On the basis of the Article 11 of the Associations Act
(Official Gazette NN 88/01),
the Great Council of the Croatian Nobility Association 
adopted in its session held on April 9th 2005 the 

 STATUTES

OF THE CROATIAN NOBILITY ASSOCIATION

 

We, the descendants of Croatian noble ancestry, loyal to our country, faithful to our tradition, establish the Croatian Association of Nobility for an unlimited period and adopt these Statutes on the basis of the following principles:

 

  • the right to nobility is based on tribal, state and family continuity of the Croatian people, on charters of Croatian and European institutions, houses and rulers, as well as on the permanent subjectivity of the Croatian state;

  • adhering to nobiliary obligations based on moral principles of the Croatian and all-European   code of nobility.

 

I. GENERAL PROVISIONS

 

Article 1

 

The Croatian Nobility Association  (hereafter referred to as the Association) shall be a nonprofits association founded in conformity with the Associations Act (Official Gazette NN 88 of October 11th   2001).

 

Article 2

 

The Association is a legal entity. The full name of the Association shall be Hrvatski plemićki zbor (Croatian Association of Nobility). Its acronym shall be HPZ. Beside its Croatian name, in legal usage the Association may also use the Latin version, i.e. Collegium Nobilium Croaticum. The headquarters of the Association shall be in Zagreb. The decision on the headquarters’ address shall be made by the Nobiliary Board. The Association shall be active on the territory of the Republic of Croatia and may establish branches that are not legal entities. The establishment of branches shall be regulated by special rules.

 

Article 3

 

The activity of the Association is open to the public. This shall be achieved through the "Croatian Association of Nobility's Herald" and through its Website.

 

Article 4

 

The coat of arms of the Association shall be the historical Croatian coat of arms in the shape of a shield, with a stylized golden crown of Croatian kings above it, decorated with rubies and partly entering the shield.

 

The seal of the Association shall be of rounded shape with a 35 mm diameter, with the name of the Association inscribed in Croatian and Latin on the edge and the coat of arms of the Association in the middle.

 

Article 5

 

The flag of the Association shall be sky blue with the Association’s coat of arms on both sides. On one side the coat of arms is surrounded by the Croatian inscription Hrvatski plemićki zbor and on the other by the Latin inscription Collegium Nobilium Croaticum, on both sides trimmed with the Early Croatian three-strand pattern. On top of the flagpole is a pennant in colours of the Croatian tricolour with the Association’s motto «Što pređi ti namriješe, zasluži da zaista tvoje bude» ("What you have inherited from your fathers, you must earn in order to possess." – Goethe, Faust 1), inscribed in golden letters.

 

The flag shall be displayed besides the Croatian flag on the Association’s premises, at the Great Nobiliary Council’s sessions, public gatherings and other occasions upon the decision of the Nobiliary Board.

 

Article 6

 

The badge of the Association shall be the coat of arms of the Association with the inscription Collegium Nobilium Croaticum around it.

 

 

II. GOALS AND ACTIVITIES OF THE ASSOCIATION

 

Article 7

 

The Association shall be founded in order to connect Croatian noble families for the purpose of fostering Croatian historical values, noble traditions, mutual solidarity and complying with the ethical code of behaviour, as the debt to their ancestors who were given noble titles for their merits.

 

Article 8

 

For the purpose of achieving goals from former article the Association shall:

 

  • draw up the activities programme in compliance with the Association’s goals
  • work on Croatian heraldic codex and promotion of genealogy
  • promote social activities and help other members
  • reach decisions on all issues regarding the activities of the Association
  • cooperate with European associations of nobility
  • issue publications from the field of the activities of the Association

 

 

III. MEMBERSHIP

 

Article 9

 

Members of the Croatian Association of Nobility can be legal descendants of Croatian noble families in the continuous male line, over the age of 18, as well as noblemen’s wives. This applies to all citizens of Croatia.

 

Members must bear original surnames of noble families.

 

Members of the Association shall have the right to elect and to be elected to all bodies and participate in all activities of the Association.

 

Article 10

 

Along with full members, individuals who are not nobles, such as historians, heralds and genealogists can also join the Association as associate members. They shall not enjoy the same membership rights as full members. They shall be listed as associate members on the published list of members of the Association. They may receive honours and other awards for their work and merits. The Nobiliary

 

 

Board shall propose and the Great Nobiliary Council shall confirm the membership of associate members of the Association according to the criteria of membership regulations.

 

Article 11

 

A nobleman who is a foreign citizen may become an honorary member of the Association. They shall be proposed by the Nobiliary Board and accepted by the Great Nobiliary Council according to membership regulations.

 

Article 12

 

Applications for membership in the Association shall be submitted in writing together with all the documents listed in membership regulations. The Nobiliary Board shall verify the authenticity of the documents and the candidate’s suitability and recommend their acceptance to the Great Nobiliary Council. Both of these bodies shall have unlimited freedom of judgement.

 

The Great Nobiliary Council shall decide on the membership and grant a membership charter upon the recommendation of the Nobiliary Board.

 

Article 13

 

The membership in the Association may be terminated by death, voluntary resignation, change of surname, unpaid membership dues for two years or by expulsion, according to membership regulations. Applications for new membership can be submitted again if the conditions from Article 9 are fulfilled.

 

The list of all the members of the Association shall be kept by the Nobiliary Board's notary.

 

 

IV. FUNDING THE ASSOCIATION'S ACTIVITIES

 

Article 14

 

The Association shall be funded through:

 

  • membership dues
  • sponsors and donors
  • other sources, in accordance with the law.

 

Article 15

 

Financial documents shall be signed by persons designated by the Nobiliary Board.

 

 

V. THE ASSOCIATION'S MANAGING BODIES

 

Article 16

 

The Association's managing bodies shall be:

 

  1. Great Nobiliary Council
  2. Nobiliary Board
  3. Supervisory Board
  4. Senate
  5. Court of Honour

 

1. GREAT NOBILIARY COUNCIL

 

Article 17

 

The Great Nobiliary Council shall be the supreme managing body, consisting of all members of the Association.

 

Article 18

 

The Great Nobiliary Council shall have the duty to:

 

  • adopt the Statutes, their amendments and other enactments of the Association
  • elect or relieve of duties: the President of the Association, two Vice Presidents, 11 members of the Nobiliary Board, 3 members of the Supervisory Board, members of the Senate and 3 members of the Court of Honour (upon the recommendation of the Nobiliary Board)
  • adopt a development strategy of the Association
  • establish the programme of activities
  • adopt the financial plan
  • accept the annual financial report
  • adopt the Rules of procedure of the Great Nobiliary Council, Supervisory Board, Senate, Court of Honour, as well as the nobiliary code of ethics
  • decide on statutory matters and the dissolution of the Association
  • decide on conferring recognitions and awards.

 

Article 19

 

The Great Nobiliary Council shall assemble as the need arises, but at least once a year. The Great Nobiliary Council shall be convened by the President. The President shall also be bound to convene the Great Nobiliary Council upon the request of the Supervisory Board, at least a quarter of all members or the Nobiliary Board. Should the President fail to convene the Great Noiliary Council within 15 days, it may be convened by authorized proposers. Invitations to a session of the Great Nobiliary Council shall be sent to each member at least 15 days prior to the session.

 

Article 20

 

The Great Nobiliary Council shall make valid decisions on issues in the areas within their competence if at least a quarter of all members are present at the session. Should there be less than a quarter of all members at the session 30 minutes after its beginning, all present members shall be declared a quorum. Decisions shall be adopted by the Great Nobiliary Council only if approved by a two-thirds majority of members present at the session, in an open or secret vote.

 

Article 21

 

The session of the Great Nobiliary Council shall be conducted by the presiding Committee, appointed by the Great Nobiliary Council from among all present members. The assembly shall be opened and presided by the President of the Association.

 

The activities of the Great Noble Council shall be open to the public and minutes shall be kept and published in an abridged version. The proceedings of the Great Nobiliary Council shall be defined by the Rules of Procedure.

 

Article 22

 

The President and two Vice Presidents shall be elected for the term of three years and may be re-elected. The President shall represent the Association in public and shall be responsible for the legality of the work of the Association. The President shall convene and run the sessions of the Great Nobiliary Council. The Association shall also be represented by the Senior Vice President and Chancellor.

 

3. NOBILIARY BOARD

 

Article 23

 

The Nobiliary Board shall be the executive body of the Great Nobiliary Council and it shall elect it for a three-year term. The Nobiliary Board shall have 11 members, elected by the Great Nobiliary Council  from among the members of the Association.  The elected members of the Nobiliary Board shall divide their duties by mutual agreement. Members of the Nobiliary Board shall be: Chancellor, two Prothonotaries, Notary, Herald, Treasurer, Webmaster and four General Members. Members of the Nobiliary Board shall be responsible for their activities to the Great Nobiliary Council, which can relieve them of their duty even before the end of their term on demand of more than a half (1/2) of overall members of the Association.

 

Article 24

 

The Nobiliary Board shall:

 

  • organize the activities of the Association between two sessions of the Great Nobiliary Council
  • make proposals for the programme of activities of the Association
  • prepare a working strategy
  • make regulations
  • convene the session of the Great Nobiliary Council of the Association, propose the agenda and prepare materials the Great Nobiliary Council shall discuss, including the list of candidates for particular duties
  • implement the decisions of the Great Nobiliary Council  
  • decide how to dispose of the funds of the Association within the framework of financial plan
  • propose acceptance of new members
  • prepare proposals for amendments to the Statutes and other basic documents of the Association
  • appoint working groups of the Association
  • perform and decide on all other activities not coming within the competence of other bodies by any regulation or basic document
  • propose the amount of admission fees and membership dues
  • propose measures to make the activities of the Association more efficient
  • nominate to the Great Nobiliary Council members to get recognitions and awards conferred according to special Rules of procedure.

 

Article 25

 

Meetings of the Nobiliary Board shall be as needed, at least once a month. Sessions of the Nobiliary Board shall be called and run by the Chancellor. The Nobiliary Board shall make valid decisions if the session is attended by more than a half of (1/2) all the elected members of the Nobiliary Board. The Nobiliary Board shall make decisions by votes of the better half of all elected members.

 

The Chancellor shall be responsible for calling and running the sessions of the Nobiliary Board. He     shall run the activities of the Association under the decisions and guidelines of the managing bodies of the Association and shall present the annual report to the Great Nobiliary Council.

 

Protonotharies (Chancellor's deputies) shall help the Chancellor in his work. Protonotharies shall be responsible for relations with members and co-operation with other associations and institutions in the country and abroad, as well as for the publishing activities of the Association.

 

The notary, the main administrator of the Association, shall offer logistic support to all Association's bodies and shall keep the seal of the Association. He shall also take care of and keep current records and the archive. He shall also keep the membership register.

 

The webmaster shall maintain the website of the Association.

 

The treasurer shall take care of the Association’s finances and membership dues and shall present the annual report to the Great Nobiliary Council.

 

The herald shall be responsible for verification of historical and genealogical information on candidates for the membership in the Association and shall file and keep documents of all members of the Association.

 

Four general members shall take part in various activities of the Nobiliary Council.

 

4. SUPERVISORY BOARD

 

Article 26

 

The Supervisory Board shall supervise the work and material and financial transactions of the Association. The Supervisory Board shall consist of three members appointed by the Great Nobiliary Council for a term of three years. Members of the Supervisory Board shall elect the president among themselves. The Supervisory Board shall make decisions by majority vote of all its members.

 

The president of the Supervisory Board shall attend the sessions of the Nobiliary Board in case of need, but may not vote.

 

5. SENATE

 

Article 27

 

The Senate is an advisory body of the Association. The Senate shall consist of respectable members with considerable merits, appointed for an indefinite period of time. The Senate shall consider the problem areas of the Association and help it in its work. Members of the Senate shall be appointed by the Great Nobiliary Council. The Senate shall elect the president from among its members.

 

The president of the Senate shall attend the sessions of the Nobiliary Board in case of need, but may not vote.

 

6. COURT OF HONOUR

 

Article 28

 

The Great Nobiliary Council shall elect the Court of Honour, consisting of three members, for a term of three years. The Court of Honour shall institute and conduct proceedings, make decisions about violations of the Statutes and a breach of the rules of the Association's code of nobility. The Court of Honour shall elect the president from among its members.

 

The president of the Court of Honour shall attend the sessions of the Nobiliary Board in case of need, but may not vote.

 

Article 29

 

Functions and duties in the Association's bodies shall be on a voluntary basis with the possibility of re-election.

 

Minutes shall be kept at meetings of the Association's bodies and verified at the next meeting.

 

 

VI. HISTORY

  

Article 30

 

The Association was founded at the Great Nobiliary Council's session on 16th October 1995 in Zagreb, when the first Statutes were adopted and later amended at the Great Nobiliary Council's session on 29th December 1997 in Zagreb and on 27th October 2001 in Samobor.

 

 

VII. TRANSITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS

 

Article 31

 

The Association may be dissolved:

 

  • by the decision of the Great Nobiliary Council

 

  • by the decision of the competent administrative body

 

  • in other cases provided for by the law

 

The Great Nobiliary Council shall decide on the dissolution of the Association on the demand of at least three quarters (3/4) of the overall number of members of the Great Nobiliary Council.

Should the Association be dissolved, the Great Nobiliary Council shall decide on the assets of the Association.

 

Article 32

 

These Statutes shall be adopted by the Great Nobiliary Council by a two-thirds majority of members present at the voting.

 

Amendments to these Statutes shall be adopted as provided for in Article 18.

 

Article 33

 

These Statutes shall come into force on the day of their adoption.

 

 

 

Zagreb, April 9th 2005