Friday, September 18, 2020

Introduction to Royal and Noble Nicknames

Royal Monicker is a study in the persona of historical figures, in this case, members of royalty and the nobility, and how they were perceived by individuals or groups, in short their public image.

This work is essentially a collection of what has been written by various authors, observers and scholars, thus the use of quoted entries from existing works gathered from the world wide web.

There is little attempt to rewrite the original authors' description of how they interpret a historical figure's monicker.  In many instances, several entries show how different people differ in their perceptions of a royal or noble personality's public image.

Each entry will include the (1) royal or noble monicker, (2) its meaning, (3) the source (who said what about whom), (4) the historical period when it became known or popular and (5) some brief justification of the historical figure's meriting a particular monicker.

Below are quotations of the variations of moniker or monicker and how they can be distinguished from each other.

NICKNAMES
"...[T]here are many people who (sometimes without their knowledge, and very generally without their consent) are the possessors also of a nickname; by which is here meant, not a mere corruption of a person's ordinary name, but a designation intended to be descriptive of his character or appearance, or containing an allusion to some incident in his history...."  (Gentleman's Magazine, Vol. 254, p. 193)

"NICK-NAMES OF SOVEREIGNS

"Roughly speaking, we may divide these Surnames (as they are sometimes called) into four kinds. First, those derived from some physical peculiarity or defect. Secondly, from some mental or moral characteristic. Thirdly, some title denoting office, character, or occupation. Fourthly, names derived from age, or some circumstance of life.

"Taking the physical ones first, we have a group denoting colour of hair or complexion, with one or two other names from colour and beauty.
"Another set succeeds, named from peculiarity of feature and defect oj speech or sight.

Next come the nick-names from height or peculiarity of limb or  figure.

The second class of names, and by far the most numerous, are those derived from some trait of character, mental or moral, and it is noteworthy that here the complimentary names far outnumber the uncomplimentary ones.
"The opposites of the grand nick-names are, as usual, a much smaller number, and include those signifying weakness of cluvracter, penuriousmess, or extravagance. 

This seems the place for that curious set of names derived from, loving or being beloved, mostly Egyptian, and frequently sarcastic.

The third class of names includes all titles bestowed on sovereigns on account of their character, deeds, or occupations. First, those who earned the title of ' Saint,' to which may be added ' Martyr,' ' Confessor,' 'Monk.'
Beneficent titles are, alas ! not very numerous.

The last class of names derived from age or some circumstance, are harder to classify. Taking ' age ' first, we find Gorm the Old in Denmark, 860, contrasts with Louis VII. le Jeune in France, while our Edward the Elder, and the Persian Cyrus the Younger, are but types of a multitude more, so called for the sake of distinction. But Mieczlaus the Aged in Poland, 1171, was really surnamed from the gravity of his appearance. A few surnames have to do with religion, Julian the Apostate and Leo the Ikonoklast notably. Alonso the Catholic reigned in Leon in 739, and the Pope conferred on Ferdinand and Isabel of Spain the title of ' Reyes Catolicos,' just as he conferred that of ' Defender of the Faith' on our King, and ' Most Christian King' on the French monarchs. Erik Prseste-hader, 'Priest-hater.'

"A small group were given from some circumstance of birth, childhood, dress, &c"

French Kings
"The practice of numbering kings did not emerge until the Renaissance; instead, kings were differentiated by being given a nickname.  The nicknames give us a sense of what the kings were best known for, and some insight into the subsequent history of France...."  (Suzuki, p. 129)

REFERENCES
Monthly Packet


Addison, C. G. and Macoy, Robert (1997). Knights Templars and the Complete History of Masonic Knighthood from the Origin of the Orders to the Present Time. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing.
Bradburym Jim (2004). Companion to Medieval Warfare. New York: Routledge.
Boia, Lucian (2001). History and Myth in Romanian Consciousness. Budapest: Central European University Press.

Chapman, Tim (2001). Imperial Russia, 1801-1905. New York: Routeledge.

Frey, Albert Romer (1887). Sobriquets and Nicknames. Boston, MA: Houghton, Mifflin and Co.

Lansing, Richard H. and Barolini, Teodolinda (2000). The Dante Encyclopedia. London: Taylor and Francis.
Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. Penny Cyclopedia (1883). London: Charles Knight and Company.
at No comments:

Abd al-Rahman -- Aethelstan

the Poet-King of Sevilla:
[Ref1:167]

Sayf al-Dawla (the Sword of the Dynasty): "In 1007, he again attacked Castile in a campaign that was called the "victorious raid" (ghazāt al-naṣr). He took Clunia by force and carried off enormous booty. This feat earned him the honorific by which is now known, "the victor" (al-muzaffar) replacing "sword of the dynasty" (sayf al-dawla). In the winter of 1007–1008, he captured a castle called San Martín. . . ." (Wikipedia)
the Victor:

the Falcon of the Quraysh (Arab: Saqr al-Quraysh): "Through all these challenges, 'Abd al-Rahman prevailed, and in doing so, laid the foundation for the next centuries of united Islamic rule in Spain, without which al-Andalus may have disintegrated. Along with his escape from the hands of his 'Abbasid enemies, this was an altogether singular accomplishment. Even the 'Abbasid caliph, al-Mansur, with whom 'Abd al-Rahman traded an acid correspondence and who despised the Ummayad family, could not help but grudgingly acknowledge his enemy's acumen. Al-Mansur honored him with the nickname Saqr al-Quraysh, 'the Falcon of the Quraysh,' for having escaped the revolution: 'He who by his own cleverness escaped the spear-heads and sword-blades, crossed the desert and the ocean until he landed on a foreign shore; who repopulated cities, revived armies; and set up a kingdom after its collapse by the force of his own ability and determination.'. . ." (Kingdoms of Faith: A New History of Islamic Spain: 50)

the Immigrant (Arab. al-Dakhil, He Who Came In) (by Al-Mansur): "On August 14, 755, Abd al-Rahman bravely disembarked on the troubled shores of al-Andalus, earning his laqab---official sobriquet---as al-Dakhil (the immigrant). Alerted long before to his imminent arrival and impatient to put an end to the strife, a large force of Umayyad loyalists awaited him. He captured Cordoba, made it his capital, and proclaimed himself emir, thus setting himself up for a life's work---he ruled for thirty-two years---unifying al-Andalus by mercilessly crushing restive Berbers and rival Arabs and safeguarding his hard-won possession from Abbasid and Frankish intrigue. . . ." (O'Shea: 82)

al-Nasir (the Defender of the Faith)
the Victor for the Religion of Allah (an Nasir li-din Allah)
the Victorious:

Sanjul (Little Sancho): " . . . Abd al-Rahman had been given the name Sanjul (little Sancho), in memory of his maternal grandfather and the title of dhu-l-sabiqatayn (holder of two antecedences), in allusion to his dual royal origin. . . ." (Scales: 40)

Sheikh Abdul Mijwal Al Mezrab:
Medjuel El Mezrab:

Abdul Hamid II
Abdulhamid Han bin Abdulmecid
the Bloody (Tur. Kanli):
the Divine Khan (Tur. Ulu Hakan): " . . . Known to some as the Ulu Hakan ('Divine Khan'), he is better known in the West as 'The Red Sultan,' 'Abdul the Damned' or 'The Great Assassin' for the massacres of Ottoman Armenians which occurred throughout his tenure. . . ." (New World Encyclopedia)
the Monster of Yildiz: "After these massacres, no other mass murders occurred until 1908; in this year suddenly mass murder and plundering of Armenians was committed, this time in Constantinople, in front of the very eyes of foreign delegations, diplomats and big powers of Europe. This massacre gained a strong reaction in Europe and injured the credit and respectability of the Sultan seriously; he was given titles such as, The Red Sultan, The Red Animal, The Monster of Yildiz,... . All the politicians and intellectuals of Europe, both left and right, liberal and conservative, condemned the massacres of Armenians in Turkey severely." (ourararat.com)
the Wolf-King (Sp. el Rey Lobo): " . . . As early as 1146 Muwahhid troops were disembarking in al-Andalus to take over Spanish Islam, commencing with Seville, a process in which it became evident that their chief opponents were not the helpless Murâbit governors but the new Hispano-Moslem caudillos of the Second Taifas who had sprung up during the last years of Murâbit dominion. Foremost among these was the redoubtable Muhammad ibn-Sa'd, Ibn-Mardanîsh (1152-1172), el Rey Lobo or the Wolf-King, as the Christians called him, who made himself ruler of Murcia and Valencia and for many years fought to expel the Muwahhids and conquer all al-Andalus. In this he was aided by his able general and father-in-law Ibn-Hamushk, by large bodies of Christian mercenaries, and by the friendship of Raymond Berenguer IV and Alfonso VII, who saw him as a shield against the new Maghribin imperialism. In 1159 Ibn-Mardanîsh besieged Jaen, Cordova, and Seville without success; in 1161 he captured Granada; and thereafter his mixed Moorish-Christian armies overcame the Muwahhid forces in three battles before the exasperated caliph 'Abd-al-Mu'min himself crossed the strait and defeated him near his capital of Murcia. Even then, Ibn-Mardanîsh managed to retain control over most of southeastern Spain, his big realm of Murcia-Valencia serving as a protective buffer between Aragon-Catalonia and Muwahhid Andalusia until his death in 1172."  (Bishko)

the Victorious:

the Victorious: " . . . Adalbert the Victorious (1018-1056) had a hard struggle against them [the Magyars], and owes his name of the Victorious to the successes he gained. He extended the march of Austria as far as the banks of the Leitha. He also helped the emperor considerably against Hungary, and received in return fresh grants to himself and his heirs of estates within the march." (Leger & Hill: 129)

the Apostle of Bohemia:
the Apostle of the Prussians:
the Apostle of the Slavs:

the Greatest Polish Statesman & Diplomat of 19th Century.

Adam Lewenhaupt. 
the Latin Colonel: " . . . [T]he command usually devolved on Count Adam Lewenhaupt, a nephew of Count Gustavus Lewenhaupt, the celebrated field-marshal in the time of Charles X. He had studied in the universities of Lund, Upsala, Wittenberg, and Rostock, where he had gained that fluency in speaking Latin which him frequently useful as interpreter in the negotiations with the Poles, and which was at the same time so rare among soldiers that it gained him from his brother officers the nickname of 'The Latin colonel.'. . ." (Scribner's Monthly, Vol. 21: 723)

Adela Aymerich.
Royal mistress
la Cubana.

the Great Female Ruler: "When her husband died in 1101, Adelaide was about twenty-six years old. Since Simon, the intended successor, was only a child she acted as regent for him. Little is known of this period. . .  [S]imon died aged twelve on 28 September 1105. Adelaide now acted as regent in the name of Roger II. She succeeded in handing on the counties of Calabria and Sicily in an orderly state to her son. . . In the Arabic section of a Greek-Arab charter dating from 1109, Adelaide is described as 'the great female ruler, the malikah (sovereign or queen) of Sicily and Calabria, the protector of Christian faith. . . ." (Houben: 25)

the Holy Maiden: "Even the 'holy maidens,' the abbesses of Gandersheim and Quedlinburg, had not escaped the pollution of the court of their father and brother. They were accomplices, beyond doubt, in the murder of Eckhard . . . ." (Zimmermann: 830)
Queen Adeliza.jpg



la Belle
" . . . Adeliza (also known as La Belle) was actually known as 'a singular beauty', the fairest woman on the earth' or 'the fair maid of Brabant'. . . ." (Cockerill. Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen of France and England, Mother of Empires)

the Fair Maid of Brabant
"The chroniclers say that Adeliza was beautiful. She was known as 'the Fair Maid of Brabant'. . . ." (Chadwick. Living the History)

". . . So proverbial was Adeliza's prettiness that she was nicknamed 'the Fair Maid of Brabant' and her personality had won her praise at the Imperial court in Germany. . . ." (Russell. Confessions of a Ci-Devant)

" . . . Her designation among the troubadours was 'The Fair Maid of Brabant,' and her reputation for beauty and accomplishments, was spread widely throughout Europe. . . ." (Adams. A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography: 10)

" . . . When King Henry . . . determined by the advice of his nobles to marry again, his choice fell upon Adelais, whose beauty and accomplishments were great attractions. Her designation among the troubadours, 'the Fair Maid of Brabant,' will vouch for the former, and the renown of the latter was spread throughout Europe by the Battle of Duras, or of 'the Standard,' so called because of a highly-prized standard of silk and gold, the work of Adelais, was there taken from her father's army. . . ." (Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. Biographical Dictionary, Vol 1, Issue 1: 332)

"After the death of Queen Matilda and the loss of Prince William in the 'White Ship,' King Henry grew more and more morose, so that 'even the most powerful of his nobles dreaded to enter his presence.'. . . [I]n the hope of securing a legitimate heir to inherit his honours, he decided to marry again. Adelicia of Louvaine, an eighteen-year-old girl famous as 'the fair maid of Brabant,' was selected for the position of Henry's second wife. She was lovely, tactful and courageous enough to play a difficult part." (Thornton-Cook. Her Majesty; the Romance of the Queens of England, 1066-1910: 18)

"The beauty and amiableness of this princess are repeatedly spoken of by the historians of her day; and her irreproachable and truly pious disposition, as well as her high mental qualifications, made the theme of their commendation. As an exemplary and a devout Christian, a dutiful and affectionate wife, and a truly amiable and highly accomplished woman, she drew to herself, from every quarter, admiration and affection. By the Provencal and Walloon poets, to whom she was a munificent patroness, she is style Alix la Belle. The chroniclers have given her the name of The Fair Maid of Brabant. Robert of Gloucester says," He knew of no woman so fair as she was seen on middle earth;' and the contemporary historian Henry of Huntingdon has preserved for us a Latin sonnet, in which the poetic turn of compliment is but rarely equalled. . . ." (Barrett. Memorials of the Parochial Church, the Collegiate Chantry, and the Chapel of St. Mary: 21)


the Maid Without Vice: Maid Without Vice: "No. 73, between the good Queen Maude and King Henry I, the masterpiece of the sculptor of Wells for youthful grace and dignity, can be no other than Adelicia, the second wife of Henry, the fair maid of Brabant, 'the maid without vice,' the theme of troubadours, and the admiration of all. . . ." (Cockerall. Iconography of the West Front of Wells Cathedral: cxlv)

Royal mistress
the Blond (Sp. la Blondina):


Adolf of the Palatinate.
the Patient (Ger. der Geduldige):

Adrien-Louise de Bonnieres de Souastre, Comte de Guines
Guines the Magnificent (Fr. Guines le Magnifique).


Áed mac Cináeda, King of the Picts:
Aed of the Swift Foot: "The first care of the Scots was to select one to fill the vacant throne. The choice of the nation fell on Eth or Aodh,, the brother of Constantin. This prince had been present in the recent battle, and when the king fell he rallied the broken ranks and led them off the field. Of all his exploits this only has come down to us. He is known as Eth of the Swift Foot, from an abnormal nimbleness of limb which enabled him to outstrip all his fellows. John Major calls him an Asahel, and tells us that no one could keep pace with him in running. . . ." (reformation.org)
Áed of the White Flowers:
the White-foot (Latin: Albipes).
the Wing-footed (Lat. Alipes) 

the Anointed: 
the Dignified:  
the Ordained:
the Lady of the Mercians:

Aethelfrith the Twister (Eadfered Flesaurs):

Athelred, Ethelred of England:

the Unready, Without Counsel.
"Athelred is remembered colloquially and half-jokingly today as the Unready, although the nickname was really a clever pun on his name, athel 'noble' and raed 'counsel', meaning 'noble counsel'. Throughout his reign Athelred was ill-advised and if he made his own decision, he was as likely to change his mid, hence the nickname, raed-less, or lacking counsel. He was a better administrator than history has given credit, but he wa a hopeless king and leader." (Ashley. A Brief History of British Kings & Queens)

A Pillar of of Dignity in the Western World: "Athelstan was an able administrator and made many good laws, which combated theft, oppression and fraud and mitigated severity to young offenders. He was charitable and popular and like his great-grandfather Ethelwulf, made provisions for his poorer subjects. Athelstan directed that each of the manors owned by the crown should be subject to an annual charge, which should be used to relieve the poor and the destitute. The Annals of Ulster refer to him as 'a pillar of dignity in the western world'." (English Monarchs-Athelstan)

the First True King of All England: "The complete supremacy of the House of Wessex was firmly established under Athelstan and he could correctly be described as the first true King of all England. Athelstan used the title Basilius, the Greek term for king." (English Monarchs-Athelstan)

the Glorious:  "Our old historian, Florence of Worcester, has . . . attached some splendid epithet to the name of each of the great conquering English kings of the tenth century. . . Athelstane is the Glorious. . . ."  (Chambers and Chambers, Vol. 50: 536)

the King of the Anglo-Saxons and Emperor of the Northumbrians, Ruler of the Pagans and Champion of the Britons:
at No comments:

Afonso -- Alaric

Dom Afonso Henriques.
El-Bortukali (the Portuguese)
Ibn-Arrik (Son of Henique)
the Conqueror (Por. o Conquistador)
the Father of the Portuguese Nation: 

the Founder (Por. o Fundador): "Genius, statesman, political fox, victor, implacable, extremely clever: Afonso is able to create an amazing story. Everything that can be manipulated in his favor, will be so, without any scruples. He begins his sequence of victories by founding a kingdom. . . ." (Dutra de Menezes) [Vid1]

the Founding Father: "No one is more deserving of the title of Founding Father than Afonso Henriques. . . Very few people know, but it's thanks to the political shrewdness of Afonso Henriques that Portugal is the first European country to establish itself as an independent state. Even before the year 1200, Portugal is already Portugal. And that included the right to its own language - the Galician-Portuguese.

the Great (Por. o Grande): 

the Fat (Por. do Gordo): " . . . In 1211 Sancho died, a wealthy man, and was succeeded by his son, Afonso II 'the Fat.' Unable personally to indulge in drawn-out military campaigns against the Moors because of his health, Afonso II devoted his time to matters of law, administration and further unification of the country. Disputes within his own family over property rights occupied much of his reign, along with investigations into the property rights and privileges of the church and the nobility. . . ." (The History of Portugal: 30)

the Bolognian (Fr. le Boulonnais; Por. o Bolonhês)
the Restorer. 

the African (o Africano):
--"Alfonso V . . . was honoured with the epithet of the African, for his exploits against the Moors, from whom he took Tangier, Arzila, and other maritime towns. The coast of Guinea was also discovered under his auspices. . . ." (A new geographical, historical, and commercial grammar: 430)
--" . . . There being no more Moors to fight in the Peninsula, the Portuguese, led by their gallant princes, went to fight the Moors in Morocco. The duty of fighting Moors had from their history sunk deep into the hearts of the Portuguese people. Their history had been one long struggle with Muhammadans, and the Christian religion had therefore taken with them a fiercer and more warlike complexion that in any other country. This feeling was fostered by King Afonso V . . . who ruled Portugal from 1438 to 1481, and who, from his many expeditions to Morocco, obtained the surname of The African. His perpetual wars both with the Spaniards and the Moors continued to keep the Portuguese a nation of soldiers. . . ."  (Stephens: 18)
the Chivalrous King (Por. el Rey Cavalleiro): " . . . The court of Affonso V was well calculated to stir the knightly spirit of a lad. The king himself was known as El Rey Cavalleiro or the Chivalrous King;  his one delight was in war, and he was never tired of reading the romances of medieval chivalry and trying to follow the example of its heroes.  King Affonso V had also a great taste for literature: he founded the famous library at Evora. . . ." (Stephens: 44)

the Great Merchant of Christianity (by Ottoman Sultan)
the Magnificent
the Richest Man in Rome.

the Brave (Sp. el Bravo):
the Valiant:

He of las Navas (Sp. El de las Navas):
the Child-King (Sp. el Rey Niño): "Alfonso VIII of Castile, best remembered in world literature for his cameo role opposite the Jewess of Toledo, ascended the throne a few months before his fourth birthday, following the death of his father, Sancho III, el Deseado (the desired). Known as el rey Niño (the child-king) during his lengthy reign (1158-1214), he later earned the sobriquets el Noble (the noble) and El de Las Navas (he of the victory at Las Navas) for his acts of piety, such as founding cities, hospitals, and monasteries, and for his military prowess. [149] Through both Castilian and Leonese grandparents, Alfonso X was the great grandson of Alfonso VIII and was indebted to him for precedents in legal practices.
the Noble:

the Astrologer, the Astronomer:
the Learned, the Wise:

He of Rio Salado.
the Avenger
the Implacable
the Just: . "Nor it there much in what may be called the political side of the long reign of the eleventh Alfonso that is of special interest to posterity, within or without the Peninsula. It is al least creditable to Alfonso as a ruler that, succeeding as he did to the throne, in times exceedingly turbulent even for Castile, be skillfully availed himself of the assistance of the various factions to subdue one by one the leading disturbers of the peace of the kingdom. Surnamed as he was el Justiciero, or the doer of justice, the king was not, perhaps, very much juster than his neighbours, but he undoubtedly nore not the sword in vain, and rebels and enemies were at least satisfactorily executed, whatever may have been the imperfections of their trial." (Burke: 320)

Protho-Capitaneus Noster: " . . . In 1513, King Emmanuel calls him 'protho-capitaneus noster'. . . . "  (Catholic Encyclopedia)
the Achilles of Portugal, the Portuguese Achilles: 
the Conqueror: " . . . Among the distinguished leaders and administrators that sprang up in southern Europe at the end of the sixteenth century, Alfonzo de Albuquerque holds a very prominent position. His achievements, from a military standpoint, were more remarkable than any of the so-called conquerors of the New World; for he had to cope with adversaries armed very nearly like the Europeans, with hosts that were superior to any that were encountered by Cortez or Pizarro, and had at his command forces hardly more numerous than those that achieved the conquest of Peru and Mexico. . . ."  (Catholic Encyclopedia)

the Father of the Western Rule in the Orient: "Afonso de Albuquerque had this bitter experience. It was said of this 'father of Western rule in the Orient', also called 'The Great' and the 'Portuguese Achilles' or the 'Portuguese Mars', that his vessels arriving off the coast compelled silence and respect. . . ." (Etemad: 127)

the Great: "Afonso de Albuquerque (1453-1515) was a Portuguese admiral made historically famous for his conquering of various African, Indian, and Southeast Asian locales as well as establishing a Portuguese influence in the East during the Age of Exploration. He is essentially Portugal's hegemonic hero. Much to the dismay of British, who had enough problems pronouncing his name already, the Portuguese slapped on an epitaph of "the great" to make him Afonso de Albuquerque the Great, a name by which he is known by today." (@everything)

Agnes of Bohemia (Saint) (1211-1282)
St. Agnes of Praque: 
the Saint:
Agnes-Joy-2.jpg
Agnes of Salm-Salm
the Soldier Princess
@Wikipedia


Black Agnes; Black Agnes of Dunbar: 
--"Lady Agnes Randolph, Countess of Moray, (is) nicknamed Black Agnes for her dark hair and complexion. . . ." (Historic-UK.com)
--"She was called 'Black Agnes' because of her dusky complexion and dark hair, but the lady's fierce defense against a determined foe added considerable luster and fame to the nickname. Lady Agnes Randolph had loads of attitude - while she never struck a swordblow or took to the battlefield, she did show true Amazonian courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
--Agnes Randolph, called Black Agnes, was born into a noble family of Scotland and played an important role in the cause of Scottish independence. During her lifetime, she held the titles of countess of Moray, countess of Dunbar, and countess of March, the latter two obtained through her marriage to Patrick, earl of Dunbar and March. Agnes is remembered for her defense of Dunbar Castle during a siege by the English, which lasted from January 13 to June 10, 1338, during a time when Patrick was away on military business.

the Beautiful, Beauty:
the Mistress of Beauty: " . . . Since the time of Agnes Sorel, the persona of the royal mistress had been synonymous with beauty. Indeed Agnes, after Charles had gifted her the chateau of Beaute-sur-Marne, had the right to be known as 'Mistress of Beauty.' . . . ." (Female Beauty Systems: 189)
la Belle Agnes
la Dame de Beauté: "It was at this period that Agnes Sorel became known by the epithet of the Dame de Beaute. This title, which accorded so well with her personal graces, was given her on her acquiring the pleasant manor of Beaute-sur-Marne, erected by King Charles V, and whose charms had been already celebrated by Eustache Deschamps in one of his ballads... This was that same delightful manor of Beaute which Charles VII gave, with all its dependencies, to Agnes Sorel, who took thereafter the name of Dame de Beaute. It was thus she was designated in contemporary ballads, in cours plenieres, and thus she signed herself in historic documents." (Royal Favourites, Vol 1: 188)
--"Officially called Mademoiselle de Beauté, after the name of the first seigneurie she received from the king, Agnes was beauty herself. Oliver da la Marche wrote: 'She was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.' Antoine de Chabannes, a great friend of the dauphin, said, 'The most beautiful woman there ever was or ever could be.' But the word Beauté was also simply a play on words, 'and amongst the beauties one was held as the most beautiful in the world, and was called Mlle. De Beauté, as much for good reason as for the Chateau de Beauté near Paris, 'Montrelet.''" (Victorious Charles: 90)
--" . . . That she was styled 'lady of Beauté; indicates the extent to which she had gained the king's favour. She had, appropriately, been given the château of Beautéhter, near Blois de Vincennes, by the king. She was about wenty-two years old when she became a member of the queen's household. She was the daughter of Jean Soreau, lord of Coudun, and Catherine de Maignelais. Born perhaps in Picardy, her early life ws completely obscure. From an early date after her appearance at court, however, her name was coupled with that of the 'finest talker of his time', the volatile Pierre de Breze. His Angevin connections might have brought him into contact with a la belle Agnes before her entry into the queen's household. . . ." (Charles the Seventh: 92)
--" . . . Also recruited from the queen's household was Agnes Sorel, mistress of Charles VII of France. Their liaison began in 1443, when she was twenty-two and he forty-one , and she bore him four daughters, dying in the fourth childbirth in 1450, aged twenty-eight. She came from the lesser nobility of Picardy and was endowed with several manors by the king. Charles erected two grand tombs for her, one in the abbey of Jumieges, where her heart was buried, and which included a statue of Agnes offering her heart to the Virgin Mary, the other at Loches, where her body was buried." (Blood Royal: Dynastic Politics in Medieval Europe: 164)

Ahmed, Prince of Granada (d.1451), son of Murad II, Ottoman Sultan
the Little, the Small:
the Young Prince (Sp. el Infantico): "After the battle of Lucena, where Ali Atar died and Boabdil was captured, Morayma and her son Ahmed, then just one year old, retire once again to the Carmen, where she suffers "the long months of her husband's captivity in Porcuna". Finally, the Castilians free Boabdil who has agreed, among other conditions, to hand over his son as ransom. Ahmed, who had just turned two, won't be returned to his mother until Granada is surrendered. By then he is nine years old, doesn't speak Arabic, follows the Christian religion and is known as 'el Infantico' (the Young Prince), a nickname given to him by Queen Elizabeth."

Anne-Francoise-Aimee de Franquetot de Coigny
Aimee de Franquetot de Coigny
the Queen of Paris la Reine de Paris.

Aymon de Savoie
the Peaceful
the Pacific.

the Great: " . . . Alain, Sire d'Abret, [was] called 'the Great,' because he was reckoned the richest nobleman in the kingdom. . . ." (Bingham, Vol. I: 31)

the Great: 
--" . . . Alain, with better collected strength, conquered them, with decisive slaughter, and was acknowledged the sovereign of all Bretagne. He reigned till 907, with splendour and tranquility. He attained the surname of the Great; but not great from overpowering intellect, or mighty achievements; nor great because he was a giant, but because his countrymen were dwarfs."(The History of the Anglo-Saxons, Vol 2: 40)
--" . . . In Brittany, Alan, who is surnamed the Great, without our knowing of what his greatness consisted, after having succeeded to the county of Vannes, had forcibly seized upon that of Rennes, and had from the brother of Pasquitain, obtaining the supremacy of Armorica, recovered Nantes from the Northmen: his exploits earned for him the epithet of 'the Great,' 'Alain-le-Grand.'. . . ." (The History of Normandy and of England, Vol 1: 498)

the Black:

Alain of Rennes
le Rèbre, Ruibriez.

Alain of Penthievre.
the Black:

King of the Visigoths, 395-410
the All-ruler: "Alaric, the 'All-Ruler,' surnamed the Baltha , or Bold, was born about 360, on an island in the delta of the Danube...."  (Horne: 56)
the Baltha
the Bold.
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