One of the things I like most most about reading about Europe’s historic dukes and princes are the stories that completely transcend nationalism or political boundaries—and in particular those set towards the very end of the high point of the aristocracy, the ‘golden summer’ of 1913 before it all came crashing down in the FirstContinue reading “The Princes of Pless and the Wealth of Silesian Coal”
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The Prince of Wedel: Last one in, shuts the door
The northernmost kingdoms of Europe never had much of a high aristocracy; in marked contrast to Naples, which had hundreds of ducal and princely titles, Norway, Sweden, Denmark had almost none. Neither did the northern German principalities like Brandenburg or Pomerania. At most, nobles were junkers, barons, and occasionally counts. What this northern domain didContinue reading “The Prince of Wedel: Last one in, shuts the door”
Piombino: A sovereign principality for the Appiani, Ludovisi and Boncompagni
Renaissance Italy is known for its complex political geography, with numerous small duchies and principalities punching above their weight in terms of the generation of political and philosophical ideas and staggeringly beautiful works of art. Mantua, Ferrara, Parma are all well known. There were also several much smaller principalities whose histories are not as known,Continue reading “Piombino: A sovereign principality for the Appiani, Ludovisi and Boncompagni”
Dukes and Princes 