The
European Commission of the Nobility () is an organisation for cooperation of European nobility associations, established in 1959.
Its seat is in
Paris,
France.
Functioning
The CILANE has no president but rather a "Coordinator", elected for three years. The coordinator's role is to prepare and conduct the spring and autumn sessions of the CILANE and to carry out its decisions, enabling each national association to carry out projects together. It holds an international
congress every three years.
National associations recognised by CILANE are hereditary societies which must only grant full membership to persons who are legally noble under the current or former laws of their countries. There is no personal membership; instead, members of associations recognised by CILANE participate in its activities through their associations.
The spring session takes place traditionally in Paris, the seat of the CILANE. In autumn the sessions are held in one of the other member countries. Significantly, most of the organisations represented in CILANE are private initiatives, particularly in nations where titles of nobility are no longer recognised by their respective states and therefore unregulated by European law.
Due to the position of the Permanent Deputation and Council of the Greatness and Titles of the Kingdom of only recognizing foreign titles as such if «...the succession in these titles should only be reflected when they have been possessed by people who have recognized the succession of kings effectively reigning, but not claimants or holders in exile of disappeared kingdoms", particularly in "...in the case of titles of the extinct Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, such a kingdom no longer exists and the claimants to it are not effectively reigning monarchs", and the consequent internal divisions within it, Spain does not have official representation in the coordinating organization of the European nobility CILANE.[Vanitatis: Ni Grandes, ni nobles: solo un 30% de los Hidalgos de España son auténticos]
Member associations
As of March 2025, CILANE includes the following associations:
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Belgian nobility: Association de la Noblesse du Royaume de Belgique (ANRB-VAKB)
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Croatia: Croatian Nobility Association
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Danish nobility: Danish Nobility Association (Danish language: Dansk Adels Forening, DAF)
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German nobility: Vereinigung der Deutschen Adelsverbände (VdDA),
[The Austrian and Czech nobilities is represented by the VdDA. There is currently no Austrian nobility association.] itself consisting of 22 regional and confessional associations.
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The Baltic Knighthoods
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Finnish nobility: Finnish House of Nobility (Riddarhuset - Ritarihuone)
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French nobility: Association d'entraide de la Noblesse Française (ANF)
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Papal nobility: Réunion de la Noblesse Pontificale (RNP)
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Hungary: Magyar Történelmi Családok Egyesülete (MTCSE)
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British nobility: AFGB (AFGB)
[AFGB recognises all persons with a right to arms granted by the College of Arms or Lord Lyon as belonging to the British nobility. Therefore, Irish historically noble families are eligible to join AFGB, as long as their arms were registered with the British authorities prior to independence.]
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Italian nobility: Corpo della Nobiltà Italiana (CNI)
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Maltese nobility: Committee of Privileges of the Maltese Nobility
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Dutch nobility: Nederlands Adelvereniging (NAV)
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Portugal: Associação da Nobreza Histórica Portugal (ANHP)
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Russian nobility: Союз Дворян - Union de la Noblesse Russe (UNR)
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Spanish nobility: Jóvenes de la Nobleza Española (JNE)
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Swedish nobility: Swedish House of Nobility (Riddarhuset)
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Swiss nobility: Association de Familles Suisses (AFS)
Great Britain
The
Commission and Association for the Armigerous Families of Great Britain (
AFGB) is the sole
British nobility association recognised by CILANE. It was founded in 1996.
AFGB was founded in 1996 under the auspices of the 17th Duke of Norfolk.
Throughout its existence, it has cooperated with the English and Scottish heraldic authorities, and some of their representatives, such as Sir Henry Paston-Bedingfield, have joined the organisation.
AFGB admits members of the peerage and the gentry, using the right to heraldic arms as the main criterion for determining membership in the British nobility. All persons who have been granted arms by the College of Arms or Lord Lyon, as well as their male-line descendants Armiger (or, in Scotland, entitled to matriculate a differenced version thereof) according to the Law of Arms may be admitted to the organisation.
Apart from being an association which admits persons who belong to the British nobility, AFGB also operates a commission, which seeks to coordinate the activities of more narrow organisations such as the Hereditary Peerage Association and facilitate their communication with CILANE and foreign nobility associations. The Duke of Norfolk presides over it.
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Coordinator of AFGB: Sir Henry Paston-Bedingfield, Bt, former Norroy and Ulster King of Arms
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Delegate to CILANE: Michael Sayer, Esquire
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Vice-Delegates to CILANE: Baron Abinger and Sir Richard Rowley, Bt
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Youth Organiser for CILANE: Viscount Jocelyn
See also
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International Commission on Orders of Chivalry
Notes
External links
