That is why the Italian College of Arms, called Consulta araldica (heraldic council), was organized in 14 "regional" commissions.
[Note 3] It is a historical privilege (the Pope does not visit privates nowadays) that permits these families to rank among Roman Princes[Note 4] and Dukes and let their members – as it happens for all families of Princes and Dukes in Italy – to be styled as Don or Donna before their first name.
The autonomous Kingdom of Sardinia ceased in 1847, when its Parliament asked the King – and obtained – for the unification (Italian: perfetta fusione) with the other States belonging to him, namely the Dukedom of Savoy, the Principality of Piedmont, the County of Nice and the Dukedom of Genoa.
Since the establishment of the Italian Republic in 1946, titles are not officially recognized anymore and they exist as traditional and historical remains.
Lords of fiefs were called (in Catalan) Barons or Señors, i.e. lords (normally – but not always – the distinction depended on the extent of the power granted with the fief: Barons had the merum and mixtum imperium, meaning civil and criminal jurisdiction, while Lords only the mixtum imperium, civil jurisdiction) without these terms referring to specific titles but indicating just their quality of fief owners.
Chiefly in the 16th century, most important feudal lords began to receive titles of Counts, in order to emphasize their role.
[Note 10][8] Since the rank of marquis was theoretically the highest one, marquesses were addressed as "illustrious" by anyone and as "cousin" by the monarch, a concept similar to peerage.
Genoa was ruled as an aristocrat republic until the Napoleonic age, extending its dominion to the whole Liguria and some areas of present Piedmont; after the restoration it became part of the Piedmont-led Kingdom of Sardinia.
As all Nobles could be elected to a government office, all were in principle equal; they had the title of Patrician of Genoa, indicated by p.g.
Venice (usually called the Serenissima Republica) was a naval power and thus the wealth of Venetians did not depend on the land but on trades.
Only flourishing families are recorded[68] and they appear in alphabetical order, the particle "de" not being considered to this aim unless it is written with a capital letter.
List of all noble houses bearing the title of Marquis nowadays or that are recently extinct, recognized by the Corpo della Nobiltà Italiana.
The list hereunder includes only the titles of flourishing families recognized by the Corpo della Nobiltà Italiana (C.N.I.
)[Note 37] listed in alphabetical order: the particle "de" is not considered to this aim unless it is written with a capital letter.
In Tuscany during the middle age and early modern era all towns and cities were autonomous States with the form of Republics, each having its own Nobility.
Sardinia Rome Venice Modena and Reggio Parma and Piacenza Whole Italy, including pre-unitarian States