New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-19
.nprDICATES" FOR ROYALTY.
TUE DELICATE QUESTION OF
!" TITLES is REGULATED IN THE
OLD WORLD.

hare
wno -. 1-or,d DESTROYED by foreign travel. than
ths Wv ,;or nreNxes to the names affected by
fhose - and the nobility OF Europe. and
me Known as "predicates." Yet so great
WIN" ,,,nortance attached to the latter on yon-
IS VI. .ha Atlantic that when. on the death
asr .nsr day of the old Due de Nemours' the
inc -,,v,ns knight Of that historic French
- =, the Holy Ghost claim was mace pE
V''N ,.,ves and household officials TO have the
MS - of "Royal Highness" prehXed 10 his
:, mike in the official certificate oil MS
US" .ha matter was actually raised TO me uis-
cabinet question, and was solemniy as
IL" - G meeting Of the Council or Minister'S
-.A,cb President Faure presided the result
- .ba, the pretensons OF the old Dukes kins-
p executors were not allowed. ana ne
~. co N his grave without any royal guam
,on 10 his title of Duke.
w. loftiest OF all these predcates OF secular
...oc,er is that OF Imperial Majesty accoIu-
ascial communica tons and correspondence
-oorors and Expresses hut rarely used IN
80 Intercourse. The immediate encourage oI
T.-.,gns Of this rank content themselves WIFE
- o- sire" IN the case of monarchs OF the
..o,,l,,e persuasion, while their consorts are
,..ossad as Madam" save in England where
-. o,,san and all the ladies OF the reignins ram
-" 80 snoken 10 as Ma am" the predlcaies Oh
J.! 49,, a,d - Royal Highness' being sell
80, sronloved save on ceremonious OCCASIONS
xeyt in rank come, Of course the hihss anu
o.o,,s who have to be content with an ordlhar!
w. Majesty" predicate the presuee VI
..,oh has been sadly impaired since people
g.. bser compelled to accord II 10 sucn repro
na,as a. the two Kings Of Servia, Milan ana Al
..o,der whose ancestors as recently as IL 'he
..-,v mar, OF this century were sWlpeherus' l"e
-, tire and emperor who dispenses Win '"e
S. ~. Your Majesty" is the sultan VINO Tor
,.r,,. MASON or other. has always been adoresse1
. W Htehness" the French and diplomatic
..a0-,r- - this word being not the Ordinary
a,,,osso, I'm, "Hautesse" Let me ADD mat IN
10 .t{i-hness" was used exclusively In
.Arassing Kings Queens Emperors ana r'h'-
-,o.see The word Majesty coming into vogue
~, about The time ~ the Reformation. King
H.. VIII of "Bluebeard" memory being the
A-s. English sovereign u cause himself 10 he
thus styled
- soo, &c this occurred "Highness" became
40 a,,rih,te of the princes and princesses of the
,loo5 and Of the prince electors OF the Holy no
man Fnpiro Il was not until the reign or Louis
WV ~ France that distinction was MADE ne
,vean "Highness" and Royal Hghness Inc
ls.,a- rresx was conceded % the children ana
grandchildren Of the sovereign. whereas high
ness" was reserved for princes and Processes
more remotely related 20 the monarch sucn as
Cor instance the Prince De Condo. When, now
eyer King Louis Ky issued patents concedine
The right 20 ne addressed Your Highness' 70
his nlegi,imate offspring. the Prince de Conde or
the day was 60 scandalized and disguised there
by that he demanded and obtained the right to
STYLE himself Serene Highness,' for the pur-
nose If DISTINGUISHING himself from the sover-
eigns left-hand issue.
TITLES AT THE VIENNA CONGRESS.
This TILE Of Serene Highness" was subse
Guently adopted in 1914 by the Congress OF
Vienna. The latter. organized with the object OF
arranging for the redistribution of Europe after
ne confusion and chaos in which IT had been
lit by Napoleon came 10 the conclusion that
u would be impolitic in the extreme to revive
the hundred and odd petty sovereignties OF Cen
'-al Europe which had been swept away during
the Napoleonic wars. Realizing however, that all
these 1ispossess vassals of the Holy Roma En-
ire at Vienna required some sort Of compensa-
ION FOR he loss Of their dOminions. they We're
invested with = number If extraordinary privi-
ieges among others. that Of the predicate OF
Serene 1ighness for themselves and their de-
scendants. IT Is they who are now known as
ihe med tiled ariStOcracy Of Germany. and
they constitute what is headed. Part II" Of the
"Almanacn De Gotha." comprising such names
those ~ Prince Metternich Prince EsterhAzy
me Prince Of Thurn nd-TaXis. Prince Hohen-
ohe and Prince Isenburg Bierstein. Prince
Bismarck for instance. is not a "mediatiZed'
noble hut owes his rank TO modern creation
lie u.s. therefore merely addressed as "Highness
and not a. Serene Hghness and the same is
the case with the Princes Of Battenberg, Of
Murat ~ ROhan. Wrece etc
To French Russian and Italian Princes Is
never accorded the predicate OF "Highness.
and tn. same may be said with regard Ru-
mania where almost every person possessed
n an property styles himself Prince, and
The feminine members OF his family as "Prin-
cssses" although Article T. OF the Rumanian
Constitution expressly provides that the titles
Of nobility, such those Of Prince Count.
Baron etc are and remain inadmissioie and
Illegal In the State Of Rumania as being con-
'rary 20 the ancient and present institutions %
he country" The innumerable princes Canta-
cuzene Bibesco Ghika, StOurza. etc. are, there
fore bearing honorary distinctions 70 winch
they have no earthly right whatsoever, and
which are nothing more or less than an errone-
GUS translation If the Sav title OF knees
which al the best ia equivalent TO the Engllsh
word ESQUIRE
IMPERIAL RICHNESS" IN AUSTRIA.
In Austria the style o, Imperial Highness"
constitutes an attribute OF every legitimate
member OF The reigning House Of Hapsburg no
matter how remote the descent in the male line
direct from the throne. and every one OF the
hundred and odd Archdukes and Archduchesses
are addressed Officially Imperial Highness
In Germany there Is no one who is entitled 10
be thus addressed. since the eldest son OF I'm
peror William IS merely Crown Prince OF Prus-
SID. and not OF Germany il being open for the
Soveregns constituting the Confederation
known as The German Empire. 10 select. on the
death Of Emperor William, some other Prince
hpir OF the Young crown
Prince % Prussia True the late Emperor Fred
erick when still Crown Prince. used frequently
% De styled Your Imperial Highness. But
hat was more a matter Of courtesy than OF
right and from the point OF view % Official
etiquette Nas absolutely wrong.
In Russia ne members OF the reigning house
l0sc their right &c style themselves Imperial
H.ghness' after the third generation Of descent
from the sovereign. and hence the graudsons Of
he late Cars brother the Grand-duke Nladi-
uir. will have 10 be satisfied with the predicate