Tsar Nicholas II had this for a complete title:
Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias, Tsar of Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod, Kazan, Astrakhan, of Poland, of Siberia, of Tauric Chersonese, of Georgia, Lord of Pskov, Grand Duke of Smolensk, of Lithuania, Volhynia, Podolia and Finland, Prince of Estonia, Libonia, Courland and Semigalia, Samogotia, Bialostock, Karelia, Tver, Yougouria, Perm, Viatka, Bulgaria, and other countries; Lord and Grand Duke of Lower Novgorod, of Tchernigov, Riazan, Polotsk, Rostov, Yaroslav, Belozero, Oudoria, Obdoria, Condia, Vitebsk, Mstislav and all the region of the North, Lord and Sovereign of the countries of Iveria, Cartalinia, Kabardinia and the provinces of Armenia, Sovereign of the Circassian Princes and the Mountain Princes, Lord of Turkestan, Heir of Norway, Duke of Schleswig Hosstein, of Storman, of the Ditmars, and of Oldenbourg, etc.
It's that "etc." at the end that really kills me.
Posted by sheilaSomeone with that many fancy titles just may have deserved his fate.
Multiple titles are rather common, if I may, a little bit of Bernard Cornwell.
"...Don Jose, by the grace of God, King of Castile, of Aragon, of the Two Sicilies, of Jerusalem, of Navarre, of Granada, of Toledo, of Valencia, of Galicia, of Majorca, of Minorca, of Seville, of Sardinia, of Corsica, of Cordoba, of Murcia, of Santiago, of the Algarves, of Algeciras, of Gibralter, of the Canary Islands, of the East and West Indies, of the Ocean Islands; Archduke of Austria; Duke of Burgandy, of Brabant and of Milan; Count of Hapsburg, Tyrol and Barcelona; Sire of Biscay and of Molina. The titles were ones he had given to himself. His younger brother, who was the Emperor of France, merely called him Joseph Bonaparte, King of Spain and the Indies."
Posted by: Bill McCabe at April 29, 2004 4:07 PMI was just thinking, imagine if you were some steward of Nicholas, being tempted to slip something like "baron of ass-fucking" in the middle of all of that, just to see if anyone would notice.
Posted by: Emily at April 29, 2004 4:09 PMIt's probably casual teasing banter amongst royals: "So ... who here has the longest title?"
That's almost as long as Dikembe Mutombo's name.
Posted by: Stephen Silver at April 29, 2004 4:14 PMEmily,
I think the risk-reward factor might come into play. "Getting a secret chuckle at the expense of the Tsar" or "Cossack Saber Practice".
Posted by: Bill McCabe at April 29, 2004 4:14 PMEmily - I can just see that scenario as a perfect Monty Python sketch
Posted by: red at April 29, 2004 4:23 PMIf Mel Brooks ever makes a movie about the Bolshevik Revolution (maybe The History of the World: Part II?), you just KNOW this title will have to show up in there somewhere...
Posted by: MikeR at April 29, 2004 4:51 PMBill, I think Joseph Bonaparte had actually DROPPED some of the lesser titles of the Bourbon kings of Spain: he didn't even mention Leon, although he did interestingly mention Jerusalem. Both the kings of Spain and of Naples claimed to be the heirs to the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem set up by the crusaders in the 12th century. So did the Kings of Cyprus, so when Venice took Cyprus, the Doge also claimed to be King of Jerusalem. Since the unified Kingdom of Italy after 1860 included both Naples and Venice, the Savoyard Kings of Italy ALSO claimed Jerusalem.
Why do I know this? I have no idea. But heraldry has been an interest of mine for a long time, and all these places had Jerusalem in their coats of arms for a while at least. Spain doesn't any more, but I think it did until as late as the Civil War. Like the Holy See's, Jerusalem's arms deliberately flout the conventions of heraldic by placing one metal (yellow, i.e., gold) on another (white, portraying silver). You're normally only supposed to put metals on colors and vice-versa.
Posted by: Dave J at April 29, 2004 5:11 PMDear Sheila:
I once called on J.R. Simplot.
Don't know him? He's the founder of Simplot Industries - they're the people that INVENTED the french-fry as we know 'em today.
I actually have one of J.R's business cards -- I choked at the title: "Entrepreneur. Visionary. Potato King."
Truly. I didn't make this up....
Cheers!
- Will
Posted by: Will at April 30, 2004 12:21 AMWill - hahahahahaha!!
Posted by: red at April 30, 2004 9:40 AMGood idea, Emily, but I'd make it one of the following:
(1) ...and all the region of the North, the Ayatollah of rock-n-rollah, Sovereign of the countries of Iveria...
(2) ...and all the region of the North, the Sausage King of Chicago, Sovereign of the countries of Iveria...
I could probably think of more, but won't.