Whenever we watch historical English films or read books about the life of the English, we constantly come across all sorts of sirs, lords, princes, dukes and other titles. It is quite difficult to understand the purpose of all these appeals to certain segments of the population from books or films. We will try to consider what titles there are in England, what is their hierarchy, how they are obtained and whether it is possible to transfer the title by inheritance, etc.
Peerage in England
The Peerage is the system of nobility in England. All Englishmen who hold a title are called peers. All other people who do not have any titles are considered commoners. The main difference between peers and other people is that a title of nobility in England gives certain privileges, and these privileges differ among peers of different ranks.
There are also differences in privileges between different parts of the peerage system:
The Peerage of England is all titled Englishmen whose title was created by the Queens and Kings of England prior to 1707 (signing of the Act of Union).
The Peerage of Scotland is a title of nobility created by the monarchs of Scotland before 1707.
Peerage of Ireland - titles of the Kingdom of Ireland created before 1800 (signing of the Act of Union) and some of them created later.
The Peerage of Great Britain is all titles created in the Kingdom of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800.
Peerage of the United Kingdom - almost all titles created after 1800.
Older ranks are considered higher in the hierarchy. In addition, determining in the hierarchy is the ownership of the title:
English,
Scottish,
Irish.
For example, an Irish earl with a title created before 1707 is lower in the hierarchy than an English earl with a title obtained at the same time. But the same Irish earl would be higher in the hierarchy than a Great Britain earl with a post-1707 title.
Emergence of the Peerage
The history of the creation of the peerage system among the British began with the conquest of England by the illegitimate son of the ruler of Normandy, William the Conqueror. He created a single Kingdom of England and divided the entire territory into manors. Those Englishmen who owned manors were called barons; depending on the amount of land, there were "big barons" and "lesser barons".
The king collected the big barons for royal councils, and the smaller ones were collected by the sheriffs. Then the lesser barons ceased to convene. It was the meetings of the great barons that were then transformed into the House of Lords, which still exists today. Most titles of nobility, like the Crown of England, are hereditary.
Times changed and various ranks began to form among the nobles, the privileges of which differed significantly.
Title hierarchy
At the top of the hierarchy is naturally the royal family, which has its own hierarchy. The British royal family includes the monarch himself and a group of his close relatives. Members of the royal family are: the monarch, the monarch's spouse or the monarch's widowed spouse, the monarch's children, his male grandchildren, the spouses or widowed spouses of the monarch's male heirs.
The next most important among the English are:
Duke and Duchess (began to confer this title in 1337). Duke (derived from the Latin for "chief") is the highest ranking English title after King and Queen. Usually dukes govern the Duchy. Dukes constitute the second rank of princes after the princes of the royal family.
Marquis and marquise (first awarded in 1385). Marquis is an English title of nobility between a duke and an earl. It comes from the designation of the boundaries of certain territories (from the French "mark" or border territory). In addition to the marquises themselves, this title is awarded to the eldest son of the duke and the daughter of the duke.
Count (earl) and countess (used from 800-1000). Earls are members of the English nobility who formerly owned and ruled own lands- counties, tried court cases in provincial courts on behalf of the King, collected fines and taxes from the local population. Also counties were honored: the eldest son of the marquis, the daughter of the marquis and the youngest son of the duke.
Viscount and viscountess (the first such title was awarded in 1440). The word comes from the Latin "vice count", "deputy count". During the lifetime of the father, the eldest son of an earl or the younger sons of a marquis became viscounts as a courtesy title.
Baron and Baroness (first appeared in 1066). The word comes from the Old German "free master". Baron is the lowest noble rank in England. If the title is historically related to feudal baronies, then the baron holds that barony. In addition to the barons themselves, the following persons were endowed with this title in the form of a title of courtesy: the eldest son of a viscount, the youngest son of a count, the eldest son of a baron, then the younger sons of viscounts and the younger sons of barons followed the hierarchy.
Another rank, although inherited, but not belonging to the English titled aristocratic persons, is the baronet (there is no female equivalent). Baronets do not sit in the House of Lords and do not enjoy the privileges of the nobility. The eldest children of the younger sons of peers of various ranks, the eldest and youngest sons of baronets became baronets.
All other Englishmen are non-titled persons.
Appeal to titled persons
The treatment of titled Englishmen is a rather complex issue. Everyone knows that addressing the King and Queen involves the combination "Your Majesty."
For dukes, "Your Grace" is used, as for duchesses, or duke-duchess is used along with the use of the title (for example, Duke of Wellington). The surnames of dukes are rarely used in circulation, those of duchesses are never used.
Marquesses, viscounts, earls, barons and their wives are addressed as Milord (My Lord) or Milady (My Lady), or simply Lord and Lady. You can also use the address directly in the form of rank and title (for example, Marquess of Queensbury).
Ex-wives of peerages of any rank are addressed as follows: the woman's first name, then rank and title, without using the definite article "the" before rank (eg Diana, Princess of Wales).
Baronets and untitled persons are addressed with the words "sir" and "lady".
Getting the title
The real title of Lord in England can be awarded by the Queen for special services to the country. But you can also get it by workarounds, for example, by purchasing a medieval estate for a huge price along with the title, for example, of a baron. At the same time, they receive a certificate of belonging to a certain noble rank.
Title Features
Most often, the holder of any title is a man. Sometimes the title could also belong to a woman, if it was supposed to be inherited. In other cases, the woman was awarded the title of courtesy as the wife of her husband. At the same time, the woman did not have the privileges that the husband had.
The title of a woman was inherited in two cases:
If the woman was only the custodian of the title, in order to transfer it to the male heir in the future;
When a woman rightfully received a title, but could not sit in the House of Lords and hold certain positions.
Moreover, if a titled woman got married, her husband did not receive her title.
If a woman who received a title thanks to her husband turned out to be a widow, she kept it, while the word “widowed” could be added before addressing her. If a woman remarried, she acquired a new title corresponding to the title of her new husband, or even turned out to be an untitled person if the new husband did not belong to the nobility of England.
Another feature is that illegitimate sons did not receive titles under any circumstances. Therefore, often titled persons sought to marry pregnant women in order to ensure their son the right to inherit his title. Otherwise, only the youngest son had the right to receive nobility, if he was already born in marriage, and in the absence of other sons, a distant relative.
Privileges of titled persons
Previously, the privileges of peers were very wide, but now there are very few rights left for titled Englishmen:
The right to sit in parliament
Access to the Queen and King, although this right has not been used for a long time,
The right not to be subject to civil arrest (it has been used only twice since 1945).
In addition, all peers have special crowns for use at coronations and distinctive robes for sitting in the House of Lords (if they are members) and coronations.
Y. Pantyukhin "Prince Alexander Nevsky"
But first, let's deal with the very concept of "nobility". "What is nobility? - wrote A.S. Pushkin. “The hereditary estate of the people is higher, that is, awarded with great advantages regarding property and private freedom.”
The emergence of the nobility in Russia
The word "noble" literally means "a man from the prince's court", or "court".
In Russia, the nobility arose in the 12th century. as the lowest part of the military service class, which constituted the court of a prince or a major boyar.
The "Code of Laws of the Russian Empire" says that belonging to the nobility " there is a consequence that flows from the quality and virtue of the men who ruled in antiquity, who distinguished themselves by merit, by which, turning the very service into merit, they acquired a noble name for their offspring. Noble means all those who are born from noble ancestors, or who are granted this dignity by monarchs.
Rise of the nobility
From the 14th century nobles began to receive land for diligent service. So there was a class of landowners - landowners. Later they were allowed to buy land.
The Sudebnik of 1497 limited the right of peasants to move and thereby strengthened the position of the nobles.
In February 1549, the first Zemsky Sobor. Ivan IV (the Terrible) delivered a speech there. The tsar took a course towards building a centralized monarchy (autocracy) based on the nobility, which meant fighting the old (boyar) aristocracy. He accused the boyars of abuse of power and called on everyone to joint activities to strengthen the unity of the Russian state.
G. Sedov "Ivan the Terrible and Malyuta Skuratov"
In 1550 chosen thousand Moscow nobles (1071 people) was placed within 60-70 km around Moscow.
In the middle of the XVI century. the Kazan Khanate was annexed, and the estates were evicted from the oprichnina region, which was declared the property of the tsar. The vacated lands were distributed to the nobles under the condition of service.
In the 80s of the XVI century. introduced reserved summers(the period during which in some regions of the Russian state a peasant exit was prohibited on the autumn St. George's Day, provided for in the Sudebnik of 1497. Protected years began to be introduced by the government of Ivan IV (the Terrible) from 1581.
The "Cathedral Code" of 1649 secured the right of the nobles to eternal possession and an indefinite search for fugitive peasants.
But Peter I began a decisive struggle with the old boyar aristocracy, making the nobles his support. In 1722 he introduced Table of ranks.
Monument to Peter I in Voronezh
The table of ranks replaced the principle of generosity with the principle of personal service. The table of ranks influenced the official routine and the historical fate of the nobility.
The only regulator of service was personal length of service; "Paternal honor", the breed has lost all meaning in this regard. Under Peter I, the rank of the lower XIV class in military service gave the right to hereditary nobility. Civil service in the rank up to VIII class gave only personal nobility, and the right to hereditary nobility began with the rank of VIII class. “For this reason, we do not allow anyone any rank,” wrote Peter, “until they show us and the fatherland no services.”
The table of ranks was subjected to numerous changes, but in general it existed until 1917.
After Peter I, the nobles receive one privilege after another. Catherine II actually freed the nobles from compulsory service while maintaining serfdom for the peasants, which created a real gulf between the nobles and the people. The pressure of the nobles on the peasantry and their anger became one of the reasons for the Pugachev uprising.
The apogee of the power of the Russian nobility was the receipt of "noble liberty" - a letter of Catherine II, which freed the nobles from compulsory service. But with this began the decline of the nobility, which gradually turned into an "idle class", and the slow ruin of the lower nobility. And after the peasant reform of 1861, the economic position of the nobility weakened even more.
By the beginning of the XX century. the hereditary nobility, "the first pillar of the throne" and "one of the most reliable instruments of the government", is gradually losing its economic and administrative dominance.
titles of nobility
In Muscovite Rus' there was only one aristocratic title - "prince". He came from the word "prince" and meant that his ancestors once ruled any part of Russia. Not only Russians possessed this title - grants to princes and foreigners who converted to Orthodoxy were allowed.
Foreign titles in Russia appeared under Peter I: "baron" and "count". There is the following explanation for this: in the territories annexed by Peter there were already people with such titles, and these titles were also worn by foreigners whom Peter attracted to Russia. But the title "count" was first burdened with the words "Holy Roman Empire", i.e. this title was assigned at the request of the Russian monarch by the German emperor. In January 1776, Catherine II intercedes with the "Roman Emperor" Grigory Orlov " give the Roman Empire princely dignity, for which the post».
Golovin (1701) and Menshikov (1702) become the first counts of the Holy Roman Empire in Russia, and under Catherine II, four of her favorites receive the titles of princes of the Holy Roman Empire: Orlov, Potemkin, Bezborodko and Zubov. But the assignment of such titles ceases in 1796.
Title "Count"
Count's heraldic crown
Graph(German graph) - a royal official in the Early Middle Ages in Western Europe. The title originated in the 4th century. in the Roman Empire and was originally assigned to the highest dignitaries.
During the period of feudal fragmentation graph- feudal lord of the county, then becomes the title of the highest nobility. Woman - countess. As a title, it still formally continues to be preserved in most European countries with a monarchical form of government.
Sheremetiev became the first Russian count in 1706.
Boris Petrovich Sheremetiev (1652-1719)
Russian commander during the Northern War, diplomat, one of the first Russian field marshals.
Born in an old boyar family Sheremetevs.
In 1681 he commanded troops against the Tatars. He proved himself in the military and diplomatic fields. In 1686 he participated in the conclusion " Eternal peace» with the Commonwealth, and then was sent to Warsaw to ratify the concluded peace.
Protected Russia from the Crimean raids. In 1695, he participated in the first Azov campaign of Peter I.
In 1697-1699. visited Poland, Austria, Italy, the island of Malta, carrying out diplomatic missions of Peter I. During the Northern War of 1700-1721. he proved to be a cautious and talented commander who earned the trust of Peter I. In 1701 he inflicted a defeat on the Swedes, from which they were “for a long time unreasonable and not corrected”, for which he was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and granted the rank of Field Marshal. Subsequently, he won several victories over the Swedes.
In 1705-1706. Sheremetyev suppressed the rebellion of the archers in Astrakhan, for which he was the first in Russia to be awarded the title of count.
IN last years he expressed a desire to be tonsured as a monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, but the tsar did not allow this, just as he did not allow the execution of Sheremetyev’s will to bury him in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra: Peter I ordered Sheremetev to be buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, forcing even a dead associate to serve the state.
At the end of the XIX century. in Russia there were over 300 count families. Count's title in Soviet Russia was liquidated by the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of November 11, 1917.
Title "Baron"
English baronial crown
Baron(from late lat. baro with the original meaning "man, man"). In medieval feudal Western Europe, a large sovereign nobleman and feudal lord, later just an honorary title of nobility. Woman - baroness. The title of baron in England is preserved to this day and is located in hierarchical system below the title of viscount. In Germany, this title was below the count.
In the Russian Empire, the title of baron was introduced by Peter I, the first to receive it in 1710 was P.P. Shafirov. Then A. I. Osterman (1721), A. G., N. G. and S. G. Stroganovs (1722), A.-E. Stambken (1726). The families of the barons were divided into Russian, Baltic and foreign.
Pyotr Pavlovich Shafirov (1669-1739)
Diplomat of the time of Peter the Great, Vice-Chancellor. Knight of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called (1719). In 1701-1722. actually supervised the Russian post. In 1723 he was sentenced to death penalty on charges of abuse, but after the death of Peter was able to return to diplomatic activities.
He came from a family of Polish Jews who settled in Smolensk and converted to Orthodoxy. He began his service as an interpreter in 1691 in the same embassy order where his father served. Accompanying Peter the Great during his travels and campaigns, he took part in the conclusion of an agreement with the Polish king August II (1701) and with the ambassadors of the seven-grad prince Rakoczi. In 1709 he became a Privy Councilor and was promoted to Vice-Chancellor. In 1711, he concluded the Prut peace treaty with the Turks and himself, together with Count M. B. Sheremetev, remained a hostage to them. He concluded agreements with Denmark, Prussia, France on the preservation of peace in Europe.
In 1723, Shafirov quarreled with the powerful prince A. D. Menshikov and the chief prosecutor Skornyakov-Pisarev, convicting them of embezzlement. In response, he himself was accused of embezzlement and sentenced to death, which Peter I replaced with exile to Siberia, but on the way there he allowed him to stop "to live" in Nizhny Novgorod"under strong guard."
Empress Catherine I, upon her accession to the throne, returned Shafirov from exile, restored him to the baronial title, conferred the rank of real state councilor, made him president of the College of Commerce and entrusted the compilation of the history of Peter the Great.
The barons enjoyed the right to appeal "your honor"(like untitled nobles) or "Mr. Baron".
At the end of the XIX century. in Russia there were about 240 baronial families (including extinct ones), mainly representatives of the Baltic (Baltic) nobility. The title was abolished by the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of November 11, 1917.
Baron P.N. Wrangel
Title "prince"
prince- the head of a feudal monarchical state or a separate political entity (specific prince) in the 9th-16th centuries. among the Slavs and some other peoples; representative of the feudal aristocracy. Later became the highest title of nobility, equivalent to a prince or duke in Western and Southern Europe, in Central Europe(of the former Holy Roman Empire), this title is called Fürst, and in the North - king.
In Russia Grand Duke(or princess) - the title of nobility of the members royal family. Princess also called the prince's wife, knyazhych(among the Slavs) - the son of a prince, princess- The daughter of a prince.
Y. Pantyukhin "Prince Alexander Nevsky" ("For the Russian Land!")
Princely power, at first most often elective, gradually becomes hereditary (Rurikovich in Rus', Gediminoviches and Jagiellons in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Piasts in Poland, etc.). With the formation of a centralized state, the appanage princes gradually became part of the grand ducal (since 1547 - royal) court in the Moscow principality. in Russia until the 18th century. the title of prince was only generic. WITH early XVIII V. the title of prince also began to be complained by the tsar to the highest dignitaries for special merits (the first prince granted was A. D. Menshikov).
Russian princes
Before Peter I, there were 47 princely families in Russia, some of which originated from Rurik. Princely titles were divided into "His Excellency" And "his lordship" which was considered higher.
Until 1797, new princely families did not appear, with the exception of Menshikov, granted in 1707 the title of Prince of Izhora.
Under Paul I, this title began to be awarded, and the annexation of Georgia literally “blew up” the Russian nobility - 86 clans recognized the princely title.
TO late XIX V. in the Russian Empire there were 250 princely families, 40 of which were descended from Rurik or Gediminas. 56% of the princely families in the empire were Georgian.
In addition, there were about 30 Tatar, Kalmyk and Mordovian princes; the status of these princes was considered below the baronial.
Did you know?
Portrait of A.V. Suvorov. Unknown artist of the 19th century.
Did you know that Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov, the national hero of Russia, the great Russian commander, who did not suffer a single defeat in his military career(more than 60 battles), one of the founders of Russian military art, had several titles at the same time: prince Italian (1799), graph Rymniksky (1789), graph of the Holy Roman Empire, Generalissimo of the Russian land and sea forces, Field Marshal of the Austrian and Sardinian troops, grandee of the Sardinian kingdom and prince of royal blood (with the title "king's cousin"), knight of all Russian orders of their time, awarded to men, as well as many foreign military orders.
Several authoritative Western newspapers are already following the attempts of the Russian oligarch Anton Bakov to revive the Russian Empire either on the islands of the Gambia or in the Republic of Kiribati. But while the billionaire does not find support from local authorities, enterprising Russians have already figured out how to provide everyone with titles of nobility. You don't have to go to the islands for this. Pacific Ocean. Life figured out how to become a real Scottish lord or duke of a non-existent state and how much a real pedigree costs.
"The title of a lord (lady), a property in Scotland with an area of 1 square foot - 7.3 thousand rubles," says one of the many product offers of the online store Magazinkaledonia.ru.
By the way, you can choose the size of the plot. The most expensive offer - the title of lord plus 1,000 feet of land - costs 57.2 thousand rubles. You can buy a title without leaving your home, just add the product to the cart and pay with a card. All documents for the title and land will be delivered by courier. Shipping is free, by the way. In this online store, the title of lord is just one of the many Scottish gifts. Along with kilts, plaids and cashmere scarves.
There are a lot of people who want to get the title of lord. As a result, competition in the market has intensified - now this service is already provided by three companies.
“In 2017, our sales in Russia grew by about 40% compared to the first half of 2016,” said Life. Marketing Director in the Russian Federation Highland Titles Ltd Oleg Bogatyrev. - For comparison, according to the results of 2016, sales increased by 32% compared to 2015. Already more than 100 thousand people around the world have become Lords and Ladies of Glencoe and Lockhaber. Their number is constantly growing. Russia makes up only a small part of this number, but in terms of growth dynamics it occupies a leading position among European countries.
The popularity of Scottish titles began to grow against the backdrop of a general revival of interest in the nobility, aristocracy and history. In 2017, this is not surprising - after all, the centenary of the collapse of the monarchy in Russia. Now there are three ways to feel like an aristocrat: go to the heraldic bureau, order a real pedigree and try to find real noble roots; become a loyal subject of a non-existent state and amuse pride with fictitious titles; buy a real, but meaningless title - like, for example, Lord of Scotland.
Not all lords are the same
Scotland has become a place of pilgrimage for newly-minted lords and ladies from all over the world due to a small loophole in land law. Indeed, anyone can become Lord of Scotland. To do this, it is enough to become a landowner, who are traditionally called laird there. It is a Scottish word, a simple form of the English lord or female form lady. So do not confuse Scottish lords with English ones.
Thus, a person who has even a symbolic allotment of land in Scotland has the right to be called a lord. In practice, most ordinary Scots can be called that, and this has nothing to do with the aristocratic title.
“You have to understand that this is not a full-fledged title of nobility and the owner of our certificate will not be admitted to the House of Lords,” Dmitry, manager of Magazinkaledonia.ru, explained to Life. - We sell plots as souvenirs. At the same time, the right to land is registered in the UK, so you will have to wait 3-4 weeks for the documents. The client can track the entire route of the papers by mail remotely. In addition, the owner of the land and the title can really come to their land. In May every year there is a gathering of such small landowners. This is a kind of club of interests.
Symbolic plots in the Scottish Highlands are sold around the world. People from various countries come to the gathering of lords and ladies - from Russia to Australia. All of them are united by one thing - the desire to feel like a real aristocrat at least for a few days. And since they are not included in the circle of real aristocratic lords, they create a noble atmosphere for themselves.
In addition, all landowners have one real right - absolutely free camping on their plot of land. The larger the area, the longer you can rest on it. According to Dmitry, if for the purchase of one square foot you can set up a campsite for a week, then the owners of a thousand can rest on their site as much as they want.
- Recently, purchases by families have become more frequent, - note Highland Titles LTD. - Husbands buy several plots at once for all members of their family. Recently, a mother bought for herself and her son of eleven years, 100 square meters each. feet, and both were insanely happy, especially her son, it was a shock to him in good sense this word. Also, this gift has always been popular for senior management and for very wealthy people who have everything.
However, for those who want to feel like an aristocrat, Scotland really provides great opportunities. This is one of the few places in the world where you can even buy a real title of baron. Unlike lords, this is really an aristocratic title, the owner of which has his own coat of arms. True, such a purchase will cost hundreds of thousands of euros, and the titles of barons do not go on mass sale.
- In Scotland, the title of baron is associated with certain feudal estates, - says Stanislav Dumin, President of the Russian Genealogical Federation. - At the end of the last century, feudal rights were abolished, but the titles were preserved as a tribute to tradition, and they can indeed be ceded. Any earl or duke may have dozens of baronies, and he can assign them. Usually for a fairly large amount.
From kings to kings
Baron, viscount, count, prince, Grand Duke, archduke and even elector - what titles of nobility are offered in the Grand Duchy of Pomerania and Livonia. It is enough to go to the site dedicated to the heraldry of this state. True, the country is non-existent, and the titles have no legal significance. But they are sold in euros - from 200 to 300 for a package of documents. It includes information about the title, and even an award order.
- All these noble and royal titles are hereditary, and all their holders are registered in the register of the aristocracy of the Grand Duchy and receive a certificate for the right to the title with the black eagles of Livonia, - the sellers from royaltitles.net assure.
However, the organizers of the site do not hide the fact that the state is not legally recognized. Nevertheless, there are quite serious buyers for such titles, albeit non-existent states, albeit comic documents.
- At one of our events, a solid, very expensively dressed man approached me and asked: "Do you know who I am?", - recalls Alexander Sheffer, director of the department of culture of the Russian Nobility Assembly. - I answered that no, I have no honor. And then he takes out a red certificate, where "Tsar" is written in golden letters. What is most surprising, the man spoke quite seriously and sincerely believed in the authenticity of his status. We come across similar stories all the time.
Perhaps the only chance to feel like a real aristocrat is to try to find your own noble roots. You can search both independently in the archives and with the help of special genealogical bureaus. According to the Russian Genealogical Federation, there are now about 50 genealogical organizations in Russia. For comparison, in the early 2000s there were only seven.
Professional genealogists can compile a family tree by visiting archives in different parts of the country. Depending on the complexity of the tasks set, the services of specialists cost from 20-30 thousand to 200-300. But we must understand that noble roots can not be found.
- The latest trend is the expansion of genealogical queries, - says Stanislav Dumin. - Now the number of applications from people who are not purposefully looking for noble roots, but want to know their real ancestry, has increased dramatically. People understand that ancestors are different and different ancestors are interesting. Of course, there is a lot of interest in pseudo-titles, but nevertheless, a course has already been outlined for changing priorities towards real history.
By the way, even if a person finds real counts and princes in his family, this will only amuse his pride. IN modern Russia nobility as an estate no longer exists, therefore it is impossible to officially receive a noble title.
It turns out that, according to the assurances of Internet sites, almost every Russian can become a nobleman in our time. And for this it is not at all necessary to recreate your family tree, looking for a noble descendant in it, or to leaf through old albums with images of gentlemen trampling corner fireplaces in spacious halls in order to find at least some portrait resemblance. Everything is much simpler: you just need to pay a cash contribution to one of the noble societies or to a person authorized to distribute titles.
And, surprisingly, there are quite a few of them in Russia. At one time, thanks to them, our fatherland was replenished with huge ranks of nobles. Among them, the most famous are: Alexander Malinin - a Russian pop singer, Bari Alibasov - a producer, Ayatskov - the governor, and even Arnold Schwarzenegger himself! There are also “simpler” people, for example, he received the title of a nobleman and an ordinary stove-maker from Saratov, now any fireplace lining he made has its own noble seal.
How much will it cost honorary title? Rates vary from organization to organization. So, for a count, you will have to pay from 18 thousand rubles, for a bigger prince - from 12 thousand euros. And no matter who you work as a doctor, realtor, accountant, or your main occupation is, for example, installing chimneys, if you have a certain amount of banknotes - welcome to the nobility.
However, in fact, in most cases, such proposals are just a way to "powder your brains." No matter how beautiful and high-profile the names of organizations are: "New Elite of Russia" - the Russian noble society, "New Elite of the World" - an international order chapter, they do not have the right to give, sell, offer a title of nobility. But the laws of the Russian Federation do not punish for this ...
In fact, there are only two legal noble organizations in Russia: the St. Petersburg Noble Assembly and the Russian Noble Assembly. The first unites real hereditary nobles on the basis of the relevant certificate, the second is a corporate public organization, whose members are also valid (on the direct paternal) and associated nobles (descendants on the maternal side). There is also the Union of Russian Nobles, but it operates and is located in Europe.
But none of these Assemblies confer titles of nobility! Does not issue any diplomas with the assignment of a title! Only the Head of the Imperial House has the right to grant the title. On this moment The head is Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna. True, you can become a nobleman (not hereditary) if the princess awards you the Order of St. Anna, the Order of Alexander Nevsky, the Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for special services to the homeland and its citizens.
Therefore, do not believe the scammers, especially now, when most of the "nobles" dream of a wonderful summer vacation!
