Nobile (aristocracy)
Nobile is an Italian hereditary noble rank just below a baron. It is used before the holder’s name (for example, Nob. Giovanni Rossi). Men are often written as Nobilis Homo (NH) and women as Nobilis Domina (ND). The title is associated with heraldic symbols: a gold circlet with five pearls on the coronet, and a shield topped by a silver ¾-view helmet, with the coronet shown above the shield in full heraldry.
The nobile title has existed for centuries and could be held by titled nobles or by their younger sons (cadets). By about 1800, many lords in Sicily and vassals in Piedmont were recognized as barons, though they might previously have been simply nobili. One famous nobile was Giuseppe Maria Buonaparte, grandfather of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Before Italy was unified, the Heraldic Court of Milan awarded and registered nobile as a noble title. Napoléon’s army overran the Duchy of Milan in 1796. When a nobile title was granted, the coat of arms was entered into the Book of Coat of Arms of Maria Teresa of Austria, kept at the Milan State Archives, along with a painting of the arms. At that time, the title did not include a coronet.
After the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed in 1861, the Italian Heraldic College (Consulta Araldica) listed nobile as the lowest rank among noble titles (below ranks like cavaliere ereditario, patrizio, and coscritto). The nobile could be inherited by younger sons, while the main title passed to the firstborn.
The Italian Republic does not recognise noble titles. The 1948 Constitution abolished the Consulta Araldica and with it any official registry of nobility.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:43 (CET).