Serene Highness
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Serene Highness (acronym HSH) – His Serene Highness or Her Serene Highness. The style is used today by the reigning families of Monaco and Liechtenstein. The style of HSH also preceded the princely titles of members of German ruling families until 1917. It was also the form of address used for cadet members of the dynasties of France, Italy, and Russia under the monarchy.
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[edit] Monaco
The reigning Prince of Monaco, Prince Albert II of Monaco, is styled His Serene Highness and his sisters Stéphanie and Caroline are also styled as Her Serene Highness, although Caroline is now styled Royal Highness through marriage. In French, both male and female versions are Son Altesse Sérénissime (S.A.S.), which translates literally to "His/Her Most Serene Highness".
[edit] German-speaking lands
The official current usage of the style in the German-speaking countries is by the princely house of Liechtenstein, the entirety of which bears the style.
In Germany, the style used is Durchlaucht, a translation for the Latin (su)perillustris. This is usually translated into English as Serene Highness, however, it would be more literal to translate it as superior to, above, beyond or greater than illustrious, as it is an augmentation of Erlaucht ("illustrious"), which was borne by counts of the Holy Roman Empire and, later, of the German Empire. In a number of Old English dictionaries, serene as used in this context means supreme, royal, august, or marked by majestic dignity or grandeur or high or supremely dignified. The style Serene Highness has an antiquity equal to that of highness. However, in some, excluding the Latin language countries, Highness outranks a Serene Highness.
The style Serene Highness was mainly used by mediatized dukes (e.g. the Ratibor dukes of the house of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst), reigning and mediatized Fürsten ("Princes"), and the children and grandchildren of the sovereign Saxon dukes and the reigning princes of the small German states that survived the collapse of the Holy Roman Empire. It was also given to several morganatic branches of German ruling families. Mary of Teck, the queen consort of King George V of the United Kingdom was Her Serene Highness as a princess of Teck. (The dukes and princes of Teck were a branch of the royal house of Württemberg). In the Republic of Venice, also called the Serene Republic, the Doge was known as Serenissimus ("Most Serene".
In Germany, the style of Serene Highness was considered to be lower in rank than Highness, Grand Ducal Highness, Royal Highness, and Imperial Highness. If a woman with the rank of Royal Highness married a man with the rank of Serene Highness, the woman would usually retain her pre-marital style. Queen Victoria did however create those German princes and dukes who married her daughters Royal Highnesses.
In 1905 Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria granted the style of Durchlaucht to virtually every prince in the former Holy Roman Empire, even if they had never been sovereign.
By tradition, Durchlaucht is still used by these princely dynasties which were sovereign until 1917:
- Hohenzollern (yielded sovereignty to kinsman, the King of Prussia in 1848)
- Lippe
- Reuss
- Schaumburg-Lippe
- Schwarzburg (now extinct)
- Schwarzenberg
- Waldeck and Pyrmont
Various mediatized German princely families also use the style (unofficially since 1918).
[edit] France
There is some evidence that in pre-Revolutionary France, one bearing the style of Serene Highness would outrank someone who was merely a Highness without any modifier. Those members of the Royal House of France who were not children or grandchildren of the king, i.e. the princes du sang, used the style Most Serene Highness. Whereas the simpler and lower style of Highness ("altesse") was claimed by the princes étranger.
[edit] United Kingdom
During World War I, King George V revoked the style Serene Highness for use by those relatives of the British Royal Family who were British subjects. These were the Dukes and Princes of Teck and the Princes of Battenberg.
[edit] Belgium
In addition to the Arenberg and Lobkowicz, the following families also use the style Serene Highness :
- Croÿ
- Croÿ-Rœulx
- Croÿ-Solre
- The Duke of Looz-Corswarem and his immediate family
- Duke of Beaufort-Spontin
[edit] Hungary
Before 1947, the style His/Her Serene Highness (Ő Főméltósága, literally: "His/Her High Dignitary") was in use in Hungary. Princes were entitled to use it and between 1920 and 1944 Regent Miklós Horthy was styled as His Serene Highness the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (Ő Főméltósága a Magyar Királyság Kormányzója).
[edit] Spain
In 1807 Manuel de Godoy received the treatment of (Most) Serene Highness, a treatment unique in that country.
[edit] See also
- Style (manner of address)
- Use of courtesy titles and honorifics in professional writing
- Most Serene Republic
[edit] External links
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