Titles and titles, order of titles. Titles of nobility are sold wholesale and retail in modern Russia Obtaining a title of nobility
Y. Pantyukhin "Prince Alexander Nevsky"
But first, let's deal with the very concept of "nobility". "What is nobility? - wrote A.S. Pushkin. “The hereditary estate of the people is higher, that is, awarded with great advantages regarding property and private freedom.”
The emergence of the nobility in Russia
The word "noble" literally means "a man from the prince's court", or "court".
In Russia, the nobility arose in the 12th century. as the lowest part of the military service class, which constituted the court of a prince or a major boyar.
In the Code of Laws Russian Empire"It is said that belonging to the nobility" there is a consequence that flows from the quality and virtue of the men who ruled in antiquity, who distinguished themselves by merit, by which, turning the very service into merit, they acquired a noble name for their offspring. Noble means all those who are born from noble ancestors, or who are granted this dignity by monarchs.
Rise of the nobility
From the 14th century nobles began to receive land for diligent service. So there was a class of landowners - landowners. Later they were allowed to buy land.
The Sudebnik of 1497 limited the right of peasants to move and thereby strengthened the position of the nobles.
In February 1549, the first Zemsky Sobor took place in the Kremlin Palace. Ivan IV (the Terrible) delivered a speech there. The tsar took a course towards building a centralized monarchy (autocracy) based on the nobility, which meant fighting the old (boyar) aristocracy. He accused the boyars of abuse of power and called on everyone to work together to strengthen the unity of the Russian state.
G. Sedov "Ivan the Terrible and Malyuta Skuratov"
In 1550 chosen thousand Moscow nobles (1071 people) was placed within 60-70 km around Moscow.
In the middle of the XVI century. the Kazan Khanate was annexed, and the estates were evicted from the oprichnina region, which was declared the property of the tsar. The vacated lands were distributed to the nobles under the condition of service.
In the 80s of the XVI century. introduced reserved summers(the period during which in some regions of the Russian state a peasant exit was prohibited on the autumn St. George's Day, provided for in the Sudebnik of 1497. Protected years began to be introduced by the government of Ivan IV (the Terrible) from 1581.
The "Cathedral Code" of 1649 secured the right of the nobles to eternal possession and the indefinite search for fugitive peasants.
But Peter I began a decisive struggle with the old boyar aristocracy, making the nobles his support. In 1722 he introduced Table of ranks.
Monument to Peter I in Voronezh
The table of ranks replaced the principle of generosity with the principle of personal service. The table of ranks had an impact on the official routine and on historical destinies nobility.
The only regulator of service was personal length of service; "Paternal honor", the breed has lost all meaning in this regard. Under Peter I, the rank of the lower XIV class in military service gave the right to hereditary nobility. Civil service in the rank up to VIII class gave only personal nobility, and the right to hereditary nobility began with the rank of VIII class. “For this reason, we do not allow anyone any rank,” wrote Peter, “until they show us and the fatherland no services.”
The table of ranks was subjected to numerous changes, but in general it existed until 1917.
After Peter I, the nobles receive one privilege after another. Catherine II actually freed the nobles from compulsory service while maintaining serfdom for the peasants, which created a real gulf between the nobles and the people. The pressure of the nobles on the peasantry and their anger became one of the reasons for the Pugachev uprising.
The apogee of the power of the Russian nobility was the receipt of "noble liberty" - a letter of Catherine II, which freed the nobles from compulsory service. But with this began the decline of the nobility, which gradually turned into an "idle class", and the slow ruin of the lower nobility. And after the peasant reform of 1861, the economic position of the nobility weakened even more.
By the beginning of the XX century. the hereditary nobility, "the first pillar of the throne" and "one of the most reliable instruments of the government", is gradually losing its economic and administrative dominance.
titles of nobility
In Muscovite Russia there was only one aristocratic title - "prince". He came from the word "prince" and meant that his ancestors once ruled any part of Russia. Not only Russians possessed this title - grants to princes and foreigners who converted to Orthodoxy were allowed.
Foreign titles in Russia appeared under Peter I: "baron" and "count". There is the following explanation for this: in the territories annexed by Peter there were already people with such titles, and these titles were also worn by foreigners whom Peter attracted to Russia. But the title "count" was first burdened with the words "Holy Roman Empire", i.e. this title was assigned at the request of the Russian monarch by the German emperor. In January 1776, Catherine II intercedes with the "Roman Emperor" Grigory Orlov " give the Roman Empire princely dignity, for which the post».
Golovin (1701) and Menshikov (1702) become the first counts of the Holy Roman Empire in Russia, and under Catherine II, four of her favorites receive the titles of princes of the Holy Roman Empire: Orlov, Potemkin, Bezborodko and Zubov. But the assignment of such titles ceases in 1796.
Title "Count"
Count's heraldic crown
Graph(German graph) is a royal official in Early Middle Ages in Western Europe. The title originated in the 4th century. in the Roman Empire and was originally assigned to the highest dignitaries.
During the period of feudal fragmentation graph- feudal lord of the county, then becomes the title of the highest nobility. Female - countess. As a title, it still formally continues to be preserved in most European countries with a monarchical form of government.
Sheremetiev became the first Russian count in 1706.
Boris Petrovich Sheremetiev (1652-1719)
Russian commander during the Northern War, diplomat, one of the first Russian field marshals.
Born in an old boyar family Sheremetevs.
In 1681 he commanded troops against the Tatars. He proved himself in the military and diplomatic fields. In 1686, he participated in the conclusion of the "Eternal Peace" with the Commonwealth, and then was sent to Warsaw to ratify the concluded peace.
Protected Russia from the Crimean raids. In 1695, he participated in the first Azov campaign of Peter I.
In 1697-1699. visited Poland, Austria, Italy, the island of Malta, carrying out diplomatic missions of Peter I. During the Northern War of 1700-1721. he proved to be a cautious and talented commander who earned the trust of Peter I. In 1701 he inflicted a defeat on the Swedes, from which they were “for a long time unreasonable and not corrected”, for which he was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and granted the rank of Field Marshal. Subsequently, he won several victories over the Swedes.
In 1705-1706. Sheremetyev suppressed the rebellion of the archers in Astrakhan, for which he was the first in Russia to be awarded the title of count.
AT last years he expressed a desire to be tonsured as a monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, but the tsar did not allow this, just as he did not allow the execution of Sheremetyev’s will to bury him in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra: Peter I ordered Sheremetev to be buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, forcing even a dead associate to serve the state.
At the end of the XIX century. in Russia there were over 300 count families. Count's title in Soviet Russia was liquidated by the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of November 11, 1917.
Title "Baron"
English baronial crown
Baron(from late lat. baro with the original meaning "man, man"). In medieval feudal Western Europe, a large sovereign nobleman and feudal lord, later just an honorary title of nobility. Female - baroness. The title of baron in England is preserved to this day and is located in the hierarchical system below the title of viscount. In Germany, this title was below the count.
In the Russian Empire, the title of baron was introduced by Peter I, the first to receive it in 1710 was P.P. Shafirov. Then A. I. Osterman (1721), A. G., N. G. and S. G. Stroganovs (1722), A.-E. Stambken (1726). The families of the barons were divided into Russian, Baltic and foreign.
Pyotr Pavlovich Shafirov (1669-1739)
Diplomat of the time of Peter the Great, Vice-Chancellor. Knight of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called (1719). In 1701-1722. actually supervised the Russian post. In 1723 he was sentenced to death on charges of abuse, but after Peter's death he was able to return to diplomatic activity.
He came from a family of Polish Jews who settled in Smolensk and converted to Orthodoxy. He began his service as an interpreter in 1691 in the same embassy office where his father also served. Accompanying Peter the Great during his travels and campaigns, he took part in the conclusion of an agreement with the Polish king August II (1701) and with the ambassadors of the seven-grad prince Rakoczi. In 1709 he became a Privy Councilor and was promoted to Vice-Chancellor. In 1711, he concluded the Prut peace treaty with the Turks and himself, together with Count M. B. Sheremetev, remained a hostage to them. He concluded agreements with Denmark, Prussia, France on the preservation of peace in Europe.
In 1723, Shafirov quarreled with the powerful prince A. D. Menshikov and the chief prosecutor Skornyakov-Pisarev, convicting them of embezzlement. In response, he himself was accused of embezzlement and sentenced to death, which Peter I replaced with exile to Siberia, but on the way there he allowed him to stop "for residence" in Nizhny Novgorod "under a strong guard."
Empress Catherine I, upon her accession to the throne, returned Shafirov from exile, restored him to the baronial title, conferred the rank of real state councilor, made him president of the College of Commerce and entrusted the compilation of the history of Peter the Great.
The barons enjoyed the right to appeal "your honor"(like untitled nobles) or "Mr. Baron".
At the end of the XIX century. in Russia there were about 240 baronial families (including extinct ones), mainly representatives of the Baltic (Baltic) nobility. The title was abolished by the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of November 11, 1917.
Baron P.N. Wrangel
Title "prince"
prince- the head of a feudal monarchical state or a separate political entity (specific prince) in the 9th-16th centuries. among the Slavs and some other peoples; representative of the feudal aristocracy. Later it became the highest title of nobility, equivalent to a prince or a duke in Western and Southern Europe, in Central Europe (the former Holy Roman Empire), this title is called Fürst, and in Northern Europe - king.
In Russia Grand Duke(or princess) - the title of nobility of the members royal family. Princess also called the prince's wife, knyazhych(among the Slavs) - the son of a prince, princess- The daughter of a prince.
Y. Pantyukhin "Prince Alexander Nevsky" ("For the Russian Land!")
Princely power, at first most often elective, gradually becomes hereditary (Rurikovich in Russia, Gediminoviches and Jagiellons in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Piasts in Poland, etc.). With the formation of a centralized state, the appanage princes gradually became part of the grand ducal (since 1547 - royal) court in the Moscow principality. in Russia until the 18th century. the title of prince was only generic. From the beginning of the XVIII century. the title of prince also began to be complained by the tsar to the highest dignitaries for special merits (the first prince granted was A. D. Menshikov).
Russian princes
Before Peter I, there were 47 princely families in Russia, some of which originated from Rurik. Princely titles were divided into "His Excellency" and "his lordship" which was considered higher.
Until 1797, new princely families did not appear, with the exception of Menshikov, granted in 1707 the title of Prince of Izhora.
Under Paul I, awards with this title began, and the annexation of Georgia literally “blew up” Russian nobility- 86 families recognized the princely title.
To late XIX in. in the Russian Empire there were 250 princely families, 40 of which were descended from Rurik or Gediminas. 56% of the princely families in the empire were Georgian.
In addition, there were about 30 Tatar, Kalmyk and Mordovian princes; the status of these princes was considered below the baronial.
Did you know?
Portrait of A.V. Suvorov. Unknown artist of the 19th century.
Did you know that Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov, the national hero of Russia, the great Russian commander, who did not suffer a single defeat in his military career (more than 60 battles), one of the founders of Russian military art, had several titles at the same time: prince Italian (1799), graph Rymniksky (1789), graph of the Holy Roman Empire, Generalissimo of the Russian land and sea forces, Field Marshal of the Austrian and Sardinian troops, grandee of the Kingdom of Sardinia and prince of royal blood (with the title "cousin of the king"), holder of all Russian orders of his time, awarded to men, as well as many foreign military orders.
Many people dream of a title of nobility. Persons who have this privilege can sit in the presence of the British Queen, demand that they be addressed as "Your Excellency" and other pleasant things. How can you get the coveted title of nobility? There are 7 popular ways.
1. By inheritance. If you have suspicions that your ancestors were real aristocrats, start looking for your roots. In Russia, this issue is dealt with by the Russian Genealogical Federation, in Italy - International Commission for the study of knightly orders, in France - the International Genealogical Academy. First, look for old photographs of your grandfathers and great-grandfathers. Maybe one of them will be in the photograph in the uniform of the General-in-Chief? Or, perhaps, your great-grandmother graduated from the Smolny Institute? Who knows, what if your ancestors were the Yusupov princes or the Duke of Marlborough?
2. On merit. In ancient times, monarchs granted a title of nobility for military merit. In our time, the members of the Beatles received the Order of the British Empire in 1965 for their valuable contribution to culture. This fact was greatly outraged by the British aristocrats, who did not want to put up with this circumstance and returned their orders to the Crown. However, the scandal soon faded away, and the title of nobility was also awarded to Elton John, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Elizabeth Taylor. The British aristocrats took the news without criticism.
3. Buy. For a few hundred dollars, you can buy a parchment on which your last name will be displayed, which traces back almost to the Rurikovichs. If you want a more powerful letter, for 5-10 thousand dollars you can buy a document that is almost identical to the documents of Art. 19. Of course, it will not be the original, but you can hang it in the living room and show it to naive guests. In Scotland, the Glencarn estate is for sale, which is divided into small plots of 30 pounds. Everyone can buy not only this plot, but also receive a title of nobility as a bonus. Many aristocrats claim that such a sale of titles has no legal effect, but the estate is being sold very quickly.
4. Thanks to good connections. For example, in Ukraine, Orest Fedorovich Karelin-Romanishin-Rusin, aka King Orest 1, Metropolitan of the Carpathian Roman, Master of Knightly Orders. He was crowned independently, but despite this, they were given the titles of Leonid Kuchma and Alexander Kuzmuk (prince and count, respectively). It is unlikely that you will receive a title of nobility from the hands of Juan Carlos of Spain, but having friends on Slavic soil, you have a chance to join the aristocrats.
5. By a happy twist of fate. If you get to the right place at the right time, you also have a chance to get the coveted title. For example, a doctor who provided proctological assistance to the emperor of the Habsburg dynasty in the 18th century received a title of nobility from the hands of a grateful lord. Nowadays, you can try your luck in Africa, somewhere in Lesotho, there are rumors that the kings there are very responsive and are especially grateful.
6. Learn it. For example, one Moscow supply manager became Nikolay the 3rd Romanov. Just changed his name and proclaimed himself a nobleman. And Charles Stopford, who is a US citizen, lived in Europe under the name of Lord Christopher Buckingham, for more than 20 years, using false documents. In a word, if you are an aristocrat in your soul, a letter from you will not go anywhere!
7. Marry a nobleman. If, of course, whores to his taste)))
Olga Vandysheva
“She doesn’t want to be a peasant anymore, she wants to be a pillar noblewoman,” the old man lamented in Pushkin’s fairy tale about a goldfish.
In modern Russia, the peasants are also not held in high esteem. Today it is fashionable to be a prince, a count, or even a baron.
So it turns out: wherever you spit, nobles are everywhere. And in the State Duma, and in the government, and even in the General Staff ...
How Yeltsin was demoted
Whether the ancestors of the newly-minted Russian nobility were from the nobility is not important. To have special merits before the Fatherland, as in tsarist times also not required. And you don't even have to fish for goldfish. It is much easier to get a title of nobility in Russia today. The main thing is to have desire and connections, but if there are no connections, there is enough money. After all, dozens of characters who have turned the distribution of titles into a profitable business are at the service of conceited persons.
Even 15 years ago, the most enterprising noticed that the new Russian elite had an interest in the nobility, and immediately realized that this craving could be put on a commercial footing. And - away we go.
One of the first to get involved in the fashion business was a certain Alexei Nikolaevich Brumel. He declared himself regent of the Russian Empire and began handing out titles of nobility. With a generous royal gesture, he elevated both Ruslan Khasbulatov and Alexander Rutskoy to princes, and named Boris Yeltsin the Grand Duke. But after some time, Brumel decided that Yeltsin did not justify the high honor, deprived him of the title of prince, and, as compensation, granted the title of count.
However, no one took Brumel's eccentricities seriously. Another thing is the awards of the famous healer, academician of 129 academies of the world, Evgenia Davitashvili, known as Juna.
The breed of Ksenia Sobchak can be seen on the ankle
At the end of the last century, Juna declared herself either an Assyrian queen, or a great-granddaughter of Nicholas II, or a direct descendant of Princess Olga. And at the same time, she was in favor with the most influential people in the country, to whom, on behalf of the Regency Council of the Russian Noble Society, the New Elite of Russia generously presented letters of nobility. And quite serious people, oddly enough, accepted them with gratitude. So, the former chairman of the State Planning Committee of the USSR Nikolai Baibakov became a prince, and senator Lyudmila Narusova became a princess.
I will not hide, it is very pleasant to receive a letter from the hands of Juna, - the widow of Sobchak boasted of the acquired title and said that she really had noble roots. And the noble breed is especially felt in her daughter Xenia, who has a narrow ankle.
Proud of Juna's gift and State Duma deputy Alexei Mitrofanov, who became a count. He hung the corresponding diploma on the wall in his dacha and now receives dividends.
Here girls come to me, - Mitrofanov explains the advantages of the title, - they see the diploma and are completely shocked. After all, they do not communicate with any LDPR deputy, but with a whole count.
Well, how can you be called now?
Your Excellency.
Are you kidding?
Well, why not. I take Juna's title very seriously. Members of her society Yuri Luzhkov, Zurab Tsereteli. And somewhere in the 89th year, Juna awarded Yeltsin himself with the Maltese Cross. And he accepted it with gratitude...
However, recently Juna has been trying not to advertise her hectic activity in distributing titles. She does not communicate with journalists, the phones of her office are suspiciously silent.
Meanwhile, curious announcements appeared on the Internet. An unknown company, on behalf of the Russian Nobility Society founded by Juna, offers everyone the registration of noble titles, referring to the permission of the Ministry of Justice.
"Blue Bloods" is not cheap
Of course, you have to pay for the service. So, for the title of prince, you need to pay 12,000 euros, for a count - 8,000, for a baron - 5,700. It is also reported that the package of documents includes an official letter with the Coat of Arms of Russia, a crown and a Monomakh's cap framed by portraits 19 Russian tsars.
Among the advantages for the buyer of the title is the opportunity to communicate with people of the noble circle, including Boris Berezovsky, Pavel Bure, Zhores Alferov and Alla Pugacheva ... And on top of everything else, the title holder has the right to demand that he be addressed as “Your Excellency”, and served at airports "Lincoln" and honorary escort: guards and girls with good manners.
But the phone numbers of this miracle company are not listed in the ad. Only the email address to which I sent the request: "I want to become Princess Olga." And soon I received an answer with a questionnaire and completely new prices. The cost of a count's title rose to $125,000, while the price for a baron ranged from $45,000 to $100,000. But I was offered to buy the title of a British lord for only 15 - 25 thousand dollars, and for a knight they asked from 8 to 14 thousand.
Well, in the next paragraph, apparently so that I would not faint from the swing of prices, it was reported: “Our titles are real! We don't offer fake ones for a couple of hundred dollars!"
Order of knighthood to Putin
And soon I had the opportunity to become a noblewoman for free.
If you bring some rich person to me, I will grant you the title of a countess or even a princess, ”His Serene Highness Prince Arkady Lvovich Bugaev-Poniatovsky hinted, aka grand master International Order Chapter of the Monarchist Court, which he himself established.
The master appointed an audience at his home - in a cramped two-room apartment, stuffed with orders, coats of arms and letters. Before the meeting, he asked me to wait outside. The prince had to change his clothes. After about 10 minutes, the head of the Monarchist court was already at the parade: in a tailcoat, with a bow tie and a sword. On the neck - a chain, chest - in orders, on the head - a hat in red and white feathers.
It was hard not to laugh. But I held back. And the prince took out his main relic - the Knightly Order of Unity, which he also invented himself.
I have prepared this award and a princely title for Putin,” Poniatowski said and assured me that he had already negotiated with the president’s entourage. - I was told that if the order is in diamonds, it will be sent to the treasury.
By the way, Poniatowski also has views on the president's family. It turns out that 17-year-old Nikolai from the Romanov-Dolgoruky family lives somewhere in Spain - one of the contenders for the Russian throne. Poniatowski dreams that this boy would marry Putin's daughter...
And the Terminator who joined them
Personally, I immediately thought that Poniatowski would not be allowed into the Kremlin. But he, apparently, guessed my doubts and took out a photo album with evidence of his victories.
Here is Luzhkov. I granted him a knightly order of honor and the title of prince. Ayatskov received the title of count ... He gave two orders to cosmonaut Leonov. Chess player Karpov - count. And Pugacheva passed the title of count through Kirkorov.
Free or for money?
It's not the same for everybody. They paid a little for the former mayor of Vladivostok, Kopylov. Although Chernomyrdin asked, I haven't given him anything yet. And on his 50th birthday, he presented Nikita Mikhalkov with a prince.
And why should he? Everyone already knows that he is from the nobility?
Have mercy, girl! His ancestors are not from the titled nobles. They were bedridden. Nikita Sergeevich was embarrassed by this. And now he is a prince! By the way, I also awarded Schwarzenegger.
And who is he now?
Count, - the most illustrious prince broke into a smile.
Do you know that in the Assembly of Nobility they call you an adventurer? I finally asked the prince.
They just envy me. They can't hand out titles, but I can. And it was only necessary to prescribe this item in the charter.
Order from the director of the cemetery
We are already accustomed to these eccentricities, - sighs the vice-leader of the Russian noble assembly Alexander Korolev-Pereleshin. - Here is the former supply manager of the Gnessin School, Nikolai Dalsky, declared himself Prince Romanov and even straightened out his passport. And the director of the Magadan cemetery, Lezhepekov, became a count and general-in-chief. Now he heads the League of the Revival of the Russian Monarchy and distributes orders. Surprisingly, many important people take these impostors seriously. We wrote to the Ministry of Justice with a letter to shut down their activities. After all, true titles of nobility are the property of the country, as well as works of art. But we were told that these public organizations are registered and have the right.
However, in the Nobility Assembly itself, there was also a scandal. Recently, a luxurious building in the center of Moscow was taken away from him, and the nobles themselves quarreled and split into two camps. The hereditary nobleman Dmitry Zhukov (by the way, the father of the vice-premier of the government Alexander Zhukov) severed all relations with the Assembly of Nobility. The old leader - Prince Andrei Golitsyn - created the International Union of Nobles, and Prince Andrei Obolensky headed the new Russian Nobility Assembly (RDS), which huddles in the office of State Duma deputy Chuev on Varvarka. Nobles can be found here twice a week: on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the evening.
But we do not dedicate anyone to the nobility. Everything is strict with us, - Sergey Sapozhnikov, vice-leader of the RDS, announced to me. - Noble origin we need to document it.
Generals are also in the nobility
However, there is another way to obtain the nobility, which is accepted by the Russian noble assembly without objection. To do this, you need to get into the field of view of the head of the Russian Imperial House, Maria Vladimirovna. She lives in Madrid, but often visits Russia and bestows royal orders here.
A few years ago, the princess revived the Order of Nicholas the Wonderworker specifically for military officials. The first degree of the order gives the right to hereditary nobility, the second and third - to personal nobility. Thus, dozens of generals now go to the nobles. Including the former and current head of the General Staff Anatoly Kvashnin and Yuri Baluyevsky, ex-senator Valery Manilov, governor of the Moscow region Boris Gromov and former governor of the Ulyanovsk region Vladimir Shamanov, ex-commander of the North Caucasus Military District Gennady Troshev and Yeltsin's former bodyguard, now a deputy State Duma Alexander Korzhakov.
However, these gifts also have opponents. Among them is the chairman of the All-Russian Monarchist Center Nikolai Lukyanov (surprisingly, not a nobleman):
Maria Vladimirovna is not an empress, she is not recognized by any monarchy. It has no right to distribute royal orders. And the Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker can generally be bought for $500. It was distributed to the generals for advertising, in order to tear money from the colonels. In the assembly of the nobility, they also understood long ago that money can be taken for searching for documents, and the documents can be straightened out in the interests of the customer. Moreover, many archives have been lost. So the current alleged nobles are often far-fetched. This is clean water self-employment and business.
However, be that as it may, this business is flourishing in Russia. And nothing foretells its collapse. There are a lot of vain gentlemen among the cream of our society. And not all of them have yet acquired the coveted rattle - the title of a nobleman.
Several authoritative Western newspapers are already following the attempts of the Russian oligarch Anton Bakov to revive the Russian Empire either on the islands of the Gambia or in the Republic of Kiribati. But while the billionaire does not find support from local authorities, enterprising Russians have already figured out how to provide everyone with titles of nobility. To do this, it is not at all necessary to go to the Pacific Islands. Life figured out how to become a real Scottish lord or duke of a non-existent state and how much a real pedigree costs.
"The title of a lord (lady), a property in Scotland with an area of 1 square foot - 7.3 thousand rubles," says one of the many product offers of the online store Magazinkaledonia.ru.
By the way, you can choose the size of the plot. The most expensive offer - the title of lord plus 1,000 feet of land - costs 57.2 thousand rubles. You can buy a title without leaving your home, just add the product to the cart and pay with a card. All documents for the title and land will be delivered by courier. Shipping is free, by the way. In this online store, the title of lord is just one of the many Scottish gifts. Along with kilts, plaids and cashmere scarves.
There are a lot of people who want to get the title of lord. As a result, competition in the market has intensified - now this service is already provided by three companies.
“In 2017, our sales in Russia grew by about 40% compared to the first half of 2016,” said Life. Marketing Director in the Russian Federation Highland Titles Ltd Oleg Bogatyrev. - For comparison, according to the results of 2016, sales increased by 32% compared to 2015. Already more than 100 thousand people around the world have become Lords and Ladies of Glencoe and Lockhaber. Their number is constantly growing. Russia makes up only a small part of this number, but in terms of growth dynamics it occupies a leading position among European countries.
The popularity of Scottish titles began to grow against the backdrop of a general revival of interest in the nobility, aristocracy and history. In 2017, this is not surprising - after all, the centenary of the collapse of the monarchy in Russia. Now there are three ways to feel like an aristocrat: go to the heraldic bureau, order a real pedigree and try to find real noble roots; become a loyal subject of a non-existent state and amuse pride with fictitious titles; buy a real, but meaningless title - like, for example, Lord of Scotland.
Not all lords are the same
Scotland has become a place of pilgrimage for newly-minted lords and ladies from all over the world due to a small loophole in land law. Indeed, anyone can become Lord of Scotland. To do this, it is enough to become a landowner, who are traditionally called laird there. It is a Scottish word, a simple form of the English lord or the feminine form of lady. So do not confuse Scottish lords with English ones.
Thus, a person who has even a symbolic allotment of land in Scotland has the right to be called a lord. In practice, most ordinary Scots can be called that, and this has nothing to do with the aristocratic title.
“You have to understand that this is not a full-fledged title of nobility and the owner of our certificate will not be admitted to the House of Lords,” Dmitry, manager of Magazinkaledonia.ru, explained to Life. - We sell plots as souvenirs. At the same time, the right to land is registered in the UK, so you will have to wait 3-4 weeks for the documents. The client can track the entire route of the papers by mail remotely. In addition, the owner of the land and the title can really come to their land. In May every year there is a gathering of such small landowners. This is a kind of club of interests.
Symbolic plots in the Scottish Highlands are sold around the world. At the gathering of lords and ladies come people from the most different countries- from Russia to Australia. All of them are united by one thing - the desire to feel like a real aristocrat at least for a few days. And since they are not included in the circle of real aristocratic lords, they create a noble atmosphere for themselves.
In addition, all landowners have one real right - absolutely free camping on their plot of land. The larger the area, the longer you can rest on it. According to Dmitry, if for the purchase of one square foot you can set up a campsite for a week, then the owners of a thousand can rest on their site as much as they want.
- Recently, purchases by families have become more frequent, - note Highland Titles LTD. - Husbands buy several plots at once for all members of their family. Recently, a mother bought for herself and her son of eleven years, 100 square meters each. feet, and both were insanely happy, especially her son, it was a shock to him in good sense this word. Also, this gift has always been popular for senior management and for very wealthy people who have everything.
However, for those who want to feel like an aristocrat, Scotland really provides great opportunities. This is one of the few places in the world where you can even buy a real title of baron. Unlike lords, this is really an aristocratic title, the owner of which has his own coat of arms. True, such a purchase will cost hundreds of thousands of euros, and the titles of barons do not go on mass sale.
- In Scotland, the title of baron is associated with certain feudal estates, - says Stanislav Dumin, President of the Russian Genealogical Federation. - At the end of the last century, feudal rights were abolished, but the titles were preserved as a tribute to tradition, and they can indeed be ceded. Any earl or duke may have dozens of baronies, and he can assign them. Usually for a fairly large amount.
From kings to kings
Baron, viscount, count, prince, grand duke, archduke and even elector - what titles of nobility are offered in the Grand Duchy of Pomerania and Livonia. It is enough to go to the site dedicated to the heraldry of this state. True, the country is non-existent, and the titles have no legal significance. But they are sold in euros - from 200 to 300 for a package of documents. It includes information about the title, and even an award order.
- All these noble and royal titles are hereditary, and all their holders are registered in the register of the aristocracy of the Grand Duchy and receive a certificate for the right to the title with the black eagles of Livonia, - the sellers from royaltitles.net assure.
However, the organizers of the site do not hide the fact that the state is not legally recognized. Nevertheless, there are quite serious buyers for such titles, albeit non-existent states, albeit comic documents.
- At one of our events, a respectable, very expensively dressed man approached me and asked: "Do you know who I am?" - recalls Alexander Sheffer, director of the department of culture of the Russian Nobility Assembly. - I answered that no, I have no honor. And then he takes out a red certificate, where "Tsar" is written in golden letters. What is most surprising, the man spoke quite seriously and sincerely believed in the authenticity of his status. We come across similar stories all the time.
Perhaps the only chance to feel like a real aristocrat is to try to find your own noble roots. You can search both independently in the archives and with the help of special genealogical bureaus. According to the Russian Genealogical Federation, there are now about 50 genealogical organizations in Russia. For comparison, in the early 2000s there were only seven.
Professional genealogists can compile a family tree by visiting archives in different parts of the country. Depending on the complexity of the tasks set, the services of specialists cost from 20-30 thousand to 200-300. But we must understand that noble roots can not be found.
- The latest trend is the expansion of genealogical queries, - says Stanislav Dumin. - Now the number of applications from people who are not purposefully looking for noble roots, but want to know their real ancestry, has increased dramatically. People understand that ancestors are different and different ancestors are interesting. Of course, there is a lot of interest in pseudo-titles, but nevertheless, a course has already been outlined for changing priorities towards real history.
By the way, even if a person finds real counts and princes in his family, this will only amuse his pride. In modern Russia, the nobility as an estate no longer exists, and therefore it is impossible to officially obtain a noble title.
