Posted 09/09/2012 11:06 am
The person depicted is French emperor Napoleon I. The titles translate to "Napoleon I, Emperor of France, Co-Prince of the Valleys of Andorra".
Andorra has a peculiar governmental structure, in which two people simultaneously serve as "co-princes", the nominal heads of state. Back when this arrangement for Andorra was initiated in 1278, those two people were the Bishop of Urgell and the Count of Foix. The ecclesiastical co-prince is still the Bishop of Urgell, but the secular co-prince has changed several times. The House of Foix inherited the Kingdom of Navarre in 1472, and the Kings of Navarre became the co-princes. Navarre in turn was assimilated by France in 1607, so from that time the kings of France also held the title of Co-Prince of Andorra.
Along comes the French Revolution in 1792 and the revolutionaries aren't interested in assuming pretentious Andorran royal titles; they let the "French half" of the co-principality lapse. But on the 27th of March 1806, Napoleon Bonaparte, having already crowned himself Emperor of France in 1804, reclaims the lapsed Andorran title for himself.
Ever since then, the French head of state - be it Emperor, King or President - has also been Co-Prince of Andorra. The current French president, Francois Hollande, is thus both the democratically elected President of France and the ex-officio appointed Co-Prince of Andorra.
Andorra has a peculiar governmental structure, in which two people simultaneously serve as "co-princes", the nominal heads of state. Back when this arrangement for Andorra was initiated in 1278, those two people were the Bishop of Urgell and the Count of Foix. The ecclesiastical co-prince is still the Bishop of Urgell, but the secular co-prince has changed several times. The House of Foix inherited the Kingdom of Navarre in 1472, and the Kings of Navarre became the co-princes. Navarre in turn was assimilated by France in 1607, so from that time the kings of France also held the title of Co-Prince of Andorra.
Along comes the French Revolution in 1792 and the revolutionaries aren't interested in assuming pretentious Andorran royal titles; they let the "French half" of the co-principality lapse. But on the 27th of March 1806, Napoleon Bonaparte, having already crowned himself Emperor of France in 1804, reclaims the lapsed Andorran title for himself.
Ever since then, the French head of state - be it Emperor, King or President - has also been Co-Prince of Andorra. The current French president, Francois Hollande, is thus both the democratically elected President of France and the ex-officio appointed Co-Prince of Andorra.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
