The title grand duke (in Latin, magnus dux; in Spanish, gran duque; in Russian, Великий Герцог; in German, Großherzog, Italian gran duca; in French, grand-duc; in Portuguese, grão-duque; in Finnish, suurherttua; in Polish, wielki książę; in Hungarian, nagyherceg;in Swedish, storhertig; in Dutch, groothertog; in Danish, storhertug, in Lithuanian, didysis kunigaikštis; Czech velkovévoda or velkokníže) used in Western Europe and particularly in Germanic countries for provincial sovereigns, is of a protocolary rank below king but higher than a sovereign duke. A title is a prefix or suffix added to a person's name to signify either veneration an official position or a professional or academic qualification Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Portuguese ( or língua portuguesa) is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia (Spain and northern Portugal. Finnish ( or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% As of 2006) and by ethnic Finns outside Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. Hungarian ( magyar nyelv) is a Uralic language (more specifically a Ugric language) unrelated to most other languages in Europe. Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Danish ( d̥ænsɡ̊ is one of the North Germanic languages (also called Scandinavian languages a sub-group of the Germanic branch of the Lithuanian ( lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognised as one of the official languages of the European Union. Czech (ˈʧɛk čeština ˈʧɛʃcɪna in Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers it is the majority language in the Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of Europe ' The Germanic languages are a group of related languages that constitute a branch of the Indo-European (IE Language family. A duke is a member of the Nobility, historically of highest rank below the Sovereign, and historically controlled a Duchy or a Dukedom

The feminine form is grand duchess. The Title grand duke (in Latin, magnus dux; in Spanish, gran duque; in Russian, Великий Герцог A grand duke's territory is called a grand duchy. A grand duchy is a territory whose Head of state is a Grand Duke or Grand Duchess.

Grand duke is the usual and established translation of grand prince in languages which do not have separate words meaning prince for (1) children of a monarch, and (2) monarch (sovereign or like) princes. The Title Grand Prince or Great Prince (Magnus Princeps Russian and Ukrainian: Великий князь Velikiy knyaz; Вялíкий Prince, from the Latin root Princeps, is a general term for a Monarch, for a member of a monarch's or former monarch's family and is a English and French use Grand Duke also in this way.

The title grand duke as translation of grand prince and the proper title grand duke have clearly different meanings and a separate background. Compare with the article grand prince. The Title Grand Prince or Great Prince (Magnus Princeps Russian and Ukrainian: Великий князь Velikiy knyaz; Вялíкий

Western Grand Dukes

See also: grand duchy

The proper term of grand duke was a later invention, probably originating in Western Europe, to denote a particularly mighty duke, as the title duke has until the end of Middle Ages been deflated to belong to rulers of relatively small fiefs (such as a city state or a district), instead of the big provinces it once was attached to. A grand duchy is a territory whose Head of state is a Grand Duke or Grand Duchess. A duke is a member of the Nobility, historically of highest rank below the Sovereign, and historically controlled a Duchy or a Dukedom

One of the first examples, occurred when Count Gonçalo I Mendes of Portucale (in northwest Portugal and considered as the country’s embryo) took, in 987, the personal title of Magnus Dux Portucalensium (Grand-Duke of Portucale) and rebelled against King Bermudo II of León. Portucale can mean different things Portus Cale, old Roman name of an ancient town and port in current day Portugal in the area of today's Grande Porto (north of This is a historical timeline of Portugal. See also History of Portugal First County of Portugal 9th century Portucale can mean different things Portus Cale, old Roman name of an ancient town and port in current day Portugal in the area of today's Grande Porto (north of Bermudo II, called the Gouty (el Gotoso (956-999 King of Galicia (982-999 and León (984-999 was the son of Ordoño III of León He was defeated by the royal armies but he obtained a remarcable autonomy as a Magnus Dux.

Other example was the semi-official use of grand duke meaning the later Dukes of Burgundy, i. Burgundy (Bourgogne Burgund is a region historically situated in modern-day France and Switzerland, inhabited in turn by Celts ( Gauls) e. , in the 15th century, when they ruled a portion of eastern France as well as most of the Netherlands. Philip III, Duke of Burgundy (ruler 1419-67) assumed the subsidiary, legally void style and title Grand Duke of the West in 1435, having recently consolidated the duchies of Brabant and Limburg as well as the counties of Holland, Zeeland, Friesland, Hainaut and Namur under his possession. Philip the Good (Philippe le Bon also Philip III Duke of Burgundy ( July 31, 1396 &ndash June 15, 1467) was Duke of Burgundy His son and successor Charles the Bold (ruler 1467-77) continued to use the same style. Charles the Bold or Charles the Rash (Charles le Téméraire ( 21 November 1433 &ndash 5 January 1477) baptised Charles Martin

Apparently the first monarchs ever officially titled grand duke were the Medici sovereigns of Tuscany beginning from the late 16th century. Tuscany (Toscana is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22990 km² and a population of about 3 This official title was granted by Pope Pius V in 1569, but the lands in question apparently belonged under the vassalage of the Holy Roman Empire. Pope The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in

Napoleon used to award that title extensively: during his era, several of his allies were allowed to assume the title of grand duke, usually at the same time as their inherited fiefs were enlarged by additional lands obtained thanks to being his allies. Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe. His conquerors, for example the Congress of Vienna, consented to yet more uses of the title. The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of the major powers of Europe, chaired by the Austrian statesman Clemens Wenzel von Metternich Thus, the 19th century saw a new group of monarchs titled grand duke all around Central Europe. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar A list of such is available at grand duchy. A grand duchy is a territory whose Head of state is a Grand Duke or Grand Duchess.

At the same century, the courtesy use of the title, translated grand duke, in Russia expanded because of the births of several male dynasts, instead of the earlier precarious situations when Russia barely had only one or two to succeed.

The term can be said to originate in Germany, in a sense that a ruler in the then Germany's western borders was the first to be called so, and that it was a German overlord, the Holy Roman Emperor, whose vassal (although an Italian) was first granted the official title by the Pope. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.

The German and Dutch languages, which have separate words for royal prince (Prinz, Prins) and for sovereign prince (Fürst, Vorst), mark the Grand Princes of Lithuania, Ruthenian states and other Eastern European nations as higher princes, as well as the Russian rulers and later princes of the blood, by the terms Grossfürst, Grootvorst, not Grossherzog, Groothertog.

In 1582, king John III of Sweden added Grand Duke of Finland to the subsidiary titles of the Swedish kings, however without any factual consequences, Finland already being a part of the Swedish realm. John III (Johan III Juhana III (20 December 1537 – 17 November 1592 was King of Sweden from 1568 until his death Grand Duke of Finland, or more correctly translated Grand Prince of Finland ( Storfurste av Finland Suomen suuriruhtinas was from around 1580 Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe.

After the Russian conquests, it continued to be used by the Russian emperor in his role as ruler of Lithuania (1793-1918) and of autonomous Finland (1809-1917) as well. Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the Year 1793 ( MDCCXCIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Grand Duchy of Finland (Magnus Ducatus Finlandiæ Великое княжество Финляндское ' Velikoe knjažestvo finljandskoe) was the Predecessor Year 1809 ( MDCCCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Holy Roman Empire ruling house of Habsburg instituted a similar Grand Principality in Transylvania in 1765. The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in A principality (or princedom) is a monarchical feudatory or Sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of Prince Transylvania (Ardeal or ro ''Transilvania'' Erdély, see also other denominations) is a Central European region located in the eastern half of the Carpathian Year 1765 ( MDCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a

Grand Prince

Main article: Grand prince

Grand princes or great princes were medieval monarchs who ruled usually several tribes and/or were overlords of other princes. The Title Grand Prince or Great Prince (Magnus Princeps Russian and Ukrainian: Великий князь Velikiy knyaz; Вялíкий At the time, they were usually treated and translated as kings. However, grand princes were not as elevated sovereign as later Western kings, and perhaps thus they are treated lower than kings, particularly in later literature. Grand Princes ruled in Central and Eastern Europe, notably among Slavs and Balts.

The title grand prince is Velikiy Knjaz (Великий князь) in Russian. The Slavic word knjaz and the Baltic kunigas (today translated as prince) are actually cognates of King. Thus, Veliki Knjaz and Didysis Kunigas was more like "high king" than "grand duke".

These countries developed in a way that the position of the head of the dynasty became more elevated. In such situations, those monarchs assumed a higher title, such as tsar or king. Grand Prince Ivan IV of Muscovy was apparently the last monarch to rule without any higher title, until he assumed the style Tsar of Russia in 1547. Tsar csar and tzar redirect here For other uses see Tsar (disambiguation.

The title magnus dux or grand duke (Didysis Kunigas, Didysis Kunigaikštis in Lithuanian) is said to have been used by the rulers of Lithuania, and after Jagiello also became kings of Poland. Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika is a Country in Eastern often referred to as Northern Europe or in the Jogaila, later Władysław II Jagiełło (b about 1362 d 1 June 1434 was Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland From 1573, both the Latin and the Polish equivalent wielki ksiaze, in chief of Lithuania as well as Russia, Prussia, Mazovia, Samogithia, Kiev, Volhynia, Podolia, Podlachia, Livonia, Smolensk, Severia and Chernigov (including hollow claims), were used as part of the respective versions of the full style officially used by the kings (title Krol) of Poland during the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, officially the Commonwealth of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania also known as the Most Serene Republic The Polish kings of the Swedish Vasa dynasty also used the grand-princely title for their non-Polish territory. The House of Vasa ( Swedish: Vasaätten, Polish: Waza) was the Royal House of Sweden

The title grand prince (which in many of those lands already was in later medieval centuries awarded simultaneously to several rulers of the more expanded dynasty) continued, in modern times, as a courtesy title for all or several members of the Russian dynasty, such as the Grand Duke of Russia (veliki knjaz) in Russia's imperial era. This is a list of those members of the Russian Imperial Family who bore the title Velikiy Knjaz (usually translated into English as Grand Duke, but more accurately

Byzantine Grand Dukes

The Latin title dux (the etymological root of duke), which was phonetically rendered δουξ in Greek, was a common title for imperial generals in the Late Roman Empires (west and east), but note it was lower in rank than Comes (the etymological root of Count). Dux (plural duces) is Latin for leader (from the verb ducere, 'to lead' and could refer to anyone who commanded troops such A duke is a member of the Nobility, historically of highest rank below the Sovereign, and historically controlled a Duchy or a Dukedom The French Solar Energy Authority ( Commissariat à l'Energie Solaire, ComES) a public Scientific and industrial entity was set up in A count is a Nobleman in European countries The word count comes from French comte, itself from Latin In the Eastern Empire, a dux ranked just below a strategos. For the board game see Stratego. "Strategus" redirects here

Under the later, exclusively Byzantine theme system (the new military circonscriptions, becoming more important than the provinces), the commander of a theme was styled a dux.

• The title Megas Doux, or in Latinized spelling Megas Dux ( Μέγας Δουξ), literally 'grand duke' (Megas being the Greek for great, used in front of various styles), occasionally anglicised Megaduke, first appears in the Comnenian period, and was conferred upon the commanding admiral of the Byzantine navy, used in the Byzantine Empire during the Palaeologian dynasty (1259-1453). The Byzantine Empire had a complex system of Aristocracy and Bureaucracy, which was inherited from the Roman Empire. The Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( Greek: Παλαιολόγος pl Among the recipients of this honor was Roger de Flor of the Catalan Company, who was given the title for his services against the Turks during the reign of Andronicus II Palaeologus. The Catalan Company of the East ( Catalan Companyia Catalana d'Orient) officially the Company of the Army of the Franks in Romania Andronikos II Palaiologos or Andronicus II Palaeologus ( Greek:) ( 25 March 1259, Constantinople &ndash February 13

By the time Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks, the office had become virtual chief minister, heading both civil and military administration. The Fall of Constantinople refers to the capture of the Byzantine Empire's capital by the Ottoman Empire on Tuesday May 29, 1453 (Julian Calendar

Russian Grand Dukes

"Grand duke" is the traditional translation of the title Velikiy Kniaz, which from the 11th century was at first the title of the leading Prince of Kievan Rus', then of several princes of the Rus'. Kniaz’ or knyaz is a word found in some Slavic languages, denoting a Nobility rank Prince, from the Latin root Princeps, is a general term for a Monarch, for a member of a monarch's or former monarch's family and is a Kievan Rus′ (Ки́евская Русь romanised: Kievskaya Rus', rusʲ also written as Kyivan Rus′ (Ки́ївська Русь or Kievan Rus’ (Русь rusʲ Русичи Русы are an ancient people whose name survives in the cognates Russians, Rusyns, and Ruthenians From 1328 the Velikii Kniaz of Muscovy appeared as the grand duke for "all of Russia" until Ivan IV of Russia in 1547 was crowned as Tsar. The Grand Duchy of Moscow (Великое княжество Московское was a medieval Russian polity centered on Moscow between 1340 and A coronation is a ceremony marking the investiture of a Monarch with regal power specifically involving the placement of a crown upon his or her head and the Tsar csar and tzar redirect here For other uses see Tsar (disambiguation. Thereafter the title was given to sons and grandsons (through male lines) of the Tsars and Emperors of Russia. The daughters and paternal granddaughters of Russian emperors, as well as the consorts of Russian grand dukes, were generally called "grand duchesses" in English.

Another translation of the Russian title would be grand prince but the term is neither standard nor widely used in English. In German, however, a Russian grand duke was known as a Großfürst, and in Latin as Magnus Princeps. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome.

From 1809 to 1917 the Emperor of Russia was also the Grand Duke of Finland, which he held as an autonomous state. Year 1809 ( MDCCCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Grand Duke of Finland, or more correctly translated Grand Prince of Finland ( Storfurste av Finland Suomen suuriruhtinas was from around 1580 Before the Russian conquest Finland had been held by the Swedish kings, first as a royal duchy, since 1581 with the King assuming the secondary title Grand Prince of Finland (Finnish: Suomen suuriruhtinas, Swedish: Storfurste av Finland), also often translated as Grand Duke of Finland. A duke is a member of the Nobility, historically of highest rank below the Sovereign, and historically controlled a Duchy or a Dukedom Grand Duke of Finland, or more correctly translated Grand Prince of Finland ( Storfurste av Finland Suomen suuriruhtinas was from around 1580

See also:

• List of Grand Dukes of Russia
• List of Grand Duchesses of Russia

Styles

Tuscany's sovereign obtained in 17th century the status of Royal Highness. This is a list of those members of the Russian Imperial Family who bore the title Velikiy Knjaz (usually translated into English as Grand Duke, but more accurately This is a list of those members of the Russian Imperial House who bore the title Velikaia Kniaginia (Великая Княгиня or Velikaia Knazhna (Великая As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar

Most often, a reigning grand duke or grand duchess was styled Royal Highness. A style of office, or honorific, is a term which by Tradition or Law precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or Title, or to the Other members of the families differed in style. Junior members of the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg are also Royal Highnesses; however, this derives from their status apparently as cadet members of the dethroned royal house of Bourbon-Parma and not from the Grand Ducal title. The Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg ( House of Nassau-Weilburg, agnatically a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon) consists of the extended

In Hesse-Darmstadt and Baden, however, junior members of the ruling dynasty bore the style of Grand Ducal Highness (Großherzogliche Hoheit). The Grand Duchy of Hesse (Großherzogtum Hessen was a former state that existed in modern-day Germany. Baden is a historical state in the southwest of Germany, on the right bank of the Rhine. For instance, prior to her marriage, Empress Alexandra of Russia was known as "Her Grand Ducal Highness Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine" (Ihre Großherzogliche Hoheit Prinzessin Alix von Hessen und bei Rhein).

A Russian grand duke or grand duchess was an Imperial Highness.

Sources and references

(incomplete)

• Geocities.com - Titles of European hereditary rulers - here Finland
• WorldStatesmen- here Finland
• - Duke or Dux in Byzantium

See also

• Fürst
• Nobility
• Royal and noble ranks
• Titles of nobility