The many titles that my ancestors held over the years sound grand, but in some cases they did not have any roles or obligations associated with them.

This article explains what each title meant and what this meant for my family.

Definitions

In the context of the titles below, do remember that:

  • A Bailiff in the Middle-East was the person who ruled on behalf of a King, like a regent would. A bailiff would be the most powerful person in the kingdom if the king didn’t bother ruling that kingdom1.
  • A Constable in the Byzantine world was someone who was in charge of the armed forces. The word comes from the Latin comes stabuli or ‘head of the stable'2.
A picture of Duke Ranulf I of Aquitaine
Duke Ranulf I of Aquitaine
  • Duchesses are wives of Dukes. A Duchess consort had no real authority so her title shows she is the consort of the Duke, not a Duchess in her own right3.
  • Dukes ruled over a Duchy which also was a feudal domain, and may have contained counties.
  • Counts ruled over a county which was a feudal domain. In France, they’re considered nobility.
  • An Emperor is a sovereign of an empire. This describes rulers of ancient Rome, as well as various later European rulers4.
  • A King was royalty and ruled over a specific territory. In some cases, people were Titular Kings. This means they had the title of King, but this carried no privileges or executive authority.
  • Lay abbots were laymen on whom a king bestowed an abbey. Lay abbots would receive this as a reward. They would be in charge of the estate and took part of any income generated5. This practice ended in the 11th century, when ecclesiastical reforms outlawed it.
  • The Lord of Beirut ruled over this fiefdom, part of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. In some rare cases, women inherited the title of Lady of Beirut in their own right.
  • Princes were not royalty but closer to what we call ‘Lords’ in English. Such a title was usually given to the eldest son of a Duke6.

Titles

The titles here are in alphabetical order; use the search option in your browser to find one.

The coat of arms of Counts of Auvergne
The coat of arms of Counts of Auvergne By Peter Potrowl – Own work. CC BY 2.5
  1. Bailiff of Cyprus: Cyprus was an important haven during the Crusades.

    The sole ancestor who held this title is Hugh III of Cyprus.

  2. Bailiff of Jerusalem: Jerusalem was a Crusader state created in 1099. It lasted for 200 years.

    The sole ancestor who held this title is Henry of Antioch.

  3. Constable of Cyprus: Cyprus had its own armed forces, due to wars around the trade links to the Middle East.

    The sole ancestor who held this title is Guy Poitiers-Lusignan.

  4. Constable of Jerusalem As a separate city-state, Jerusalem had its own standing army.

    The sole ancestor who held this title is Hugh IV of Cyprus,
The coat of arms of the Kings of Jerusalem, Cyprus and Armenia
The coat of arms of the Kings of Jerusalem, Cyprus and Armenia
By Odejea, CC BY-SA 3.0
  1. Count of Auvergne: Auvergne was a historic province in south-central France. It was the feudal domain of the Count of Auvergne. It formed part of the kingdom of Aquitaine, which was part of the Carolingian Kingdom7. The Counts later became more independent.

    Ancestors who held this title include Gerard of Auvergne and William III of Aquitaine.

  2. Count of Limoges: Limoges was a historic province in central France. It was the feudal domain of the Count of Limoges8.

    The sole ancestor who held this title is William III.

  3. Count of Limousin: Limousin was a historic province in south-central France, west of Auvergne. It was the feudal domain of the Count of Limousin. Counts and Dukes of neighbouring provinces annexed part of it between the 10th and 11th century. By this time it was controlled by the Duke of Aquitaine9.

    The sole ancestor who held this title is Ebalus Manzer.
The coat of arms of Kings of Armenia, Jerusalem and Cyprus
The coat of arms of Kings of Armenia, Jerusalem and Cyprus
By Odejea, CC BY-SA 3.0
  1. Count of Poitiers: Poitiers is a city in west-central France. Counts of Poitiers were sometimes also Dukes of Aquitaine.

    Ancestors who held this title include Ebalus Manzer and William III of Aquitaine.

  2. Duchess consort of Normandy: Robert I was the first Duke of Normandy. Since he was a viking, it’s possible they called him a Duke without having any of the privileges associated with a Duke.

    The sole ancestor who held this title is Popa of Bayeux.

  3. Duke of Aquitaine: In 781, the Carolingians created the Kingdom of Aquitaine (not the same as the current French region of Aquitaine). The Carolingian Kings may have delegated governing power to dukes in the 9th century. We do know Aquitaine was a Duchy controlled by the Comte de Poitou by the end of the 10th century10.

    Ancestors who held this title include Ranulf I, Ranulf II, Ebalus Manzer, William IV, William V, William VII and William IX.
A 3D reconstruction of the city of Antioch in Roman times
3D reconstruction of the city of Antioch in Roman times
  1. Duke of Gascony: Gascony was a historical and cultural region in south-western France. In 1052 it became a separate region from the Duchy of Aquitaine and became a duchy in its own right11.

    The sole ancestor who held this title is William VIII.

  2. Emperor of the West: When Charlemagne’s sons inherited his empire, the Pope supported the western segment. The Emperor of the West is synonymous with Holy Roman Emperor.

    The sole ancestor who held this title is Louis I.

  3. King of the Aquitanians: Aquitaine was a critical part of the Carolingian Empire12. Obtained by force, it was a bulwark against the Muslim-controlled Ibeian peninsula12.

    The sole ancestor who held this title is Louis I.

  4. King of Armenia: The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia was a state in present-day Turkey. It contained Armenian refugees fleeing the Persian invasion of their homeland.

    The sole ancestor who held this title is Jean II of Cyprus.
The family crest for the de Lusignan family
The family crest for the de Lusignan family
  1. King of Cyprus: Cyprus became a kingdom when Henry VI granted this title and rights13.

    Ancestors who held this title include Hugh III of Cyprus, Hugh IV of Cyprus, James I of Cyprus, Janus of Cyprus, Jean II of Cyprus, and James II (the Bastard).

  2. King of France: France14 existed as an individual entity since the days of Charlemagne. In the early days, it was a collection of duchys and fiefdoms not a single country.

    The sole ancestor who held this title is Louis I.

  3. King of Italy: Italy has only existed as a single state since the 19th century. In history, ‘Italy’ refers to parts of present-day Italy rather than the modern country.

    The sole ancestor who held this title is Louis I.

  4. Lord of Beirut: Whomever inherited the fiefdom of Beirut in was Lord of Beirut.

    The sole ancestor who held this title is Guy Poitiers-Lusignan.
A picture of Louis, Emperor of the West
Louis, Emperor of the West
  1. Lay Abbot of St-Hilaire de Poitiers: The abbey is now a UNESCO World heritage site.

    The sole ancestor who held this title is William III.

  2. Prince of Antioch: Antioch was a crusader city state in modern-day Turkey.

    Ancestors who held this title include Raymond of Poitiers, Bohemond IV, and Jean II of Cyprus.

  3. Titular King of Armenia: The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia was a state in present-day Turkey. It contained Armenian refugees fleeing the Persian invasion of their homeland.

    The sole ancestor who held this title is James I of Cyprus.

  4. Titular King of Armenian Cilicia: The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia was a state in present-day Turkey. It contained Armenian refugees fleeing the Persian invasion of their homeland.

    The sole ancestor who held this title is Janus of Cyprus.
The coat of arms of the House of Poitiers-Antioch after 1252
The coat of arms of the House of Poitiers-Antioch after 1252
  1. Titular King of Jerusalem: Jerusalem was another crusader state. Jerusalem was another crusader state. Protecting it from non-believers was important to all faiths.

    Ancestors who held this title include Hugh III of Cyprus, Hugh IV of Cyprus, James I of Cyprus, Janus of Cyprus, Jean II of Cyprus.

  2. Titular Prince of Antioch: Antioch was a crusader city state in modern-day Turkey.

    The sole ancestor who held this title is Janus of Cyprus

References

  1. Aftermath of War: Cypriot Christians and Mediterranean Geopolitics, 1571-1625; Matthew Lubin; 2019-03-19[↩]
  2. Constable; Encyclopedia Britannica; 2016-02-22[↩]
  3. Consort; Cambridge dictionary[↩]
  4. Emperor; Encyclopedia Britannica; (2020-05-08) [↩]
  5. Lay abbot; Catholic encyclopaedia; (Retrieved 2019-11-05) [↩]
  6. Prince; Encyclopedia Britannica; 2002-04-12[↩]
  7. The partitioning of the Carolingian Empire; Encyclopaedia Britannica; 2019-09-25[↩]
  8. Limoges; Encyclopedia Britannica; 2017-09-22[↩]
  9. Limousin; Encyclopedia Britannica; 2017-09-22[↩]
  10. Aquitaine, Dukes; Charles Cawley; Medieval Lands; (Retrieved 2019-10-03) [↩]
  11. Gascony; Encyclopaedia Britannica; 2017-04-28[↩]
  12. Louis I, King of Aquitaine; Encyclopaedia Brittannica; (Retrieved 2020-06-20) [↩][↩]
  13. Cyprus; Encyclopedia Britannica; 2020-01-21[↩]
  14. France; Encyclopedia Britannica; 2020-05-20[↩]