, or (
Old Church Slavonic:
Кнѧзь) is a historical
Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times of history and different ancient Slavic lands. It is usually translated into
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
as
prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
or
duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
, depending on specific historical context and the potentially known Latin equivalents of the title for each bearer of the name. In
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
sources the title is usually translated as , but the word was originally derived from the
common Germanic
Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages.
Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic br ...
(king).
The female form transliterated from
Bulgarian and
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
is (), in
Slovene and
Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia an ...
(
Serbian Cyrillic
The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet ( sr, / , ) is a variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language, updated in 1818 by Serbian linguist Vuk Karadžić. It is one of the two alphabets used to write standard modern Serbian, t ...
: ), ''kniahinia'' (княгіня) in
Belarusian and ''kniazioŭna'' (князёўна) is the daughter of the prince, (княгиня) in
Ukrainian. In Russian, the daughter of a knyaz is (). In Russian, the son of a knyaz is ( in its old form).
The title is pronounced and written similarly in different
European languages
Most languages of Europe belong to the Indo-European language family. Out of a total European population of 744 million as of 2018, some 94% are native speakers of an Indo-European language. Within Indo-European, the three largest phyla are Ro ...
. In Serbo-Croatian and some
West Slavic languages
The West Slavic languages are a subdivision of the Slavic language group. They include Polish, Czech, Slovak, Kashubian, Upper Sorbian and Lower Sorbian. The languages have traditionally been spoken across a mostly continuous region encom ...
, the word has later come to denote "lord", and in
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
,
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
and
Slovak also came to mean "priest" (, , ) as well as "prince/duke" (, , , ).
["князь". "Vasmer's Etymological Dictionary" online](_blank)
/ref> In Sorbian it means simply "Mister" (from "Master". Compare French from "my lord"), and the Catholic title "monsignor
Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...
" for a priest. Today the term is still used as the most common translation of "prince" in Slovenian, Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian literature
Serbian literature ( sr-Cyrl, Српска књижевност), refers to literature written in Serbian and/or in Serbia and all other lands where Serbs reside.
The history of Serbian literature begins with the independent works from the Nema ...
. is also found as a surname in former Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yu ...
.
Etymology
The word is ultimately a cognate of the English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
''king'', the German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
''König'', and the Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
''konung''. The proto-Slavic
Proto-Slavic (abbreviated PSl., PS.; also called Common Slavic or Common Slavonic) is the unattested, reconstructed proto-language of all Slavic languages. It represents Slavic speech approximately from the 2nd millennium B.C. through the 6th ...
form was кънѧѕь, ''kŭnędzĭ''; cu, кънѧѕь, ''kŭnędzĭ''; bg, княз, ''knyaz''; orv, князь, ''knyazĭ''; pl, książę; sh-Latn, knez / sh-Cyrl, кнез; cz, kníže; sk, knieža; etc. It is generally considered to be an early borrowing from Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages.
Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic bran ...
'' kuningaz'', a form also borrowed by Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
and Estonian ('' kuningas'').
Middle Ages
The meaning of the term changed over the course of history. Initially the term was used to denote the chieftain
A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom.
Tribe
The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia.
Tribal societies are sometimes categorized a ...
of a Slavic tribe. Later, with the development of feudal statehood, it became the title of a ruler of a state, and among East Slavs (russian: княжество (''knyazhestvo''), uk, князівство, translit=kniazivstvo) traditionally translated as duchy or principality), for example, of Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of ...
. In medieval Latin sources the title was rendered as either '' rex'' or ''dux
''Dux'' (; plural: ''ducēs'') is Latin for "leader" (from the noun ''dux, ducis'', "leader, general") and later for duke and its variant forms (doge, duce, etc.). During the Roman Republic and for the first centuries of the Roman Empire, '' ...
''.
In Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
, Boris I of Bulgaria changed his title to knyaz after his conversion to Christianity, but his son Simeon
Simeon () is a given name, from the Hebrew (Biblical ''Šimʿon'', Tiberian ''Šimʿôn''), usually transliterated as Shimon. In Greek it is written Συμεών, hence the Latinized spelling Symeon.
Meaning
The name is derived from Simeon, so ...
took the higher title of tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...
soon in 913. According to Florin Curta
Florin Curta (born January 15, 1965) is a Romanian-born American archaeologist and historian who is a Professor of Medieval History and Archaeology at the University of Florida.
Biography
Curta works in the field of the Balkan history and is ...
, the primary sources have a variety of names for the rulers of the bulgars - such as including ‘rex’, ‘basileus’ and ‘khagan’. However, secondary sources are almost always 'khan'. In Kievan Rus', as the degree of centralization grew, the ruler acquired the title '' Velikii Knyaz'' (Великий Князь) (translated as Grand Prince
Grand prince or great prince (feminine: grand princess or great princess) ( la, magnus princeps; Greek: ''megas archon''; russian: великий князь, velikiy knyaz) is a title of nobility ranked in honour below emperor, equal of king ...
or Grand Duke, see Russian Grand Dukes
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 grand prince). This courtesy title was borne by the sons and male-line grands ...
). He ruled a russian: Великое Княжеcтво, translit=Velikoye Knyazhestvo or uk, Велике Князiвcтво, translit=Velyke Knyazivstvo (Grand Duchy
A grand duchy is a country or territory whose official head of state or ruler is a monarch bearing the title of grand duke or grand duchess.
Relatively rare until the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the term was often used in the o ...
), while a ruler of its vassal constituent (''udel'', ''udelnoe knyazivstvo'' or ''volost
Volost ( rus, во́лость, p=ˈvoləsʲtʲ; ) was a traditional administrative subdivision in Eastern Europe.
In earlier East Slavic history, '' volost'' was a name for the territory ruled by the knyaz, a principality; either as an absolute ...
'') was called ''udelny knyaz'' or simply ''knyaz''.
When Kievan Rus' became fragmented in the 13th century, the title Kniaz continued to be used in East Slavic states, including Kiev, Chernihiv
Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within ...
, Novgorod, Pereiaslav
Pereiaslav ( uk, Перея́слав, translit=Pereiaslav, yi, פּרעיאַסלעוו, Periyoslov) is a historical city in the Boryspil Raion, Kyiv Oblast (province) of central Ukraine, located near the confluence of Alta and Trubizh riv ...
, Vladimir-Suzdal
Vladimir-Suzdal (russian: Владимирско-Су́здальская, ''Vladimirsko-Suzdal'skaya''), also Vladimir-Suzdalian Rus', formally known as the Grand Duchy of Vladimir (1157–1331) (russian: Владимиро-Су́здальс ...
, Muscovy, Tver
Tver ( rus, Тверь, p=tvʲerʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is northwest of Moscow. Population:
Tver was formerly the capital of a powerful medieval state and a model provincial town in the Russian ...
, Kingdom of Ruthenia, and in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...
.
Russia
As the Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia or Tsardom of Rus' also externally referenced as the Tsardom of Muscovy, was the centralized Russian state from the assumption of the title of Tsar by Ivan IV in 1547 until the foundation of the Russian Empire by Peter I ...
gained dominion over much of former Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of ...
, '' velikii kniaz'' (великий князь) ( Great Kniaz) Ivan IV of Russia
Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584.
Iva ...
in 1547 was crowned as Tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...
. From the mid-18th century onwards, the title Velikii Kniaz was revived to refer to (male-line) sons and grandsons of Russian Emperors. See titles for Tsar's family for details.
''Kniaz'' (russian: князь, ) continued as a hereditary title of Russian nobility
The Russian nobility (russian: дворянство ''dvoryanstvo'') originated in the 14th century. In 1914 it consisted of approximately 1,900,000 members (about 1.1% of the population) in the Russian Empire.
Up until the February Revolutio ...
patrilineally descended from Rurik (e.g., Belozersky, Belosselsky-Belozersky, Repnin
The House of Repnin (russian: Репнин), the name of an old Russian princely family of Rurikid stock. The family traces its name to Prince Ivan Mikhailovich Obolensky (+1523), nicknamed ''Repnya'', i.e., "bad porridge". Like other Princes Ob ...
, Gorchakov
Gorchakov, or Gortchakoff (russian: Горчако́в), is a Russian princely family of Rurikid stock that is descended from the Rurikid sovereigns of Peremyshl, Russia.
Aleksey Gorchakov
The family first achieved prominence during the reign of ...
) or Gediminas
Gediminas ( la, Gedeminne, ; – December 1341) was the king or Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1315 or 1316 until his death. He is credited with founding this political entity and expanding its territory which later spanned the area ranging from t ...
(e.g., Galitzine
The House of Golitsyn or Galitzine was one of the largest princely of the noble houses in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire. Among them were boyars, warlords, diplomats, generals (the Mikhailovichs), stewards, chamberlains, the richest ...
, Troubetzkoy). Members of Rurikid or Gedyminid
The House of Gediminid or simply the Gediminids ( lt, Gediminaičiai, sgs, Gedėmėnātē, be, Гедзімінавічы, pl, Giedyminowicze, uk, Гедиміновичі;) were a dynasty of monarchs in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that reig ...
families were called princes when they ruled tiny quasi-sovereign medieval principalities. After their demesnes were absorbed by Muscovy, they settled at the Moscow court and were authorised to continue with their princely titles.
From the 18th century onwards, the title was occasionally granted by the Tsar, for the first time by Peter the Great to his associate Alexander Menshikov, and then by Catherine the Great to her lover Grigory Potemkin
Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tauricheski (, also , ;, rus, Князь Григо́рий Алекса́ндрович Потёмкин-Таври́ческий, Knjaz' Grigórij Aleksándrovich Potjómkin-Tavrícheskij, ɡrʲɪˈɡ ...
. After 1801, with the incorporation of Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
into the Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
, various titles of numerous local nobles were controversially rendered in Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
as "kniazes". Similarly, many petty Tatar nobles asserted their right to style themselves "kniazes" because they descended from Genghis Khan.
Finally, within the Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
of 1809–1917, Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
was officially called ''Grand Principality
A grand principality is the territory reigned by a grand prince.
List
* Grand Principality of Moscow (russian: Великое Княжество Московское, {{lang, ru-Latn, Velikoye Knyazhestvo Moskovskoye)
* Grand Principality of Finla ...
of Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
'' ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta, sv, Storfurstendömet Finland, russian: Великое Княжество Финляндское, Velikoye Knyazhestvo Finlyandskoye).
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
As noted above, the title ''knyaz'' or ''kniaz'' became a hereditary noble title in the Grand Duchy of Moscow and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...
. Following the union of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, ''kniaź'' became a recognised title in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. By the 1630s – apart from the title ''pan'', which indicated membership of the large '' szlachta'' noble class – ''kniaź'' was the only hereditary title that was officially recognised and officially used in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Notable holders of the title ''kniaź'' include Jeremi Wiśniowiecki
Prince Jeremi Wiśniowiecki ( uk, Ярема Вишневецький – Yarema Vyshnevetsky; 1612 – 20 August 1651) nicknamed ''Hammer on the Cossacks'' ( pl, Młot na Kozaków), was a notable member of the aristocracy of the Polish–Lith ...
.
South Slavic countries
In the 19th century, the Serbian term ''knez'' (кнез) and the Bulgarian term ''knyaz'' (княз) were revived to denote semi-independent rulers of those countries, such as Alexander Karađorđević and Alexander of Battenberg
Alexander Joseph ( bg, Александър I Батенберг; 5 April 185717 November 1893), known as Alexander of Battenberg, was the first prince (''knyaz'') of the Principality of Bulgaria from 1879 until his abdication in 1886. The Bulga ...
. In parts of Serbia and western Bulgaria, ''knez'' was the informal title of the elder or mayor of a village or zadruga
A zadruga (, ) refers to a type of rural community historically common among South Slavs.
The term has been used by the Communist Party of Yugoslavia to designate their attempt at collective farming after World War II.
History
Originally, gene ...
until around the 19th century. Those are officially called ''gradonačelnik'' (градоначелник) (Serbia) and ''gradonachalnik'' (градоначалник) or ''kmet'' (кмет) (Bulgaria).
Bulgaria
*Prior to Battenberg, the title ''knyaz'' was born by Simeon I during the First Bulgarian Empire (9th–10th century). At the height of his power, Simeon adopted the title of ''tsar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...
'' ("emperor"), as did the Bulgarian rulers after the country became officially independent in 1908.
*As of Bulgaria's independence in 1908, Knyaz Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...
became Tsar Ferdinand, and the words ''knyaz'' and ''knyaginya'' began to be used instead for the tsar's children – the heir to the throne, for example, held the title ''Knyaz Tarnovski'' ( Prince of Turnovo").
Bosnia
In early medieval Bosnia ''knez'' (''knjaz, књаз'') was a title used, along župan
Župan is a noble and administrative title used in several states in Central and Southeastern Europe between the 7th century and the 21st century. It was (and in Croatia still is) the leader of the administrative unit župa (or zhupa, županij ...
and duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
titles, for Bosnian rulers. One of the first such ruler, recorded in historic documents and later historiography, was Stephen, Duke of Bosnia.
Later it was held by several of most powerful magnates (in Bosnia ''vlastelin'') of the era, sometime along with an office title given to person through service to the monarch, such as Grand Duke of Bosnia
Grand Duke of Bosnia ( sh, veliki vojvoda rusaga bosanskog, la, Bosne supremus voivoda / Sicut supremus voivoda regni Bosniae), was a court title in the Kingdom of Bosnia, bestowed by the monarch to highest military commanders, usually reserved f ...
, which was office of the supreme military commander of the realm. Other noble titles included the ''count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
'', the ''duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
'' and the ''prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
''.The title is equivalent to that of prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
. Among most influential of Bosnian nobleman with the title ''knez'' was Pavle Radinović
)'' of the Kingdom of Bosnia
, image = Seal of Pavle Radenović.jpg
, caption = Seal of Pavle Radinović, 1397
, alt =
, succession =
, CoA =
, more = no
, reign ...
of Radinović-Pavlović noble family, while other include several noblemen from Radojević-Mirković family, such as Batić Mirković
Batić Mirković ( sr-cyr, Батић Мирковић) was a prominent 15th century Bosnian nobleman and magnate. His father was Bosnian knyaz, Mirko Radojević, the Radojević-Mirković family senior, who had a brother Radič Radojević. Ba ...
. Further families that bear this title are for example Šantić and Hrvatinić.
Croatia
*''knez'' was the monarchial title used by the medieval rulers of the Duchy of Pannonian Croatia
Early Slavs settled in the eastern and southern parts of the former Roman province of Pannonia. The term ''Lower Pannonia'' ( la, Pannonia inferior, hu, Alsó-pannoniai grófság, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Donja Panonija, Доња Панонија, sl, Spo ...
and the Duchy of Littoral Croatia from the 7th to the 10th century, who were mostly titled as ''dux
''Dux'' (; plural: ''ducēs'') is Latin for "leader" (from the noun ''dux, ducis'', "leader, general") and later for duke and its variant forms (doge, duce, etc.). During the Roman Republic and for the first centuries of the Roman Empire, '' ...
'' and rarely as ''princeps
''Princeps'' (plural: ''principes'') is a Latin word meaning "first in time or order; the first, foremost, chief, the most eminent, distinguished, or noble; the first man, first person". As a title, ''princeps'' originated in the Roman Republic w ...
'' in Latin sources and translated as ''Dukes'' in English ones.
*''knez'' was, in the Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...
, a hereditary feudal title borne by Croatian vassal
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain ...
noble families who were great territorial magnates of high social class (such as ''knezovi Bribirski'' ( Counts of Bribir), ''knezovi Krčki'' ( Counts of Krk) and ''knezovi Zrinski'' ( Counts of Zrin)) and went by the title of ''comes
''Comes'' ( ), plural ''comites'' ( ), was a Roman title or office, and the origin Latin form of the medieval and modern title "count".
Before becoming a word for various types of title or office, the word originally meant "companion", either i ...
'' in Latin and ''Count'' in English.
Montenegro
*''knjaz'' (књаз) was the ruler title used by the Petrović-Njegoš dynasty
Petrović-Njegoš (Serbian Cyrillic: , / ) is the Serbian family that ruled Montenegro from 1697 to 1916.
Montenegro was ruled from its inception by '' vladikas'' ( prince-bishops) since 1516, who had a dual temporal and spiritual role. In 169 ...
in Principality of Montenegro
The Principality of Montenegro ( sr, Књажевина Црна Горa, Knjaževina Crna Gora) was a principality in Southeastern Europe that existed from 13 March 1852 to 28 August 1910. It was then proclaimed a kingdom by Nikola I, who then ...
from 1852 until the establishment of Kingdom of Montenegro
The Kingdom of Montenegro ( sr, Краљевина Црна Горa, Kraljevina Crna Gora) was a monarchy in southeastern Europe, present-day Montenegro, during the tumultuous period of time on the Balkan Peninsula leading up to and during World ...
in 1905, translated as "Prince".
Serbia
*''knez'' (кнез) or ''knjaz'' (књаз) is a common term used in Serbian historiography for Serbian rulers in the Early Middle Ages, who were titled '' archon'' in Greek.
*''knez'' (кнез) or ''knjaz'' (књаз) was a noble title used by medieval rulers of the Principality of Serbia
The Principality of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, Књажество Србија, Knjažestvo Srbija) was an autonomous state in the Balkans that came into existence as a result of the Serbian Revolution, which lasted between 1804 and 1817. Its creation wa ...
, Duklja
Duklja ( sh-Cyrl, Дукља; el, Διόκλεια, Diokleia; la, Dioclea) was a medieval South Slavic state which roughly encompassed the territories of modern-day southeastern Montenegro, from the Bay of Kotor in the west to the Bojana Riv ...
, and Moravian Serbia
Moravian Serbia (), the Principality of Moravian Serbia ( sr, Кнежевина Моравска Србија, translit=Kneževina Moravska Srbija) or the Realm of Prince Lazar are the names used in historiography for the largest and most power ...
.
*''knez'' (кнез) was a title borne by local Serbian chiefs under the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. It was another name for the Ottoman Turkish rank of kodjabashi
The kodjabashis ( el, κοτζαμπάσηδες, kotzabasides; singular κοτζάμπασης, ''kotzabasis''; sh, kodžobaša, kodžabaša; from tr, kocabaṣı, hocabaṣı) were local Christian notables in parts of the Ottoman Balkans, most ...
, held by local Christian chiefs.
*''obor-knez
Obor-knez ( sr-Cyrl, обор-кнез) was a title borne by elected local native Serbian chiefs (Knyaz) of the ''nahiyah'' (district of a group of villages) in the Ottoman Sanjak of Smederevo (also known as the Pashalik of Belgrade). The obor-knez ...
'' (обор-кнез) was a title borne by elected local native Serbian chiefs of the ''nahiyah
A nāḥiyah ( ar, , plural ''nawāḥī'' ), also nahiya or nahia, is a regional or local type of administrative division that usually consists of a number of villages or sometimes smaller towns. In Tajikistan, it is a second-level division w ...
'' (district of a group of villages) in the Ottoman Sanjak of Smederevo
The Sanjak of Smederevo ( tr, Semendire Sancağı; sr, / ), also known in historiography as the Pashalik of Belgrade ( tr, Belgrad Paşalığı; sr, / ), was an Ottoman administrative unit (sanjak), that existed between the 15th and the out ...
(also known as the Belgrade Pashaluk). The obor-knez was senior chief and responsible for his district's people and was their spokesman (intermediary) in direct relations with the Pasha, though usually through the ''sipahi
''Sipahi'' ( ota, سپاهی, translit=sipâhi, label=Persian, ) were professional cavalrymen deployed by the Seljuks, and later the Ottoman Empire, including the land grant-holding (''timar'') provincial '' timarli sipahi'', which constituted ...
'', and was in charge of the transfer of taxes levied on the villages.
*''knez'' (кнез) or ''knjaz'' (књаз) was the monarchial title used by Miloš Obrenović
Miloš, Milos, Miłosz or spelling variations thereof is a masculine given name and a surname. It may refer to:
Given name
Sportsmen
* Miłosz Bernatajtys, Polish rower
* Miloš Bogunović, Serbian footballer
* Miloš Budaković, Serbian ...
in Principality of Serbia
The Principality of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, Књажество Србија, Knjažestvo Srbija) was an autonomous state in the Balkans that came into existence as a result of the Serbian Revolution, which lasted between 1804 and 1817. Its creation wa ...
, translated as "Prince". Serbia known as ''Kneževina Srbija'' (Кнежевина Србија) was ''de facto'' independent since 1817, becoming ''de jure'' independent with the 1869 constitution. The successors of Miloš used the title until 1882 when Serbia was elevated into a kingdom
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
.
See also
*Voivode
Voivode (, also spelled ''voievod'', ''voevod'', ''voivoda'', ''vojvoda'' or ''wojewoda'') is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe since the Early Middle Ages. It primarily referred to the ...
* Boyar
*Hospodar
Hospodar or gospodar is a term of Slavonic origin, meaning "lord" or " master".
Etymology and Slavic usage
In the Slavonic language, ''hospodar'' is usually applied to the master/owner of a house or other properties and also the head of a family. ...
*Knyazev Knyazev (russian: Князев) is a Russian masculine surname, its feminine counterpart is Knyazeva. It may refer to
* Andrei Knyazev (footballer) (born 1974), Russian football player
* Andrei Knyazev (mathematician) (born 1959), Russian-American ...
* Knez (Vlach leader)
References
Sources
*Mihaljčić, R. (1999) Knez. in: Ćirković S.i R.Mihaljčić d.Leksikon srpskog srednjeg veka, Beograd, str. 299-301
External links
* {{Commons category inline, Knyaz
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