Noble titles in Poland
The hierarchy of noble titles in Poland was relatively uncommon throughout most of its history. Polish nobility szlachta enjoyed the principle of political equality of all its members.[1] For this reason the idea of introducing the noble / aristocratic titles was strongly opposed, with a number of exceptions.[2]
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
After
The title książę was used to translate foreign titles of prince or duke.
Polish magnates readily accepted the foreign aristocratic titles.
The title hrabia was matching to that of
The monarchs of the House of Habsburg as Holy Roman Emperors gave out the tiles of counts and dukes Sacri Imperii Romani. In Poland this title was rendered as hrabia cesarstwa rzymskiego ("Count of the Roman Empire)
Just before the fall of the Commonwealth, Polish sejm, against traditions, started giving out the aristocratic titles, e.g., to Poniatowskis (1764) and a line of Ponińskis (1773, for Adam Karol książe Poniński, Marshal of the Sejm).
After the Partitions, the junior branch of Poninskis in Galicia (Eastern Europe) received the title of książę (Prinz) from Austria with coat of the arms Poniński Książę, while the elder branch received the title of hrabia (Graf) from Prussia with the coat of the arms Poniński Hrabia.
Modern Poland
The 1921
According to the Polish Nobility Association, there are quite a few "fraternities" and other organizations which endow their members with noble titles, preying on the ignorant, vain and ambitious.[5]
See also
References
- ^ Davies, Ivor Norman Richard; Dawson, Andrew Hutchinson; Jasiewicz, Krzysztof [in Polish]; Kondracki, Jerzy Aleksander [in Polish]; Wandycz, Piotr Stefan (2 June 2017). "Poland". Encyclopædia Britannica. p. 15. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
Ranging from the poorest landless yeomen to the great magnates, the szlachta insisted on the equality of all its members. As a political nation it was more numerous (8–10 percent) than the electorate of most European states even in the early 19th century.
- ^ Andrzej Jezierski, Cecylia Leszczyńska, Historia gospodarcza Polski, 2010, p. 73
- ISSN 2392-2435.
- ^ "Czy używanie tytułów arystokratycznych jest w Polsce legalne? I co na to Unia?", salon24.pl, August 15, 2017
- ^ "Fałszywe genealogie herbowe i bezwartościowe tytuły arystokratyczne są coraz bardziej pożądane"