Titles of Nobility

This page deals with the relative prestige, ranking, and origins of the secular titles of nobility used in Imperium Romanorum. Although most non-medievalists would not associate rank within the church hierarchy with nobility, the upper ranks, namely Bishops and Abbots, were almost exclusively members of noble families, and by virtue of the alliance between the crowns of the various Germanic tribes and the Roman church, religious establishments were richly endowed with lands and religious leaders came to exercise the powers of secular nobles. German noble titles were a part of a complex of European nobility in the Middle Ages. For the purposes of ease of access, the English equivalents will be used in the game, but their German equivalents will be given here in parentheses. In addition to the titles listed below, many nobles often held advocacies (q.v.) over religious institutions.

Duke (Herzog)
The tile of Duke originates with the Late Roman Empire. Dux was a title referring to frontier military commanders. The German Herzog is derived from the Old High German Herizogo, "army-puller," or military leader. Following the destruction of central authority in the Western Roman Empire by the Visigoths in the late 5th Century, the Germanic successor-kingdoms adopted the title to refer to provincial leaders. Since the economic basis of these societies was largely based on distribution of booty, especially among the elite, this was largely military leadership.

In Germany, the first Dukes arose among the Alemannians (Swabians), Bavarians, and Saxon (the so-called "older stem duchies"). They were native leaders who were removed by the Franks in the 8th and early 9th Centuries. When the Carolingian Empire was partitioned by the Treaty of Verdun, the Eastern Kingdom went its own way, and a number of Dukes re-emerged mainly out of the tribal groupings of the late 9th and early 10th Century: the so-called "younger stem duchies" of Bavaria, Franconia, Lotharingia, Saxony, and Swabia. These entities formed the basis of the Holy Roman Empire. Following the Carolingian Period, the Dukes became war-leaders under the King (and later Emperor), responsible for leading the levies from their areas in battle; although they were not administrative officials, they were nevertheless very influential figures. At this time, like other nobles, the holders of this title did so as royal officers rather than as feudal princes. Duchies were often partitioned and new ones created in order to reduce the power and influence of a given ducatus  (a ducal title, or the powers and responsibilities associated therewith). The Saxon War and the War of Investitures shattered the power of the Dukes, as the majority of them rose in rebellion against King Henry IV; after this, Duke was simply the most prestigious title after King that a feudal prince could hold, and the power of the Dukes came from their holdings, not their status as royal officers. The title became largely free-standing. By 1152, there were a number of persons that claimed a ducatus, some of which were not recognized by the Crown.

In Imperium Romanrum, the following ducal titles are used:

Arles (Arleat): The Dukes of Zähringen hold the title Duke and Rector of Arles. The current Duke, Berchthold IV, inherited his title from his father Conrad (d. 1152). This title is a viceroyalty.

Bavaria (Bayern): The Bavarian ducatus is disputed between two houses: the Babenbergers and the Welfs. The Welf claimant, Welf VI, bases his claim on the inheritance of his late brother Henry X "the Proud" (d. 1139) and the fact that their father and grandfather, as well as several uncles, had held it. The Babenberger claimaint, Henry XI "Jasomirgott," basis his claim on having been invested with the ducatus by King Conrad III in 1143, after holding it from his late brother, Leopold IV (d. 1141), who was invested with the ducatus in 1139 after Henry "the Proud" was deprived of the title by Conrad.

Bohemia (Böhmen): The Bohemians have been ruled by native dukes since the creation of the ducatus in the early 10th century. The current Duke, Vladislav II, inherited his title from his uncle Sobeslav Udalrich (d. 1140).

Carinthia (Kärnten): The present Carinthian ducal house, originally Counts of Sponheim, has held the ducatus since 1123. The current Duke, Henry IV, inherited his title in 1144 from his father, Ulrich (d. 1144).

Franconia (Franken): The current incarnation of the Franconian ducatus was created by King Henry V in 1116, awarded to his nephew, Conrad of Staufen, later King Conrad III. The territory actually ruled by the Dukes was known as Eastern Franconia (Ostfranken). When Conrad was elected King in 1137, he maintained the style of "Duke of Franconia;" on his death, his nephew Frederick succeeded him.

Limburg: The ducatus of Limburg is derived from the family's history as Dukes of Lower Lorraine (q.v.). Henry II inherited this title from his father, Waleran II (d. 1139), who created it based on his father (Henry I, d. 1119) being Duke of Lower Lorraine.

Louvain (Löwen): Duke Godfrey VI of Lower Lorraine began styling himself Duke of Louvain in 1141 as a consequence of the difficulty of administering the entire duchy of Lower Lotharingia, the Counts in the area not being vassals of the Duke.

Lower Lotharingia (Niederlothringen): Godfrey VI of Louvain was invested in 1140 as Duke of Lower Lotharingia. The ducatus  of Lower Lotharingia is very weak.

Lorraine (Oberlothringen): Originally Dukes of the southern part of the split duchy of Lotharingia (Upper Lotharingia), the Dukes of Lorraine began so styling themselves sometime in the late 11th century. Matthew succeeded his father Simon on the latter's death in 1138.

Moravia (Mähren): Moravia is a province of Bohemia, although there's often tension between the rulers of the respective areas. Dypold, brother of Vladislav II of Bohemia, became Duke in 1142 after he and his other brothers rebelled against Vladislav.

Saxony (Sachsen): Henry III "the Lion", nephew of Welf VI, was invested with Saxony at age 13 in 1142 by Conrad III after the Ascanian Albert "the Bear," Margrave of the Saxon Northern March, renounced his claim to the Duchy in 1141, having been invested with it by Conrad in 1138 after depriving Henry's father, Henry II "the Proud" (also Duke of Saxony as Henry X), of Saxony and Bavaria. Albert was never able to gain control of Saxony in spite of the elder Henry's death.

Silesia (Schlesien): Silesia's inclusion here is somewhat arbitrary, as some sources list Władysław II "the Exile" as Prince of Silesia. It's likely that the Ducal title was a courtesy title applied by German chroniclers. He was made High Duke of Poland (and thus given overlordship over the Seniorate Province), Duke or Prince of Silesia, and authority over Pomerania in 1138 when his father, Bolesław III "Wrymouth," Duke of Poland died.

Spoleto: The Duchy of Spoleto, an old Imperial fief in Northern Italy, was united with the Margraviate of Tuscany in 1119. The title is currently vacant.

Swabia (Schwaben): Frederick III "Barbarossa" succeeded his father, Frederick II "the One-Eyed," upon the latter's death in 1147.

Count (Graf)
The title of Count originates with the Latin comes, a title given to important servants of the Imperial household. These could either be military commanders or administrative officials. The origins of the German Graf are uncertain, but believed to be derived from the Latin grafio, to write, based on the Carolingian use of the title comes as royal judicial officers. Counts were originally associated with districts known as Gaue in German or pagi in Latin, where they exercised their jurisdiction, but the Saxon War and the War of Investitures destroyed the classical system of Imperial government and the anarchy that resulted forced the Counts to begin defending themselves and building castles, thus becoming military leaders and in many cases feudal princes.

In Imperium Romanorum, the following comital titles are used:

Burgrave (Burggraf)
The Burgravial title was given to certain lay nobles that ruled over major fortress-cities for the King or (Arch-)Bishops. The title is derived from the German Burg, castle, and Graf. The earliest-attested use of this title was the investiture of Babo, Count in the Western Danube gau, as Burgrave of Regensburg by Otto II or III in 983, whose descendants continue to hold that title.

In Imperium Romanorum, the following burgravial titles are used:

Drachenfels: Lord Henry of Arenberg,. Episcopal Burgrave.

Magdeburg: Count Burkhard II of Querfurt, installed in 1136, succeeded Count Henry of Groitzsch (d. 1135). Imperial Burgrave.

Mainz: Count Louis II of Loon. Episcopal Burgrave.

Meißen: Herman of Sterker-Wolfeswach since 1143. Episcopal Burgrave.

Nuremberg (Nürnberg): Lord Godfrey III of Raabs. Imperial Burgrave.

Regensburg: Count Henry III. Imperial Burgrave.

Würzburg: Count Poppo IV of Henneberg. Episcopal Burgrave.

Margrave (Markgraf)
The title of Margrave was initially a title given to lords of frontier areas bordering hostile territory, such as the eastern marches that guarded against the Slavs. "Border Lord" is not an inappropriate translation of this title. It's derived from the German Mark, march, and Graf. By the 12th Century, the title, like that of Duke, had become a largely free-standing princely title.

The following Margravial titles are used in Imperium Romanorum:

Austria (Österreich): The Margraviate of Austria was created as the Bavarian East March (Ostmark) in 976 when King Otto II made Liutpold Margrave of the marchia orientalis. The Margravial family that ruled Austria for the next several centuries claimed descent from a Franconian noble house by the name of Babenberg, and thus came to be called Babenberger. By 996, the march came to be called by the name that would later develop into Austria. Margrave Henry II "Jasomirgott" succeeded his brother Leopold IV upon the latter's death in 1141.

Styria (Steiermark): When Carinthia was split off from Bavaria and transformed into a Duchy in 976, Styria

Vohburg and Cham (Vohburg und Cham): The Margraviate of Vohburg and Cham was created out of the old Bavarian Nordgau. When relations with Bohemia improved, the Margraves in the Nordgau transferred their title to their holdings in Bavaria around Vohburg and Cham.

Palsgrave (Pfalzgraf) or Count Palatine
In the Roman Empire, the comes palatinus was a member of the Emperor's household, a high-ranking comes. In German, this is rendered Pfalzgraf, "Pfalz" meaning palace. The Merovingians adopted this usage following the destruction of Roman authority in the Western Empire, and transmitted this usage to their Carolingian successors who utilized the title for judicial officers. The Carolingian Counts Palatine, however, adopted the novel practice of exercising their authority outside the presence of the King, leading to the German usage of the title. In the Frankish Kingdom, Counts Palatine exercised special authority over portions of the royal fisc, and following the collapse of Carolingian authority a similar title (Hofpfalzgraf) was also given to nobles assisting the King in exercising certain special rights. After the Saxon Kings reunified the Eastern Frankish Kindgom, they appointed Pfalzgrafen to check the power of the Dukes and supervise the administration of the royal fisc in the Duchies. By the 12th Century, the Count Palatine had become a relatively minor noble and the title, like the others, had become hereditary.

The following palatine titles are used in Imperium Romanorum: