Graf

Graf is a title of nobility. Grafio The Old High German forms and Gravo probably come across the Middle Latin graffio from the Byzantine- Greek γραφεύς ( Grapheus ) " clerk ". The Latin term comes (French comte, female comtesse; . Ital conte, female contessa. ) Was too late Roman times the name of a high imperial finance officers ( comes largitionum ). The noble title of Count had an extensive bandwidth, which resulted from the rank of a prince of the Empire through to Titulargrafen.

The Count related titles Landgraf, Margrave and some were Count Palatine of the Holy Roman Empire to the rank of princes belonging and were in the order above the rank of count. Furthermore, there were elevations of rank in the form of Princely Count (so-called Imperial Count ).

Count as a title of nobility

Origins of the Count title

In Merovingian and Frankish Empire was a royal Graf official who in an administrative unit (county, district) exercised the royal sovereign rights and in certain areas (Mark, royal castle, Pfalz, royal estate ) was representative of the king / emperor. He came from the Frankish kingdom nobility and was often represented with private property in his county. The count was initially equipped with military sovereignty and jurisdiction, later also with financial and administrative powers. The county constitution of the Frankish Empire was acquired except in its successor states Germany, France and Italy also of England ( County), and Spain (county).

From the beginning, there was the common choice of the counts from the local nobility, the tendency to heredity. A king had already demonstrate good reason to deny the son of an earl succeeded his father. Since the Ottos, the meaning of the title Earl walked by his increasing heritability and the integration into the feudal system from the original office to the term for the combined rights of a nobleman in a particular area. The Count rights were treated more and more private law by exchange, sale and distribution of estates. As an outward sign of this trend continued increases the designation of the county after the reign midpoint of the count rather than after a Reichsgau by. The Salian tried without lasting success to achieve the reorganization of the counties by their ministeria metallic service nobility. In the High Middle Ages, most counties and thus their rights came under the control of noble or free from the ministeriality up increasing gender or the already powerful dukes. The title of Count was therefore no longer primarily associated with a county office. As a feature of a noble rank, but he was himself.

The German nobility was divided gradually into high and low nobility. Earl had originally within the high nobility to the lowest rank, where they ruled Imperial immediacy; unless they have been given ( in modern times ), only the title of count ( without a kingdom stand shaft ), they were, for the Low needle, which also applies to the so-called " Imperial Count " whose ( unofficial ) " imperial title " only said that to them the title of Count from " " had been so granted by the emperor, who in any case the only source of however, until the early 18th century, " empire was Grafungen " in Empire ( with the exception of the Kingdom of Bohemia, whose king was, however, identical with the Emperor ); the new Kingdom of Prussia began in 1701 with independent count surveys, the other princes of the empire needed until the downfall of the Old Kingdom in 1806 for Count surveys of the imperial confirmation.

The wife of an earl is " Countess ", the descendants of Count usually also counts. The unmarried daughter of an earl 's countess, however, has been since the 17th century as " Comtesse " (French comtesse " Countess ", German: Countess, Countess also ) addressed what came in the 19th century again disuse. Counts were the salutation Highborne, reigning and formerly reigning, so unable magnificent Count the salutation Highness (see below able Magnificent homes in Genealogical manual of the aristocracy ) or Second Division of the nobility.

There was also the primo own earldom, which was therefore not given but only the Fideikommissherrn, usually the owner of the Fideikommissbesitzes, and after his death, the eldest son and heir, the other members of a noble family. His descendants were ( with the exception of the heir after commencement of the Succession ) either barons and free indoor or plain of Nobility.

In 1919 the nobility and his class privileges in Germany and Austria were abolished by law. While the use of the former title of nobility in Austria was banned, the former title of nobility in Germany were made to bare parts of the surname, without further to its title. In Germany since 1919 takes place the notation on the pattern first name and then the former title of nobility as part of the surname. In contrast, stood before 1919, the noble title before the name ( in Austria, however, it was customary to 1919 to include the title of nobility between the pre - and surname ). According to the general usage of the oral Salutation Count / Countess So- reads ( omitting the "from" ), while, for example, when addressing letters in social intercourse is been usual ( less in the business ), instead of " Mr. Woldemar Earl of XY " to write: " SH Graf Woldemar of XY ".

Derived title

• Landgraf ( provincialis comes, comes patriae, comes terrae, comes magnus, etc.): In the beginning a feud carrier official title directly by the king. Later, the Landgrave of Thuringia and Hesse belonged to the imperial princes and a duke were approximately equal

• Markgraf ( marchio ), also border Count ( Comes terminalis): Initially officials in a borderland, later assimilated in the imperial princes, one prince, as an old knight nobility but is associated with a higher reputation
• Gaugraf ( comes ), the original count, vassal of a Gaus, the leader of an army bans, strayed later

• Count Palatine ( comes palatine ) and Hofpfalzgraf ( Comes palatine caesareus ): officials as a direct representative of the King (or the Emperor ), and later assimilated in the imperial princes, one prince, but is associated with a higher reputation

• Imperial Count: originally the Count an initially king, then direct imperial county, civil gorgeous with a seat and vote in the Reichstag. Since the 17th century increasingly as a term for the pure noble title of Count, where he was awarded a letter aristocracy by the Holy Roman Emperor.

• Lehnsgraf: since 1671 the Danish title of count ( greve lens ) as the highest rank of nobility titled in Denmark. Title for the owner of a qualified Lehnsgrafschaft (territory, a large manor, as Familienfideikommiss ), or for its first-born son as a presumptive successor.

• Burggraf ( Prefect, castellanus ): The jew landlords directly imputed Lord, partly also rich immediate positions

Erbgraf is called the first-born son and heir of an earl ( comparable to a Crown Prince )

Special Title:

• Wildgrafen ( comites silvestres ) Raugrafen and Rhinegraves: Various families of Gaugrafen in succession of south-west Germany Emichones, the latter later the Counts of Salm

In other languages:

• Earl, English
• Comte, French
• Viscount: French; Originally, the deputy of a count ( Viscount ). In France, England ( Viscount ) and the Netherlands ( Burggraaf ) autonomous status between Baron and Count.

Count as nichtständische Official Title

Some non aristocratic officers are traditionally called Count:

• Judicial offices with administrative powers: Freigraf: The Court by the Lord ( Chair Lord) used chairman of a Femegerichts was called Freigraf. Every respectable Free was Chairman or a juror Femegerichtes.

• , Strayed Zentgraf ( centenarius ), deputy of a count ( Viscount ), the Hessian and West Germans later
• Gograf, court glory of a division of a county, only in the ancient Saxon

• Hanse Count: The historic office of the Hanseatic Count or Count Hans is first documented in 1184 in Regensburg and was designed differently depending on the city; mostly it was official for Hanse, market or commercial matters.
• Reeve: Some dike cooperatives the umpire is called reeve ( Low German: Diekgreve ).
• Wood Count: Chairman for the forestry. He was elected by the Mark comrades.
• Wich Count: was under a bishop
• Borde Count: landlord's messenger or bailiff of a district court ( flare )