Regnal name
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A regnal name, regnant name,[1] or reign name is the name used by monarchs and popes during their reigns and subsequently, historically. Since ancient times, some monarchs have chosen to use a different name from their original name when they accede to the monarchy.
The regnal name is usually followed by a
The ordinal is not normally used for the first ruler of the name, but is used in historical references once the name is used again. Thus,
In some countries in Asia, monarchs took or take
Monarchies
Ancient rulers
Ancient rulers in many parts of the world took regnal names or throne names which were different from their personal name. This is known to be true, for instance, of several kings of Assyria, and appears to be the case for several kings of Judah. In Ancient Egypt, Pharaohs took a number of names—the praenomen being the most commonly used, on occasion in conjunction with their personal name.
Africa
Ethiopia
In the
Nigeria
In the various extant
Beyond that which is described above, regnal names also serve in Nigeria and indeed in much of Africa as chronological markers in much the same way that those of Europe do (e.g. the Victorian era). Whenever one hears of a person describing what happened at the time when so and so ruled over any particular place or people, what he or she is actually saying is that an event happened within a finite period of time, one that is equal to the duration of the reign of the monarch in question. Now seeing as how it is possible (and in fact common, particularly among the southern tribes) for one individual to have several different names and aliases in a single life, a certain degree of uniformity in usage is required if the history of an entire state is to be tied to his or her name. It is for this reason that when new monarchs are enthroned, the uniqueness of their names is usually considered to be a matter of considerable importance (even when it is caused by nothing more than the adding of ordinals to them or the allowing of more than a generation to pass before their subsequent usage). An example of this can be found in the
In the case of the comparatively small number of Nigerian monarchs, such as Obi
Asia
Sinosphere
In the
During the reign of a monarch, they could adopt regnal names (尊號; zūn hào), even though adoption was not widespread throughout history.
Since the Shang dynasty, Chinese sovereigns could be honored with temple names (廟號; miào hào) after their death, for the purpose of ancestor worship. Temple names consisted of two or three Chinese characters, with the last word being either zǔ (祖; "progenitor") or zōng (宗; "ancestor"). Since the Zhou dynasty, Chinese monarchs were frequently accorded posthumous names (謚號; shì hào) after their death. Posthumous names were adjectives originally intended to determine the achievements and moral values, or the lack thereof, of one's life. Since both titles were accorded only after one's death, they were not effectively regnal names. As a result of Chinese cultural and political influence, temple names and posthumous names were adopted by monarchs of Korea and Vietnam, whereas monarchs of Japan adopted only posthumous names.
Since 140 BC, during the reign of the Emperor Wu of Han, Chinese sovereigns proclaimed era names (年號; nián hào) for the purpose of identifying and numbering years.[2][3] Prior to the Ming dynasty, it was common for Chinese monarchs to proclaim more than one era name during a single reign, or that a single era name was used by several rulers. Monarchs of the Ming and Qing dynasties, however, often adopted only one era name throughout their reign;[4] thus, Chinese sovereigns of the Ming and Qing dynasties are commonly known by their respective era name with few exceptions, although era names were not effectively regnal names. The era name system had also been adopted by rulers of Korea, Vietnam and Japan, with Japan still using the system to this day.[3][5][6]
The following table provides examples from China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam to illustrate the differences between monarchical titles in the Sinosphere. Bold characters represent the most common way to refer to the monarchs.
Realm | Dynasty | Personal name | Regnal name | Era name | Temple name | Posthumous name |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
China | Eastern Han dynasty | Liu Da 劉炟 |
None | Jianchu 建初 Yuanhe 元和 Zhanghe 章和 |
Suzong 肅宗 |
Emperor Xiaozhang 孝章皇帝 |
Tang dynasty | Li Longji 李隆基 |
Emperor Kaiyuan Shengwen Shenwu 開元聖文神武皇帝 |
Xiantian 先天 Kaiyuan 開元 Tianbao 天寶 |
Xuanzong 玄宗 |
Emperor Zhidao Dasheng Daming Xiao 至道大聖大明孝皇帝 | |
Liao dynasty | Yelü Deguang 耶律德光 |
Emperor Sisheng 嗣聖皇帝 |
Tianxian 天顯 Huitong 會同 Datong 大同 |
Taizong 太宗 |
Emperor Xiaowu Huiwen 孝武惠文皇帝 | |
Qing dynasty | Aisin Gioro Xuanye 愛新覺羅·玄燁 |
None | Kangxi 康熙 |
Shengzu 聖祖 |
Emperor Hetian Hongyun Wenwu Ruizhe Gongjian Kuanyu Xiaojing Chengxin Zhonghe Gongde Dacheng Ren 合天弘運文武睿哲恭儉寬裕孝敬誠信中和功德大成仁皇帝 | |
Japan | Yamato dynasty | Obito 首 |
None | Jinki 神亀 Tenpyō 天平 Tenpyō-kanpō 天平感宝 |
None | Emperor Shōmu 聖武天皇 |
Osahito 統仁 |
None | 慶応 |
None | Emperor Kōmei 孝明天皇 | ||
Korea | Goryeo dynasty | Wang Un 王運 왕운 |
None | None[a] | Seonjong 宣宗 선종 |
King Gwanin Hyeonsun Anseong Sahyo 寬仁顯順安成思孝大王 관인현순안성사효대왕 |
Joseon dynasty | Yi Yu 李瑈 이유 |
None | None[b] | Sejo 世祖 세조 |
King Hyejang Sungcheon Chedo Yeolmun Yeongmu Jideok Yunggong Seongsin Myeongye Heumsuk Inhyo 惠莊承天體道烈文英武至德隆功聖神明睿欽肅仁孝大王 혜장승천체도열문영무지덕융공성신명예흠숙인효대왕 | |
Vietnam | Revival Lê dynasty | Lê Duy Kỳ 黎維祺 Lê Duy Kỳ |
None | Vĩnh Tộ 永祚 Vĩnh Tộ Đức Long 德隆 Đức Long Dương Hòa 陽和 Dương Hòa Khánh Đức 慶德 Khánh Đức Thịnh Đức 盛德 Thịnh Đức Vĩnh Thọ 永壽 Vĩnh Thọ Vạn Khánh 萬慶 Vạn Khánh |
Thần Tông 神宗 Thần Tông |
Emperor Uyên 淵皇帝 Uyên Hoàng đế |
Nguyễn dynasty | Nguyễn Phúc Tuyền 阮福暶 Nguyễn Phúc Tuyền |
None | Thiệu Trị 紹治 Thiệu Trị |
Hiến Tổ 憲祖 Hiến Tổ |
Emperor Thiệu thiên Long vận Chí thiện Thuần hiếu Khoan minh Duệ đoán Văn trị Vũ công Thánh triết Chương 紹天隆運至善純孝寬明睿斷文治武功聖哲章皇帝 Thiệu thiên Long vận Chí thiện Thuần hiếu Khoan minh Duệ đoán Văn trị Vũ công Thánh triết Chương Hoàng đế |
Southeast Asia
Europe
Hungary
During the Medieval Age, when the
Later during the first half of the 14th century, Charles I of Hungary signed as "Carolus rex", but in fact his birth name was the Italian Caroberto. This is why he is often referred to by Hungarian historians as "Charles Robert of Hungary".
Netherlands
All ruling male members of the House of Orange-Nassau bore the name Willem (William). The current king of the Netherlands was christened Willem-Alexander. During an interview in 1997 he said he intended to rule under the name of Willem IV, but he had a change of mind. In a televised interview just before his inauguration, he announced he would continue to use the name Willem-Alexander, saying "I spent 46 years of my life under the name Willem-Alexander, and specifically under the nickname of Alexander. I think it would be weird to discard that because I become king of the country." Furthermore, he said he did not consider himself "a mere number", adding that regnal numbers reminded him of Dutch cattle naming conventions.[7]
Poland
When the
Portugal
The monarchs of Portugal have traditionally used their first baptismal name as their regnal name upon their accession. The only notable exception was Sancho I, who was born Martin of Burgundy (Martinho de Borgonha, in Portuguese). As he was a younger son, Martin was expected to join the clergy, and was named after Saint Martin of Tours, on whose feast day he had been born. When the heir apparent, Henry, died, the prince's name was changed to Sancho, one with a more established royal tradition in the other Iberian monarchies (Navarre, Castile and Aragon).[citation needed]
United Kingdom
Though most monarchs of the United Kingdom have used their first baptismal name as their regnal name, on three occasions monarchs have chosen a different name.
First, Queen Victoria had been christened Alexandrina Victoria, but took the throne under the name Victoria.
When Victoria's son, Prince Albert Edward, became king in 1901, he took the regnal name
In 1936, after the abdication crisis, Prince Albert, Duke of York, assumed the throne. His full name was Albert Frederick Arthur George, but he became King George VI rather than "King Albert".
Before his 2022 accession, there was occasional speculation that the then-Prince Charles might use a different name, to avoid association with Charles I (executed after the English Civil War), or Charles II (known as the Merry Monarch for his womanising), and to avoid conflict or confusion with the "Young Pretender" Charles Edward Stuart (who styled himself as "Charles III").[9] For example, one 2005 report suggested that he might instead use his fourth given name and be known as "George VII" in honour of his grandfather.[9]
Scotland
When
Upon the 1952 accession of
Roman Empire
The
Religious offices
Catholic Church
Immediately after a new pope is elected, and accepts the election, he is asked by the
Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum:
Habemus Papam!
Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum,
Dominum [forename],
Sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ Cardinalem [surname],
qui sibi nomen imposuit [papal name].
I announce to you a great joy:
We have a Pope,
The Most Eminent and Most Reverend Lord,
Lord [forename],
Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church [surname],
who conferred upon himself the name [papal name].
During the first centuries of the church, priests elected
The last pope to use his baptismal name was Pope Marcellus II in 1555, a choice that was even then quite exceptional. The names chosen by popes are not based on any system other than general honorifics. They have been based on immediate predecessors, mentors, political similarity, or even after family members—as was the case with Pope John XXIII. The practice of using the baptismal name as papal name has not been ruled out and future popes could elect to continue using their original names after being elected pope.
Often the new pontiff's choice of name upon being elected to the papacy is seen as a signal to the world of whom the new pope will emulate or what policies he will seek to enact. Such is the case with
There has never been a Pope Peter II. Even though there is no specific prohibition against choosing the name Peter, bishops elected to the Papacy have refrained from doing so even if their own given name was Peter. This is because of a tradition that only Saint Peter should have that honor. In the 10th century John XIV used the regnal name John because his given name was Peter. While some antipopes did take the name Peter II, their claims are not recognized by the mainstream Roman Catholic Church, and each of these men only either has or had a minuscule following that recognized their claims.
Probably because of the controversial Antipope John XXIII, new popes avoided taking the regnal name John for over 600 years until the election of Angelo Cardinal Roncalli in 1958. Immediately after his election, there was some confusion as to whether he would be known as John XXIII or John XXIV. Cardinal Roncalli thus moved to immediately resolve by declaring that he would be known as John XXIII.
In 1978,
Antipopes also have regnal names, and also use the ordinal to show their position in the line of previous pontiffs with their names. For example, David Bawden took the name Michael I when declared pope in 1990.
Coptic Church
Islamic caliphates
The use of regnal names (
The Fatimid caliphs adopted the Abbasid use of the laqab to assert their claims of authority.[14]
See also
- Chinese era name
- Japanese era name
- Korean era name
- Vietnamese era name
- Temple name
- Posthumous name
- Rama (Kings of Thailand)
- Religious name
Notes
- ^ As the Korean Goryeo dynasty was a tributary state of the Khitan-led Chinese Liao dynasty, the former did not have independent era names of its own. Instead, the Goryeo dynasty officially used the era names of the Liao dynasty.
- ^ As the Korean Joseon dynasty was a tributary state of the Chinese Ming dynasty, the former did not have independent era names of its own. Instead, the Joseon dynasty officially used the era names of the Ming dynasty.
References
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- Grissell, Hartwell de la Garde (1903). Sede Vacante. James Parker and Co. p. 46. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- Hornblower, G.D. (May–June 1945). "The Establishing of Osiris". from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ISBN 978-0802195500. Archivedfrom the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ISBN 978-3906769561. Archivedfrom the original on 2024-03-22. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
- ^ ISBN 978-8215001067. Archivedfrom the original on 2024-03-22. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
- ISBN 978-7100051965. Archivedfrom the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
- ISBN 978-8299561419. Archivedfrom the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
- ^ "Ancient tradition carries forward with Japan's new era". Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
- ^ "Willem 4 staat bij Bertha 38 in de wei" [Willem 4 is in the meadow with Bertha 38]. Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (in Dutch). 13 April 2013. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021.
- OCLC 1249713860. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2020 – via Google Books.
- ^ from the original on 8 September 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- OCLC 47018511 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Royal Style and Title". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. 15 April 1953. col. 199–201. Archived 6 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 978-9004161214. Archivedfrom the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
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- ISBN 978-0-932885-24-1.