The Chancellery of the Principality of St. Michel de Clermont announces the following:
The granting of degrees of Rank of Count/Countess, Marquis/Marchioness and that of
Duke/Duchess in the Principality. Note: your spouse is automatically ennobled.
Certificates of Investiture for the above Ranks will be awarded along with exclusive membership in the Order of St. Victor. The Fee of Investiture, including the individually inscribed Certificate plus enrollment and badge with neck riband in the Order of St. Victor is $1500 (US), or Pounds Sterling or Equivalent. There are no annual or additional Fees, ever.. Recipients will receive the badge of the Order with handsome neck riband.
Each Certificate of Rank will feature antique calligraphy bearing your Title and name. Each Certificate outlining the Honours entailed measures a full 171/2" X 23" ( 44cm X 59cm ) printed on linen-weave art paper.
Altogether a very fitting commemoration of your assumption of Noble Rank within the Principality.
In 1204 A.D., during the Fourth Crusade, Frankish Warriors established the fief of Clermont in the Latin Empire of Constantinople. Over the centuries Clermont and its Barons acted as protectors of the surrounding areas. In this century, His Beatitude the Lord ALEXANDER II, Patriarch of the Holy See of Antioch, has seen fit to elevate the Barony of Clermont into that of the Principality of St. Michel de Clermont.
His Excellency, The Prince DOUGLAS, has, in various capacities, promoted respect for forms of Chivalry and its values. In turn he has been honoured by several international Orders of Chivalry and their Princely patrons. It is the expressed wish of The Prince to honour and award worthy individuals, both ladies and gentlemen, who will join him in promoting Chivalry.
The Titles of Nobility offered by The Prince Douglas, St. Michel de Clermont have their origins in the development of positions of responsibility and leadership that grew out of the Roman and Byzantine Empires. They eventually came to symbolise much of the feudal order of Western Europe, the Crusader States in the Holy Land and the hegemony of the Frankish baronial enclaves in the Lain Empire in Greece.
At present, the Ranks shown below are the only Noble Titles offered by His Excellency, The Prince. (In his capacity as Baron of Clermont, the Title of Viscount is also available – see the separate Viscount Page on this Site.)
- Duke (fem. Duchess) the Latin ‘dux’ or ‘dux bellorum’ – variously translated as, ‘war leader’ or ‘leader of battles’ – etc. This was a Title given to certain kinds of senior Roman border commanders in the late period of the Empire and was specifically in use in Britain during the period when the Saxon invasions began in the mid fourth century. Dukes are traditionally the highest Rank of Nobility below a Prince.
- Marquis (fem. Marchioness) including the popular form, ‘Marquess’ and the specifically German ‘Margrave’ - denotes a Noble who is crucial in the administration of a Kingdom. The Marquis or ‘Marcher Lord’ was of undoubted loyalty to the Sovereign and was given responsibility for protecting an important border area with a potentially hostile State.
- Count (fem. Countess) This is from the Latin ‘comes’ and denoted an administrative Noble responsible for a specified territory or ‘county’ – Counts Palatine were attached to the Royal Palace, especially in France, and had charge of the Monarch’s domestic affairs. The English equivalent of a Count would be an Earl. However, an Earl’s wife in England, interestingly, is a Countess!
Following Continental practice, the above Titles of Nobility are automatically granted to the spouse of the Applicant and are inherited equally by all legitimate offspring, both male and female.
TITLE: COUNT / COUNTESS
STYLE OF ADDRESS: LORD / LADY X
IN CONVERSATION: MY LORD / LADY
TITLE: MARQUIS / MARCHIONESS
STYLE OF ADDRESS: LORD / LADY X
IN CONVERSATION: MY LORD / LADY
TITLE: DUKE / DUCHESS
STYLE OF ADDRESS: DUKE or DUCHESS of X
IN CONVERSATION: HIS / HER GRACE or YOUR GRACE
(GERMAN, SPANISH, ITALIAN, or other European variants
of the above may be SELECTED )
Payment may be made by certified cheque, bank draft or money order. For personal cheques allow 4 to 8 weeks to clear. Please make all payments to the Agents appointed by the Principality:
NOBILITAT REGALIA-CB
P.O. Box #1944, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8W 3A8
PETITION APPLICATION FORM - CLICK HERE
Please e-mail all inquiries to the Prince's
GRAND
SECRETARY
Include a Postal Address for further information
(all Postal Addresses are to be held in strict confidence
and will not be shared, sold or traded). Thank You.
Or Post to our Agents via Snail Mail
NOBILITAT
REGALIA-CB
c/o The Chancellery, P.O. Box #1944,
Victoria, BC, Canada,
V8W 3A8
