Most American schoolchildren have heard of Ponce de Leon, when learning about the early Spanish explorers of the New World—after Cortes and Pizarro heading to Mexico and Peru, most can recall that Ponce de Leon went north in 1513 and discovered a new land he named La Florida, ‘the land of flowers’. I admit, IContinue reading “Ponce de León and the Dukes of Arcos: Andalusian Lords and the First Floridian”
Author Archives: Jonathan Spangler
Noailles—a major court family at Versailles, and patrons of the arts in the 20th century
One of my favourite scenes in the movie Marie-Antoinette (2006) is the one in which the new Dauphine of France wakes up in the morning and is totally bewildered by the extremely complicated routine at Versailles, explained to her by the Comtesse de Noailles (whom she dubs ‘Madame Etiquette’), played by the wonderfully frosty JudyContinue reading “Noailles—a major court family at Versailles, and patrons of the arts in the 20th century”
Compton—Not quite dukes, but marquesses of Northampton
There’s a fairly common surname in England and America, Compton, and if you want to think it might once upon a time have been connected to the old Anglo-Norman aristocracy, as derived from an old French word connected to accounting (comptant), that’s not a bad deduction; but it just as easily could be derived, likeContinue reading “Compton—Not quite dukes, but marquesses of Northampton”
Dukes of Brunswick II: Lüneburg, Hanover, and the Queen-Consort who never was
An interesting illustrated poster was published in about 1715 for distribution to the people of Great Britain that celebrated the health and vitality of their new royal family: the Hanoverians. At the top is the prosperous looking King George I, a former war hero in Europe and a symbol of the ongoing stability of theContinue reading “Dukes of Brunswick II: Lüneburg, Hanover, and the Queen-Consort who never was”
The Princes of the Isles: From Viking Warlords to the Great Clan MacDonald
I’ve been watching ‘Vikings’ on television again this summer, and always find it fascinating to see how Norwegian and Danish seafaring culture impacted the culture of the British Isles in the early medieval period. But this series, or the series ‘The Last Kingdom’, focuses almost entirely on the eastern and southern realms of Anglo-Saxon England:Continue reading “The Princes of the Isles: From Viking Warlords to the Great Clan MacDonald”
Kinsky Princes: From Bohemian Forests to Viennese Palaces
Once upon a time, in a far-off forest in Bohemia, a princess was attacked by a ferocious wolf. Her attendant bravely fought off the wild beast, and in gratitude, the princess ennobled her hero and granted him a coat-of-arms depicting the bold swipe of wolf’s claws on a blood-red field (some modern descriptors call theseContinue reading “Kinsky Princes: From Bohemian Forests to Viennese Palaces”
Schönburg, Schönberg, Schomberg: Beautiful Princes from Dresden to Dublin
If a beautiful fortress in French-speaking lands gave its name to a dynasty or two of dukes and princes (‘Beaufort’), then attractive castles in German-speaking lands can too. There are certainly a number of castles in Germany and Austria named schön burg, or the similar yet different schön berg, referring to a mountain, not aContinue reading “Schönburg, Schönberg, Schomberg: Beautiful Princes from Dresden to Dublin”
Beaufort: the last of the Plantagenets
Who is a current British duke whose surname is that of another ducal title, but whose ancestors’ surname was the one that is now the title of the current dukedom? Confused? What British dukes are royal yet not royal? Peers fifth in precedence amongst English non-royal dukes? The dukes of Beaufort. Whose house gave itsContinue reading “Beaufort: the last of the Plantagenets”
Dukes of Beaufort-Spontin: Belgians who went Bohemian
On the northern edge of the deep forested valleys of the Ardennes in what is now eastern Belgium was an ancient fortress overlooking a bend in the River Meuse, not far from the town of Huy between Namur and Liège. It seems to have had an attractive aspect so was called the bellum forte or Beaufort. TheContinue reading “Dukes of Beaufort-Spontin: Belgians who went Bohemian”
Marshals in France, dukedoms in Italy: Napoleon’s dukes and princes—the one-offs
In June 1790, Revolutionary France abolished the use of titles of nobility. While France was still a kingdom—for now—its Second Order no longer had a hereditary place at the top of society. Legally, there were no more dukes or princes in France. A decade later, in May 1804, First Consul Bonaparte was proclaimed Emperor ofContinue reading “Marshals in France, dukedoms in Italy: Napoleon’s dukes and princes—the one-offs”
Dukes and Princes 