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Titles of the Castadillaan Imperial Family

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The titles of the Castadillaan Imperial Family forms a legal system comprising the hereditary titles associated with the Imperial Family, composed of several ranks, and within the framework of the Constitution of Castadilla form a constituent part of the Imperial Households and of the nation's orders of precedence. These titles determine the position of a member of the imperial family in relation to their seniority. Although some of these titles might make it seem like the members of the Imperial Family are a part of the nation's peerage, this is not necessarily the case as members of the Imperial Family are considered to be ranking above the peerage and thus are not allowed to run for office in the Congress of the Peerage so as to avoid conflicts of interest.

The fundamental roles of the Imperial Family are to serve as the cultural symbols of Castadilla, with each and every adult member being eligible (but never, ever entitled) for nomination by the committee of forty-one in the grand elections and having eligibility to serve in diplomatic roles if designated as such by the Emperor.

Members of the Imperial Family are not allowed to serve in a ministerial role in the magisterial council unless they are invited to do so by the Commander-in-Chief.

Members of the Imperial Family are generally not permitted to serve as a justice of the Supreme Court of Castadilla unless the individual in question is an emperor emeritus, meaning that one has to have been the Castadillaan Emperor and then had to resign from the post in order to serve in such a role. These justices are not counted towards the membership of the Supreme Court, that being nine justices with three appointed by the Commander-in-Chief, three by the Speaker of the Peerage, and three by the Speaker of the Commons.

These ranks and titles has a role as a system of hierarchy within the Imperial Family, with the attainment of an imperial title through birth forming the highest rung of the modern Castadillaan social hierarchy.

Within the Imperial Family, there exists 8 titles which shall be listed here from highest to lowest, do note that these ranks and titles only apply to the Imperial Family and not the constituent royal families:

Background

Much like the peerages in Castadilla, all titles below that of a Grand Prince are created by the Castadillaan Emperor, much like all Imperial honours, being affirmed by letters patent affixed with the Great Seal of State. Unlike the peerage, however, His Imperial Majesty's Magisterial Council in the Castadillaan Realm does not make recommendations to the Sovereign concerning who in the Imperial Family should be given a title, nor do the regional lower houses have to subject Imperial Peers to external vetting and elections for Imperial Peers cannot sit in the Congress of the Peerage by reason of conflicts of interest.

The vast majority of awardees of a hereditary title are members of the Imperial Family who are often granted titles of the Imperial Peerage if they get married or if they inherit a senior title (e.g. the title of Grand Prince Imperial and Archduke of Isuria). Of course, not all members of the Imperial Family are necessarily going to be elevated to the status of Archduke or Grand Prince. Indeed, the vast majority of the Imperial Family are Princes or Imperial Dukes. Typically, Grand Princes and Archdukes are reserved for the most senior of members of the Imperial Family.

All Imperial-level honours, including the titles and ranks within the Imperial Family, are granted at the discretion of the emperor as the fount of honour (and even functionally and mostly never on the advice of the magisterial council or a popular petition as it is the Emperor who is the head of the Imperial Family and not the magisterial council), there is therefore no entitlement to be granted an Imperial-level title. For example, as a wedding gift, newly-wedded members of the Imperial Family are often granted an Archdukedom (as was the case for the children of Maximilian I) or an elevation in rank depending on the status of the member (Imperial Dukes are elevated to the level of Prince).

All Castadillaan subjects who are neither Imperial nor Peers of State are termed Commoners, regardless of wealth or other social factors; thus a Commoner who marries a member of the Imperial Family is elevated to the same status as that of their husband or wife by courtesy and any children that is a product of this marriage will inherit the status of the Imperial parent unless said parent has opted against their children holding such a status (as was the case with Grand Prince Luis, who holds Imperial status as the son of the Emperor, but has refused offers of titles for his children despite them being the grandchildren of the Emperor).

Recipients of new Imperial-level titles are typically announced via the Imperial Honours Lists. The holders of these new titles are presented with an investiture ceremony handled and managed by the Imperial Households. However, these holders will not receive an introduction ceremony at the Congress of the Peerage.

All members of the Imperial Family may not run for office in the Congress of the Peerage for reasons and concerns that an Imperial sitting in the Congress of the Peerage may present a conflict of interest. This is a feature found in most modern constitutional monarchies wherein the members of the Sovereign's royal house are barred from directly taking part in the legislative process. An Imperial who wishes to take part in the nation's legislature will have to request the Emperor to allow them to disclaim any and all rights and privileges that pertain to the status of being a member of the Imperial Family so that they may take part in politics.

The Imperial Family's purpose is, as stated in the Constitution of 1996, to represent the people of Castadilla and to serve as a symbol of cultural and national unity. Constitutionally, the Imperial Family serve only a ceremonial role, save for the Emperor who, by virtue of him also being the commander-in-chief, making him the only member of the Imperial Family who is permitted to have an active role in government; him and whomever serves as an acting commander-in-chief in the event of an interregnum. The latter case lasting until a new King in Vallos is designated and subsequently coronated as the new Castadillaan Emperor. However, during an interregnum, it is the Speaker of the Peerage and not a member of the Imperial Family who serves as the acting Emperor.

Unlike members of the Peerage who sit in the Congress of the Peerage, members of the Imperial Family cannot serve in the Castadillaan magisterial council, nor can they be invited to do as ministers of state, with the technical exception being the Castadillaan Emperor in his role as the nation's commander-in-chief. They also cannot even serve as Prime Minister of Castadilla as they cannot sit in the Congress of the Commons nor the Congress of the Peerage.

Until 1996, all members of the Imperial Family served in an exclusively ceremonial role as the office of the commander-in-chief was not in the person of the Castadillaan Emperor and much of the executive power was vested in the Prime Minister of Delepasia, though there were a couple of instances in which the Castadillaan Emperor used what little power he held to override the wishes of the Prime Minister and the Commander-in-Chief (hence why the nation's TLD is .cs and not .de). It was not until the current constitution was put into effect on 30 April 1996 that any member of the Imperial Family held any executive power, and even then the constitution still has it so that the titles of Castadillaan Emperor and Commander-in-Chief are still two different offices. Unlike the Peerage, however, Castadillaan Emperors Emeritus are allowed to serve as a justice of the Supreme Court of Castadilla for life with no limit on the amount of Emperors Emeritus serving in such a role at once.

Ever since 2000, members of the Imperial Family may refuse offers of title to their children if their spouse is a Commoner, they may also resign from the role as an active Imperial, and they may submit a request to the Emperor to have their Imperial title disclaimed if they wish to run for public office in exchange for surrendering the privileges and status associated with being an Imperial. This decision is permanent and affects the disclaimed member for life; if they have any living descendants, those descendants will not be affected by the disclaiment and will inherit the disclaimed titles when the disclaimed individual passes on.

Stripping an Imperial of their titles is an act that is ultimately up to the Emperor, and such an act is only reserved in cases when the member is deemed a legal disgrace such as if said member is convicted of treason or of any conviction that deems them a legal disgrace. As of 2033, there are no members of the Imperial Family who have been deemed a legal disgrace, dynastic discipline is considered to be one of the world's strictest forms of dynastic discipline which ensures that the conduct of the Imperial Family as a whole remains at its finest.

History of the Imperial ranks

The system of Imperial titles and ranks as it is to this day began with the Pact of Eighteen in 1976 which delineated the layout of the Delepasian Commonwealth and how its consitution should be structured. A part of this delineation was an early layout of the titles and ranks of the Imperial Family. Back then, the only ranks were the Emperor, the Empress consort, the Grand Princes, and the Archdukes as no one was expecting the inaugural Emperor to be having numerous children who in turn had numerous children. The latter form of title was initially held by only two people, the Emperor as the Archduke of Rosaria, and the Grand Prince Imperial as the Archduke of Isuria. These titles were to be held under a male-preference form of primogeniture, allowing for females if there are no suitable male heirs.

The original role of the Imperial Family was to serve a strictly ceremonial role, with the Emperor not even being named the new nation's chief executive (that role belonging to the nation's Commander-in-Chief). Furthermore, the Emperor could be removed at any time if the Commander-in-Chief and the Prime Minister mutually agree that the Emperor should be removed, causing a new grand election to be held. Because Emperor Maximilian I's children were minors, however, he was essentially immune to this threat.

Any attempts on Maximilian I's reign were halted by the Velvet Revolution in 1994, with the Emperor aligning himself with the revolutionaries. As such, he was given a presiding role over the provisional governments that ruled Delepasia from 1994 until 1996. This was initially meant to be a temporary arrangement pending the designation of a new commander-in-chief, but by 1996 it was getting very clear that the role of the commander-in-chief was going to remain with the Emperor permanently.

Alongside these changes, there were the additions of two additional titles and ranks of the Imperial Family as Maximilian I's children grew to adulthood and subsequently got married and had offspring. These offspring needed their own titles, particularly the younger grandchildren of the Emperor. This was what resulted in the creation of the titles and ranks of Princes and Imperial Dukes. There also began the custom of granting younger Imperials an Archdukedom or an elevation in Imperial rank upon marriage.

Types of Imperial ranks

Senior Imperial ranks

The senior Imperial ranks are the ranks of the Imperial Family who hold the dignity of at least an Archducal title or above. Senior Imperial dignities are always created by letters patent, and are usually given as a gift to a lesser Imperial who marries. This tradition began when the younger children of Emperor Maximilian I got married. The younger children of the Emperor were often given just the title of Grand Prince without any attached Archducal title or accompanying Archduchy. As such, the Emperor began to gift his younger children with Archdukedoms when they married, with these new titles being allowed to pass on to the inaugural holder's descendants should the holder pass on, with each new holder requiring an investiture ceremony to confirm that the title in question officially belongs to the Imperial. Because members of the Imperial Family are not allowed to sit in either the Congress of the Peerage or the Congress of the Commons, these titles were not created by writs of summons, and thus all new Imperial titles are explicitly created rather than implicitly created. The laws of succession follow a form of absolute primogeniture in which neither gender is preferred over the other in the lines of succession.

Once created, an Imperial dignity continues to exist as long as there are surviving legitimate descendants of the first holder, unless a contrary method of descent is specified in the letters patent. Once the heirs of the original holder die out, the Imperial dignity becomes extinct. Legally, Imperial dignities can be rendered forfeit on the whims of the Emperor, usually in the hypothetical case that an Imperial has been found guilt of treason. However, the felonious Imperial's descendants have the right to petition the Sovereign to restore the dignity to that branch of the family, although the decision to do so is ultimately up to the Sovereign no matter what, and thus he may decide that the dignity should be considered forfeit in perpetuity, or he may decide to restore the dignity after all. An Imperial can disclaim his Imperial dignity for his own lifetime even if he has held the title for many years.

Senior Imperials include the Castadillaan Emperor, the Grand Princes, and the Archdukes, the original Imperial ranks as created by the Pact of Eighteen.

Junior Imperial ranks

Asides from the senior Imperial ranks, there exist Imperial ranks that are lower than the Archdukes. These ranks are the junior ranks of the Imperial Family, and unlike the senior ranks are usually created automatically by accident of birth instead of by letters patent (though the Emperor can withhold this if the parent of the newborn Imperial wishes that the child be a Commoner), and thus are most often associated with the youngest members of the Imperial Family. This also means that junior Imperials are almost always uninvolved Imperials, a type of Imperial shared by disclaimed Imperials, very distantly-related Imperials, and Imperials who have yet to reach adulthood regardless of actual rank.

However, just because a member of the Imperial Family may be a part of the junior Imperial ranks it does not mean that the individual in question is not eligible to be nominated by the committee of forty-one as a candidate for the Imperial office. The ranks ultimately just determine which Imperials are the most likely to be active in their duties and which Imperials are most likely to be disinterested. Other similarities include the ability of a junior Imperial to disclaim their Imperial dignity, and the ability of the Emperor to render the lower Imperial dignity forfeit under the same crimes that would warrant a forfeiture against upper Imperial dignities. Another way for a junior Imperial to stop being a junior Imperial is if the Emperor elevates them to a senior Imperial rank, the most likely scenario being that the Imperial is gifted an Archdukedom as a wedding present, a tradition that dates back to the early 2000s and is still practiced to this day. This means that all Imperials in good standing will inevitably become senior Imperials if they are not a senior Imperial already.

Junior Imperial ranks include the Princes and the Imperial Dukes.

Ranks

Imperials are of seven ranks, in descending order of hierarchy:

  • The Castadillaan Emperor, as the head of the Imperial Family and the head of state of Castadilla, is the very top of the hierarchy of Imperial ranks. Its feminine equivalent is the Castadillaan Empress.
  • The Empress consort, being the wife of the Castadillaan Emperor, is the second-highest Imperial rank in the hierarchy. Its masculine equivalent is the Emperor consort.
  • The King in Vallos, while normally a subsidiary title of the Castadillaan Emperor, is the main title of an Imperial who has won the grand election and has yet to be crowned. Its feminine equivalent is the Queen in Vallos.
  • The Grand Prince Imperial and Archduke of Isuria, a double-barreled title, is a title that belongs to Jaime, Grand Prince Imperial, the eldest son of Maximilian I, and his line of the Imperial Family. It is considered distinct from the ranks of Grand Prince and Archduke. Its feminine equivalent is Grand Princess Imperial and Archduchess of Isuria.
  • The Grand Prince is a title used to refer to the most senior members of the Imperial Family, often used for the most active members of the Imperial Family. Its feminine equivalent is Grand Princess.
  • The Archduke is a title that is often gifted to newly-wedded members of the Imperial Family regardless of rank. Its feminine equivalent is Archduchess.
  • The Prince, sometimes referred to as a Lesser Prince, is the most senior title of the junior Imperial ranks. As the name suggests, these Imperials are among the lowest ranks of the Imperial Family. Its feminine equivalent is Princess.
  • The Imperial Duke, also referred to as a Grand Duke, is the lowest Imperial rank. These Imperials are almost guaranteed to be inactive Imperials; they do not have the right to call themselves a prince. Its feminine equivalent is Imperial Duchess.

Precedence

Main article: Orders of Precedence in Castadilla

Imperials are entitled to a special order of precedence because of their ranks. Wives and children of Imperials are also entitled to a special precedence because of their station.

General precedence

The Sovereign ranks first, followed by the Imperial Family. Then follows the Archbishop of Los Rumas and the Archbishop of Las Joquis, the Great Officers of State and other important state functionaries such as the prime minister. Thereafter, the dukes precede the marquesses, who precede the counts, who precede the viscounts, who precede the Peers Spiritual, who precede the bishops, who precede the barons, who precede the baronets, who precede the dons, who precede the hereditary gentlemen, who precede the gentlemen, who precede the squires, who precede the senators.

Within the members of each rank of the Imperial Family, the Empress consort precede the Empresses dowager. The Empresses consort and dowager altogether precede the King in Vallos. All of the aforementioned precede the Grand Prince Imperial and Archduke of Isuria regardless if the Empresses dowager or Empresses consort are younger. Next come the Grand Princes, who precede the Archdukes. These ranks altogether precede the Princes. Last come the Imperial Dukes. Among Imperials of the same rank and dignity, precedence is based on the parentage of the Imperials: those who are the children of the Grand Prince Imperial precede those of the younger siblings of the Grand Prince Imperial. In no case should a more senior Imperial be preceded by a more junior Imperial. Hence, the youngest children of the Grand Prince Imperial would precede the oldest children of the younger brothers of the Grand Prince Imperial.

The place of an Imperial in the order for gentlemen is taken by his wife in the order for ladies, except that a Dowager Imperial of a particular title precedes the present holder of the same title. Children of Imperials (and suo jure female Imperials) also obtain a special precedence. The following algorithm may be used to determine their ranks:

  • Eldest sons of Imperials of rank X go after Imperials of rank X-1
  • Younger sons of Imperials of rank X go after eldest sons of Imperials of rank X−1
  • Wives have a precedence corresponding to those of their husbands
  • Daughters of Imperials of rank X go before wives of eldest sons of Imperials of rank X

The eldest sons of the Grand Prince Imperial rank after the Grand Princes; the eldest sons of the Grand Princes and then the youngest sons of the Grand Prince Imperial rank after the Archdukes; the eldest sons of the Archdukes and then the youngest sons of the Grand Princes rank after the Princes; the eldest sons of the Princes, the youngest sons of the Archdukes, and then the eldest sons of the Imperial Dukes, in that order, rank after the Imperial Duke, followed by the youngest sons of the Imperial Dukes. Because the Imperial Family ranks above the Peerage, the order of precedence is not interrupted by various offices being inserted at different points in the order, thus ensuring a consistent order of precedence in the country.

Children of the eldest son of an Imperial also obtain a special precedence. Generally, the eldest son of the eldest son of an Imperial comes immediately before his uncles, while the younger sons of the eldest son of an Imperial comes after them. Therefore, eldest sons of eldest sons of the Grand Prince Imperial come before younger sons of the Grand Prince Imperial, and younger sons of eldest sons of the Grand Prince Imperial comes after them, and so forth for all the ranks. Below the younger sons of the Imperial Dukes come the eldest sons of the younger sons of Imperials.

Wives of all of the aforementioned have precedence corresponding to their husbands', unless otherwise entitled to a higher precedence, for instance by virtue of holding a certain office. An individual's daughter takes precedence before the wife of that individual's eldest son as well as the wives of that individual's younger sons. Therefore, daughters of Imperials rank immediately before wives of eldest sons of Imperials; daughters of eldest sons of Imperials rank immediately before wives of eldest sons of eldest sons of Imperials; daughters of younger sons of Imperials rank before wives of eldest sons of younger sons of Imperials. Such a daughter keeps her precedence if marrying a commoner (unless that marriage somehow confers a higher precedence).

Imperial privileges

Main article: Imperial privileges

The Imperial privileges is the body of all the legal privilege that belong to Imperials, their wives and their unremarried widows. This privilege is distinct from parliamentary privilege as well as the privileges of peerage, and applies to all Imperials, not just active members of the Imperial Family. It still exists, although "occasions of its exercise have now diminished into obscurity" after the Velvet Revolution. These privileges of an Imperial are lost if an Imperial disclaims his or her own Imperial title and rank.

Within the Honours system

Main article: Orders, decorations, and medals of Castadilla

The Imperial Family, although not a part of the Castadillaan honours system as one cannot simply be made into an Imperial the same way as one gets enobled. However, there exists an internal honours system for the Imperial Family that is determined by the merit of an individual Imperial and by their appropriate rank. Hence, the Grand Prince Imperial is deemed to be the highest within this internal honour system.

One of the most obvious ways that this is expressed is through the extranumerary members of the Knights of St. Brendan. Because the amount of members of the Knights of St. Brendan is limited to 50 members, the Castadillaan Emperor, in an effort to save space, and so that his numerous descendants are guaranteed a membership into the order no matter what, he has made it so that all Imperials are to be made extranumerary members of the order, ensuring that no Imperial takes up one of the 50 positions of regular membership. The same applies to foreign members of the Order.

As such, membership in these Orders are technically hereditary for members of the Imperial Family even though all members are in fact members of the Order in their own right.

Another Imperial guarantee is the right and entitlement to a coat of arms. This right is considered automatic upon the birth of the Imperial. However, because the undifferenced coat of arms is reserved for the head of the Imperial Family (as in, the Castadillaan Emperor), each member of the Imperial Family is required to difference their coats of arms so that their coat of arms is of their own design. The rules of differencing in Castadillaan heraldry are rather loose, requiring that the original coat of arms must not be completely replaced.

Form of title

The titles of Imperials are in the form of "(Rank) (Name)" or "(Rank) (Name) of (TitleName)". The name of the title must be a place name and not contain a surname unlike the titles of peers. The precise usage depends on the rank of the Imperial and on certain other general considerations. For instance, the Grand Prince Imperial always lists his title after his name while his siblings and relatives list their titles before their names, with additional titles being listed after their names. They may also include the title name.

Styles and forms of address

Main article: Forms of address in Castadilla

Style

The Emperor and the Empress use His/Her Imperial Majesty, the King in Vallos uses His Vallosi Majesty, Grand Princes use His Imperial Highness, Archdukes use His Archducal Highness, Princes use His Princely Highness, and Imperial Dukes use His Ducal Highness. Female Imperials (whether they hold an Imperial title in their own right or are wives of Imperials) use equivalent styles.

Honorifics

The honorifics associated with the Imperial titles reflect their forms of title alongside the use of courtesy titles for spouses of Imperials. As such, the usual honorifics is simply the individual's rank followed by their name with their title name being optional. Children of Imperials, unlike the children of peers, are not entitled to use a courtesy of title of their Imperial parent. Widowed Imperials tack on an additional designation to their full titles, with females using Dowager (Empress Dowager) and males using Widower (Emperor Widower). This title remains with them for life and beyond unless they remarry beforehand and thus have to take on a style relating to their new spouse.

Vestments

Main article: Robes of the Castadillaan Imperial Family

Robes

Imperial robes are currently worn in Castadilla on ceremonial occasions. They are of two varieties: state robes, worn on formal state occasions such as jubilees or investiture ceremonies, and coronation robes, worn at the coronations of emperors. The details of the fur on these robes differs according to an Imperial's rank.

Crowns and headgear

  •  
    Emperor/Empress
  •  
    Empress consort/Emperor consort
  •  
    King in Vallos/Queen in Vallos
  •  
    Grand Prince Imperial and Archduke of Isuria/Grand Princess Imperial and Archduchess of Isuria
  •  
    Grand Prince/Grand Princess
  •  
    Archduke/Archduchess
  •  
    Prince/Princess
  •  
    Imperial Duke/Imperial Duchess

In Castadilla, an Imperial wears his or her crown on only on occasion: for the coronations of emperors, when it is worn along with coronation robes.

See also

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