Regnal name

A regnal name, or reign name, is a formal name used by a monarch or pope during his or her reign. Since mediaeval times monarchs have frequently chosen to use a name different from their own personal name (and therefore the regnal name is technically a pseudonym) when they inherit a throne.

Related Topics:
Monarch - Pope - Reign - Mediaeval - Pseudonym - Throne

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The new name (or sometimes the old one, confirmed) is followed by an ordinal to give a unique name for the period when the monarch is on the throne. However, in the case of a personal union, the same ruler may carry different ordinals in each state, as they are each assigned chronologically; but some may have more precursors of the same Christian name (usually from a different dynasty).

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In parts of Asia, monarchs take era names. Even where that is not the case, rulers may — instead of a whole dynasty, as is the case with Georgian, referring to several Georges of the Hanoverian dynasty — become eponymous of their age, e.g. in Britain: Victorian (even applied to the rest of the world, and less correctly to its alleged prudish mentality), Edwardian.

Related Topics:
Era names - Georgian - Victorian - Edwardian

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