List of marquesses in Italy

Italy, as a single nation state, began only in 1861, after the Piedmont-based Kingdom of Sardinia conquered most of present-day Italy. At that point, titles were recognized to all who held them according to the law of so-called pre-unitarian States. Consequently, the Kingdom of Italy had several different nobility traditions, one for each pre-unitarian State and one for the unified state (that was actually the Piedmontese-Savoyard one). That is why the Italian College of Arms, called Consulta araldica (heraldic council), was organized in 14 "regional" commissions. Common rules concerning all titles were established only in 1926. That is why a list of Italian marquisates has to be divided into different pre-unitarian lists, plus a unified list for titles granted after 1861. The latter should be completed with titles granted by the last King of Italy, Humbert II, during his exile and after the proclamation of the republic (1946), until his death in 1983: these concessions base upon the fact that he was not defeated in war and thus remained a king, that is a fons honorum, but this issue is controversial, titles granted by a non-reigning king not being recognized by most noble and royal families in Europe. Only the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Corpo della Nobiltà Italiana recognize these titles, while the CILANE treats them as mere titles of courtesy.

Since 1948, the republican constitution states that <<nobility titles are not recognized>>. It means that public bodies have not the power to use them towards nobility and tribunals have no power to state about their existence or non-existence, even as an interlocutory matter. The main association that privately protects titles and nobility is the Corpo della Nobiltà Italiana (body of the Italian nobility, also known as CNI).

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