Kalistan

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Commentary:  The Imperial Titles
New Emperor and Empress have wildly different Titles
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
July 1, 5672


The New Emperor and Empress, with the Chancellor of the Empire, at Imperial Seat after Coronation

Many readers have written in to ask about the variation in Imperial Titles applied to His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Fredrick IV Ananto and Her Imperial Majesty Empress Jennifer I Ananto.  One reader sums up most of the confusion in her Letter:

"Dear Editor of The Kalistani Republic

I read the titles of both the Emperor and the Empress following the Coronation.  It seems he has way more titles that she does.  I thought they were co-sovereigns.  So shouldn't they have the same titles?  I guess I just don't quite understand why they have different titles, and some are missing all together.  Can you explain, please?  Sincerely Megan, in Eveari"

Well, yes, actually, we can Megan: for you and all the other readers who are writing in asking similar questions.  These titles are all part of the new Emperor and Empresses’ official “Style”.  The Official Styles are literally their official names.  The same way we would be called Mr. Tom Zimmerman or Ms. Donna Howard, the Styles are their legal names— the entire thing.  They are required, by law to carry these names their entire tenure in office.

But the law also allows everyone to shorten them to His and Her Imperial Majesty, Emperor Fredrick IV (or the Fourth of that Name) Ananto and Empress Jennifer I (or First of that Name) Ananto. We are permitted by law to shorten the Formal Style to the Shortened Style, for obvious and practical reasons. Informally (and further shortened) they are either His and Her Imperial Majesty, or The Emperor and The Empress. House law dictates when and how each of these can and is used legally.

So, lets break this informal part down even more.  Emperor Fredrick IV Ananto is named this because three Fredrick Ananto's preceded him.  His given name is Fredrick-Martin David Ananto-Collins.  Imperial tradition has a hyphenated first name, a singular middle name, and a hyphenated last name.  The hyphenated first name is his real first name and then an honorable name, in this case, its his father's, while his Middle Name is usually assigned as a nickname, though it is really only used during his youth, and the last name is hyphenated to put the most prestigious name first, in this case its Ananto, received from his mother, and the lest prestigious name second, in this case, its his father's name.  It does not necessarily go father-mother order as it does in Gaduridos, but signified the more important family name.

As he is now Emperor, His Imperial Majesty is required by law to drop the Hyphenation, which signified that he is now Sovereign and not just royalty. Having a non-hyphenated last name, just Ananto, is a Royal privilege belonging only to the monarch: all others using Ananto must hyphenate their name. This is to signify that the Monarch is “THE Ananto”, or the holder of the title Ananto, and all other Ananto’s are not. It’s like modifying nouns with adjectives. There’s a Wall, and there’s a short wall. You modify it to suggest that there is a general concept, and specific types of that general concept. In this case, Ananto is the general concept, while the hyphenated name is a specific type of that. Kinda confusing but there is an internal logic there.

Empress Jennifer I Ananto was born a commoner, so her name is technically Jennifer Antonia Connor, though she could claim Connor-Albertson (her father and Mother's name in that order.)  Instead, she kept Connor when married, but took Ananto because she was married to the Crown Prince and officially joined the Royal Family in doing so, and she kept her own last name in hyphenation, and then lost the hyphenation again when she became Empress Last month.

(Incidentally, the Children of this couple then can and do go by her hyphenated name Ananto-Connor, as their official hyphenated Last Name. The name is Ananto from their Father (the more prestigious name comes first), and Conner from their Mother, and they will carry that their entire lives.)

Now, let's look at their Formal Styles.

"By the Consent of the People, His Imperial Majesty, of the Ancient House of Ananto, Emperor and Sovereign of The Anantonese Empire, Emperor of Ananto, Kalistan and Gaduridos, King of Vintalli, King of Andalay, King of Karzon, King of Sekowo, Grand Duke of Ananto, Grand Duke of Isle of Sutton, Duke of Icehaven, Duke of Athosia, Duke of Outannais, Count of Davon, Count of Dah, Commander in Chief of the Regular Forces of Kalistan, Sovereign and Grand Master of the Ancient Order of the Grey Smoke, Sovereign and Grand Master of the Excellent Order of the Anantonese Empire, Sovereign and Grand Master of the Order of Vintalli, Sovereign and Grand Master of the Order of Andalay, Defender of the Realm, Formal Head of the Anantonese Government, Embodiment of the Anantonese Nation, Arktouros, Guarantor of the Anantonese Ocean and Ananto Strait, Fredrick IV Ananto."

And

"By the Consent of the People, Her Imperial Majesty, of the Ancient House of Ananto, Empress and Sovereign of The Anantonese Empire, Empress of Ananto, Kalistan, and Gaduridos, Grand Duchess of Ananto, Grand Duchess of Isle of Sutton, Duchess of Icehaven, Countess of Davon, Countess of Dah, Baroness of Zappa Defender of the Realm, Formal Head of the Anantonese Government, Embodiment of the Anantonese Nation, Evenstar, Guarantor of the Anantonese Ocean and Ananto Strait, Jennifer I Ananto."

We'll take this apart title by title below, and explain a little bit about the source and the meaning of the title. These appellations in the formal Official Styles are listed in order of “precedence”, summarized as “more important, or senior comes first” meaning king comes before Duke, Duke comes before count, domestic comes before foreign, peerage comes before non peerage, and etc., according to Kalistani House Law. Bolded titles are those held by both Emperor and Empress, while Bold and Italicized belong to one or the other, but not both.

"By Consent of the People"
This is a reminder that the Monarchy was instituted by the People of Kalistan.  It remains technically possible for the people to abolish it if they wish, and the fact that they do not suggests that their consent is still present.  The popularity of the Monarchy ensures consent remains.

"His/Her Imperial Majesty"
The first Part of the Main title, this is the equivalent of our "mr." and "ms."  It is a title of polity.

"of the Ancient House of Ananto"
The House of Ananto, or the hereditary owners of the title of the Grand Duchy of Ananto, legally controls the Imperial Crown.  All Emperors and Empresses are Nominal Heads of the House of Ananto, though recently House Ananto has been in practice, run by a close member of the Family.

"Emperor/Empress and Sovereign of The Anantonese Empire"
This title places the Emperor and Empress as Sovereign of the Anantonese Empire, which includes Ananto, Kalistan and Gaduridos, formerly Lodamun, and all the nominal claims in the Crown Lands, or any other member states who should seek to join the Anantonese Empire.

"Emperor/Empress of Ananto, Kalistan and Gaduridos"
This title belongs to the Head of State of Ananto, Kalistan Proper and Gaduridos.  Gaduridos is functionally a Constituent Member of the Anantonese Empire, and its acting Head of State is The Emperor's Direct Viceroy.  Gaduridos is therefore governed indirectly by the Emperor and Empress:  in Practice, the Viceroy acts on guidance from the Emperor in Kaliburg, but coordinates with the Gaduri Government independently, especially in all matters of domestic policy.  This is the title of Primacy for both Emperor and Empress, and sets them as equals in terms of power and Sovereignty.  If the Empress was not co-ruler, her title would contain Consort, whatever other titles she possessed.  Empress Jennifer I Ananto is not a consort.  Her fiat therefore carries as much weight as Emperor Fredrick IV Ananto, and disagreements will need to be worked out between the two before the Government may act.

"King of Vintalli, King of Andalay, King of Karzon, King of Sekowo, Duke of Athosia, Duke of Outannais,"
The Emperor only may claim Crown Lands titles.  They are inherited directly from Mary Ananto.  The titles are controversial and disputed, as they assert Imperial claims over lands that are at present administered by other nations.  The only one that is even close is the Kingdom of Vintalli, but Gaduridos does not recognize that title, and therefore, Kalistan is not permitted to split the Kingdom of Vintalli off from Gaduridos and add it to direct control from Kaliburg.

"Grand Duke/Duchess of Ananto, Grand Duke/Duchess of Isle of Sutton, Duke/Duchess of Icehaven"
The Grand Duchies are equivalent to kingdoms in most nations, however, they have been subsumed in larger entities, Ananto in Kalistan, and Sutton and Icehaven in Hutori.  These are hereditary titles to these sub national entities, and are attached to the Crown, rather than the Individual.

"Count/Countess of Davon, Count/Countess of Dah"
The Emperor and Empress retain claim to the County of Davon Traditionally, as it is the location of the Seat of Government.  Cliff House, the Imperial Residency, and previously Wilson House, falls just outside of the Free City of Kaliburg/Port Davon and therefore is also the seat of the County of Davon.  The Emperor also holds the County of Dah, and the Empress receives Countess as a Courtesy Title due to her marriage to the Count.

"Baroness of Zappa"
The Empress alone possess this title, having been named Baroness by the Previous Empress, as a prerequisite to her joining the Peerage.  It is a formal and a personal title, and the Emperor may technically claim it as a courtesy title, due to his marriage to the Baroness, but he has opted not to, allowing her to administer her demesne herself.

"Commander in Chief of the Regular Forces of Kalistan"
Unified Chain of Command requires a single authority at the top.  The Emperor possesses this title by virtue of his line of succession.  The Empress married the Commander in Chief, but this role is not eligible for Courtesy Title because it is not a peer title.

"Sovereign and Grand Master of the Ancient Order of the Grey Smoke, Sovereign and Grand Master of the Excellent Order of the Anantonese Empire, Sovereign and Grand Master of the Order of Vintalli, Sovereign and Grand Master of the Order of Andalay"
The Emperor is Sovereign and Grand Master of the Chivalric Orders due to his induction and line of direct succession from the previous Grand Master of the Order, in this case, Mary Ananto.  The Empress is only a member of the Ancient Order of the Grey Smoke, and did not receive the promotion.  These titles are not eligible for Courtesy Titles as they are not peerages.

"Defender of the Realm, Formal Head of the Anantonese Government, Embodiment of the Anantonese Nation"
These titles are formally attached to the Crown, and are not personal.  So both the Emperor and Empress hold them.

"Arktouros/Evenstar"
A recent addition to the Official Style, meant to provide a bit of grace and beauty to the Style.  Arktouros is Kalopian for "Watcher of the Bear," or in the more modern sense, "Guardian of the North" while Evenstar refers to the Evening and Morning Star, and the Selucian Goddess of Love and Beauty.  Evenstar was first adopted and used as a title by Mary Ananto, and Arktouros was adopted as the male equivalent by His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Fredrick IV Ananto.

"Guarantor of the Anantonese Ocean and Ananto Strait"
The longstanding, perhaps the most archaic title held by the Emperor and Empress, pre-4th Dynasty Kalistan referred to itself as the Guarantor of the Anantonese Ocean and the Ananto Strait.  This title is attached to the Crown, not the individual.

"Fredrick IV Ananto/Jennifer I Ananto"
As discussed above, this is their name, obviously it is attached to the person, but specifically, it means the Fourth Ananto to call himself Fredrick and the First Ananto to call herself Jennifer.  It is interesting to note that Ananto is not the family's actual last name, originally.  The Fourth Dynasty were descendants of Fredrick Guerra, and the Fifth Dynasty are all descendants of Carolina Hulanevek.  So if there were no monarchy, it is theoretically possible that Fredrick would be named Fredrick Guerra-Hulanevek, if he existed at all.  Ananto therefore is more correctly "Member of the Organization known as House Ananto" which is literally the only way to become Emperor.  In ancient times, Ananto was a title, or Emperor of the Island of Ananto.  Today, Ananto functions as a last name, but it carries with it a far greater connotation.

So you can see:  Some titles, especially those which go with the Crown are ones that both share.  Some titles are individual titles, and some titles are courtesy titles.  And the Crown Lands' titles and Chivalric Order titles stay with the direct descendants of Carolina Hulanevek by law and custom.  It can be confusing, but there is a very specific justification for each similarity and difference, and learning that is key to understanding our Monarchy!

--Charlie Goodwin, Feature Editor
@TheRepublic