Frequently asked questions on Italian Heraldry

Frequently Asked Questions on Italian Heraldry

by

Louis A.M. Mendola

*Who is entitled to a coat of arms in Italy?

Generally speaking, those persons descended in the legitimate male line from an armigerous ancestor are entitled to display his coat of arms as their own.In Italy, nearly all coats of arms appertain to the nobility, and thisincludes nobili, namely untitled nobles or landed gentry. It is amazing how,when an armorial claim is sought, any male forebear who may have owned landis retroactively claimed to be an "aristocratic landholder" or "countrygentleman" entitled to a coat of arms. However, even an ancestor'snineteenth-century use of an aristocratic-sounding title (don, magnifico,etc.) in vital statistics or parochial documents does not necessarily implythat he was an armigerous nobleman; it may simply indicate that he wasconsidered reasonably educated or wealthy in his own locality. Incidentally,there is no onomastic means of determining an ancestor's nobility (i.e.basedsimply on the phonetic structure of his surname or his use of a dualsurname), and in some localities ordinary (non-armigerous) families sharedthe surname of the local count or baron even though they were in no wayrelated to him.

*But don't a few Italian coats of arms appertain to non-noble families?

Very few, and most of these families would in practice be considered to be of minor nobility even though they were not traditionally accorded the title "nobile."

*Do Italian coats of arms have crests?

Only very few Italian coats of arms have crests, although most have crestcoronets which indicate the family's nobiliary rank.

*How is cadency indicated in Italian heraldry?

In general, it is not. Italian coats of arms are best described as familial property rather than individual insignia. In a titled family, the bearer ofthe title might display above the escutcheon a crest coronet indicative of his rank (marchese, conte, barone, etc.), while cadets would display the coronet of a nobile (untitled nobleman) above their escutcheons.

*If I have no coat of arms, is there any place in Italy to apply for one?

No. The Italian government does not recognise or protect coats of arms, and it is unlikely that the former ruling houses will, in the near future,establish heraldic entities with the express purpose of granting new coats ofarms even though, in theory, this would constitute one of their dynastic prerogatives.

*Which Italian armorial references are the most complete?

Enciclopedia Storico-Nobiliare Italiana (1938), a multi-volume work compiled by Vittorio Spreti, a herald of the Consulta Araldica, with the assistance of several collaborators throughout Italy, lists the blazons and titles of most of the families whose armorial insignia were recognised in the Kingdom of Italy at that time. Dizionario Storio-Blasonico (1886), by G.B. Crollalanza, is more complete as an armory in that it lists numerous blazons used by lesser-known families whose nobiliary status might not have been recognised after 1870 but who were historically armigerous nevertheless. There are alsoregional armories.

*How are Italian coats of arms granted?

There is no official armorial authority in the Italian Republic which grants arms to individuals, although the Italian Republic's Office of Honours and Heraldry in Rome recognises armorial bearings for towns and other national corporate entities. Until quite recently, beginning around 1840 in most parts of what is now Italy, there were no grants of arms per se. Families ennobled by decree simply assumed coats of arms for themselves. Others, particularly affluent country families with comparatively tenuous claims to actual nobility, assumed coats of arms many centuries ago, without recourse to any authority, and many of these blazons are to be found in Italian armories today.

*How old are most Italian coats of arms?

Although some are truly medieval in origin, the vast majority date from no earlier than the sixteenth century. Some coats of arms borne by Italian families ennobled in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were not actually theirs historically, but were instead usurped from obscure medieval families to which the newly-ennobled ones had no kinship but happened (by pure coincidence) to share the same surnames. In many such cases, the newly-ennobled families also claimed the medieval histories of the extinct medieval families. This phenomenon was not unique to Italy.

*What is the Collegio Araldico?

This is a private organisation which publishes the Libro d'Oro della Nobilta Italiana, a peerage directory that lists the coats of arms and titles of nobility of living Italians. Though reasonably accurate where recent lineages and decrees are concerned, the Libro d'Oro contains some errors, and many of the concise family histories in its pages are little more than fancifully exaggerated accounts of the alleged antiquity and prominence of families ennobled only within the last few centuries, perhaps through the purchase of feudal property, before which they were virtually unknown. (See the preceding question.)

*Are other peerage directories published?

Yes, and while the Libro d'Oro is hardly the epitome of perfection, most of the others are fascinating works of embellished fiction and blatant fantasy.The Albo d'Oro, for example, is infamous for including the names and titles of impostors and frauds in its pages, alongside those of legitimate armigers.

*You seem very sure of your response to the last question, but how can you be so certain ?

The observation is based on years of genealogical and heraldic experience in Italy. Continental royal families, as well as various individuals and organisations, have made use of my services to challenge impostors' heraldic and nobiliary claims. Prior to my investigations, some of these impostors had managed to ingratiate themselves, and their bogus titles, into the highest levels of European society. Yet, the names and alleged lineages of some of these persons were to be found in certain peerage references published in Italy, implying either that they had deceived the publishers or that the publishers themselves were little concerned with the truth.

*How does one go about requesting that his name and coat of arms be included in the Libro d'Oro?

He must first prove that he is armigerous. This obviously implies that he can provide, for the review of the regional representative of the Corpo della Nobilta Italiana, a proven genealogy with accurate heraldic records supporting his claim to noble ancestry, and in the typical case, this patrilineal pedigree must be reasonably profound, dating from before 1700. Recognition is obtained in a quasi-official sense by the affirmative decision of the Corpo della Nobilta (see below). Likewise, the recognition of a nobiliary claim may be accepted if it reflects an affirmative decision by the competent heraldic commission of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (located in Via Condotti, Rome) or the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (located in Naples, with a secretariat in Rome) in connection with the one's admission as a knight in a nobiliary category in one of these orders of chivalry. [This approach obviously presumes that the postulant is already in the social position of qualifying for knighthood in one of these elite institutions.] Don't just write to the Collegio Araldico requesting a decision; they receive hundreds of such letters each year and as a matter of policy cannot respond to every Italian descendant in the world who happens to believe himself to be an armiger, and it's not their role to determine who is or isn't armigerous; they simply rely on the decisions of the other organisations mentioned. Remember that the first step to discovering whether your family is armigerous is sound genealogical knowledge. Anybody who tells you otherwise is either misleading you deliberately or is simply misinformed.

*What is the Corpo della Nobilta Italiana?

This, too, is a private organisation. Its members are noblemen from around the country who render decisions in matters involving claims to titles of nobility. This organisation was established by private initiative to continue some of the work of the Consulta Araldica (College of Arms) abolished by the Italian Constitution in 1948. Unfortunately, some of their decisions have been inconsistent with Italian heraldic law as it existed between 1870 and 1946, leading one to believe that these would not have been endorsed by the Consulta Araldica. However, the Corpo della Nobilta does serve to exercise nominal control over heraldic and nobiliary matters, and at least its decisions are rendered on the competent advice of regional delegates having a vested interest in ensuring that impostors do not become accepted as aristocrats in Italian society. The legitimacy of a Venetian claim is determined by a Venetian representative, a Sicilian claim is determined by a Sicilian representative, and so forth.

*How can I trace my Italian genealogy for the purpose of establishing an armorial claim?

In most cases, it is advisable to commission the services of a professional genealogist based in Italy who is expert in heraldic matters. But be careful! Most of the Florentine and Roman genealogical agencies operated by noble families (at least two of these firms advertise on the Internet in English) guarantee a coat of arms and proven lineage from circa 1600 for every client who inquires. No reputable genealogist can make promises of this kind. In the typical case, these firms may conduct accurate (though sometimes overpriced) genealogical research but attach to it falsely-attributed heraldic information appertaining to an unrelated family which just happens to share the client's surname. The presence of a reasonably profound pedigree deceives the client into ascribing unwarranted credibility to the alleged armigerous (noble) status of his family. Petitions based on misrepresented information of this kind are readily dismissed by the Corpo della Nobilta and the orders of chivalry mentioned above.

*What about the firms that sell heraldic and onomastic reports?

Unless they conduct valid genealogical research to substantiate a heraldic claim, they should be avoided. Coincidentally sharing the surname "Rosso" with a noble family of that name does not entitle you to claim their coat of arms and family history. The greatest difficulty with generic onomastic reports is that they do not always take into account the possibility that a particular surname which originated in one Italian region might have an onomatology different from that of the same surname (homonym) originating in another region.

*If their activities are fraudulent, how can these firms operate legally?

In a republic such as Italy or the United States, where coats of arms are not recognised as personal property, their activities, though unethical, may not even be illegal. In Italy today, no trade fair is complete without a booth equipped with a computer and colour printer, operated by a friendly sales representative, for the instant production of coats of arms on demand (drawn from one of the armories mentioned above), usually sold for less than a hundred thousand lire (about $65.00 US). Such wares are also sold in Italy via telemarketing.

Heraldic Institute