What honorifics and forms of address were appropriate for 17th century Spanish nobility?
Upvote:3
While the commonest Spaniard will have to do with just a name (that can be a complex compound one) followed by a paternal surname and a maternal surname (nowadays the order can be changed), aristocrats tend to spouse extremely long multiple first names followed by a plethora of surnames and family names.
For example, the current duchess of Alba is Eugenia Brianda Timotea Cecilia (4 names) Martínez de Irujo (first, very aristocratic, surname) y Fitz-James Stuart (second, and even posher, surname), daughter of María del Rosario Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart y Silva, the former duchess. She is normally known as Eugenia Martínez de Irujo, while her mother was universally called Cayetana de Alba (first name + title). Similarly, one of the nephews of the current king of Spain, Philip VI, is called Felipe Juan Froilán de Todos los Santos de Marichalar y Borbón although he is normally just called Froilán, given that there must be less than 10 people in the whole country with that uncommon name.
For the XVII/XVIII centuries the usual custom would be referring to the current owner of the title by a combo of name + title, where the name would be the one the person liked the most or that his/her family used the most, while the other relatives would be referred as name + surname, where the surname used would usually correspond to the branch of the family ostenting most important title, whether it comes from the paternal or maternal branch (a duke takes precedence over a count or marquis).
Upvote:5
A good primary source for the honorifics and the forms of adress of the Spanish nobility from the Siglo de Oro (the Golden Century, the period you are asking for) is the several plays by Calderón de la Barca and Lope de Vega.
From them, the rules are more or less:
- All nobility gets a Don/Doña before the name, even the hidalgos (the lowest of nobility). If you are writing in English, maybe that "Don" looks weird. It comes from the Latin dominus/domina (master/mistress), so maybe you want to change it to Lord/Lady.
- The usual adress to the nobility is señor/señora, gran señor/señora sometimes for the higher nobles. Excelencia is reserved for dukes, princes and kings. With the times, lower titles added an Ilustrísimo.
- So, Fernando Álvarez de Toledo (1595-1667), Duke of Alba would be in Spanish: Excelentísimo Señor D. Fernando Álvarez de Toledo y Mendoza, Duque de Alba
- Cayetano Rebolledo (1665-1692), Marquis of Lazán would be in Spanish: Ilustrísimo Señor D. Cayetano Rebolledo de Palafox y Martínez de Marcilla, Marqués de Lazán
- The two family names are always separated by the "y". During the 16th century, the first family name wasn't always the father's and even siblings could have changed family names. This was more uncommon during the 18th century but it wasn't regulated until the second half of the 19th century.
- Unlike a common misconception, the "explosion" of given names some Spaniards got (two common names + a common name given by the godfather + a common name by the godmother + a beloved saint or the saint of the birthday) wasn't usual until almost 1800. Even nobles only had one given name (two at the most).
More post
- 📝 Was violent or nonviolent protest more effective in the context of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement?
- 📝 How can we explain the decline of Buddhism in India around the 12th century?
- 📝 Did a submarine ever torpedo and sink a destroyer?
- 📝 When did Russian carriages start to have suspensions?
- 📝 Why exactly did telegraphs have to use "STOP" instead of a period and "QUOTE" instead of a quotation mark? (Or special codes.)
- 📝 Hugh Dowding v. William Sholto Douglas?
- 📝 How did Germany rebuild so quickly after World War I?
- 📝 What was the prevalence of ethnic minorities in 15th century Bohemia?
- 📝 Why are some Pharaohs depicted wearing the red or the white crowns even after the unification of Egypt?
- 📝 Why did Homer’s Greeks sack so many cities in the Trojan War? Does it make them mostly pirates and slave raiders?
- 📝 Were there reasons for Japan to go to war with the US aside from the US owning Philippines?
- 📝 American presidents on secession legality?
- 📝 What happened to insurance companies after the 9/11 attacks?
- 📝 Khagantes, Aghas, and Sultanates, a feudalism of the east?
- 📝 Are there any exemplars of the 'trope of the exiled poet' prior to CE 8?
- 📝 What kill ratio would Nazi Germany need in 1945 to win?
- 📝 Inter-ethnic conflicts in Switzerland in the 16th century
- 📝 What is the approximate value of a Spanish ducat in 1557?
- 📝 Is there a link between national debt/trade deficit and starting a war?
- 📝 Are there any shorter works approaching the breadth of Durant's "The Story of Civilization"?
- 📝 During the Battle of Britain, what AA defenses were available, and where?
- 📝 What's the Ancient Egyptian word for "benedict"?
- 📝 What did the Greeks call their gods while under Roman rule?
- 📝 Are these Red Army uniforms authentic?
- 📝 How did an advancing force walk during WW1?
- 📝 Which cultures did *not* produce alcohol?
- 📝 Help identify origin of a small clay statue
- 📝 When did the Nuu-Chah-Nulth stop whaling?
- 📝 Was Rome exporting its trash to Egypt as an early example of recycling?
- 📝 How did (riverine) toll castles operate?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What honorifics and forms of address were appropriate for 17th century Spanish nobility?
- 📝 Was murdering a slave illegal in American slavery, and if so, what punishments were given for it?
- 📝 What were the original casualty projections for Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
- 📝 What were Hiroshima and Nagasaki known for prior to World War II?
- 📝 What is the historical evidence for asserting Huns were one and the same as Xiongnu?
- 📝 What were the rights and responsibilities of (various classes of) 11th century English commonfolk?
- 📝 What sorts of people were popular celebrities in 17th to 19th century Europe?
- 📝 What Land Runs were there in the U.S., and were the Indians paid for their land?
- 📝 What were conditions like for Chinese men subject to recruitment by the army during the Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War?
- 📝 Was it widespread during the 17th and 18th Century for British country people to be evicted and replaced with more profitable agriculture?
- 📝 What were Helfrich's orders for Doorman in 1942 prior to the Battle of the Java Sea, and did he comment on these in later life?
- 📝 What were the requirements for Iron Cross first and second class?
- 📝 What incentives were there for Soviet and Chinese politicians to try climb to the top when there was so much history of deposing their own?
- 📝 What were the reasons for the Renaissance / scientific revolution in Europe?
- 📝 To what extent did Native American cultures develop metalworking for tools and weapons?
- 📝 What were the reasons for making Prohibition a constitutional amendment?
- 📝 Why were British ships not of the same quality as French and Spanish ships until the latter part of the 18th century?
- 📝 Were there any Germans in Japan after the surrender of Germany in May, 1945 and if so, what happened to them?
- 📝 Are there any documented examples of wooden ships which were in active service for 100 years or more? If not, what is the longest?
- 📝 What were sandbags used for in medieval duels?
- 📝 In WWII, what were the major differences in tank combat on the eastern and western fronts?
- 📝 What kind of ink was used by medieval scribes in Iceland, given that there were no plant galls for iron-gall ink?
- 📝 What were the EMP effects, if any, of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
- 📝 What East German laws and regulations were extended to the West after unification?
- 📝 What is the primary source for this quote by Julius Caesar's on Celts and Germans?
- 📝 What were the criteria for class ranking at West Point prior to the Civil War?
- 📝 What were the demographics and economics of South-East Asian islands around year 1400?
- 📝 What were the Nazi racial views on Hungarians and the Japanese?
- 📝 What were Greek and Roman sails made from?
- 📝 At what point were the most current and former US Presidents alive?
