Posted by Jorge (jacadenasso) on 7/5/2008, 22:10:43, in reply to "Marquis and Comtes?"
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Henri, the Monpezats assumed those titles themselves. If being a fake count is already a lot, being a fake marquis is just too much. As I am not sure if you are a member of the Royals Portal Forum, here is an explanation that Stig provided about the family's nobility:
In 1655 the King of France issued a letters patent elevating the family to the nobility - but the Estates of Bearn, where the family lived, declined to register the letters patent.
Living in Bearn was the family's bad luck, as this was one of only three French provinces that required local registration in order to make the King's letters patent valid. Had they lived any other place, they would have every right to claim membership of the nobility.
Despite Bearn's refusal to register the letters patent, the Monpezats actually paid poll-taxes prior to the Revolution at the rate of nobility, not commoners.
It seems that Prince Henrik's great-grandfather assumed the title of Comte sometime in the 19th century. I don't know why, but apparently it was very common for both nobles and bourgois property owners to adopt noble titles to which they had no legal right.
Charles Stewart has earlier posted several informative messages about this topic on the Scandinavian Royals MB, where he a.o. quoted from Francois Velde's website on the subject of French titles:
"Usurpation of titles had become quite common in the 18th century already. Even commoners adopted counts' and marquis' coronets in their arms. In many cases, the usurpation was politely tolerated and, over the course of a few generations, became accepted in legal documents, or even at the Court, although such recognition was never equivalent to a formal grant of title. Such titles are known as 'titres de courtoisie'."
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