Everything about Apostolic Majesty totally explained
His (Royal) Apostolic Majesty was a
style used by the
Kings of Hungary.
First creation
The origin of this title dates from about A.D.
1000 when it was conferred by
Pope Silvester II upon
Saint Stephen I (975–1038), the first
Christian king of
Hungary, who is supposed to have received it from Pope Sylvester II in recognition of the activity displayed by him in promoting the introduction of Christianity into Hungary and his zeal in seeking the conversion of the heathen. According to tradition, Stephen also received the ecclesiastical title of
Apostolic Legate.
Arduin or Hartvik (1097-1103), bishop of
Raab (Györ), the biographer of St. Stephen, tells us that the pope hailed the king as a veritable "Apostle" of Christ, with reference to his holy labours in spreading the Catholic faith through Hungary. However the
papal bull of Sylvester II, dated
27 March 1000, whereby the pope grants St. Stephen the crown and title of King, returns to him the kingdom he'd offered to the Holy See and confers on him the right to have the cross carried before him, with an administrative authority over bishoprics and churches, affords no basis for the granting of this particular title. Moreover, the bull, as clearly proven by later research, is a forgery later than 1574.
Second creation
It was renewed by
Pope Clement XIII in
1758 in favor of the empress
Maria Theresia and her descendants, the later Habsburg Emperors of
Austria, bore the title of
apostolic king of Hungary, used by the King himself, as also in the letters addressed to him by officials or private individuals.
Pope Leo X having conferred the title of
Defensor Fidei on
Henry VIII of England, in the year 1521, the nobles of Hungary, with Stephen Werboczi, the learned jurist and later
Palatine of Hungary, at their head, opened negotiations with the Holy See to have the title of "Apostolic Majesty", said to have been granted by Pope Sylvester II to Stephen, conferred on King
Louis II of Hungary. But these negotiations led to no result.
In 1627, Emperor
Ferdinand III endeavoured to obtain the title for himself, but desisted from the attempt when he found the
Primate of Hungary,
Péter Pázmány, as well as the Holy See itself, unwilling to accede to his request. When, however, measures were taken, in the reign of
Emperor Leopold I (1657-1705) to make the royal authority supreme in the domain of ecclesiastical jurisdiction and administration, the title "Apostolic Majesty" came into use.
Maria Theresia used (the female version of) the title, "Apostolic Queen", for the first time in the letters patent granted to the imperial plenipotentiary sent to the College of Cardinals after the death of
Pope Benedict XIV. In the instructions imparted to this ambassador, the hope was expressed that the Holy See won't withhold this title in the future from the ruler of Hungary.
Pope Clement XIII, on learning of this wish of Maria Theresa, granted this title
motu proprio to the queen and her successors, by virtue of the
Papal Brief "Carissima in Christo filia", of
19 August,
1758.
The title was thereupon associated with Hungary by an edict of Maria Theresa, which prescribed that the title "Apostolic King of Hungary" should be used for the future in all acts, records and writings.
Since then the King of Hungary bore this title, which, however, only accrued to him after his
coronation, and didn't belong to him before that ceremony, nor did it extend to the King's spouse (
Empress-consort of Austria), nor any other member of the dynasty, not even the heir to the throne, the so-called
rex junior, who was crowned in the life-time of the reigning monarch.
Franz Joseph I of Austria was titled "His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty" (
Seine Kaiserliche und Königlich Apostolische Majestät) along with his consort Empress Elisabeth, who was styled "Her Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty" (
Ihre Kaiserliche und Königlich Apostolische Majestät). The plural for the couple was also used as "Their Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesties" (
Ihre Kaiserlichen und Königlich Apostolischen Majestäten).
The rights exercised by the crown in respect of the Catholic Church in Hungary were not connected with the title "Apostolic Majesty", but exercised in virtue of the supreme royal
right of patronage.
The style hasn't been used since the abolition of the
monarchy in
1918. It was abbreviated to HAM or HRAM; when used with the Austrian Imperial style, it was usually simplified to HI&RM or HIM.
Sources and references
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