Duchy of Carniola

There sadly seems to be a vogue for finding long extinct Duchies and resurrecting them for apparently no good reason apart from selling ‘titles’, a typical example is the Duchy of Carniola.

The history of the Duchy of Carniola on the site sounds highly plausible:

“After Duke Henry of Gorizia-Tyrol had died in 1335 without a male heir, his daughter Margarete only was able to keep the County of Tyrol, while Emperor Louis IV passed the Duchy of Carinthia together with Carniola to the Austrian Duke Albert II von Habsburg. His son Rudolf IV awarded himself the title of a Duke of Carniola in 1364. After his death as a result of the quarrels between his younger brothers Albert III and Leopold, Carniola by the 1379 Treaty of Neuberg became part of Inner Austria ruled from Graz by Leopold, ancestor of the Habsburg Leopoldian line.

Napoleon subsequent to the 1809 Treaty of Schönbrunn formed the short-lived Illyrian Provinces from the annexed territories in Carniola, Carinthia, Croatia, Gorizia and Gradisca, and Trieste. The Final Act of the 1815 Congress of Vienna restored the Illyrian Provinces to the Austrian Empire. Carniola then formed the central part of the territory of the Habsburg Kingdom of Illyria whose capital was also Ljubljana. It was bounded on the north by the Duchy of Carinthia, on the north-east by the Duchy of Styria, on the south-east and south by Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia, and on the west by the County of Gorizia and Gradisca and Istria.

After the disestablishment of the Illyrian Kingdom in 1849, the Duchy of Carniola was constituted by rescript of 20 December 1860, and by imperial patent of 26 February 1861, modified by legislation of 21 December 1867, granting power to the home parliament to enact all laws not reserved to the imperial diet, at which it was represented by eleven delegates, of whom two elected by the landowners, three by the cities, towns, commercial and industrial boards, five by the village communes, and one by a fifth curia by secret ballot, every duly registered male twenty-four years of age has the right to vote.

The home legislature consisted of a single chamber of thirty-seven members, among whom the prince-bishop sits ex-officio. The emperor convened the legislature, and it is presided over by the governor. The landed interests elected ten members, the cities and towns eight, the commercial and industrial boards two, the village communes sixteen. The business of the chamber was restricted to legislating on agriculture, public and charitable institutions, administration of communes, church and school affairs, the transportation and housing of soldiers in war and during manoeuvres, and other local matters.”

However, on checking with Wikipedia about Carniola, you will find that “In 1918, the duchy ceased to exist and its territory became part of the newly formed State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs and subsequently part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later known as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia). The western part of the duchy, with the towns of Postojna, Ilirska Bistrica, Idrija and Šturje was annexed to Italy in 1920, but was subsequently also included into Yugoslavia in 1945. Since 1991, the region is part of an independent Slovenia.”

The charming looking Duchess should examine her motives as it would seem therefore Duchess-of-Carniola her claims that “For the first time in its seven hundred-year history, The Duchy of Carniola will be offering hereditary and non-hereditary titles for purchase by civilians of good moral character. It is The Duchy's intention that these titles may become keepsakes treasured for future generations.

The Duchy of Carniola has appointed Grand National Media to act as its sole authorized Chartered Agent in the grant of titles by the Duchy. By purchasing from Grand National Media, you are doing your part to benefit future generations of Carniolans. In addition, the sale of all hereditary titles are completely protected by a one-year royal guarantee.” are rather stretching the truth of the situation and there is no possible reason for selling ‘titles’ apart from raising money for something that has no credibility nor any value apart from falsely boosting somebody’s ego.

Definitely yet another one to avoid.