The ''Carnet Mondain'' (
English: Social Notebook) of
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
is a directory
featuring
high society
High society, sometimes simply Society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth, power, fame and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open ...
(
nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...
and upper
bourgeoisie
The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...
), Belgian or foreign, established in Belgium, as well as members of
Belgian families established abroad.
It is equivalent to the ''
Social Register
The ''Social Register'' is a semi-annual publication in the United States that indexes the members of American high society. First published in the 1880s by newspaper columnist Louis Keller, it was later acquired by Malcolm Forbes. Since 2014, ...
'' in the United States. Its
tagline
In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...
is "the Familial and Social Belgium" (
French: ''la Belgique Familiale et Mondaine'').
It also publishes the
coats of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic ac ...
of these families, when
armigerous
In heraldry, an armiger is a (natural or juridical) person entitled to use a heraldic achievement (e.g., bear arms, an "armour-bearer") either by hereditary right, grant, matriculation, or assumption of arms. Such a person is said to be armig ...
.
History
This work, which was an initiative of
Prince Charles-Louis of Merode, has the advantage of clearly showing the ties of descent between people (up to two degrees). This directory coexists with the
High Life de Belgique
The ''High Life de Belgique'' ( French for High Life of Belgium) is a Belgian publishing house that was founded in 1880.
History
It publishes annually a directory containing the contact details of more than twelve thousand families of the high ...
, which pursues similar objectives.
Admission
Persons wishing to be registered, must submit a written candidacy request supported by three unrelated persons included in previous editions. These new applications are then submitted to the Carnet Mondain admissions committee, which rules in full independence.
See also
*
High Life de Belgique
The ''High Life de Belgique'' ( French for High Life of Belgium) is a Belgian publishing house that was founded in 1880.
History
It publishes annually a directory containing the contact details of more than twelve thousand families of the high ...
*
Social Register
The ''Social Register'' is a semi-annual publication in the United States that indexes the members of American high society. First published in the 1880s by newspaper columnist Louis Keller, it was later acquired by Malcolm Forbes. Since 2014, ...
*
Burke's peerage
Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...
*
Almanach de Bruxelles (defunct)
The ''Almanach de Bruxelles'' was a French social register that listed royal family, royal and nobility, noble dynasties of Europe. It was established in 1918 during the First World War to compete against the prominent German Almanach de Gotha.Marc ...
*
Almanach de Gotha
The ''Almanach de Gotha'' () is a directory of Europe's royalty and higher nobility, also including the major governmental, military and diplomatic corps, as well as statistical data by country. First published in 1763 by C. W. Ettinger in ...
*
Libro d'Oro
The ''Libro d'Oro'' (''The Golden Book''), originally published between 1315 and 1797, is the formal directory of nobles in the Republic of Venice (including the Ionian Islands). It has been resurrected as the ''Libro d'Oro della Nobiltà It ...
*
Belgian nobility
The Belgian nobility comprises Belgian individuals or families recognized as noble with or without a title of nobility in the Kingdom of Belgium. The Belgian constitution states that no specific privileges are attached to the nobility.
History
...
*
Bourgeois of Brussels
In City of Brussels, Brussels, as in most European cities, one needed the capacity of Bourgeoisie, bourgeois (equivalent to German Burgher (title), burgher or English Burgess (title), burgess; in French ''bourgeois'' or ''citoyen'' ''de Bruxelle ...
*
Seven Noble Houses of Brussels
The Seven Noble Houses of Brussels (also called the Seven Lineages or Seven Patrician Families of Brussels; ; ; ) were the seven families or "Lineage (anthropology), lineages" whose descendants formed the Patrician (post-Roman Europe), patricia ...
*
Belgian heraldry
*
Kulavruttanta
References
Social institutions
Upper class culture in Europe
Genealogy publications
Family history
Book series
Publishing companies of Belgium
Directories
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