Princely Highness
Encyclopedia
Princely Highness is the English rendering of (Zijne) Vorstelijke Hoogheid, a very rare style of address awarded by the colonial authorities of the Dutch East Indies
(present Indonesia
) to very few major Sultan
s on Java. The word Vorst at its root is ambivalent in Dutch, used for either a ruler of the low rank title equivalent to German Fürst or as generic term for ruler, never for a non-ruling prince of the blood.
Apparently the style reflected the equally rare status of Vorstenland 'princely land', which distinguished the Susuhunan
(a higher, pre-Islamic title of this Sultan) of Surakarta
(which also enjoyed the privilege of a 19-guns salute), who was explicitly granted the style, reportedly in the atrocious misspelling Zeine Vorstelijke Hoogheid, on 21 January 1932) and plausibly to the Sultan of Yogyakarta, two of the successor states to the Hindu Mataram state on Java, from the Gouvernementslanden '(colonial) government countries' to which all other Regentschappen (native princely state
s participating in indirect rule
) belonged.
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
(present Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
) to very few major Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
s on Java. The word Vorst at its root is ambivalent in Dutch, used for either a ruler of the low rank title equivalent to German Fürst or as generic term for ruler, never for a non-ruling prince of the blood.
Apparently the style reflected the equally rare status of Vorstenland 'princely land', which distinguished the Susuhunan
Susuhunan
Susuhunan or in short version Sunan, is a title used by the kings of Mataram and then by the hereditary rulers of Surakarta, Indonesia. The rulers of Surakarta traditionally adopt the reign name Pakubuwono...
(a higher, pre-Islamic title of this Sultan) of Surakarta
Surakarta
Surakarta, also called Solo or Sala, is a city in Central Java, Indonesia of more than 520,061 people with a population density of 11,811.5 people/km2. The 44 km2 city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency to the east and...
(which also enjoyed the privilege of a 19-guns salute), who was explicitly granted the style, reportedly in the atrocious misspelling Zeine Vorstelijke Hoogheid, on 21 January 1932) and plausibly to the Sultan of Yogyakarta, two of the successor states to the Hindu Mataram state on Java, from the Gouvernementslanden '(colonial) government countries' to which all other Regentschappen (native princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
s participating in indirect rule
Indirect rule
Indirect rule was a system of government that was developed in certain British colonial dependencies...
) belonged.
- The same style, probably forged independently, has also been used by unhistorical 'princely houses' in fiction and micronations
Sources
- RoyalArk- Indonesia- here Surakarta & http://www.4dw.net/royalark/Indonesia/solo8.htm
- Van Dale (the leading dictionary of the Dutch languageDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
)