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Royal and noble ranks

Traditional ranks among European royalty, peers, and nobility are rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and between geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to another's grand duke), the following is a fairly comprehensive list that provides information on both general ranks and specific differences.

• Royal/Monarch:
  • Emperor, rules¹ an empire
  • King, rules¹ a kingdom (kings of independent (sovereign) kingdoms are ranked above kings of imperial kingdoms)
  • (Archduke, a unique rank used only by the Habsburgs in Austria)
  • Grand Duke, ruling¹ a grand duchy
• Princely:
  • Prince-elector, Kurfürst in German, electing the Emperor
  • Duke, who rules¹ a duchy
  • sovereign Prince, Fürst in German, ruling¹ a Principality
  • Prince, Prinz in German, junior members of a royal or princely family
• Peers:²
  • Duke³
  • Marquess / Margrave, and the German Landgraf (Landgrave) and Pfalzgraf (Count Palatine), theoretically the ruler¹ of a margravate
  • Count / Earl, theoretically the ruler of a county
  • Viscount (vice-count) and Baron, in Britain the lowest rank of the peerage, had tax-exempted estates, and often official non-hereditary positions

1) Loss of sovereignty or fief does not necessarily lead to loss of title. The position in the ranking table is however accordingly adjusted. The occurrence of fiefs has changed from time to time, and from country to country. For instance, dukes in England rarely had a duchy to rule.

2) The term Peer is used in Britain, but the division could be argued to be of general value.

3) Dukes who are not actually or formerly sovereign, such as all British, French, and Spanish dukes, or who are not sons of sovereigns, as titulary dukes in many other countries, would not be considered to be of princely rank.

In Germany, the actual rank of the holder of a title is, however, dependent on not only the title as such, but on for instance the degree of sovereignty and on the rank of the lord of the title-holder. But also such matters as the age of the princely dynasty play a role (Uradel, Briefadel, altfürstliche, neufürstliche, see: German nobility).

Thus, any sovereign ruler would be higher than any formerly sovereign, i.e. mediatized, family of any rank (thus, the Fürst of Waldeck, sovereign until 1918, was higher than the Duke of Arenberg, mediatized). Members of a formerly sovereign house ranked higher than the regular nobility. Among the regular nobility, those whose titles derived from the Holy Roman Empire ranked higher than those whose titles were granted by one of the German princes after 1806, no matter what title was held.

Below is a comparative table of corresponding royal and noble titles in various European countries. See Royal and noble styles to learn how to properly address holders of these titles.

English	French	Italian	Spanish	German	Dutch	Norwegian	Swedish	Finnish	Polish¹	Russian	Danish
Emperor, Empress	Empereur, Imperatrice	Imperatore, Imperatrice	Emperador, Emperatriz	Kaiser, Kaiserin	Keizer, Keizerin	Keiser, Keiserinne			Cesarz, Cesarzowa	Tsar, Tsaritsa	Kejser, Kejserinde
King, Queen	Roi, Reine	Re, Regina	Rey, Reina	König, Königin	Koning, Koningin	Kong, Dronning	Kung, Drottning	Kuningas4	Król, Królowa		Konge Dronning
Grand Duke, Grand Duchess	Grand Duc, Grande Duchesse			Großfürst	Groothertog, Groothertogin	Storhertug, Storhertuginne		Suuriruhtinas4	Wielki Książę, Wielka Księżna	Veliky Kniaz	N/A
Duke, Duchess	Duc, Duchesse	Duca, Duchessa	Duque, Duquesa	Herzog, Herzogin	Hertog	Hertug, Hertuginne	Hertig	Herttua4	Książę, Księżna	Kniaz5	Hertug Hertuginde
Prince², Princess	Prince², Princesse	Principe², Principessa	Príncipe², Princesa	Fürst, Fürstin	Prins	Fyrst	Furste4	Ruhtinas4			Fyrste Fyrstinde
Marquess, Marchioness	Marquis, Marquise	Marchese, Marchesa	Marqués, Marquesa	Markgraf³, Markgräfin	Markies, Markgraaf	Marki	Markis4	Markiisi4	Markiz, Markiza	Boyar5	Marki ?
Earl / Count, Countess	Comte, Comtesse	Conte, Contessa	Conde, Condesa	Graf, Gräfin	Graaf	Greve / Jarl, Grevinne	Greve	Kreivi4	Hrabia, Hrabina	Graf, Grafinia5	Greve Grevinde
Viscount, Viscountess	Vicomte, Vicomtesse	Visconte, Viscontessa	Vizconde, Vizcondesa	Vizegraf, Vizegräfin	Burggraaf	Visegreve, Visegrevinne			Wicehrabia, Wicehrabina		Vicegreve Vicegrevinde
Baron, Baroness	Baron, Baronne	Barone, Baronessa	Barón, Baronesa	Freiherr, Freifrau	Baron	Baron, Baronesse	Friherre	Vapaaherra4	Baron, Baronowa		Baron Baronesse
Baronet6	Baronnet										N/A
Knight6	Chevalier	Cavaliere	Caballero	Ritter	Ridder	Ridder	Riddare4	Ritari4			Ridder
Notes: 1) Due to the prinicple of nobles' equality, any aristocratic titles below that of prince were not allowed in Poland (see szlachta). The titles in italics are simply Polish translations of western titles which were granted to some Polish nobles by foreign monarchs, especially after the paritions. 2) Prince/principe can also be a royal title, Prinz in German, Prins in Swedish. In the British system, the title Prince is not a rank of nobility but always a title held exclusively by members of the Royal Family 3) In the German system by rank approximately equal to Landgraf and Pfalzgraf 4) No titles were granted after 1906 when unicameral assembly (Eduskunta) was established 5) For domestic Russian nobility only the two titles Kniaz and Boyar were used before the 18th century. Then Graf was added. 6) Not counted as nobility in the British system

Related articles

• Styles and titles of peers in the United Kingdom
• Table of Ranks in the Russian Empire
• German comital titles
• Nobility, Peerage