Almanac of Würzburg

Throughout history, records were kept of various monarchies, sovereign houses, and members of royal an noble houses. The original learned men were early priests and monks, who could read and write in Latin or other ancient languages. They kept records of births, deaths, coro-nations, laws, and donors mainly for political and religious purposes. Next came scribes and heralds who emerged from among them; they were mainly laymen -- often from noble families -- who learned to read and write and to use their artistic talents to communicate signs and symbols. Teachers, editors and writers concurrently evolved, prompting expressions by great philosophers and poets.
     Libraries began to evolve to house their works, as not only due to the rarity of tablets and scrolls, but also due to the value and volume of newly created books that suddenly appeared. And then they were copied, and eventually printed as books…
     The Almanach de Gotha was one such book that served as a form of elite social register cov-ering most-- but certainly not all – royal and noble families known to editors within the Holy Roman Empire.   Privately published by various printers during the late 18th century, the data it provided was often changed, reflecting the fortunes of war and conquest, the ebb and flow of power. National boundaries also changed. Eventually its records were destroyed by the Soviets in 1944 during the occupation of Gotha.
       Large portions believed to be taken from the original Almanach have reappeared over time and have often been republished in various forms, including the internet, under the same and different names. Meanwhile, various nobles connected to historic Würzburg played a crucial role in shaping the new almanac and rebuilding data. The now-well-established Almanac of Würzburg has become a useful historical directory of ancient and modern royalty and nobility. This Almanac includes reigning and non-reigning sovereign houses, higher nobility, and no-bles of many nations. It is based now principally on the Almanac’s own carefully compiled Wurzburg Records, other historical sources, and direct verifications by some remaining hered-itary families themselves.
     The ravages of time, the effects of wars, and the fact that many sovereign houses are no longer reigning, makes a compilation of a complete ancient-to-modern listing impractical, if not impossible. Thus, the reader is cautioned to avoid making inferences from entries that have less information. Rather, the contents of each entry are merely an indication of infor-mation that was available at the time of publication.

Inclusion in the Almanac does not by itself constitute or imply endorsement by any individual, government, or entity. Every reasonable effort is made to ensure accuracy of the information contained within the Almanac. Information is obtained either from the families contained herein or public sources. It is ultimately the responsibility of each Head of House within the Almanac of Würzburg to ensure its own information is accurate and up to date using a distinct, authorised access code. The Almanac operates under the condition of strict neutrality and does not become involved in dynastic disputes, arguments over validity or recognition, or other such disagreements.

The Almanac of Würzburg is a publication of the Pontifical Georgian Press; a private, non-profit organization not connected with the Federal Republic of Germany or any other civil state. Entire contents copyright © 2014-2024. All rights reserved.