This concise historical presentation is intended not as an exhaustive sociological treatise, but as a general introduction for the layman. (It is presumed that the reader has already reviewed the circular Italian Heraldry, Nobility, Onomatology and Genealogy.) Because of the highly individual nature of genealogical and heraldic projects, many of the following observations are necessarily generalities.
Italian nobiliary practices cannot be compared directly to those of other countries, such as Scotland or Russia. Even within Italy, regional differences must be considered because until circa 1870 the nation did not exist as a politically unified state.
The Italian Republic was founded by popular referendum in 1946. Two years later, the Italian Constitution established that titles of nobility and coats of arms henceforth were not to be recognized officially by the state, although in some cases the predicato (territorial designation) associated with a titled family could be legally attached to a surname. Thus, the Lanza family, princes of Trabia, are no longer addressed in legal documents (passports, etc.) by the title principe (prince), but their full surname is Lanza di Trabia, not simply "Lanza." It is important to observe that the use of aristocratic titles in Italy is in no way outlawed, and historical titles are often used socially, with the titles of cavaliere (knight) and dama (dame) recognized in some cases. A consequence of the lack of governmental recognition of titles in Italy is the proliferation of impostors-people who claim, or even bestow, fraudulent or usurped titles.
While there exist no means to petition for "official" recognition of Italian noble titles or coats of arms, some private organizations, such as those associated with the former ruling dynasties, continue to recognize these.
The greater titles of nobility are Principe (Noble Prince), Duca (Duke), Marchese (Marquess), Conte (Count), Visconte (Viscount) and Barone (Baron). The wife or widow of one of these noblemen is styled by the feminine version of her husband's title -Principessa, Duchessa, Marchesa, Contessa, Viscontessa, Baronessa, et al. In former times, the son of a titled nobleman was occasionally addressed by courtesy by his father's title. The minor titles of nobility are Patrizio (Patrician), Nobile (Nobleman) and Cavaliere Ereditario (Hereditary Knight Bachelor). These titles are described at length elsewhere.
The historical evidence of an ancestor's nobiliary title is usually obvious and can be confirmed through juridical investigation because of documents creating or recognizing the rank. It is necessary to establish (genealogically) one's descent from a titled nobleman claimed as an ancestor-whether a father or great-great-grandfather-if a claim is to be based upon demonstrable fact rather than whimsical fancy or familial "tradition."
At all events, it is essential that one comprehend the genealogical nature of proofs of nobility. If one believes that a remote ancestor was a count, but possesses no juridical confirmation, historical evidence or genealogical proof of this, it remains a mere allegation based upon hearsay or fantasy. It is impossible to make a nobiliary claim in the absence of factual genealogy. Indeed, no reputable heraldist or genealogist would even consider reviewing an allegation of noble ancestry if a proven genealogy were not submitted with such an assertion.
The former use of certain titles (particularly baron) without authority must be considered in some cases because rural families of untitled nobility were often identified as "baronial" in the absence of feudal rights or recognition by the Crown.
Nobile is the most frequent aristocratic rank in Italy because, in addition to families that were never actually titled, the younger sons (cadets) of titled noblemen were traditionally regarded as nobili. Thus one encounters such usage as, for example, Giuseppe Lanza dei Principi di Trabia (Giuseppe Lanza of the Princes of Trabia). In addition to those whose untitled nobility was recognized formally, there were families of rural gentility that were considered by tradition to be of untitled minor nobility --an Italian class analogous to Britain's landed gentry. Establishing the nobiliary status of such families depends upon various factors and is essentially twofold.
Firstly, documentary evidence must indicate that several ancestors in the same line were accorded honorific forms of address (Magnifico, Illustrissimo, don) in civil or church records before the nineteenth century. Such designations were applied rather loosely in centuries past-especially in rural localities, where any literate tradesman might be addressed as "don." While most local officials or wealthy landholders could not claim nobility, the use of such titles does serve to support the possibility of nobility in some cases.
Secondly, associated heraldic evidence must exist. The family must have been attributed a coat of arms that appertained to that family in particular, not to another in the same region which coincidentally bore the same surname. The coat of arms might be found as the engraving on an ancestral residence or the seal in a document. Perhaps it was recorded in a heraldic reference which mentions a proven (and legitimate) ancestor.
Circumstantial evidence is important, but it can be misleading. For example, one might conclude that local residents who share the surname of the local duke are his kin, and therefore nobles. Documentary research, however, might well demonstrate the contrary-for they might descend from the ducal family's servants. This was the case in the Sicilian town of Castelbuono, where dozens of families bore the surname Ventimiglia even though they had no kinship to the family of that name which resided in the local castle.
Anecdotes are rarely accurate or demonstrable. A frequent story is that of an ancestor's having been the illegitimate child of a local nobleman. Typically, the child was born to an unwed mother whose family subsequently sought to salvage her dignity by alleging aristocratic paternity. It is usually impossible to prove this.