WHO IS NOBLE INCLUDED IN THE ALMANACH DE GOTHA? History of Europe's Nobility Reference Book SALVATORE FERDINANDO ANTONIO CAPUTO Page 1 of 206 THE AUTHOR The author was born in a noble family in 1942 when Italy was a kingdom ruled by the House of Savoy, kings of Italy since the Risorgimento1 and previously rules of Savoy. But after 4 years, monarchy was abolished by popular referendum in June 2, 1946. Italy became a republic. At the age of 15, he was brought up in Canada where after he spends his life traveling to Brazil, Guatemala and Philippines as a prominent director of multinational Corporations. Since he became conscious of politics, there has not been a president who he felt was a satisfactory symbol of the countries visited, and who he could admire as a focus for non-partisan patriotism. This is essentially why he came to support monarchy…..although his enthusiasm for royalty dates from childhood. Don Salvatore Ferdinando Antonio Caputo is a monarchist that believes that a hereditary Monarchy, with a Sovereign, non-corrupt one with religious values and culture and tradition, conducted with immense kindness and whose role was thrust upon him by accident of birth rather than by being a politician, is the most perfect form of government in a nation. Contrary to a Republic's President (like France, USA etc.) the Sovereign will insure the continuity in a time schedule. He/she is always aware about important files and he/she acts to push these files up to their conclusion. That is not the case for a president. When his period will be ended, he will return to the everyday's life and another President will come with his idea and who knows how. Mr. Caputo supports the present heads of exiled or non-reigning Houses as de jure sovereigns, this recognition being co-existent with the realization that the institution is more important than a particular claimant. A monarch through the vestiges of that misunderstood Divine right and because of his symbolic paternal role faces a higher responsibility than a state government. The justification of the hereditary succession is not only in the upbringing of the future king, not only in the continuity of a line but in the fact that an hereditary ruler does not owe his position to any particular social or interest group, but rather to divine will alone. The formula "by the Grace of God" is a constant reminder to the sovereign that an accident of birth was responsible for his position and must prove his fitness by ceaseless efforts in the cause of justice. The monarch is always there, a permanent symbol of the state and man's relationship to it. The modern monarch is often above the fray of partisan politics, an advocate for his nation's principles, if not its specific governmental policies. Today, a monarch may reign but not rule. The interest of monarchy is to serve, to serve the country, the people and not be served. 1 The Resurgence, the movement for the liberation and political unification of Italy, (beginning about 1750 and lasting until 1870), and previously rules of Savoy. Page 2 of 206 It is a misconception to imagine that the monarchy exists in the interests of the monarch. It doesn’t. It exists in the interests of the people. It is sometimes said that Country can never be a really modern state while it still has a monarchy. This of course ignores countries like United Kingdom, Japan, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands and many others all of which are modern constitutional monarchies in modern countries where majority of the people of those nations have absolutely no intention of removing their monarchy because of the benefits they recognize they derive from it. On the subject of disputed successions in former monarchies and concerning non-reigning royals he undertakes “tolerant” attitude of neutrality though not impartiality, in certain cases, he has a candidate he considers the legitimate one. He advocates of the establishment, preservation and restoration of a monarchy and stays neutral on the issue of juridical recognition of reigning and Sovereign Houses, which is of exclusive competence of their respective State Systems and desires exclusively to support their traditional humanitarian commitment at the service of international collaboration. Don Salvatore is the Founder and President of “The International Commission and Association on Nobility (TICAN)” THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION AND ASSOCIATION ON NOBILITY COMMISIONE E ASSOCIAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE SULLA NOBILTA COMISION E ASOCIACION INTERNACIONAL SOBRE LA NOBLEZA COMISSÃO INTERNACIONAL E ASSOCIAÇÃO DE NOBREZA http://www.nobility-association.com/ Page 3 of 206 OVERVIEW This volume examines the possibility of using genealogies of noble families in the Almanach de Gotha as a source for social sciences, to analyze the social reality of noble families, during the transition from a class structured to a civil based society. Genealogies of noble families have been published since the 19th century, but they were stopped during the Second World War. Since the end of the 18th century, nobility was experiencing a loss of importance due to an overall social change. Industrialization had created new economic conditions and new fields of activity which were not accepted by the majority of the nobility. The principles of estates, namely the primary rules concerning noble births including a high degree of self-recruitment from the particular generations of sons, was increasingly pushed back. However, the decline of nobility in the 19th and 20th century indicates a constant importance of nobility as a social class in some areas of society. Although statistical tables are rarely found, one can assume that nobility is still overrepresented in diplomatic services and in the armed forces, as measured by its overall importance. Also, in some economical sectors, especially in banks and insurance companies, nobility could hold onto a disproportional amount of leading positions; Nobility is statistically an elusive population, because there are no direct surveys relating to membership of noble classes. Even in censuses, the membership of nobility is not projected separately, making a collection and statistical analysis of this part of the population very difficult to attain. A solution to this lack of data collection could be on offer from the research in the form of genealogical records undertaken by noble families for many generations. For these families, this research has always been a natural part of the care of family history and personal memories. In 1765 the first volume of the “Gotha’sche Hofkalender” was published, providing genealogies of noble families to the public at large. During the 19th century, the princely families that were listed in the “Hofkalender” (court guide) were divided into three groups: current sovereigns and their houses, other prosperous houses in Germany, France and Italy, as well as mediatised houses. Furthermore the genealogies of the gentry were published in the following four series in the 19th century: pocket books of the comital houses (from 1825), those of the baronial houses (from 1848), those of the ancient nobility (from 1900) and the genealogical pocket books of the younger nobility (from 1907). Here, the comital and baronial families had their genealogies published every second year whereas the untitled noble families aimed for a publication of their genealogies every fourth year (Fritsch 1968: 4-96, 111-121; Simmel 1908: 742). The “Gotha’sche” genealogical pocket books were published until 1942 when the publication had to be stopped due to a lack of paper. In the period between the two World Wars, some parts of the German nobility supported and followed the ideology of National Socialism. As a Page 4 of 206 result of the anti-Semitic radicalization of parts of the nobility, an anti-Jewish register was established in 1920/21: “Das Eiserne Buch Deutschen Adels Deutscher Art” (“The iron book of German nobility of German type”), abbreviated to “Edda”. The first volume of the “Edda” was published in 1925. This work was mainly promoted by Baron Albrecht von Houwald (1866- 1958), who had previously been an employee in the Prussian College of Arms. Houwald aimed at establishing a register that would only accept “pure-blooded” nobles, i.e. only those nobles who had no Jewish or colored ancestors before 1750. Between 1925 and 1942 four volumes of the “Edda” were published. Since the publication of the “Edda”, those persons whose genealogical table was published in it were also marked with an “E” in the aforementioned “Gotha” (Malinowski 2003: 336-357; Fritsch 1968: 25). Potential marriage partners for royals. If you were a member of one of the royal houses of Europe, you would buy the Almanac de Gotha to make sure the information about your family had been correctly maintained. Being recorded in this almanac meant you existed for the outside world and belonged to a company of the elect. You could also investigate the origins of a potential marriage partner. If it appeared that your intended was from a lower class, then a morganatic (left-handed) marriage was in the offing. If the woman was of low degree, she and her children would be barred from certain privileges and particularly from her husband's inheritance. The Almanach itself suffered interference from the House of Napoleon. The Almanac’s “infallibility" was also severely compromised because some royal and noble families simply did not participate, and the book did not pay much attention to noble and royal Houses of the Byzantine Holy Roman Empire. Many princely or ducal families were listed only in its third, non-dynastic section or were excluded altogether, evoking criticism in the 20th century. Its very title shows the focus: Almanach de Gotha...The Almanac of the Gotha, i.e., the mostly German/Prussian Houses.