Project: European Ancient Royals and Aristocrats

Categories: Medieval Project | Ancient Royals and Aristocrats Project | Pre-1700 Projects


New members welcome. Contact John Atkinson

Proper Spelling of Surnames
Name Fields/Standards
EuroAristo Categories

Contents

Ancient Royals and Aristocrats

This project includes medieval royals, aristocrats and nobles prior to 742 in Europe. See the list and links at bottom of page for projects that cover other time periods.

How to Join

Are you interested in the European Ancient Royals and Aristocrats Project?
You may also want to check out our older discussions on the Google Group.

We use G2G for discussions now, but the archives are still very useful.

This Project is a forum for WikiTreers interested in improving the profiles of the European royalty, aristocrats and nobility and their descendants.
  • Nobles: highest social class; generally held land or office in exchange for allegiance and services to monarch or higher-ranking nobleman. See Wikipedia: Nobility
  • Gentry: persons with elevated social status; often called ladies and gentlemen, without titles or coats of arms. See Wikipedia: Gentry
Remember these ancestors are massively common. Thousands of WikiTree members share them.' Working on their profiles can be tricky, and requires a high degree of genealogical knowledge and familiarity with WikiTree procedures. This is the era when thousands of people connect with hundreds of thousands of royal and other aristocratic lineages.

CERTIFICATION TESTS

In an effort to maintain profile integrity, WikiTree requires you take and pass two certification tests. Take the Pre-1700 test here.

This certification is necessary to:
  • Create new profiles for those born 1600s or earlier.
  • Edit profiles from 1600s and earlier.
If you have an interest in profiles in the pre-1500 period, you must apply for Pre-1500 certification. Wikitree is striving to maintain and improve these historically significant and medieval profiles. To receive the certification, you must have made contributions to pre-1700 or project-protected profiles that demonstrate a practical understanding of the principles behind our Honor Code and Pre-1700 Self-Certification, especially regarding sources and collaboration in high-conflict areas. You can find a link to read about and apply for the pre-1500 certification here. This is required to:
  • Create new profiles for people born prior to 1500.
  • Edit existing profiles of those born prior to 1500.
Naming standards:
  • Please read and familiarize yourself with Name Fields for European Aristocrats,
  • See section further down page.
  • All users are encouraged to read WikiTree's guidelines on Name Fields.
  • G2G: If you have a question with regard to what to enter where, ask before doing by posting a question on the G2G forum in Special Projects. Be sure to use the EuroAristo tag. Also feel free to contact Darlene.

Profile Improvement Checklist

Project Box:
  • Add at top of profile page text box. Find it here .
Sources:
  • Add sources. Many listed on Magna Carta project resource page are excellent sources for medieval profiles. See list of resources here.
Biography:
  • Create and/or edit bios with footnotes. Use narrative or timeline.


Photos of castles, effigy, etc.
  • Add images as appropriate.
  • Include source and copyright in image Comment box.
Tips on labeling images:
  • Scroll down image page in edit mode. Look for title in edit box.
  • Delete or replace 'image 1' 'image 2' etc.
  • Scroll to page end. Click save. Save comment box first. Then "save as thumbnail" if it's a coat of arms. Last, save image title.

Profile Maintenance and LNAB Selection

All users encouraged to first read WikiTree's guidelines on Name Fields for European Aristocrats. Then read Name Fields.

Last Name at Birth (LNAB)

LNAB: Last Name At Birth is one word (exceptions below).
  • EuroAristo project decided Fitz- names' should be written with mid-caps. Use a capital letter for the father's name.
  • EXAMPLE: FitzAlan, FitzGeoffrey, FitzGerald, etc.
This is the same pattern used in names with Mac, i.e.- MacMurray, MacDonald, etc. Do not include a space. As Wikitree users encounter these names, please change capitalization for consistency.

Prefixes, Suffixes, Titles

1.PREFIX FIELD:Use for title like 'Sir' or 'Reverend'. ( A man who was knighted was called Sir.) DO NOT USE for titles like 'Earl of Angus'. Don't put King, Duke, Earl here. Titles belong in the 'OTHER NICKNAMES' field.
2.PROPER FIRST NAME: This is first name at birth, in the person’s native language. It should be one word only.
3.PREFERRED NAME: This is the name of the person as they were generally known/called/referred to. It would also have a numeral (i.e. I, II, III) with it if they are known as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd. Example: Henry III of England - his proper first name is Henry, preferred name is Henry III.
4.OTHER NICKNAMES: This is where their title belongs (i.e. ‘King of England’, ‘Queen of Scots’, ‘Lord of Dunmow’, etc.). Titles may include numbers (i.e. either ‘Earl of Arundel’ or ‘3rd Earl of Arundel’ is acceptable). This is also where any actual nicknames (i.e. ‘The Younger’, ‘The Poor’, ‘Talvas’, ‘The Loyal’, ‘Copped Hat’, etc.) and translations such as Eléonore, Leonor, Eleanor belong. Do not put these in quotations. Separate multiple names with a comma.
5.MIDDLE NAME:Very few people in the middle ages had a middle name, so this field tends to be blank. However, this may be used for a patronymic, if this is not the LNAB.
6.LAST NAME AT BIRTH: This is the name they had (or would have been known by) when they were born. In most cases, it is one word. Exceptions to this are ‘de Vere’ and families that had ‘St’ as part of their name (such as St John, St Aubyn, St Hilary, St Liz, St Pol, St Sauveur). See below.
7.PREFIXES IN LAST NAME AT BIRTH FIELD (LNAB):The common ‘de’, ‘du’, ‘le’, ‘la’, ‘de la’, ‘von’, ‘van’ before a surname does not go in the LNAB field; it goes with the surname in the Current Last Name field while the surname, ONE word, goes in the LNAB.
Fitz- names should be written with mid-caps, that is, a capital letter for the father's name. For example, write FitzAlan, FitzGeoffrey, FitzGerald, etc. This is the same pattern as used in names with Mac-: MacMurray, MacDonald, etc. Do not include a space.
EXCEPTION: Prefixes that are the last name at birth (LNAB) like St John. "St" stays with surname. "St John" goes in LNAB field. St is not dropped or separated out in prefix field. Do NOT use a period.
7.a.NO "de" IN LNAB:The common "de" before a surname does NOT go in LNAB field. Put with surname in CURRENT LAST NAME field. Surname is ONE word in LNAB. Examples:
LNAB: "Villefort"
Current Last Name: "de Villefort"
EXCEPTION: de Vere. This family has both words in LNAB field.
8.CURRENT LAST NAME: For people who are known by last names that are commonly prefaced by prepositions ("de," "d'," "von," "van," "of," etc.) or articles ("the," "le," etc.), the Current Last Name should include that prefacing preposition or article. For nobility, the country, dukedom, etc., may be used here, with a preposition, as for example, of England or de León.
Women generally take their husband’s CLN, although not a patronymic. The last name at death is the name used here.
9.OTHER LAST NAME: This should include alternate last names and last name variations, separated by commas. Prior married names for women occur here. This is not the place for titles (those go in the Nickname field).
10.SUFFIX: These were not generally used in the Middle Ages. Modern usage includes Jr, Sr, III, IV, and so on. For kings and queens the number should go as part of the Preferred First Name instead of in the Suffix. For example, VI is not an appropriate Suffix for King George VI.
11.PUNCTUATION: NO period after prefix likes Rev or Capt or St
12.NO leeway on prefix and suffix rules.These fields cannot be used for anything else.
13.SUFFIXES IN LAST NAME: Jr, Sr, III (modern), and KG or KB (medieval) in suffix field only. NOTHING else.
14.TITLES:No titles in prefix or suffix fields. You can list their primary one in the OTHER NICKNAMES field. List their titles in their biography.
OTHER NICKNAMES: Put what people were called (King of England, Duc d'Angoulême, Lord Mountbatten, the Fat) in OTHER NICKNAMES field.
15.ALTERNATE SPELLING OF LAST NAME: alternate spellings go in "Other Last Names"
16.PATRONYMICS: When there is a more appropriate last name at birth, use patronymics as middle names.
17. WELSH NAMES: Welsh names can be complex to understand. Please use these directions.
18. NATIVE LANGUAGE:Use person' native language within reason. Wikipedia is good for translations.
19.NUMERALS: These are part of the preferred name (i.e. Richard III, Henry VIII).

In the historic time before the year 742, surnames as known in the world today rarely existed. In addition to the guidelines above, see Space: Ancient Royals Profile Conventions for specific decisions we have made to cover specific instances.

Numerals in a Name

EXAMPLE: Henry III of England
FIELDDATA
Proper first name: Henry
Preferred name: Henry III
Other Nicknames: King of England
Last Name At Birth: Plantagenet
Current Last Name: of England

Merging Profiles

Always merge into lowest correct LNAB profile ID. This is important. See why at: project protection . If you aren't sure what the LNAB should be, please ask in G2G to start a discussion.

Sources, Project Box and Templates for Profiles

Add the Project Box below, as well as the Project Account (WikiTree-79) as manager to project profiles. If you aren't authorized to do this, then contact one of the project managers to do this.

  • add {{Ancient Royals and Aristocrats}} to biography.
European Aristocracy
... ... ... was a member of aristocracy in ancient Europe.
Join: Medieval Project
Discuss: medieval

For profiles that do not need project protection and management, the project sticker can be used. If no place is used in the template, it defaults to "Europe".:

{{EuroAristo Sticker|place=Denmark}}

European Aristocracy
... ... ... was a member of the aristocracy in Denmark.


Goals/Priorities

  • Get the name in the LNAB (last name at birth) field correct.
  • We have a large number of existing profiles, and new ones that continue to be created with the wrong information in the LNAB. We need help to identify these profiles and fix them (if you're a profile manager or notice an orphaned profile, you can make these changes).
  • When you locate profiles and can't fix the LNAB, bring them to the attention of a leader who can correct the LNAB field. These profiles include those with a prefix or preposition, such as de, le, of, l' as part of their LNAB (example, le Bigod needs to be Bigod. Current Last Name (CLN) can be le Bigod). There are A LOT of profiles needing this attention.
  • Merge duplicate profiles. Back when WikiTree started, all GEDCOMs were allowed to be uploaded, creating a huge number of duplicate profiles. Duplicate profiles continue to be created, and we constantly need to be on the lookout for duplicates. Once a merge is completed, DON’T STOP THERE. Go into the newly merged profile and clean up the Biography/text section, deleting duplicate information.
  • Have all profiles as well-sourced as possible and conforming to the WikiTree Style Standards.
  • Include correct parents, spouse(s), and children.
  • Have appropriate categories listed in all Biography areas.

Useful Links



This page was last modified 09:14, 2 September 2023. This page has been accessed 13,322 times.