Fürst
Prince ( Old High German Furisto, " the first ", compare English first, " only the first " ) is in the hierarchical order of the nobility system in the old kingdom of the highest title under which even dukes, land, Mark and Palatine were included. His dominion is called the Principality.
Conceptual history
In a broader sense and as a collective term, the word " prince " a high aristocratic dignitaries and includes monarchs, including kings and emperors, but also that once the Holy Roman Empire Imperial immediacy ruling, " princely " Count one. In a narrow sense and in modern terms, it is a title of nobility which is outranked the count and the ( non-royal ) prince, but under the Duke. The princes were addressed with ( Your ) Highness. They belong to the nobility.
English, French, Italian, Spanish and Hungarian counterparts do not exist ( with the exception of the English peers in these countries, the respective chiefs - and not just those born later - the princely houses known as Prince ), but rather a Czech ( Kníže ), Russian ( князь ), Polish ( Ksiaze ) and Bulgarian ( княз ). The Scandinavian languages also know direct translations of the term (Danish and Norwegian: fyrste, Swedish: furste, Finnish: ruhtinas ), further down the German / Dutch Language: Vorst
In the Frankish kingdoms and later the Holy Roman Empire Prince were the lords to the king or emperor, that is, royal officials with partly hereditary sovereignty over a secular and possibly ecclesiastical dominion.
To the rank of prince ( prince of the empire ) included in the Late Middle Ages Dukes, land, Mark and Count Palatine. As a spiritual princes were archbishops, bishops called ( Prince-Bishops ), and some abbots and priors ( Reich prelates ). The term prince of the Church who - irrespective of princely titles and still - high ecclesiastical dignitaries, especially cardinals, archbishops and bishops, called, still lives the idea of the noble lifestyle and habit ' spiritual princes. In the High Middle Ages, the princes chose the king, since the mid-13th century was this right the seven electors reserved.
With the end of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation in 1806 some German princes sovereign ruler of their country were; in Gotha court calendar they were listed next to the kings and grand dukes in the First Division. Most others whose territory came under the domination by media coverage of another state, retained or received the title of prince as an honorary title, such as the Sayn -Wittgenstein; this mediated gender formed the Second Division of the princely houses. A German special case were the former in the Holy Roman Empire Imperial immediacy reigning count, which are sometimes referred to as gefürstete counts and also belonged to the Second Division; they stood in the rank among the princes, but belonged to the high nobility and how these were them according to the German Federal Act equal, different from the ordinary, mere titular Count; they spake with His Grace. There were some gefürstete in the 19th century families who had never been sovereign, such as Blucher ( as " Prince of Wahlstatt " ), Bismarck or Bülow, the man - besides foreign princes - summed up in a Third Division. Thus, the vast majority of the princes of the Second German Empire were no longer reigning monarch, nor the princes of the Austrian nobility in the Empire of Austria. Therefore Sovereign German princes led to 1918 entitled " Ruling Prince ".
The children of princes are mostly prince or princess with the previous Title Highness (which is now used in a non - official, social correspondence only as a courtesy name when addressing ); these titles are also transmitted to the younger lines resulting. However, the later generations of some non- sovereign princely houses bear the title of Count or Countess with the salutation Highness. In both cases, the respective head of the House leads the title of prince with the salutation Highness.
Today's use
Today in Europe, the small states of Monaco are ( Prince of Monaco ) and Liechtenstein (prince of Liechtenstein ) by Prince (French: Prince Souverain ) governs. Andorra is a co- principality of two heads of state, a one-time special event. The Arabic title Emir for the rulers of sovereign Emirates is not a synonym, but the reigning Prince comparable. In England (see Prince of Wales = Prince of Wales ) and Spain (see Príncipe de Asturias = Prince of Asturias ) is usually appointed by the monarch to the titular prince of a country part of each heir to the throne, without this any governmental authority with it bring it. Also, in most other European monarchies, a corresponding title is run by the bosses do not reigning royal houses still as title of nobility.
With the abolition of the privileges of the aristocracy in the German Empire through the Weimar Constitution 1919, the former title of Prince or Princess has been a permanent part of the family name. The title " Prince " or " Princess ", as far as he was passed by primogeniture, was left with it. The title is, however, still often unofficially continue to operate for reasons of tradition of the heads of former princely houses and taken occasionally at the request according to the law amending of surnames and given names due to many years of leadership and general recognition (No. 50 NamÄndVwV ) in the pass, which, however, because of the then taking place - itself is not desired transmission to all subsequently -born descendants of the former princely houses mostly - traditionally adverse. Currently, this applies to 54 German families, four of which after 1806 (mostly to 1918 ) governing federal princes, namely Hohenzollern -Sigmaringen, Waldeck and Pyrmont, Reuss and Schaumburg -Lippe. For the Austrian nobility, which by the nobility Repeal Act of 1919, each title lead was banned, applies in respect of an unofficial guide similar, except that the " head of the house " is usually not referred to himself as a prince, can, however, designate other way. In Switzerland, titles of nobility are not recognized as part of the name, Adel designations are therefore not registered in official papers, however, the particle "of" is quite out of the Swiss authorities in civil status acts; with respect to the princes but this has no practical significance, since the Swiss high nobility rich princely rank (like the Kyburgs, Lenzburg, Rapperswil or Habsburg- Laufenburger ) are all extinct in the late Middle Ages. In the Russian nobility, there were title of prince, but these were mostly performed by all family members, not only of the family chiefs ( and are sometimes unofficially still out ).
A publicized periodically Genealogical Handbook of the nobility is in his band series Princely houses the genealogical work of the Gotha Hofkalenders continued (as that organized in three divisions) and provides information on the historical nobility 's members as well as the legitimate home laws chiefs of the European royal houses ( in the broader sense of the term prince, including reigning or formerly reigning houses, mediatized houses and only legally enforceable houses), which are needle legally entitled to use the title of Prince. The German nobility Legal Committee is consulted in cases of doubt, by the editors and monitors compliance of the historical aristocracy law.