AHC: Courtly name culture.

Your challenge if you accept, is to create a society wherein the following system of naming for imperial/royal courts/Emperors etc is used:

Era name: As in China, a ruler has an era name upon ascencion. This era name is a descriptive, such as, ‘raging tempest’, ‘auspicious peace’ or ‘hand of glad tides’ etc.... This era name is gifted based upon some sort of ritual method, perhaps one wherein omens confer these era names.

Court name: This is a title conferred upon a court of a particular ruler, that corresponds to simply the people therein, but not to the ruler. So for instance, something akin to ‘servants of the most righteous’. So a title given in plural to the higher echelon of the imperial power structure. Changes with each ruler.

Familial name: This is the title of the ruler wherein his/her line is gifted via his father who begat this and begat that. As an example, ‘Muhammad Ibn Ali Khuzay Ibn Umar Ibn Jabril al-Hormuzi’. Essentially a genealogical name.

Popular name: The name of the ruler that is to be used by the common subjects of the ruler. Such as, ‘The benevolent advocate’ or so forth. Also includes his name used for festival appearances and charity works.

Martial name: The name of the ruler as addressed martial circles and cliques and to be used by soldiers and generals in reference to the ruler. This also includes literature when he is at war or battle or campaign.

Enthroned name: The name of the ruler when seated upon his/her throne and only used when currently enthroned or in literature referring to him enthroned.

Situational name/variable name: A possible name; this occurs by way of a decision by the ruler to take a new name/title based upon an action he is doing. For instance, he is crossing a river, and wishes a new name to be used for when he is crossing a river or a body of water, his scribes thus get to job of concocting a name.

Castigative name: The name given by the court to enemies of the state under censor or ire. Also gifted to rebels and other similar figures.

Mortuary name: The name gifted by the court upon death of the ruler.

Memorial name: The name given to the previous ruler in the second year of the succeeding ruler.

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What would be the prerequisites for such a system to develop? Would it be feasible? As well, what’re the effects of this upon literature and society?

Also for POD, 2500 BCE.

Restrictions: Cannot be China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam or Southeast Asia.
 
This seems like a terrible way to treat one's court scribes. My hand aches just thinking about it.

Do all of these have to be present or just some combination of them?
 
idk but this just seems to lead to more and more confusion as people who wouldn't remember all the names would be like 'who dat? oh damn dat our emperor!'
 
This seems like a terrible way to treat one's court scribes.
idk but this just seems to lead to more and more confusion as people who wouldn't remember all the names would be like 'who dat? oh damn dat our emperor!'
Except elaborate situations like these are more-or-less OTL in East Asia. Take Emperor Kojong of Korea:
  • Given names:
    • Myŏngbok (命福 "Life of Luck"): Childhood name
    • Chaehwang (載晃 "Carrying Light"): Second given name, used briefly upon accession
    • Hyŏng (㷩 "Radiance"): Third given name, used for most of his life
    • Hŭi (熙 "Radiance"): Fourth given name, used from 1910 to 1919 when Korea was annexed by Japan
  • Courtesy names, which are nicknames taken at the age of twenty:
    • Myŏngbu (明夫 "Man of Brightness")
    • Sŏnglim (聖臨 "Sagacious Descent")
  • Art name, a pseudonym used as a writer or a painter:
    • Chuyŏn (珠淵 "Pearl Pond")
  • Princely name, used in his capacity as prince before his coronation:
    • Prince Iksŏng (翼成 "Winged Success")
  • Era names, used to count the years of his reign:
    • Kŏnyang (建陽 "Raising Yang"): 1896—1897
    • Kwangmu (光武 "Light of Martiality"): 1897—1907
  • Posthumous name, given upon death:
    • I'm too tired to transliterate, but it's 統天隆運肇極敦倫正聖光義明功大德堯峻舜徽禹謨湯敬應命立紀至化神烈巍勳洪業啓基宣曆乾行坤定英毅弘休壽康文憲武章仁翼貞孝太皇帝
  • Temple name, also given after death:
    • Kojong (高宗 "Lofty Ancestor")
  • Mausoleum name, given after burial:
    • Hongrŭng (洪陵 "Expansive Mausoleum")
And Kojong didn't even have an honorific name or the scores of other names an East Asian monarch could receive.
 
This seems like a terrible way to treat one's court scribes. My hand aches just thinking about it.

Do all of these have to be present or just some combination of them?

Well the idea behind it, is to empower to a great degree, the scribes of the court to a greater degree than many otl states. As well as just a thought experience in court sophistication and protocol.

Preferably all of these will exist at once. The only exception is, some may be used more than others. For instance, a particular emperor may spend their time at war near the entirety of their reign, thus their popular name, enthroned name, etc.. are used less frequently. Likewise, the emperor preferring his martial skills, may not take any situational names, based upon when he crosses a desert or blocks an arrow in battle.
 
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Except elaborate situations like these are more-or-less OTL in East Asia. Take Emperor Kojong of Korea:
  • Given names:
    • Myŏngbok (命福 "Life of Luck"): Childhood name
    • Chaehwang (載晃 "Carrying Light"): Second given name, used briefly upon accession
    • Hyŏng (㷩 "Radiance"): Third given name, used for most of his life
    • Hŭi (熙 "Radiance"): Fourth given name, used from 1910 to 1919 when Korea was annexed by Japan
  • Courtesy names, which are nicknames taken at the age of twenty:
    • Myŏngbu (明夫 "Man of Brightness")
    • Sŏnglim (聖臨 "Sagacious Descent")
  • Art name, a pseudonym used as a writer or a painter:
    • Chuyŏn (珠淵 "Pearl Pond")
  • Princely name, used in his capacity as prince before his coronation:
    • Prince Iksŏng (翼成 "Winged Success")
  • Era names, used to count the years of his reign:
    • Kŏnyang (建陽 "Raising Yang"): 1896—1897
    • Kwangmu (光武 "Light of Martiality"): 1897—1907
  • Posthumous name, given upon death:
    • I'm too tired to transliterate, but it's 統天隆運肇極敦倫正聖光義明功大德堯峻舜徽禹謨湯敬應命立紀至化神烈巍勳洪業啓基宣曆乾行坤定英毅弘休壽康文憲武章仁翼貞孝太皇帝
  • Temple name, also given after death:
    • Kojong (高宗 "Lofty Ancestor")
  • Mausoleum name, given after burial:
    • Hongrŭng (洪陵 "Expansive Mausoleum")
And Kojong didn't even have an honorific name or the scores of other names an East Asian monarch could receive.

This is more or less from where I derived this conception. However, the point was to transfer this naming culture independently to the Western or Southern world, hence why East Asia is banned from use in this scenario. The main difference that I have from the East Asian culture, is the addition of situational names, wherein for different people, the emperor is named differently and the emperor is allowed to name themselves based upon actions that they perform or such as the emperor holding a different name whence they are enthroned or speaking of as 'the enthroned one'. Ultimately, I would like to see a very sophisticated and refined yet complex and convoluted palace naming protocol develop.
 
This is more or less from where I derived this conception. However, the point was to transfer this naming culture independently to the Western or Southern world, hence why East Asia is banned from use in this scenario. The main difference that I have from the East Asian culture, is the addition of situational names, wherein for different people, the emperor is named differently and the emperor is allowed to name themselves based upon actions that they perform or such as the emperor holding a different name whence they are enthroned or speaking of as 'the enthroned one'. Ultimately, I would like to see a very sophisticated and refined yet complex and convoluted palace naming protocol develop.
Roman Emperors often had many names. Nero was born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus and by the time of his reign he was Imperator Nero Cladius Divi Claudius filius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. But they never seem to have been systematized. Maybe some Diocletian equivalant could refine it as part of his imperial reforms. Or maybe Constantine. I'm not sure why they would though.

Other thoughts. Christian converts often took on a new name upon baptism (some still do). Maybe that could develop into a religious name to be used in the context of religious affairs.

Perhaps it could spread more directly from the Chinese into the Islamic world. If Tang China's golden age lasts longer and it maintains power that far west they maybe as the Abbasid's begin to fragment some eastern Muslim states way wind up as Tang tributaries. Or maybe the Mongols might adopt it more thoroughly (they were heavily influenced by the Chinese) and it remains as a legacy of their rule. The Russians might use such a system after the Golden horde.
 
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