What is a German Graf?

What is a German Graf?

Graf (feminine: Gräfin) is a historical title of the German nobility, usually translated as “count”. Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks, the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of “earl” (whose female version is “countess”).

What is a German prince called?

Fürst is used more generally in German to refer to any ruler, such as a king, a reigning duke, or a prince in the broad sense (compare Niccolò Machiavelli’s Il Principe).

What is a German queen called?

German queen (German: Deutsche Königin) is the informal title used when referring to the wife of the king of the Kingdom of Germany.

What is a German baron?

In the feudal system of Europe, a baron was a “man” who pledged his loyalty and service to his superior in return for land that he could pass to his heirs. The superior, sovereign in his principality, held his lands “of no one”—i.e., independently—and the baron was his tenant-in-chief.

How do you address a Graf?

In German you traditionally wrote “Sehr geehrter Herr Graf zu XXX,…”. Nowadays you can simply write “Sehr geehrter Graf zu XXX,…”. And only a chauffeur or butler are supposed to use “Herr Graf” without the name.

What does the last name graf mean?

German: status name from Middle High German grave, grabe, which was used as a title denoting various more or less aristocratic dignitaries and officials. In later times it became established as a title of nobility equivalent to the Romance count.

Does German royalty still exist?

Short answer: No. Germany hasn’t had a royal family or monarch since the end of World War I, when Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated the German and Prussian thrones. Since there was no agreement made on his successor, which would have been his son, Crown Prince Wilhelm, Germany became a de facto republic on November 9, 1918.

Are there any German nobles left?

Today, German nobility is no longer conferred by the Federal Republic of Germany (1949– ), and constitutionally the descendants of German noble families do not enjoy legal privileges.

What does van or von mean in a name?

“from
Both von and van are prefixes on a surname which means “of” or “from.” In the early days, most surnames are derived from different areas. Some people adopted surnames from a point of reference – something that identifies themselves from others.

How do you use von in a name?

The term von ([fɔn]) is used in German language surnames either as a nobiliary particle indicating a noble patrilineality, or as a simple preposition used by commoners that means of or from. Nobility directories like the Almanach de Gotha often abbreviate the noble term von to v.

What ethnicity is the last name Graf?

German
Graf is an ancient German and Swiss rooted name. In the United States, there are 16,620 people with this last name making it the 2445th most popular surname. Some notable people with this surname include: Anton Graf (1811-1867), German theologian, private docent at University of Tübingen.

What nationality is Graff?

German (also Gräff), Dutch, and Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Graf. English: metonymic occupational name for a clerk or scribe, from Anglo-Norman French grafe ‘quill’, ‘pen’ (a derivative of grafer ‘to write’, Late Latin grafare, from Greek graphein).

How do you address an Archduke?

His/Her Imperial and Royal Highness (abbreviation HI&RH, oral address Your Imperial and Royal Highness) – formerly, archdukes of the House of Habsburg, the German crown prince/princess and (post-monarchy) members of the deposed Brazilian Imperial Family; also some women entitled to imperial style by birth and to royal …