Honorific

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An honorific is a form of address used to people of high rank.

Usage

An honorific is something that is attached to the name but is not normally used elsewhere, e.g Mr, Sir, Mrs, Dr, Master. Contrast this with a title or position can appear without the person's name (e.g. the President, the Earl), and may be asssociated with a particular role or area (e.g. the US President, Financial Director, Earl of Cornwall).

Period usage

Note also that medieval English kings were addressed as "Your Grace". "Your Majesty" is found in letters to King Henry VIII after about the time he broke with the Church of Rome (watch the gradual transition from "your grace" to "your highness" and "your majesty" in the letters addressed to Henry by his wives and daughters at http://englishhistory.net/tudor/letters.html). If you have examples of the use of "Your Majesty" before this time, please cite them here.

Honorifics in the SCA

The following honorifics are generally accepted throughout the SCA, though there may be some regional variations. They are sometimes abbreviated and used as part of an individual's alphabet soup or before their names.

RANK HONORIFIC ABBREVIATION
King or Queen Your Majesty
My Liege (in some Kingdoms, only if you've sworn fealty)
Your Grace (if you're just rather old-fashioned)
HM
Crown Prince or Princess Your Royal Highness HRH
Prince or Princess Your Highness HH
Duke or Duchess Your Grace
Count or Countess Your Excellency HE
Viscount or Viscountess Your Excellency HE
Baron or Baroness Your Excellency HE
Knight Sir
Pelican or Laurel Master or Mistress OP, OL
Anybody else My Lord/My Lady L