Tria nomina movement

The Tria nomina movement was a cultural movement in Urcea during 19th century and especially during a period known as the Aedanicad. Part of the greater Romantic movement, the Tria nomina movement aimed to restore the three-part naming conventions of Great Levantia and their Latinic contemporaries.

Background

During the 19th century and the Caroline Wars, Urcea began to undergo a wave of Romantic nationalism coinciding with greater geopolitical power on Levantia and autonomy from the Holy Levantine Empire in a period known as the Recess of the Julii. As Urcea's military and economic fortunes grew, a greater sense of connection with the legacy of Great Levantia took root in the common imagination. Urcea, which comprised the heartlands of the ancient civilization, began to identify itself increasingly with Great Levantia rather than with the Holy Levantine Empire. The office of Censor was created during this time, both to connect Urcea to its past but also to implement greater separation from the Empire.

As part of the growing interest in ancient Levantia, the ancient naming conventions of Great Levantia - the praenomen, the nomen, and the cognomen - were identified as something of a "national patrimony" that should be revived. By the period of the Aedanicad, Urcea had developed the familiar system of given name and surname relatively common throughout the world. This system was derived from primarily medieval and Gaelic traditions.

Naming System

Under the system proposed in 1825 by the self-named Gaius Cornelius Edsallanus (born Cái Edsall), the new naming convention would adapt the familiar two-name system by turning the surname into the cognomen and adding an individual's Estate as their nomen, with the individual's first name remaining the same. Under Edsallanus's proposed system, women would also use the same naming convention of men, but while they would take their husband's cognomen, their Estate nomen would remain the same. An example of the system implemented is the full name of King Riordan VIII, Riordan Julius Velucianus Augustus Carolinicus, with Riordan being the given name/praenomen, Julius the name of the Estate, and Velucianus, a latinized version of de Weluta, serving as the family name or cognomen. Riordan bears the name Augustus by the merit of his position as Emperor of the Levantines. Very rarely, individuals have an agnomen, an optional name sometimes used as a nickname or victory title; in the case of the King, Carolinicus is a hereditary example of such an agnomen. Edsallanus envisioned agnomens being a rare honor awarded by the Apostolic King of Urcea.

For individuals who were not members of an Estate, their nomen was to be "Julianus" ("possession of/origin from the Julii"), in reference to their patronage by the Apostolic King of Urcea, the Custóir of the Julii and "father of the nation". Caenish people, Ænglish people and Gassavelian people were to be excluded by the system unless they decided to join an Estate.

Though not a formal part of the system he proposed, Edsallanus also became a vocal advocate for the restoration of the traditional praenomen of Great Levantia. This effort was largely unsuccessful, not only because the names were not fashionable but also due to a concern by some nationalists that the old praenomen did not reflect Urcea's proud Gaelic roots.

History

The Tria nomina movement was formed as a visible part of Urcean society in the 1820s in order to restore the ancient naming conventions. As the Romantic movement continued to blossom, the movement gained interest among scholars and aristocrats. Urcea's victory in the Third Caroline War - and the support of King Aedanicus VIII - lead to the movement's explosion in popularity. During the 1840s and 50s, many aristocrats began to adopt the naming convention proposed by Edsallanus on an ad hoc basis. King Aedanicus VIII called for an unprecedented meeting of all of the Estates of Urcea, the so-called "Great Landsmeet of 1858", to discuss adoption of the system. At the Landsmeet, the great houses of all of the Estates (as well as dozens of other influential families) agreed to adopt the system, as did the King. The King also decided to adopt the agnomen "Carolinicus" for his victory in the Third Caroline War, a title that became hereditary to the primary line of the House de Weluta. He formally added the name the next year at the ceremonial opening of the Caroline Arch. Consequently, Carolinicus became the agnomen of the direct Royal line, and the main line of House de Weluta are sometimes referred to as the Carolines.

At the top levels of the estates, the Tria nomina system was mostly entrenched by the 1870s. During this time the so-called "Pig Levantine" names began to originate as well. Typically Gassavelian in origin, families would begin to add prestigious Latinic sounding names in order to sound more prestigious to those unaware of the particulars of the naming system or to those who were unaware of all of the Estates of Urcea. The most prominent example of such a family are the ancestors of James Cossus Reed, who were Ænglish settlers in Gassavelia.

The Edsallanus system, popular among aristocrats, scholars, and wealthy bourgeoisie, was never successful among the working classes or the members of the Royal Army. Though they had agreed to it at the Great Landsmeet, the system was also not popular among the members of the Gaelic estates, many of whom used their Estate name as their surname. Any momentum the system had was halted by the Red Interregnum. Regent Gréagóir FitzRex prohibited the adoption of further tria nominas as part of his overall effort to abolish the Estates of Urcea. While this prohibition was removed after the restoration and end of the Interregnum, the movement's popularity had faded. There was some renewed interest in it prior to the Great War, but it came to a formal end with the beginning of hostilities. Many families, however, still use the tria nomina adopted during the movement's height. Perhaps the most prominent example is House de Weluta, as the Urcean royals never abandoned the use of the tria nomina following its 1858 adoption.