Graf is a German noble title equal in rank to a count (derived from the Latin Comes, with a history of its own) or a British earl (an Anglo-Saxon title derived from the Viking title Jarl). A derivation ultimately from Greek (graphein) may be fanciful: Paul the Deacon, writing in Latin ca 790, makes the term a Germanic one: "the count of the Bavarians that they call gravio who governed Bauzanum and other strongholds..." (Historia gentis Langobardorum, V.xxxvi). The Lords and Barons prove their Nobility by hanging their Banners and exposing their Coats-of-arms at the Windows of the Lodge of the Heralds. ... Look up Count in Wiktionary, the free dictionary A count is a nobleman in most European countries, equivalent in rank to a British earl, whose wife is still a countess (for lack of an Anglo-Saxon term). ... Comes (genitive: comitis) is the Latin word for companion, either individually or as a member of a collective known as comitatus (compare comitatenses), especially the suite of a magnate, in some cases large and/or formal enough to have a specific name, such as a cohors amicorum. ... An Earl or Jarl was an Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian title, meaning chieftain and it referred especially to chieftains set to rule a territory in a kings stead. ... Jarl is the Scandinavian language cognate of Earl. ... Paul the Deacon (c. ... Bolzano (Italian) or Bozen (German) is a town in the Trentino-Upper Adige (It. ...

• A Graf (Count) rules over a territory known as a grafschaft (also rendered as county).

• The comital titles awarded in Holy Roman Empire often related to the jurisdiction or domain of responsibility and represented special concessions of authority or rank. Only the more important titles remained in use until modern times. Many counts were titled Graf without any additional qualification.

• For a list of the titles of the rank of Count etymologically related to Graf (and for other equivalents) see article Count.

This page is about the Germanic empire. ... Look up Count in Wiktionary, the free dictionary A count is a nobleman in most European countries, equivalent in rank to a British earl, whose wife is still a countess (for lack of an Anglo-Saxon term). ...

List of nobiliary titles ending with the term -graf

Some are approximately of comital rank, some higher, some lower. The more important ones are treated in separate articles (follow the links), a few minor, rarer ones only in sections below.

The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Margrave is the English and French form of the German title Markgraf (from Mark march and Graf count) and certain equivalent nobiliary (princely) titles in other languages. ... A Pfalzgraf or Count Palatine or Palsgrave functioned, especially in medieval times, as the permanent representative (grafio =scribe rather than Count) of the Frankish king and later Holy Roman Emperor in a pfalz or palatial domain of the crown, of which there were dozens throughout greater Germany. ... A palatinate is a territory administered by a count palatine, originally the direct representative of the sovereign, but later the hereditary ruler of the territory subject to the crowns overlordship. ... ▶ (help· info) (), is the German word for realm or empire, cognate with Scandinavian rike and Dutch rijk. ... Freigraf is a German noble title derived from the German language words frei (free) and the feudal title graf (count). ... Allodial title is a concept in some systems of property law. ... Fürst (plural Fürsten) is a German title of nobility, usually translated into English as Prince. The female form is Fürstin (plural Fürstinnen). ... Burgrave, the Eng. ... At 1,320 kilometres (820 miles) and an average discharge of more than 2,000 cubic meters per second, the Rhine (German Rhein, French Rhin, Dutch Rijn, Romansch: Rein, Italian: Reno) is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe. ... A viscount is a member of the European nobility, especially, as in the British peerage, ranking above a baron, below a (British) earl or (his continental equivalent) count. ...

Landgrave

A Landgraf, or Landgrave, was a nobleman of rank or count in Medieval Germany whose jurisdiction stretched over a sometimes quite considerable territory. The title survived from the times of the Holy Roman Empire. The power of a landgrave was often associated with sovereign rights and decision-making much greater than that of a count. This page is about the Germanic empire. ...

Landgraf occasionally continued in use as the subsidiary title of such nobility as the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar, who functioned as the Landgrave of Thuringia in the first decade of the 20th century; but the title fell into disuse after World War I. The jurisdiction of a landgrave was a landgraviate and the wife of a landgrave was a landgravine. Examples: Landgrave of Thuringia, Landgrave of Hesse, Landgrave of Leuchtenberg. Saxe-Weimar (German Sachsen-Weimar) was a Duchy in Thuringia. ... The Free State of Thuringia (German Freistaat Thüringen) lies in central Germany and is among the smaller of the countrys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states), with an area of 16,200 sq. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... Introduction World War I is infamous for the protracted stalemate of trench warfare along the Western Front, embodied within a system of opposing manned trenches and fortifications (separated by a No mans land) running from the North Sea to the border of Switzerland. ... The Free State of Thuringia (German Freistaat Thüringen) lies in central Germany and is among the smaller of the countrys sixteen Bundesländer (federal states), with an area of 16,200 sq. ... Hesse (German: Hessen) is one of Germanys sixteen federal states (Bundesländer) and has an area of 21,110 km² and just over six million inhabitants. ...

Burgrave

A Burggraf, or Burgrave, was a 12th and 13th century military and civil judicial governor of a castle (compare Castellan, Custos, Keeper), of the town it dominated and of its immediate surrounding countryside. His jurisdiction was a burgraviate. Later the title became ennobled and hereditary with its own domain. Examples: Burgrave of Nuremberg. Burgrave, the Eng. ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... A governor is also a device that regulates the speed of a machine. ... A castellan was the governor or caretaker of a castle or keep. ... Keeper may mean: A curator as, for example, at the British Museum A menstrual cup In some sports, a player who protects a goal A warder or guardian A gamekeeper A term used to refer to the status of a person that one is dating being worth marrying. ... Hl. ...

Rhinegrave

A Rheingraf, or Rhinegrave, was a nobleman with the status of a count in the 12th and 13th centuries, the governor of one of the many castles or fortresses along the Rhine River in Western Germany, who had the entitlement of levying tolls for passage along the river. At 1,320 kilometres (820 miles) and an average discharge of more than 2,000 cubic meters per second, the Rhine (German Rhein, French Rhin, Dutch Rijn, Romansch: Rein, Italian: Reno) is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe. ...

Altgrave

An Altgraf, or altgrave, was a nobleman of the status of a count who had his dominion in mountainous areas of Germany and the Alpine regions, particularly around mountain passes where he had rights and entitlements of establishing garrisons at such points, and of levying tolls for passage. Originally it was a title of veneration rather than the holding of power. The West face of the Petit Dru above the Chamonix valley near the Mer de Glace. ... In a range of hills, or especially of mountains, a pass (also gap, notch, col, saddle, bwlch or bealach) is a lower point that allows easier access through the range. ...

Gefürsteter Graf

A "princely count" was a Count, as his principality was called a grafschaft (countship), but explicitly marked as a (Reichs)fürst

Notable cases were:

• Henneberg, a title merged into the imperial dignity
• Nassau-Weilburg since 26 Sep 1366 (before just Count)

Wildgrave

A Wildgraf, Wildgrave, or Waldgrave was originally a nobleman of the status of count who had jurisdiction over uncultivated areas, forests and uninhabited districts. His legal privileges eventually vested in him the power of a chief forester and gamekeeper of a district.

Raugrave

A Raugraf, or Raugrave only held jurisdiction over waste ground and uninhabited districts. The title - since 1667 - was used exclusively by the children of Elector Palatine Karl I's bigamous second marriage and Karl's wife, Marie Louise von Degenfeld. A palatinate is a territory administered by a count palatine, originally the direct representative of the sovereign, but later the hereditary ruler of the territory subject to the crowns overlordship. ...

Viscount

A Vizegraf or Viscount (Latin Vicecomes), in origin a deputy of a Count, as the burgrave usually in a castle or fortified town. Soon many became hereditary and almost-a-Count, ranking just below the 'real' Counts, but above a Freiherr (Baron). A viscount is a member of the European nobility, especially, as in the British peerage, ranking above a baron, below a (British) earl or (his continental equivalent) count. ...

It was also often used as a courtesy title, by the heir to a Graf.

Sources and References

• WorldStatesmen - here Germany/Holy Roman Empire

See also

• History of Germany
• Holy Roman Emperor
• Reichstag (institution)
• List of German monarchs
• List of states in the Holy Roman Empire
• Nobility
• List of rulers of Austria