entitlement

[marycatelli]

I was pondering a point in a moderately recent Girl Genius comic where Gil is addressed as "Your Highness" -- revealing things about his mother's side he had not known.

But what I was thinking was that he had to be merely a prince for that.

Except that I've also read Agatha H. and the Clockwork Princess.  In which at one point Klaus calls Bang "Your Highness" and there was some amusing chit-chat about how a pirate queen (or king) would sometimes be treated as royalty by the chief families of Europe.

grumble.

To be sure, the titles are not a stable thing.  In medieval times, a king was "Your Grace"; only an emperor qualified as "Your Majesty."  And title inflation, with grander nouns and throwing in a few splendiferous adjectives, is remarkably easy.  But I don't think there was ever a time when Your Highness was the sovreign's title.

I may be wrong.  Or that Europe may have see the inflation work a bit different.  But this is one of the things that makes sf/fantasy mysteries so difficult to write.  You don't know whether something is a clue about the world, or an anomaly in the world that's a clue about the crime.  And it's a problem for other forms of foreshadowing and set-up too.

Comments

[kriz1818.livejournal.com]

If the political unit is a principality (hello, Monaco!), then the head of state would still be a prince, and "your Highness."

[marycatelli]

True!

Though I can't envision Bang content as a mere pirate princess.

[headnoises.livejournal.com]

*grin* Drawing from Daniel Hood, kind of like calling folks "sir" and "ma'am" (madam)?

I swear, it seems like every story he (she?) has they POV guy going on a grumble about titles being spread hither and yon.

[marycatelli]

Well, it helps if your character doesn't like the world when you want to inclue the reader.

[headnoises.livejournal.com]

Effective enough that I thought of it several years later, for sure.

[marycatelli]

That is a good sign.

[mythusmage.livejournal.com]

I recall a world where you could get a title for almost any accomplishment. but to be called "lord" or "lady" required a deed of substantial importance to the kingdom. For some reason, while barons and dukes and counts abounded lords and ladies were notable for their rarity.

[marycatelli]

That would be have been kinda annoying to puzzle out.

[mythusmage.livejournal.com]

It was actually very simple, if you were a lord or lady you were *important*. :)

[marycatelli]

Except that you would expect a writer to be using the terms for their already existing connotations. You have to get by the weird usage.