Almanach de Gotha - Structure

Structure

As it was the practice of the diplomatic corps to employ official titles, adhere to local precedence and etiquette, and to tender congratulations and condolences to members of the dynasty of the nation to which they were assigned, the almanac included a Calendrier des Diplomates ("Diplomats' Calendar") section, which detailed major national holidays, anniversaries, ceremonies and royal birthdates.

Following World War I and the fall of many royal houses, there were fewer regulatory authorities to authenticate use of titles, however the Almanach de Gotha continued the practice of strict verification of information, requesting certified copies of letters patent, genealogies confirmed by competent authorities, documents, decrees and references for titles claimed. Europe's middle and lower nobility (families whose principal title ranked below that of prince or duke—except mediatized families, listed in a section of their own) were not included in the almanac. Nor were the grandees or ducal families of Portugal and Spain (where titles, being habitually transmissible through both male and female lines, were often inherited by relatives of non-patrilineal lineage). Families of some Italian and East European nations (e.g., Russia, Romania), where the princely title was claimed by many, were also incomplete. Yet the reigning, formerly reigning and noble families included in the almanac numbered in the hundreds by the time it ceased publication in 1944.

In 1890 the almanac renamed II A to section II, and II B to section III. Dynasties ruling non-European nations were located in section I B. Families which became extinct were listed for the final time in the year following death of the last member, male or female, and subsequent editions referred readers to that volume.

Families which ceased to be included for other reasons, such as lack of proof that the family still had legitimate descendants or discovery that it did not hold a valid princely or ducal title, were henceforth excluded but added, along with dates of previous insertion, to a list following the last section of each Annuaire Genealogique (Genealogical Yearbook), which page was entitled Liste des Maisons authrefois publiees dans la 3e partie de l'Almanach de Gotha ("List of Houses previously published in the 3rd section of the Almanach de Gotha.")

From 1927, the almanac ceased to include all families in each year's edition, henceforth rotating entries every few years. Where titles and style (manner of address)s (such as Serene Highness) had ceased to be recognized by national governments (e.g. Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia), the almanac provided associated dates and details, but continued to attribute such titles and styles to individuals and families, consistent with its practice since the French revolution; deposed sovereigns and dynasties continued to be accorded their former titles and rank, but dates of deposition were noted and titles exclusively associated with sovereignty (e.g. emperor, queen, grand duke, crown princess) were not accorded to those who had not borne them during the monarchy. Titles of pretence below sovereign rank were accorded to members of formerly reigning dynasties as reported by heads of their houses, otherwise self-assumed titles were not used. The almanac included an explicit disclaimer announcing that known biographical details, such as birthdates and divorces, would not be suppressed.