The fount of honour in Russia

A staunch monarchist all his life, Baron Yegorov clearly understood the fact that on its own professional knowledge of heraldry and skills in heraldic arts hardly ever be sufficient for the full-scale legitimate work of a heraldic body like the Collegium Heraldicum Russiae. So, it seemed to be absolutely necessary for them to seek and find the legitimate Fount of Honour (Fons Honorum in Latin), i.e. a supreme source of power and dignity from which the right of granting arms would emanate. Evidently enough, no ex-communist authorities could serve as such source, neither Gorbachev nor Yeltsin, both being former Members of the Soviet Union Communist Party Politburo. Baron Yegorov always believed that it was only the Crown that must be the verily Fons Honorum, having supreme control of coat-armour. This control in all civilized countr ies is one of the appanages of sovereignty, but from early period much of the actual control has been delegated to the Heralds and Herald Masters (Kings of Arms, in Great Britain, and les Rois d`Armes, in France). As there has been no monarchy in Russia since 1917, Baron Yegorov came to a conclusion that there was still a unique person who continued to possess all the prerogatives and privileges appertaining to the Russian Throne, and that man was His Imperial Highness The Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich, in his capacity then as Head of the Imperial House of Romanov. Since 1989, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Baron Yegorov has established and maintained professional contacts with numerous monarchist and heraldic organisations, as well as with individual colleagues all over the world, whose friendly assistance has ever been indispensable in obtaining diverse materials, advice, and information so much needed just for updating extant heraldic practice in Russia. The most important of all contacts was, however, that with the Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich. From the very beginning of their acquaintanceship in early 1990, His Imperial Highness was much impressed with the outstanding competence of Baron Yegorov in matters heraldic and genealogical. For instance, he particularly appreciated and valued very highly a colossal piece of heraldic and genealogical research carried out by Baron Yegorov, the work being titled "The Heraldic Pedigree of Czaesarevich Alexis". Besides biographical data, the Pedigree comprised 60 full colour coats of arms of the ancestors of the last Emperor Nicholas II`s son, killed by the Communists in 1918 with the whole Imperial Family. This work was afterwards published in No. 4, 1993 issue of the Gerboved heraldic magazine. And it was also for this work that Baron Yegorov was granted the professorship and the degree of an Accademico Corrispondente Estero, Classe Discipline Storiche by the Accademia Archeologica Italiana in Rome, in 1995. The Grand Duke's initial commitment to the revival of Russian heraldry in early 1990 established the pattern for his future involvement. His Imperial Highness and Baron Yegorov used to devote a great deal of thought to every minute detail of the future Diplomata Armorum (Letters Patent) to be issued by the CHR. For instance, even the wording of them, or rather the Introductory Formula "To All And Singular By These Presents Be It Known That The Collegium Heraldicum Russiae Has Entered In The Matricula Armorum The Armo rial Bearings Of..." - was long and thoroughly elaborated together with, and then confirmed personally by His Imperial Highness The Grand Duke in 1991, the year when he appointed Baron Yegorov to be Saint Andrew Principal Herald Master, Head of the Collegium Heraldicum Russiae.