobility, came to play important roles in Persian affairs. Several
princesses and noblewomen married into the ruling families of Persia,
while their fathers and brothers gained important posts. Georgian
men-at-arms and military officers were amongst the most respected in the
Persian service, becoming kingmakers, more than once. The weakening of
the Safawis and the subsequent contests for power in Persia saw some
resurgence of autonomy under King Vakhtang VI of Kartli. He reformed the
administration, reasserted central authority, revised the legal code,
and erected irrigation works and converted wastelands to cultivation. An
enlightened ruler, he introduced humane laws and methods of
administration, great scholar, poet, critic, translator and leader of
intellectual life during the first quarter of the eighteenth century.
However, war with Turkey and the subsequent agreement to divide Georgia
between Turkey and Persia forced Vakhtang to flee to Russia in 1724.
Given no help but allowed to settle there, he died in the city of
Astrakan in 1737. His family and descendants were absorbed into the
Russian nobility.
The rise to power of Nadir Shah Afshar in
Perisa saw another change in Georgia's fortunes. Nadir Shah desperately
wanted allies in his deadly struggles against the Zands. He needed
Georgian arms in his wars in Afghanistan and invasions of India. And he
needed a bulwark against the growing power of Russia in the north.
Consequently, the Georgian King was allowed to reassert his authority,
resume open practice of his religion and left pretty much to himself,
provided he contributed revenues and provided soldiers. Kartli and
Kakheti were reunited and Taimuraz II crowned at Mtzkheta, the first
king to undergo the full Christian ceremonial of ancient Georgia for
over a century. He reunified the country, reduced the power of the
magnates and grandees, restored cathedrals and churches, but remained at
constant war with the fierce Muslim tribes, the Lazgis and Daghistanis.
He pleaded for help from Empress Elizabeth of Russia, to no avail.
Irakli II, son and successor of King Taimurazi, had been made King of
Kakheti under his father in 1744. On his succession, he retained full
control over both kingdoms, ruling them with a strong hand. He served
under Nadir in Afghanistan and India, and is considered to be a gifted
military strategist, who fought forty battles being victorious in most.
Taking advantage of continuing dissention in Persia he succeeded in his
appeal for Russian aid, negotiating the Treaty of Giorgievsk in 1783.
This made Kartli and Khakheti a unitary Russian protectorate, in
exchange for Russian military aid against the Turks and Persians. A
promise tested but not fulfilled when Aga Muhammad Qajar fell on Tiflis
with an army of 35,000. King Irakli and his grandson, King Solomoni II
of Imereti were left to defend Georgia alone with forces numbering no
more than 3,000. They repulsed the Persians three times, before being
reduced to 150 diehards who fled into the mountains with their aged King
who refused to negotiate.
King Irakli bided his time in the
hills until the Russians eventually relented and sent a large army to
drive the Persians out. They again withdrew, leaving the Georgians
defenceless against an Aga Muhammed bent on revenge. They were only
saved by his assassination at Shusha in 1797. Irakli II died six months
later, leaving his throne to his weak, fat, lazy though devout son
Giorgi XII. King Irakli, under the influence of his third wife, Queen
Darejan, had altered the line of succession in favour of his younger
sons. One of Giorgi's first acts on becoming ruler was to secure the
Russian Master's agreement to recognise his eldest son as Heir Apparent
and successor. This left him facing insurrections led by his
half-brothers. Prince Farnavazi allied himself to the fearsome Lazgis
and devastated parts of the kingdom. His other brothers, ensconced on
the large domains assigned to them by their late father, ignored his
authority and fermented rebellion. Devoid of stomach for any contest,
the dying ruler was persuaded to resign his kingdom to the Russian
Master. This he did in return for the recognition of himself and his own
heirs as titular Kings of Georgia. However, while his envoys were in
Russia still negotiating the terms of the new treaty, Emperor Paul
decided to annex the kingdom outright. He issued a manifesto
unilaterally annexing the realm to the Russian crown on 18th January
1801 o.s. The annexation was confirmed by Emperor Alexander I on 12th
September 1801 o.s., shortly after Paul's death.
The Russian
military detachment sent to put the annexation into effect did not
arrive in Tiflis until April 1802. At first the Russians faced
considerable opposition, Giorgi's widow, Queen Miriami, arranging for
the assassination of the Russian Governor General Lazarev. Soon
afterwards, Prince Davit, King Giorgi's Heir Apparent, and several
members of the Royal Family were deported to Russia. Prince Aleksandri,
meanwhile, threw in his lot with the Persians and joined the colours of
Crown Prince Abbas Mirza, harrasing the Russians from across the border
for several years thereafter. In 1812 rebels proclaimed as King, Prince
Grigori, a son of Prince Ioane, King Giorgi XII's second but favourite
son. He was swiftly captured and deported to Russia. Unpurturbed, Prince
Aleksandri, raised several further rebellions in the years that
followed. The most serious of these being in 1821-1822, when the
Osettians revolted but were brutally crushed by the Russians. Gradually,
Russian control extended into the remaining Georgian territories, each
being annexed one after the other over a period of sixty-five years.
Solomon II, King of Imereti was persuaded to accept a Russian
protectorate in 1804, but fled into Turkish territory when he recived
prior warning of a Russian plot to kidnap and deport him to Russia in
1810. Although he crossed the broder several times and fermented several
insurrections, he died a broken man, at Trebizond in 1815. Without
legitimate issue, he had appointed his cousin, Prince Konstantini, as
his Heir Apparent and designated successor. The only son of King Davit
II, Konstantini was taken to Russia and commissioned into the Russian
army. His descendants and relatives were received into the ranks of the
princely houses of the Russian Empire.
Abkhazia was made into a
protectorate in 1810, after the Christian son of a previous ruler was
persuaded to rebel against his Muslim uncle. The principality was
occupied by Russian troops but they tired of their unruly vassal and his
unruly subjects, annexing the principality outright in 1864. The Guria
accepted Russian protection in 1811. The province enjoyed an autonomous
existence under the rule of its own Gureli princes. However, the
principality was annexed outright in 1830, after the Regent Princess
Sopio allied herself with the Turks in the war of 1828-1829. Svania
faired little better than her neighbours and was annexed in 1858, after
their quarrelsome Prince, Konstantini, was deposed and executed for
opposing Russian encroachment.
Mingrelia, under the
Eristavt-Eristavis of the house of Dadiani, perhaps faired best. Having
accepted Russian protection in 1803. The dynasty continued to rule until
1867, enjoying a high degree of autonomy denied to other parts of
Georgia. However, this ended when Prince Nikoloz abdicated his rights to
his Russian overlord. Like his brother rulers, he joined the ranks of
the nobility of the Russian Empire.
Royal Family Titles and
Styles -The Sovereign: the titles of the Georgian rulers varied
significantly from reign to reign, especially after the country came
under Muslim and Russian domination. Nevertherless, the last King to
enjoy the traditional titles was Irakli I, as "The Most High King
(Mepe-Umaglesi) (reign name), by the will of our Lord, King of Kings
(Mepe-Mepeta) of the Abkhazis, Kartvelians, Ranians, Kakhetians and the
Armenians, Shirvanshah and Shahanshah and Master of all the East and
West", with the style of His Majesty (or His Splendour). The wife of the
Sovereign: enjoyed the exact female equivalent of all the titles and
styles of her husband. Thus, Irkali I's consort was entitled "The Most
High Queen (Dedopali-Umaglesi) (reign name), by the will of our Lord,
Queen of Kings (Dedopali-Mepeta) of the Abkhazis, Kartvelians, Ranians,
Kakhetians and the Armenians, etc.", with the style of Her Majesty (or
Her Splendour). The mother of the Sovereign: The Most High Queen Mother
(Codshibrola-Umaglesi), with the style of Her Majesty (or Her
Splendour). The sons, grandsons, and male descendants in the male line,
including natural issue: The Most Brilliant (Uganatlibulisi) (given
name)-batonishvili, i.e. Prince, with the style of His Highness (or His
Splendour). The daughters, granddaughters, and female descendants in the
male line, including natural issue: The Most Brilliant (Uganatlibulisi)
(given name)-batonishvili, i.e. Princess, with the style of Her
Highness (or Her Splendour). After Russia extended her protection over
the kingdom of Georgia, the Tsar recognised the following styles and
titles as of 24th September 1783 o.s.: The sovereign: The Hereditary
Sovereign and Prince, The Most Serene King (Tsar) (reign name), by the
will of our Lord, King (Tsar) of Kartli, King of Kakheti, Hereditary
Prince of Samtzkhé-Saatabago, Ruling Prince of Kazakh, Borchalo,
Shamshadilo, Kak, Shaki, and Shirvan, Prince and Lord of Ganja and
Erivan, with the style of His Majesty. The wife of the sovereign: The
Most Serene Queen (Tsaritsa) (personal name), by the will of our Lord,
Queen (Tsaritsa) of Kartli, etc.", with the style of Her Majesty. The
sons of the Sovereign: Prince (Tsarevitch) (given name) (father's name)
Grouzinskii, i.e. Prince of Georgia, with the style of His Highness. The
daughters of the Sovereign: Princess (Tsarevna) (given name) (father's
name) Grouzinskaya, i.e. Princess of Georgia, with the style of Her
Highness. All legitimate male descendants of King Irakli II and King
Giorgi XII, in the male line: Prince (Kniaz) (given name) (father's
name) Grouzinskii, i.e. Prince of Georgia, with the style of His Serene
Highness. All legitimate female descendants of King Irakli II and King
Giorgi XII, in the male line: Princess (Kniaza) (given name) (father's
name) Grouzinskaya, i.e. Princess of Georgia, with the style of Her
Serene Highness. More remote princes of the blood or descendants in the
natural line, also received the title of Kniaz or Kniaza (given name)
(father's name) Bagration, frequently with a territorial or other
designation. Bagration Mukhranskii (Bagration of Mukhrani),
Bagration-Davidov (Bagration-Davitishvili), etc.
Present Heir
to the Headship Royal House of Bagrationi and Throne of the Kingdom of
Georgia is HRH Prince David Bagrationi of Georgia, his heir is his son
HRH Prince George Bagrationi of Georgia. Prince David's late father, HRH
Prince George Bagration-Mukhransky of Georgia, was officially
recognised by the Georgian Government as Head of the former Royal House
of Georgia in 1991, being the most senior legitimate descendant of the
dynasty in the male line.
The Royal Family of Romania website:
http://www.royalhouseofgeorgia.ge/
Almanach de Saxe Gotha Page:
http://www.almanachdegotha.org/id59.html
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (Italian:
Granducato di Toscana, Latin: Magnus Ducatus Etruriae) was a central
Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859,
replacing the Duchy of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence.
Before the advent of the House of Lorraine, Tuscany was nominally a
state of the Holy Roman Empire until the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.
The grand duchy, initially, was ruled by the House of Medici until its
extinction in 1737. Under the Medici, Tuscany thrived. While not as
internationally renowned as the old republic, it bore witness to
unprecedented economic and military success under Cosimo I and his sons,
until the reign of Ferdinando II, whose reign saw the beginning of the
state's long economic decline. It peaked under Cosimo III. The Medici's
only advancement in the latter days of their existence was their
elevation to royalty, by the Holy Roman Emperor, in 1691. The senior
branch of the Medici line went extinct in 1737.
Francis Stephen
of Lorraine, a cognatic descendant of the Medici, succeeded the family
and ascended the throne of his Medicean ancestors. Tuscany was governed
by a viceroy, Marc de Beauvau-Craon, for his entire rule. His
descendants ruled, and resided in, the grand duchy until 1859, barring
one interruption, when Napoleon Bonaparte gave Tuscany to the House of
Bourbon-Parma. Following the collapse of the Napoleonic system in 1814,
the grand duchy was restored. The United Provinces of Central Italy, a
client state of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont, annexed Tuscany in
1859. Tuscany was formally annexed to Sardinia in 1860, following a
landslide referendum, in which 95% of voters approved.
The
House of Habsburg, also spelled Hapsburg, was one of the most important
royal houses of Europe. The throne of the Holy Roman Empire was
continuously occupied by the Habsburgs between 1438 and 1740. The house
also produced kings of Bohemia, England, Germany, Hungary, Croatia,
Ireland, Portugal, Spain, as well as rulers of several Dutch and Italian
countries.
The House takes its name from Habsburg Castle, a
fortress built in the 1020s in present-day Switzerland by Count Radbot
of Klettgau, who chose to name his fortress Habsburg. His grandson, Otto
II, was the first to take the fortress name as his own, adding "Count
of Habsburg" to his title. The House of Habsburg gathered dynastic
momentum through the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries.
By 1276,
Count Radbot's seventh generation descendant, Rudolph of Habsburg, had
moved the family's power base from Habsburg Castle to the Duchy of
Austria. Rudolph had become King of Germany in 1273, and the dynasty of
the House of Habsburg was truly entrenched in 1276 when Rudolph became
ruler of Austria, which the Habsburgs ruled until 1918.
A
series of dynastic marriages enabled the family to vastly expand its
domains, to include Burgundy, Spain and her colonial empire, Bohemia,
Hungary, and other territories into the inheritance. In the 16th
century, the family separated into the senior Habsburg Spain and the
junior Habsburg Monarchy branches, who settled their mutual claims in
the Oñate treaty.
The House of Habsburg became extinct in the
18th century. The senior branch ended upon the death of Charles II of
Spain in 1700 and was replaced by the House of Bourbon. The remaining
branch went extinct in the male line in 1740 with the death of Holy
Roman Emperor Charles VI and completely in 1780 with the death of his
eldest daughter, Maria Theresa, and was succeeded by the Vaudemont
branch of the House of Lorraine. The new successor house styled itself
formally as House of Habsburg-Lorraine (German: Habsburg-Lothringen),
although it was often referred to as simply the House of Habsburg.
The Present Heir to the Grand Ducal Throne is HI&RH Archduke
Sigismund of Austria, Grand Duke of Tuscany (Sigismund Otto Maria Josef
Gottfried Henrich Erik Leopold Ferdinand von Habsburg-Lothringen; born
21 April 1966) who is the titular Grand Duke of Tuscany and current head
of the Tuscan branch of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. Archduke
Sigismund is Grand Master of the Order of Saint Joseph and Order of
Saint Stephen, the two orders of knighthood of the Grand Ducal House of
Tuscany.
The Website of the Grand Ducal House of Tuscany:
http://www.granducato.org/
Almanach de Saxe Gotha Page:
http://www.almanachdegotha.org/id38.html
The Albanian Kingdom (Gheg Albanian:
Mbretnija Shqiptare, Standard Albanian: Mbretëria Shqiptare) was the
constitutional monarchal rule in Albania between 1928 and 1939. During
this period Albania was a de facto protectorate of the Kingdom of Italy,
Albania was declared a monarchy by the Constituent Assembly, and Zog I
was crowned king. The kingdom was a restoration of the royal identity
surviving from Scanderbeg's reign in the 15th century. It also ensured
the permanence of democracy and order in Albania, which had just
regained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912. The kingdom was
supported by the fascist regime in Italy and the two countries
maintained close relations until Italy's sudden invasion of the country
in 1939. After the end of World War II the Albanian King, couldn't
return to his throne because the Albanian Communist's liberated the
Country from Fascist and installed a Socialist regime and was banned to
enter in the country for all his life in exile . It was the only
European country headed by a Muslim monarch after the dissolution of the
Ottoman Empire in 1922.
The House of Zogu is a European
dynasty founded by Zogu Pasha who migrated to Mati, Albania in the late
15th century and was then appointed Governor of Mati by the Ottoman
Sultan, with the position of Governor then becoming hereditary among the
Zogu clan. The ancestral home of the Zogus was Castle Burgajet. The
most famous member of the dynasty is Zog I, Skanderbeg III, who in 1928
was proclaimed King of the Albanians and ruled until he was deposed by
Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and the Italian invasion in 1939. Victor
Emmanuel subsequently assumed the Albanian throne. King Zog's son was
Leka, Crown Prince of Albania, known as King Leka I. The current head of
the dynasty is Prince Leka of Albania, the son of Leka, Crown Prince of
Albania (d. 2011).
Albanian Royal Family Titles and Styles -
The Albanian Sovereign bears the Titles of Mbret i Shqiptarëvet, King of
the Sons of the Eagle King of the Albanians with the formal appellation
of His Majesty. The Heir Apparent bears the Titles of Princ i
Shqiptarëve, Trashëgimtar, Crown Prince of Albania with the formal
appellation of His Royal Highness. The Sons of the Albanian Sovereign
and male descendants in the male line bear the Titles of Princ i
Shqiptarë, Prince of Albania with the formal appellation of His Royal
Highness. The Daughters of the Albanian Sovereign, and female
descendants in the male line, bear the Titles of Princësh i Shqiptarë,
Princess of Albania with the formal appellation of Her Royal Highness.
The Website of the Albanian Royal Family:
http://www.albanianroyalcourt.al/pages/welcome
Almanach de Saxe Gotha Page:
http://www.almanachdegotha.org/id1.html
The Kingdom of Montenegro, was a
monarchy in southeastern Europe during the tumultuous years on the
Balkan Peninsula leading up to and during World War I. Legally it was a
constitutional monarchy, but absolutist in practice. On 28 November 1918
Montenegro was unified with the Kingdom of Serbia, then three days
later, on 1 December 1918, it was incorporated into the Kingdom of
Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
House of Petrović-Njegoš - The
House of Petrović-Njegoš (Serbian Cyrillic: Петровић-Његош) was the
reigning family of Montenegro from 1696 to 1918. Montenegro had enjoyed
de facto independence from the Ottoman Empire from 1711 but only
received formal international recognition as an independent principality
in 1878. Montenegro was ruled from inception by Vladikas,
Prince-Bishops, who had a dual temporal and spiritual role. In 1852 this
role was amended to be a purely temporal office. In 1910 the ruling
prince Nikola I announced his elevation to King. In 1916 King Nikola I
was ousted by the invasion and occupation of his country by
Austria-Hungary that was followed by his formal deposition by the
Podgorica Assembly in 1918 as Montenegro was annexed by the emergent
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
A period of eighty years
of control from Belgrade followed during which Nikola I died in exile
in France in 1921 followed shorty afterwards by the surprise abdication
of his son and heir, Danilo III, the same year. The latter's nephew,
Michael Petrović-Njegoš, inherited the titles of his predecessors whilst
in exile in France and survived arrest and internment by order of Adolf
Hitler for refusing to head up a puppet Montenegrin state aligned to
the Axis Powers. Later, he served the Yugoslav Communist regime as Head
of Protocol. He was succeeded by his son Nicholas Petrović-Njegoš in
1986. Nicholas returned to Montenegro to support the Montenegrin
independence movement that went on to achieve full sovereignty for the
Republic of Montenegro in 2006 referendum. The present head of the house
is Nicholas II of Montenegro.
Royal Family Titles and Styles -
The members of this family bear the title Prince or Princess Petrovich
Njegosh of Montenegro, together with the formal appellation of His or
Her Royal Highness.
Almanach de Saxe Gotha Page:
http://www.almanachdegotha.org/id24.html
The Ottoman Empire (Ottoman Turkish:
دولت عليه عثمانیه Devlet-i ʿAliyye-yi ʿOsmâniyye; Modern Turkish:
Osmanlı İmparatorluğu), sometimes referred to as the Turkish Empire or
simply Turkey, was a contiguous transcontinental empire founded by
Turkish tribes under Osman Bey in north-western Anatolia in 1299. With
the conquest of Constantinople by Mehmet II in 1453, the Ottoman state
was transformed into an empire. A historical map showing eyalets
(administrative regions) of Ottoman Empire in Europe and Asia in 1890.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, in particular at the height of its
power under the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Empire
was one of the most powerful states in the world – a multinational,
multilingual empire, controlling much of Southeast Europe, Western Asia,
North Africa and the Horn of Africa.
At the beginning of the
17th century the empire contained 32 provinces and numerous vassal
states, some of which were later absorbed into the empire, while others
were granted various types of autonomy during the course of centuries.
With Constantinople as its capital and control of vast lands around the
Mediterranean basin, the Ottoman Empire was at the centre of
interactions between the Eastern and Western worlds for over six
centuries. It was dissolved in the aftermath of World War I; the
collapse of the empire led to the emergence of the new political regime
in Turkey itself, as well as the creation of the new Balkan and Middle
East.
The Imperial House of Osman - Osmanoglu - The Osmanli
Dynasty traces its origins to Osman Khan Ghazi, founder of the Turkish
Empire and son of Ertugrul, leader of the Kayi clan of the Oghuz tribe,
during the late 13th century. The tribe reputedly descends from Noah,
through his grandson, Oghuz. The Imperial Ottoman family ruled the
Ottoman Empire from 1299 until the establishment of the Republic of
Turkey in 1922. The rule of one single family, for more than 600 years,
over an Empire that was once the most powerful in the world is unique in
world history. There were thirty six Ottoman Sultans who ruled over the
Empire, and each one was a direct descendant through the male line of
the first Ottoman Sultan, Sultan Osman I. The Ottoman dynasty is known
in Turkish as Osmanlı, meaning "House of Osman". The first rulers of the
dynasty never had called themselves sultans, but rather beys, or
"chieftain", roughly the Turkic equivalent of Emir, which would itself
become a gubernatorial title and even a common military or honorific
rank. Thus they still formally acknowledged the sovereignty of the
contemporary Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm and its successor, the Ilkhanate.
The first Ottoman to actually claim the title of sultân was Murad I,
who ruled from 1359 to 1389. The title sultan (سلطان)-in Arabic, was in
later Arabic-Islamic dynasties originally the power behind the throne
of the Caliph in Bagdad and it was later used for various independent
Muslim Monarchs. This title was more prestigious then Emir; it was not
comparable to the title of Malik 'king' or the originally Persian title
of Shah. With the Conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the road was open
for the Ottoman state to become an empire, with Sultan Mehmed II taking
the title of pâdişah (پادشاه), a Persian title meaning "lord of kings"
claiming superiority to the other kings, that title was abandoned when
the empire declined and lost its might. In addition to such secular
titles, the Ottoman sultan became the Caliph of Islam, starting with
Selim I, who became khalif after the death of the last Abbasid Caliph
Al-Mutawakkil III, the last of Abbasid Caliphs in Cair.
After the deposition of the last Sultan, Mehmet VI, in 1922, and the
subsequent abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924, members of the
Imperial family were forced into exile. Their descendants now live in
many different countries throughout Europe, as well as in the USA, the
Middle East, and since they have now been permitted to return to their
homeland, many now also live in Turkey. When in exile, the family
adopted the surname of Osmanoğlu, meaning son of Osman, out of respect
for the founder of their dynasty. It was announced in 2010 that members
of the Ottoman dynasty are working to create a foundation with the goal
of uniting the family and helping the ones living abroad to connect with
their Turkish heritage.
Turkish Citizenship of members of the
Imperial House - Without any exception, all members of the Imperial
Ottoman family were exiled in 1924. Most had never left their homeland
before, and all were forced to make a new life abroad. The family
departed from Sirkeci Train Station, and would disperse across Europe,
the United States and the Middle East. As the former Ottoman Sultan,
H.I.M. Sultan Mehmed VI Vahideddin, had settled in San Remo, many
members of the family congregated to the South of France. After living
in Switzerland for a short time, the last Caliph of Islam H.I.H. Prince
(Şehzade) Abdulmecid II, also moved to Nice. The travel documents issued
by the Turkish Republic to the Ottoman family on their exile were only
valid for one year. Therefore, by 1925 members of the family were no
longer able to travel, and it was due to the intervention of H.I.H.
Prince (Şehzade) Ali Vâsib Efendi that the family received courtesy
passports from the French Government. The French Government also issued
passports to the children of the members of the family who were born in
exile. Today many members of the Ottoman family have now obtained
Turkish citizenship, and hold Turkish passports.
The Titles and
Styles of the Family - Imperial Princes (Şehzades) of the House of
Osman - The formal way of addressing the male descendants of the Ottoman
Sultans is Daulatlu Najabatlu Şehzade (given name) Hazretleri Efendi,
i.e. Prince (given name) Efendi, with the style of His Imperial
Highness. According to genealogies of the House of Osman, had the
Sultanate not been abolished, there are twenty-four Imperial Princes in
the line of succession after Bayezid Osman, the current head of the
family. They are listed as follows; the succession law used is agnatic
seniority, with the succession passing to eldest male dynast.
Imperial Princesses (Sultans) of the House of Osman - The formal way of
addressing the female descendants of the Ottoman Sultans is Daulatlu
Hazretleri (given name) Sultan, i.e. Princess (given name) Sultan, with
the style of Her Imperial Highness. According to genealogies of the
House of Osman, had the Sultanate not been abolished, there are
seventeen Imperial Princesses.
List of heirs to the Imperial
House of Osman since 1922 - The Ottoman dynasty was expelled from Turkey
in 1924. The female members of the dynasty were allowed to return after
1951, and the male members after 1973. Below is a list of people who
would have been heirs to the Ottoman throne following the abolition of
the sultanate on 1 November 1922.
Mehmed VI, last Ottoman Sultan (1918–1922) then 36th Head of the House of Osman in exile (1922–1926).
Abdülmecid II, last Ottoman Caliph (1922–1924) then 37th Head of the House of Osman following Mehmed VI's death (1926–1944).
Ahmed IV Nihad, 38th Head of the House of Osman (1944–1954), grandson of Sultan Murad V.
Osman IV Fuad, 39th Head of the House of Osman (1954–1973), half-brother of Ahmed IV Nihad.
(Mehmed) Abdülaziz II, 40th Head of the House of Osman (1973–1977), grandson of Sultan Abdülaziz I.
Ali I Vâsib, 41st Head of the House of Osman (1977–1983), son of Ahmed IV Nihad.
(Mehmed) Orhan II, 42nd Head of the House of Osman (1983–1994), grandson of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
Ertuğrul Osman V, 43rd Head of the House of Osman (1994–2009), grandson of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
(Osman) Bayezid III, 44th Head of the House of Osman (2009–present), great-grandson of Sultan Abdülmecid I.
Almanach de Saxe Gotha Page:
http://www.almanachdegotha.org/id127.html
The Ducal House of Hohenberg is an
Austrian noble family, descended from Countess Sophie Chotek (1868-1914)
who in 1900 married Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este
(1863-1914), the heir presumptive to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire. As their marriage was a morganatic one, none of their three
children were in the line of succession to the Austro-Hungarian throne.
The House of Hohenberg was established by imperial decree of Emperor
Franz Joseph I of Austria when upon the couple's marriage in 1900, he
created Franz Ferdinand's wife Princess of Hohenberg (in German: Fürstin
von Hohenberg) in her own right with the style of Serene Highness (in
German: Durchlaucht), and the specifiation that this name and title
should also be borne by her descendants. In 1909 the Emperor raised
Sophie to the more senior title of Duchess of Hohenberg (in German:
Herzogin von Hohenberg) with the style Highness (in German: Hoheit) for
her life. This title expired upon Sophie's assassination in 1914.
In 1917 the Emperor Karl I of Austria regulated the titles within the
Hohenberg family and awarded them a coat of arms. The Head of the House
would be titled Duke with the style Highness, the other male members
would be titled Prince and female members titled Princess with the style
of Serene Highness. Thus Sophie's eldest son Prince Maximilian of
Hohenberg became the first Duke of Hohenberg.
This title was
created to be hereditary among Sophie's and Franz Ferdinand's male
descendants according to the rule of primogeniture. Following the
collapse of the Monarchy, all Austrian titles of nobility were abolished
by law in 1919 and since then their names consist only of a forename
and surname, without the "von" or any title. In 1938 several members of
the family who were opposed to Adolf Hitler were arrested by the Nazis
and sent to Dachau concentration camp, most notably Duke Maximilian and
his brother Ernst. They were only released on liberation in 1945. The
current Head of the House, Georg Hohenberg, was Ambassador of the
Republic of Austria to the Holy See under part of the pontificate of
Pope John Paul II. He is also a Knight of the Golden Fleece.
The members of the House of Hohenberg are not only descended from, and
married into, the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, but are also through
marriage related to many other European dynasties including the Grand
Ducal Family of Luxembourg and the Princely House of Liechtenstein,
whereas it should be noted that the Ducal House of Hohenberg is not part
of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine as it is descended through the
created Ducal line of Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg as declared by the
Imperial Letters Patent of Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria, and as
such any and all Acts, Laws and Decrees created and inforced by the
Austrian, German, Polish and Czech Governments to confiscate the
Properties, Lands and all other Possessions thereon of the former Ruling
House of Habsburg-Lorraine, can not legally apply to the House of
Hohenberg, therefore all properties, lands and possessions taken by any
of the aforementioned governments from the House of Hohenberg, from the
time of the conficaction have if fact and in law remained the sole legal
property of the heirs of the House of Hohenberg therein. Please see the
following family website: www.sophie-hohenberg-czech-rep.eu
The Hohenberg family has left such a legacy behind that their Castle of
Artstetten was selected as a main motive for a very recent
commemorative coin: the 10 euro The Castle of Artstetten commemorative
coin minted in October 13, 2004. The reverse shows the entrance to the
crypt of the Hohenberg family. There are two portraits to the left,
showing Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie, Duchess of
Hohenberg. Artstetten Castle (German: Schloss Artstetten or Schloß
Artstetten) is a castle near the Wachau valley in Lower Austria, in the
community of Artstetten-Pöbring. The castle houses the resting place of
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, as well as
the Archduke Franz Ferdinand Museum. It remains today the private
property of the Hohenberg Family.
Titles and Styles of The
Ducal Family - The members of this house and family bear the titles of
Prince or Princess of Hohenberg together with the formal appellation of
His or Her Serene Highness, the head of the house bears the Title of
Duke of Hohenberg together with the formal appellation of His Highness.
Website of HSH Princess Sophie of Hohenberg:
http://www.sophie-hohenberg-czech-rep.eu/
Almanach de Saxe Gotha Page:
http://www.almanachdegotha.org/id112.html
The House of Grimaldi is associated
with the history of the Republic of Genoa, Italy and of the Principality
of Monaco. The Grimaldi descend from Grimaldo, a Genoese statesman at
the time of the early Crusades. He may have been a son of Otto Canella, a
consul of the Republic of Genoa in 1133. In turn Grimaldo became a
consul in 1160, 1170 and again in 1184. His numerous descendants led
maritime expeditions throughout the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, and
soon the North Sea. They quickly became one of the most powerful
families of Genoa.
The Grimaldis feared that the head of a rival
Genoese family could break the fragile balance of power in a political
coup and become lord of Genoa, as had happened in other Italian cities.
They entered into a Guelphic alliance with the Fieschi family and
defended their interests with the sword. The Guelfs however were banned
from the City in 1271, and found refuge in their castles in Liguria and
Provence. They signed a treaty with Charles of Anjou, King of Naples and
Count of Provence to retake control of Genoa, and generally to provide
mutual assistance. In 1276, they accepted a peace under the auspices of
the Pope, which however did not put an end to the civil war. Not all the
Grimaldis chose to return to Genoa, as they preferred to settle in
their fiefdoms, where they could raise armies.
In 1299, the
Grimaldis and their allies launched a few galleys to attack the port of
Genoa before taking refuge on the Western Riviera. During the following
years, the Grimaldis entered into different alliances that would allow
them to return to power in Genoa. This time, it was the turn of their
rivals, the Spinola family, to be exiled from the city. During this
period, both the Guelphs and Ghibellines took and abandoned the castle
of Monaco, which was ideally located to launch political and military
operations against Genoa. Therefore, the tale of Francis Grimaldi and
his faction — who took the castle of Monaco disguised as friars in 1297 —
is largely anecdotal.
In the early 14th century, the Aragonese
raided the shores of Provence and Liguria, challenging Genoa and King
Robert of Provence. In 1353, the combined fleet of eighty Venetian and
Aragonese galleys gathered in Sardinia to meet the fleet of sixty
galleys under the command of Anthony Grimaldi. Only nineteen Genoese
vessels survived the battle. Fearing an invasion, Genoa rushed to
request the protection of the Lord of Milan.
Several of the
oldest feudal branches of the House of Grimaldi appeared during these
conflicts, such as the branches of Cohen, Antibes, Beuil, Nice, Puget,
and Sicily. In 1395, the Grimaldis took advantage of the discords in
Genoa to take possession of Monaco, which they then ruled as a
condominium. This is the origin of today's principality.
As was
customary in Genoa, the Grimaldis organised their family ties within a
corporation called albergo. In the political reform of 1528, the
Grimaldi became one of the 28 alberghi of the Republic of Genoa, which
included the Doria and Pallavicini families, and to which other families
were formally invited to join. The House of Grimaldi provided several
doges, cardinals, cabinet ministers, and military officers of historical
note.
By convention, sovereign European houses are reckoned in
the male line.[citation needed] Therefore, since 1731, it has been
determined genealogically that it was in fact the French noble House of
Goyon-Matignon that ruled as Princes of Monaco until 1949. However, one
of the terms of James de Goyon de Matignon becoming Prince of Monaco
jure uxoris was that he adopt the name and arms of Grimaldi so that the
house would be preserved on the throne, and the right of succession was
through his wife Louise-Hippolyte Grimaldi, who abdicated in her
husband's favour. Similarly, when Charlotte Louvet was legitimised in
1911 and made successor to Monaco, her husband, Count Pierre de
Polignac, adopted, as a condition of the marriage, the name and arms of
Grimaldi. In this way the "Grimaldi" name and arms were continued. There
is a branch of the family in England who believed they had more right
to the throne as they were descended from an all-male line from
Alessandro Maria Grimaldi, an exile from Genoa, himself a direct
descendant of Otto Canella, the father of Grimaldo Canella, who started
the patronymic "Grimaldi."
Until 2002, a treaty between Monaco and
France stated that if the reigning Prince ever failed to leave dynastic
offspring then sovereignty over the Grimaldi realm would revert to
France. The 2002 agreement modified this to expand the pool of potential
heirs to dynastic collaterals of the reigning Prince (excluding
adoptive heirs, hitherto allowed, e.g. Princess Charlotte and her
descendants), guaranteeing Monegasque independence. Article I of
Monaco's house law requires that the reigning Prince or Princess bear
the surname of Grimaldi.
The coat of arms of the House of
Grimaldi is simply described as fusily argent and gules, i.e., a red and
white diamond pattern.
Homepage - Prince's Palace of Monaco - Palais Princier de Monaco: http://www.palais.mc/monaco/palais-princier/english/homepage.1969.html
Almanach de Saxe Gotha Page: http://www.almanachdegotha.org/id23.html
