Nobile (hereditary title)
Nobile , commonly abbreviated as Nob. , denotes an Italian hereditary title held by a nobleman whose rank corresponds to that of a baron or just below, similar to the baronet in England or the baron in Germany. In contrast to higher Italian titles, which are commonly used in place of the person's name, Nobile is placed immediately before the first name and surname , mostly in the abbreviated form Nob.
Appearance
The coat of arms of a nobile is formed by a decorated gold ring, which is set with five pearls either on its attachments or directly on the edge. The coat of arms of a nobile is enclosed by a silver helmet in ¾ side view and the crown described above. It is usually shown above the shield in the full coat of arms, which is associated with the respective title of the nobleman.
history
The rank of nobile existed for centuries and was used to denote holders of noble titles (e.g. baron , count ) and their younger sons. In this context, however, around 1800 many signori (landlords) in Sicily and vassals in Piedmont were recognized as barons, whereas previously they would have been just simple nobili .
Before the establishment of the Kingdom of Italy , the coat of arms court in Milan (the body that had jurisdiction over matters relating to titles of nobility) was responsible for assigning and recording the term nobile as a title of nobility, until Napoleon's army in 1796 the Duchy of Milan, ruled by the Austrian Habsburgs overran. If such a title was awarded, the coat of arms of the new "Nobile" including an image of the corresponding coat of arms was entered in the register of arms of Maria Theresa (later kept in the State Archives of Milan [ASMi]). The record of such concessions and the depiction of the coat of arms show that at that time the title of nobile was not awarded with a corresponding crown.
After the establishment and formal proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, the existing Consulta Araldica - from then on known as the Italian College of Coats of Arms - accepted Nobile as the lowest rank in the hierarchy of Italian nobility titles (compare, however, Cavaliere ereditario , Patrizio and Coscritto ).
Use and legal situation
The title is often abbreviated with “NH” for men and “ND” for women and is also placed in front of the first name in this form. The word "nobile" comes from the Latin "nobilis", which means honorable . The Italian Republic does not recognize titles of nobility. The Italian constitution of 1948 abolished the Consulta Araldica and with it all official registers of nobility.
literature
- E. Genta, "Titoli nobiliari" in AA.VV., Enciclopedia del diritto , Varese 1992, Volume XLIV, pp. 674-684.
- Regolamento della Consulta araldica, approvato con regio decreto del 8 maggio 1870.
- Enciclopedia Storico-Nobiliare Italiana , MCMXXVIII - ANNO VII
- Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of the UK , 1914 edition
Individual evidence
- ↑ JH Pinches: "European Nobility and Heraldry", Heraldry Today 1994, p. 146