"To be or not to be" Thursday (Imperial and Royal Families 4 The House of Romanov)

Currently there are no countries that are active Empires but two accepted Imperial Dynasties in pretense in Europa. Today we will discuss the Imperial House of Romanov that claims the throne of the former Empire of Ruskiana, ousted in the Great War around 100 years ago. 

The Imperial Crest of the House of Romanov that ruled over Ruskiana for just over 300 years is pictured above.

At its apex this Imperial Dynasty was the wealthiest, most prestigious and most influential in the world. Not withstanding the very large family was also dynastically linked to all the others in Europa through marriage. The irony is that very few members of this most illustrious dynasty are left today  as almost all were killed in the revolution that followed the Great War.

The head of this Imperial Family and pretender to the Ruskian throne is Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna Romanov. Her family who lived in exile in the Empire of Scot-Britania were almost all  murdered during the 96 Revolution. Earmarked as foreign freeloaders they were earmarked by revolutionaries but fortunately the Grand Duchess and her young sister escaped. Her great grandfather was the last true Emperor or rather Tzar of Ruskiana. Grand Duchess Xenia remains unmarried. 

Grand Duchess Xenia has a sister with whom she used to be very close. However a dispute over her sister marrying outside of the House Laws of Succession led to them becoming estranged. Grand Duchess Alexandra was last seen officially at a Royal event in 2009. representing her family at the wedding of Infanta Isabella of Hispania. Grand Duchess Alexandra is purportedly living in South Americania. 

Grand Duchess Xenia's mother is the sister of the current Grand Duke of Hanoveria's father and as such he and his sisters, Queen Maxima and Princess Kirsten Youssopoff  are her first cousins. This does not make the Hanoverians part of the Romanov Dynasty however. A twist of marriage however did make Princess Kirsten an extended member. The photo above shows the Grand Duke of Hanoveria in the center standing in between his mother in green and his wife. Queen Maxima is in dark pink next to her husband King Nikolas of Syldavia. In light pink is Princess Kirsten next to her husband Prince Felix Youssopoff.

Princess Kirsten is married to Prince Felix Youssoupoff . He is an extended member of the Romanov Family. The Prince is the second cousin in the Romanov line to Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna due to his grandmother being the sister of the Grand Duchess' father. There are no other close relations in the current dynasty of the Romanov Imperial Family. 

"To be or not to be" Thursday (Princess Marie-Elizabeth of Swann)

On this family Thursday, the day after Christmas I'd like to post on the life of my sister Princess Marie-Elizabeth.

Her Royal Highness Princess Marie-Elizabeth of Swann was born in 1984. She is the younger and only sister of the current Duke of Swann. Her early years like most of her contemporary peers was a life of privilege coupled with the disciplined preparation for duty as a Princess. She showed an interest in animals almost immediately and displayed an unusual knack for interacting with them.

The Princess had a far more successful relationship with her father than her elder brother ever did but it was still more volatile than one would classify as normal. She was known even before she reached the age of 7 to be capable of random bouts of tantrums normally triggered by being frustrated from owning every little animal she set her eyes on. She would also sometimes be exasperated by her father. These were remarkably self controlled and manipulative tantrums belying the Princess' intelligence but she never brooded for long and almost manically returned to a happy-go-lucky animal lover.

Here we see Princess Marie-Elizabeth with her elder brother and her cousin, Prince Dillon at the 2012 Christmas Ball. The Princess isn't overtly interested in fashion and style but normally manages more than merely the correct look for every occasion.

Her childhood soon entered the teenager phase but this naturally difficult time in a persons life in her case was completely overshadowed by the 1996 Revolution which struck when she was just 12. Not only did she lose both her parent but for security she was separated from her brother and was raised by an extended family member in Americania till she reached the age of 18 in 2002. She did go through an initial two year phase between 1996 and 1998 that dropped her in deep bouts of depression. Growing up without her parents led her eventually to a suicide attempt where she overdosed on her prescription sleeping tablets. Her brother was flown to her side in hospital and after a lengthy visit, some serious counselling and a relaxing of security protocols, over time her depression was dispelled as the memories of the revolution faded into the past.

Apart from all the stress these events caused the Princess coped relatively well adjusting to her "new" life. She didn't excel at school or sport but that was due to lack of interest more than anything else. Her mind was always on horse riding.

After school she attended a business management course whilst working part time on a horse ranch in Canadium. It was here that her interest in animal assisted depression therapy was sparked. A program was established on the ranch where depression sufferers where allowed to interact with the horses and as time passed were allowed to ride. This process assisted greatly in there treatment, some claiming to be fully cured. 

Here we see the Princess in 2010 at the Royal Stables in Swann where she has several horses and runs a similar program to the one she worked at in Canadium.

Princess Marie-Elizabeth was a stranger to the world of Royalty regardless of the fact that her brother was a ruling Prince. The Duke of Swann never pressured her into Royal duties or to make public appearances. He allowed his sister to initiate her "red carpet" involvement as he felt she was doing more than enough already with her charity work that involved several animal charities, and even a rural education program in Ophiri. The day came however in 2011 when their cousin, The Princess of Wallachia was to make a State Visit to Swann when Princess Marie-Elizabeth asked her brother if she could attend the banquet officially as the "first lady of Swann". This of course was appropriate as her brother, remains to this day unmarried. The Duke of Swann agreed happily and so she made her first red carpet appearance. The Princess followed on her debut by attending the 2011 Christmas Ball.

In 2012 officially represented her deceased mother at the opening of the new Swann Opera House. The project being originally initiated by her mother more than 15 years earlier. For the event, pictured above, she wore her mother's Dowry Parure in honour of her memory. Here we see at the Swann Opera House a bevy of high ranking Royals with whom the Princess by right brushes shoulders with. From left; Princess Augusta of the United Empire, The Dowager Grand Duchess of Hanoveria (aunt to the Duke of Swann), Princess Marie-Elizabeth of Swann (patron of the Swann Opera), The Empress Crystobel I of the United Empire (aunt to theDuke of Swann), The Crown Princess Imperial of the United Empire and Grand Duchess Alice of Hanoveria.

Since then Princess Marie-Elizabeth has been a regular representative of the Swanobian Monarchy and balances her Royal duties very successful with her charity work.

In 2013 the engagement  of Princess Marie-Elizabeth to the Arch Duke of Fulco D'Este was announced. Their 2014 wedding promises to be the most dazzling since the nuptials of the Crown Prince Imperial. This wedding will be an official Swanobian Royal Event with an accompanying public holiday and national celebrations. 

A new Coat of Arms was also officially designed by the Swanobian Heraldic Society as per Royal custom. The Crest combines those of Swann and Fulco D'Este as she is a Royal Princess becoming the Consort of the Head of another Royal Dynasty albeit one in pretense. 

As we look forward to 2014 and the upcoming wedding we reflect on the Princess'most famous quote made during her speech at the opening of her Riding Center in Aid of Victims of Depression in Swann: "Let us think of those in need and not just in the physical monetary sense. Sometimes a person just needs a visit or a hug or a phone call. Simple connection is the most basic need and often the least considered."

We wish Her Royal Highness a bright and blessed future as she endeavors to serve as only a Princess can. 

Wonderful Weekends (Official Portrait of Princess Donatella, the Duchess DiGiorgio)

Princess Donatella of Romagna has followed like many other pretenders this year in releasing an official portrait. These portraits all follow the current wave of Royal popularity, linking the historic past with the contemporary Renaissance.

Here we see Her Royal Highness sporting historic jewels, Royal Crest and is photographed with the Throne of Romagna. The portrait was taken in the DiGiorgio Palace Museum in Romagna by special permission. 

The Princess wears the Corvi Cameo Tiara inherited from her Corvi Committal ancestors along with Romagnian Royal Diamonds. 

Fascinating Fridays (Royal Family Crests)

We are all very familiar with the concept of a family crest and it more often than not immediately evokes a feeling of history, castles and royalty. However even though we might recognize a crest for what it is, our modern mindset does not always wrap around the deep significance and function of these archaic symbols. Contemporary company logos serve to identify a company clearly and simply within the mind of the consumer. These logos are often of basic eye catching design with clear and bold colours and meant to be easily recognizable images. Family and Royal Crests are similar to a "logo" but almost tells the story of the entire family history and its story cannot be absorbed whilst speeding past on a freeway.

In the Middle Ages, Crests were developed to serve as a form of long distance identification system. When a particular person was traveling, his banners could be recognized miles away and thus the onlooker could prepare a welcome or for war. During a battle these crests, clearly visible on banners and shields also served to identify the various commanders and their regiments, assisting in their maneuvers. This initial function also obviously denoted the commanders/royalty from the common man and for several centuries a crest was reserved for the aristocracy and claiming one meant that you were by default a highborn.

Today the original purpose of identification remains but serves to identify a particular person, family and even a sovereign state. In the case of a monarchy, the Royal Crest of the Monarch is at the same time the Crest of the Realm. There are sometimes many legal variants of a particular crest, especially in the case of Royal Families. Function and tradition dictates these variants. Let's look at some examples. 

The picture above is of the full crest of Her Majesty Queen Maria of Hispania and also serves as the symbol of the Kingdom of Hispania. Only the Queen herself and the National Government may use this version of the Crest but only the Queen applies it whereas the government will use the National Flag that is derived in its design from the Crest. 

This is the simplified version of the Royal Crest of Hispania and is legally used by the Queen and all members of the Blood Royal in Hispania. 

The Princess of Cataljone as heir to the Hispanian throne uses the simplified version on her official portraits. 

The full Imperial Crest of the United Empire of Scot-Britania serves as the Imperial standard of the Crown Prince Imperial in his pretense to the Imperial Throne.

The lesser Imperial Crest is a simplified version and is used by the other members of the Imperial family. 

In this portrait, Princess Augusta legally uses the lesser Imperial Crest. The red band at the bottom with the cross, signifies, the Order of the Diamond Star and may only be added by those who are members of the Order. 

Her Imperial Highness The Crown Princess Imperial, uses a variant of the Crest which is also used on the Imperial Flag. This variant may only be used by Emperor/ Empress and the Heir Apparent and his wife. 

This is the Imperial Flag that takes its design from the original Crest. 

The Imperial Crown and other parts of the Crest like the Three-headed Imperial Eagle may also be used by the Emperor and his heir and their spouses on official correspondence as can be seen in this invitation. This serves to officially designate the document as Imperial. 

When a monarchy is abolished and the Royal Dynasty is left in pretense to the throne, the new government might adopt new flags and national symbols. The former Crests that served as these symbols are then by default retained by the Royal Family as a Family Crest. As such it offers a unique record of history. 

The personal Crest of the Crown Princess Imperial is a unique version of the simplified Imperial Crest in Order to signify her position as the Crown Prince Imperial/ d'jour Emperor's wife and Consort. Technically, this Crest came into effect upon the death of the Empress Crystobel. Princess Odeliah as the Consort of Prince Christian-Victor is not a co-regent like her mother in law but a Consort, as such she may not use the Full Imperial Crest as that is reserved for the Emperor. 

It is common for the wife of a titled Royal to receive her own Crest upon marriage, especially if she already has one of her own by virtue of her titles. These Consort Crests are designed to show the union of marriage and will include elements of both families. Sometimes the design is a simple "half-half" splicing of the two Crests. 

The new Crest designed for Princess Marie-Elizabeth of Swann, who is due to marry the Arch Duke of Fulco DÉste in 2014 is an example of the traditional, wife's Crest. It combines the two Dynastic Houses' Crests into one and submits it to the Iron Crown of Fulco DÉste. 

During certain times in history certain fashions took hold of even the art of heraldry and applied certain popular artistic interpretations to Crests. The most famous was the "Silouetted Crest". Here follows an example; 

Above we see the basic Imperial Crest of Ruskiana, in colour and with no additions. 

The fashion before the Great War was to use a silhouette of the most basic part of the Crest. In the picture above, the Imperial Double Headed Eagle is clearly visible but just in silouette. 

Hopefully today's post will give you a sharper eye for the detail of Royal Crests and how to use them to identify some of our more prestigious personalities. 

"To be or not to be" Thursday (Imperial and Royal Families 2 The House of Castelano y Alba)

Today we continue our series on the Imperial and Royal Dynastic Houses, presenting the Royal House of Castelano y Alba, ruling dynasty of  the Kingdom of Hispania.

The Crest of the Royal House of Hispania.

The House of Castelano has ruled over Hispania for many generations but in the mid 20th Century a Queen ascended to the throne. Queen Isabella II was only the second female to ever rule in her own right over the ancient kingdom. Upon her marriage to the Duke of Alba, the Royal House was renamed Castelano y Alba and it has been the official dynastic designation ever since. The current ruler, also a Queen, has not included her husband's name into the dynastic name since he is not the head of a Noble House. It is however declared that their descendants who are not in direct line of descent may use the surname Castelano y Alba y Rextondo in recognistion of his family name. The members of the Hispanian Royal House include the following:

Her Majesty Queen Maria of Hispania is the head of the Castelano y Alba Dynasty. She is married to Don Giuseppe De Rextondo but due to dynastic houses taking precedence over non-dynasts his name will not be carried by his daughter. Don Rextondo has no official role or Royal title and does not represent the Royal House in public. He greatly values his privacy and prefers to just be the Queens husband in privacy.

Her Royal Highness the Princess of Cataljone, daughter of the Queen and heir to the Hispanian throne.

The Queen's mother the Dowager Princess of Cataljone. She has entirely retired from appearing in public and official events.

The sister of Queen Maria, Infanta Isabella Duchess of Toledo. 

The current King of Syldavia and his siblings are cousins of the Queen of Hispania. The Queen's father was the elder brother of the Countess Von Bismarck, mother of King Nikolas. As such the Noble House Von Bismarck is strictly speaking part of the Royal House of Castelano Y Alba.

Our analysis only includes children, siblings, grandchildren and cousins within the dynasty. As such for the discussion on  the extended Royal House of Castelanno y Alba we could have included all the members of the previously discussed Aldarian-Stewart line as they are all descended from the Hispanic Prince who married Queen Crystobel I of Scotney.

"To be or not to be" Thursday (Imperial and Royal Families 1 The House of Aldarian)

For the next few installments on a Thursday we will list, for your understanding, the various Royal Houses and their closest members up to the level of parents, cousins and grand children of the respective dynastic heads. See if you can make sense of it and all the various characters who's stories are on this blog. 

The Royal and Imperial House of Aldarian is the Dynasty in pretense to the Imperial throne of Scot Britania and the separate Royal thrones of Scotney and Britania. The current members of the Family in order of descent is as follows. 

The Imperial Crest of the House of Aldarian.

The head of this dynasty and pretender to the throne of the Empire is His Imperial Highness Prince Christian-Victor, the Crown Prince Imperial of the United Empire of Scot-Britania. He is the son of the last Empress who was assassinated in July 2013 after having been invited out of exile to tour the now Democratic Republic of Britannia. He may claim the title of Emperor only if the monarchy is restored but the current tensions allows for the topic to not even be mentioned. The Prince is married to Odeliah Sorgenfrei who hold the title of Crown Princess Imperial by marriage. 

The only other direct member of the Britanian Royal line of Aldarian is the Crown Prince Imperial's Aunt, Princess Augusta of the United Empire of Scot Britania. She is the sister of the Prince's father who was King of Britania and the first Emperor and co-Regent of the United Empire. She never married and has no issue. 

Due to the 96 Revolution, many dynastic houses have been reduced to almost nothing but due to some pre-revolution marriages many houses that survived have also been linked and is now very evident among their diminished members. With the foundation of the United Empire of Scot-Britania, the Royal House of Aldarian was linked by marriage to the Royal House of Stewart that ruled Scotney. As such the members of the Royal House of Stewart were declared part of the extended Imperial House of Aldarian and may, if not members of their own dynasty use the name Stewart-Aldarian.

The current Duke of Swann and his sister Princess Marie-Elizabeth, cousins of  the Crown Prince Imperial, fall under the Imperial, Stewart-Aldarian line due to their mother being a sister of the last Queen of Scotney who married the King of Britania and became Empress Crytobel I and co-Regent of the United Empire. They do however preeminently belong to the Dynastic House of Swann. 

Princess Beatrice, the youngest sister of Empress Crystobel narried the Grand Duke of Hanoveria and is thus the mother of the current Grand Duke who thus is also a cousin of the Crown Prince Imperial. He and his two sisters also fall under the Imperial, Stewart-Aldarian line but preeminently are members of the Dynastic House of Luneburg-Hanover. It goes further now that Princess Maxima, the Grand Duke's sister, has married the head of the Electorate House Von Bismarck. Princess Kirsten, the youngest Hanoverian sibling, has married the Head of the Princely House of Youssopoff.

From left; King Nikolas III of Syldavia and  Head of the Electorate House Von Bismarck with his wife Queen Maxima. Princess Beatrice, the Dowager Grand Duchess of Hanoveria. The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Hanoveria. Princess Kirsten Youssopoff and the Prince Youssopoff. 

There are more extended members of the House of Aldarian but we will cease at the cousin level as second cousins, great grand children etc will end with us mentioning the whole planet. It is a nice thought though to consider that everybody in some way or another may have Royal blood in their veins to some degree. We hope that this and the next few Thursday post will assist our fans in seeing the broad spectrum of Royals in context to the story as a whole.

Memory Monday (First Syldavian Electorate Meeting)

The fact that this blog and the democratic nations of Britannia and Scotney observed a month long mourning period in respect for the death of Empress Crystobel does not mean the world came to an standstill. Internationally the mourning period was recognised but obviously not observed. Many important events took place that need to be blogged now and some have been relegated to Memory Monday due to the fact that they happened, what seems to be now, a long time ago. The very important Electorate who gathered for their first meeting in Syldavia was just such a world changing event. By referendum it was decided that the monarchic system in Syldavia's 1-year old restored monarchy should be set in stone as an electorate rather than a hereditary monarchy. This now being the case the 5 aristocratic dynasties that make up the electorate had to ceremoniously take up their place and also gather for their actual first practical meeting.

This took place late in June 2013 a few weeks after the announcement was made that the monarchic system would officially change. 

The Syldavian Flag.

Ploch Palace played host to the first annual Syldavian Royal Electorate Meeting. 

King Nikolas III and Queen Maxima, wearing a dress that has us fooled as to her 6 months pregnancy, received their guests in Ploch Palace's historic throne room. The Royal Crown of Syldavia was displayed to emphasize the official importance of the gathering. Dress code however was formal but with short skirts and black tie to reduce the formality to slightly less suffocating. The King represents his Von Bismarck Dynasty who currently hold the Kingship. Once he dies the new King will be elected from the Heads of the Five Dynasties represented within the Electorate. 

The meeting forced the elusive Grand Duke of Reichental out of his former independent "Kingdom" into the limelight that he prefers to avoid. He arrived with his wife, the beautiful Grand Duchess Azanta who is seen here as she curtsies to King Nikolas. 

 

Their Grand Ducal Highnesses the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Reichental represented their Dynasty, the House of Joshuwah. 

Representing the Von Thurn und Taxis Princely Family was its head, Her Serene Highness Princess Viktoria Von Thurn und Taxis, an old friend of Princess Augusta of Scot-Britania.

The now well known, Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Serbieski, heads of the House of Karageorgevich.

Finally, Madame Frumsetta was also "forced" to accept her Royal obligation as the head of the House of Frumsetta who used to rule the Bo'hemia Gypsy regions. Officially she bears the title Her Illustrious Highness Countess Nicole Doamna Frumsette, Princess of Bo’hemia but she has chosen to pursue her carreer in fashion which now might suffer due to the added responsibility. 

The composite representation of the five Dynastic Electorate Families within Syldavia. 

The Royal Electorate of Syldavia.

The meeting served the ceremonial role of inaugurating the Electorate system publicly and Internationally and also to give the members there first assembly in order to discuss the relevant topics regarding this new development  We hope it will serve the country and diverse peoples of Syldavia better than any preceding system ever has. 

Fascinating Fridays (Heraldic Crowns)

No symbolic object embodies the concept of Royalty more than a crown. Yet the singular physical crown is not available to appear at every opportunity as a symbol of its country. Today at least we have photography that can produce limitless images for the enjoyment of and the representation of the nation. In days gone by when photography didn't exist, artistic representation were used in the form of paintings, engravings and flattened sculptures called reliefs that could be hung on the walls of government buildings. Even fully 3-dimensional sculptures were also employed atop carriages and the like. The discipline of depicting the real crown of a monarchy developed into a very stylised skill that we call "crown heraldry". 

Heraldry as a complete artistic discipline involves the design and depiction of a Family or National Crest. These designs can be very intricate and must be extremely accurate as to avoid confusion or faults. In the case of a Royal Crest or Coat of Arms as it is also known, a Heraldic Crown is inevitably included which would be a recognisable yet simplified representation of the actual crown of the monarchy. Let us take a look at some of these Heraldic Crowns and their application in Royal Crests as officially used today. 

This clear depiction of the Heraldic Crown of Swann has many uses in the official correspondence and other "logo" requirements of the monarchy and office of the Duke of Swann. It is most often seen preceding a Royal Statement in newspapers and indeed on this blog. 

One can easily see the resemblance of the Heraldic Crown to the actual Crown of Swann on the cushion next to the Duke. Also note the heraldic representation above the Swann emblem. Heraldic Crowns are not photo realistic depiction of real crowns but rather stylized simplifications that strongly evoke the image of the real crown. They are above all supposed to be easily recognisable, even to an untrained eye. For that purpose simple colours reminiscent of national colours are used. The heraldic Crown of Swann is somewhat of an anomaly as is many other aspects of the Swanobian monarchy. The Heraldic Crown is strictly speaking that of a Grand Duke while the real one is that of a Prince Regent or even a Noble Duke. This is in keeping with the unusuality of the Duke's title. He is in rank and power, a Sovereign Grand Duke. He is by blood a Prince Royal and referred to as Prince Daniel, the Duke of Swann. Yet the office that rules Swann is traditionally called, Duke of Swann, regardless of technicalities with power etc. 

Again the Heraldic Crown in the Royal Crest can be compared to the real one. 

The Heraldic Crown of Swann is also represented on the national flag and Royal Standard. 

Normandia's Royal Crest, like most others includes a heraldic representation of the Crown of Normandy. It is not included in the flag. 

Comparing the two "crowns" is again made posible in this State Portrait of Queen Gloria. 

Royal Crests and heraldic crowns form part of Royal documents as can be seen in the top left of this invitation issued by Queen Gloria of Normandia

The Kingdom of Syldavia's flag includes above the bull's head on the left, what is meant to be the Heraldic Crown of Syldavia. This representation is furthest removed from depicting the real crown than any other heraldic representation but as such strangely triggers the memory in connecting it with Syldavia. The historic records of Syldavian heraldry do not record why the crown isn't more accurately portrayed. 

Compare the real Crown of Syldavia in this photo to its heraldic counterpart and see if you agree with our analysis of its "erroneous" depiction. 

Some monarchies do not employ crown jewels or heraldic representations of crowns. The Islands of Arcwhite is an example of such a country. You will therefor never find crowns used in any way as is the tradition with other monarchies. 

In contrast with Syldavia, the Heraldic Crown of Hispania is quite an accurate representation as can be clearly seen from the Royal Crest and the photo of the Crown below. 

The Royal Crown of the Kings of Hispania.

We will not display every monarchy's Heraldic Crown here today as we hope that now you will enjoy keeping your eyes peeled in order to appreciate this detail of Royal tradition. You may view preceding blogs concerning State Portraits, Royal Statements or invitations to see where these have been employed especially in the monarchies not mentioned in this post. Regardless, you will probably also be far more aware when they pop up in future. happy crown hunting.