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Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of
nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...
in certain
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
an 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: Barnes & Noble, 1992. p. 73. .] The etymologically related English term "
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
" denoted the territories associated with the countship.
Definition
The word ''count'' came into English from the
French ''comte'', itself from
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 ...
''
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 its
accusative
The accusative case (abbreviated ) of a noun is the grammatical case used to mark the direct object of a transitive verb.
In the English language, the only words that occur in the accusative case are pronouns: 'me,' 'him,' 'her,' 'us,' and ‘th ...
''comitem''—meaning “companion”, and later “companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor”. The adjective form of the word is "
comital
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
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
and
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
equivalent is an
earl
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particula ...
(whose wife is a "countess", for lack of an
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 ...
term).
In the late
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...
, the Latin title ''
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 ...
'' denoted the high rank of various courtiers and provincial officials, either military or administrative: before
Anthemius
Procopius Anthemius (died 11 July 472) was western Roman emperor from 467 to 472.
Perhaps the last capable Western Roman Emperor, Anthemius attempted to solve the two primary military challenges facing the remains of the Western Roman Empire: ...
became emperor in the West in 467, he was a military ''comes'' charged with strengthening defenses on the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , p ...
frontier.
In the
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire comprised the western provinces of the Roman Empire at any time during which they were administered by a separate independent Imperial court; in particular, this term is used in historiography to describe the period ...
, Count came to indicate generically a military commander but was not a specific rank. In the
Eastern Roman Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...
, from about the seventh century, "count" was a specific rank indicating the commander of two ''
centuriae'' (i.e., 200 men).
Military counts in the Late Empire and the Germanic successor kingdoms were often appointed by a ''
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 later by a king. From the start the count was not in charge of a roving warband, but settled in a locality, known as a county; his main rival for power was the
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
, whose
diocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...
was sometimes coterminous with the county.
In the
Frankish
Frankish may refer to:
* Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture
** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages
* Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany
* East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...
kingdoms in the early
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, a count might also be a
count palatine
A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an or ...
, whose authority derived directly from the royal household, the "
palace" in its original sense of the seat of power and administration. This other kind of count had vague antecedents in
Late Antiquity
Late antiquity is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English ha ...
too: the father of
Cassiodorus
Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator (c. 485 – c. 585), commonly known as Cassiodorus (), was a Roman statesman, renowned scholar of antiquity, and writer serving in the administration of Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. ''Senator'' ...
held positions of trust with Theodoric, as ''comes rerum privatarum'', in charge of the imperial lands, then as ''comes sacrarum largitionum'' ("count of the sacred doles"), concerned with the finances of the realm.
The position of ''comes'' was originally not hereditary. The position of count was regarded as an administrative official dependent on the king, until the process of
allodial
Allodial title constitutes ownership of real property (land, buildings, and fixtures) that is independent of any superior landlord. Allodial title is related to the concept of land held "in allodium", or land ownership by occupancy and defens ...
isation during the 9th century in which it became private possessions of noble families. By virtue of their large estates, many counts could pass the title to their heirs—but not always. For instance, in
Piast Poland
The period of rule by the Piast dynasty between the 10th and 14th centuries is the first major stage of the history of the Polish state. The dynasty was founded by a series of dukes listed by the chronicler Gall Anonymous in the early 12th ce ...
, the position of ''komes'' was not hereditary, resembling the early
Merovingian
The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...
institution. The title had disappeared by the era of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ru ...
, and the office had been replaced by others. Only after the
Partitions of Poland did the title of "count" resurface in the title ''hrabia'', derived from the German ''Graf''.
Land attached to title
Originally, with the emergence of the title came the most powerful symbol of entitlement, that is the ownership of and jurisdiction over land, hence the term ''county''. The term is derived from the
Old French
Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intellig ...
''conté'' or ''cunté'' denoting a
jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels.
J ...
under the control of a count (
earl
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particula ...
) or a
viscount
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status.
In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...
.
[The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, C. W. Onions (Ed.), 1966, ]Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
The modern French is ''comté'', and its equivalents in other languages are ''contea'', ''contado'', ''comtat'', ''condado'', ''Grafschaft'', ''graafschap'', etc. (cf. ''
conte
Conte may refer to:
* Conte (literature), a literary genre
* Conte (surname)
* Conté, a drawing medium
* Conte, Jura, town in France
* Conté royal family, a fictional family in Tamora Pierce's Tortallan world
* Conte, the title of Count in Italy ...
'', ''comte'', ''conde'', ''
Graf
(feminine: ) 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 "coun ...
'').
The title of Count was also often conferred by the monarch as an honorific title for special services rendered, without a feudal estate (countship, county) being attached, so it was merely a title, with or without a domain name attached to it. In the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, the equivalent "Earl" can also be used as a
courtesy title for the eldest son of a duke or marquess. In the
Italian states
Italy, up until the Italian unification in 1861, was a conglomeration of city-states, republics, and other independent entities. The following is a list of the various Italian states during that period. Following the fall of the Western Roman Em ...
, by contrast, all the sons of certain counts were little counts (''contini''). In
Sweden there is a distinction between counts (Swedish: ''greve'') created before and after 1809. All children in comital families elevated before 1809 were called count/countess. In families elevated after 1809, only the head of the family was called count, the rest have a status similar to barons and were called by the equivalent of "Mr/Ms/Mrs", before the recognition of titles of nobility was abolished.
Comital titles in different European languages
The following lists are originally based on a Glossary on Heraldica.org by Alexander Krischnig. The male form is followed by the female, and when available, by the territorial circumscription.
Etymological derivations from the Latin
Etymological parallels with the German (some approximate)
Compound and related titles
Apart from all these, a few unusual titles have been of comital rank, not necessarily permanently.
* (English: ''Dolphin''; es, Delfín, links=no; it, Delfino, links=no; pt, Delfim, links=no; la, Delphinus) was a multiple (though rare) comital title in southern France, used by the Dauphins of Vienne and Auvergne, before 1349 when it became the title of the heir to the French throne. The Dauphin was the lord of the province still known as the .
* "Count-Duke" is a rare title used in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, notably by
Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares
Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimentel, 1st Duke of Sanlúcar, 3rd Count of Olivares, GE, known as the Count-Duke of Olivares (taken by joining both his countship and subsequent dukedom) (6 January 1587 – 22 July 1645), was a Spanish royal favourit ...
. He had inherited the title of count of Olivares, but when created Duke of Sanlucar la Mayor by King
Philip IV of Spain
Philip IV ( es, Felipe, pt, Filipe; 8 April 160517 September 1665), also called the Planet King (Spanish: ''Rey Planeta''), was King of Spain from 1621 to his death and (as Philip III) King of Portugal from 1621 to 1640. Philip is remembered ...
he begged permission to preserve his inherited title in combination with the new honour—according to a practice almost unique in Spanish history; logically the incumbent ranks as Duke (higher than Count) just as he would when simply concatenating both titles.
* 'Count-Baron' is a rare title used in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, notably by Dom , 7th Baron of Alvito, who received the title of Count of Oriola in 1653 from King
John IV of Portugal
John IV ( pt, João, ; 19 March 1604 – 6 November 1656), nicknamed John the Restorer ( pt, João, o Restaurador), was the King of Portugal whose reign, lasting from 1640 until his death, began the Portuguese restoration of independence from H ...
. His palace in Lisbon still exists, located in a square named after him ().
* Archcount is a very rare title, etymologically analogous to
archduke, apparently never recognized officially, used by or for:
** the
count of Flanders (an original of the French realm in present Belgium, very rich, once expected to be raised to the rank of kingdom); the informal, rather descriptive use on account of the countship's de facto importance is rather analogous to the unofficial epithet (before
Grand duke became a formal title) for the even wealthier
Duke of Burgundy
Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsburg ...
** at least one
Count of Burgundy
This is a list of the counts of Burgundy, i.e., of the region known as Franche-Comté, not to be confused with the Duchy of Burgundy, from 982 to 1678.
House of Ivrea (982–1190)
House of Hohenstaufen (1190–1231)
House of Andechs ( ...
(i.e. of )
* In German kingdoms, the title was combined with the word for the jurisdiction or domain the nobleman was holding as a fief or as a conferred or inherited jurisdiction, such as (see also
Marquess), , ("free count"), , where signifies castle; see also
Viscount
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status.
In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...
, (translated both as "Count Palatine" and, historically, as "Palsgrave"), ("Raugrave", see "
Graf
(feminine: ) 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 "coun ...
", and (), where signifies a large forest) (from Latin ''nemus'' = grove).
* The German and Dutch ( la, grafio) stem from the Byzantine-Greek meaning "he who calls a meeting
.e. the courttogether").
* The Ottoman military title of was used in Montenegro and Serbia as a lesser noble title with the equivalent rank of a Count.
* These titles are not to be confused with various minor administrative titles containing the word in various offices which are not linked to feudal nobility, such as the Dutch titles (a court
sinecure, so usually held by noble courtiers, may even be rendered hereditary) and (to the present, in the Low Countries, a manager in the local or regional administration of watercourses through dykes, ditches, controls etc.; also in German , synonymous with , "dike captain").
Lists of countships
Territory of today's France
Kingdom of the Western Franks
Since
Louis VII (1137–80), the highest precedence amongst the vassals (
Prince-bishops and secular nobility) of the French crown was enjoyed by those whose benefice or temporal fief was a ''pairie'', i.e. carried the exclusive rank of ''
pair
Pair or PAIR or Pairing may refer to:
Government and politics
* Pair (parliamentary convention), matching of members unable to attend, so as not to change the voting margin
* ''Pair'', a member of the Prussian House of Lords
* ''Pair'', the Frenc ...
''; within the first (i.e. clerical) and second (noble) estates, the first three of the original twelve ''anciennes pairies'' were ducal, the next three comital ''
comté-pairies'':
*
Bishop-counts of Beauvais (in Picardy)
*
Bishop-counts of Châlons (in Champagne)
* Bishop-counts of
Noyon
Noyon (; pcd, Noéyon; la, Noviomagus Veromanduorum, Noviomagus of the Veromandui, then ) is a commune in the Oise department, northern France.
Geography
Noyon lies on the river Oise, about northeast of Paris. The Oise Canal and the Cana ...
(in Picardy)
*
Count of Toulouse
The count of Toulouse ( oc, comte de Tolosa, french: comte de Toulouse) was the ruler of Toulouse during the 8th to 13th centuries. Originating as vassals of the Frankish kings,
the hereditary counts ruled the city of Toulouse and its surroundin ...
, until united to the crown in 1271 by marriage
*
Count of Flanders (Flandres in French), which is in the Low countries and was confiscated in 1299, though returned in 1303
*
Count of Champagne
The count of Champagne was the ruler of the County of Champagne from 950 to 1316. Champagne evolved from the County of Troyes in the late eleventh century and Hugh I was the first to officially use the title count of Champagne.
Count Theobald ...
, until united to the crown (in 1316 by marriage, conclusively in 1361)
Later other countships (and duchies, even baronies) have been raised to this French peerage, but mostly as
apanage
An appanage, or apanage (; french: apanage ), is the grant of an estate, title, office or other thing of value to a younger child of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture. It was common in much o ...
s (for members of the royal house) or for foreigners; after the 16th century all new peerages were always duchies and the medieval countship-peerages had died out, or were held by royal princes
Other French countships of note included those of:
*
Count of Angoulême, later Duke
*
Count of Anjou, later Duke
*
Count of Auvergne
This is a list of the various rulers of Auvergne.
History
In the 7th century Auvergne was disputed between the Franks and Aquitanians. It was later conquered by the Carolingians, and was integrated for a time into the kingdom of Aquitaine. The ...
*
Count of Bar, later Duke
*
Count of Blois
*
Count of Boulogne
*
Count of Foix
The Count of Foix ruled the independent County of Foix, in what is now Southern France, during the Middle Ages. The House of Foix eventually extended its power across the Pyrenees mountain range, joining the House of Bearn and moving their court ...
*
Count of Montpensier
The French lordship of Montpensier (named after the village of Montpensier, département of Puy-de-Dôme), located in historical Auvergne, became a countship in the 14th century.
It changed hands from the House of Thiern, to the House of Be ...
*
Count of Poitiers
Among the people who have borne the title of Count of Poitiers (or '' Poitou'', in what is now France but in the Middle Ages became part of Aquitaine) are:
*Bodilon
* Warinus (638–677), son of Bodilon
* Hatton (735-778)
Carolingian Counts ...
Parts of today's France long within other kingdoms of the Holy Roman Empire
*
Freigraf ("free count") of Burgundy (i.e. present Franche-Comté)
* The
Dauphiné
The Dauphiné (, ) is a former province in Southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was originally the Dauphiné of Viennois.
In the 12th centu ...
The Holy Roman Empire
''See also above for parts of present France''
In Germany
A ''Graf'' ruled over a territory known as a ''Grafschaft'' ('county'). See also various comital and related titles; especially those actually reigning over a principality:
Gefürsteter Graf
(feminine: ) 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 "cou ...
,
Landgraf,
Reichsgraf; compare
Markgraf
Margrave was originally the medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or of a kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain feudal families in the Em ...
,
Burggraf,
Pfalzgraf
A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an ord ...
(''see
Imperial quaternions
An Imperial State or Imperial Estate ( la, Status Imperii; german: Reichsstand, plural: ') was a part of the Holy Roman Empire with representation and the right to vote in the Imperial Diet ('). Rulers of these Estates were able to exercise si ...
'').
Northern Italian states
The title of ''Conte'' is very prolific on the peninsula. In the eleventh century, ''Conti'' like the Count of Savoy or the Norman Count of Apulia, were virtually sovereign lords of broad territories. Even apparently "lower"-sounding titles, like
Viscount
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status.
In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...
, could describe powerful dynasts, such as the
House of Visconti
Visconti is a surname which may refer to:
Italian noble families
* Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447
** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan
* Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia from ...
which ruled a major city such as
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
. The essential title of a feudatory, introduced by the Normans, was ''signore'', modeled on the French ''seigneur'', used with the name of the
fief
A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...
. By the fourteenth century, ''conte'' and the Imperial title ''barone'' were virtually synonymous.
Some titles of a count, according to the particulars of the patent, might be inherited by the eldest son of a Count. Younger brothers might be distinguished as "X dei conti di Y" ("X of the counts of Y"). However, if there is no male to inherit the title and the count has a daughter, in some regions she could inherit the title.
Many Italian counts left their mark on Italian history as individuals, yet only a few ''contadi'' (countships; the word ''contadini'' for inhabitants of a "county" remains the Italian word for "peasant") were politically significant principalities, notably:
* Norman Count of
Apulia
*
Count of Savoy, later Duke (also partly in France and in Switzerland)
*
Count of Asti
*
Count of Montferrat (Monferrato)
*
Count of Montefeltro
*
Count of Tusculum
The counts of Tusculum, also known as the Theophylacti, were a family of secular noblemen from Latium that maintained a powerful position in Rome between the 10th and 12th centuries. Several popes and an antipope during the 11th century came fro ...
In Austria
The principalities tended to start out as margraviate or (promoted to) duchy, and became nominal archduchies within the Habsburg dynasty; noteworthy are:
* Count of Tyrol
*
Count of Cilli
* Count of Schaumburg
In the Low Countries
Apart from various small ones, significant were :
* in present Belgium :
**
Count of Flanders (Vlaanderen in Dutch), but only the small part east of the river Schelde remained within the empire; the far larger west, an original French
comté-pairie became part of the French realm
**
Count of Hainaut
The Count of Hainaut (; ; ) was the ruler of the county of Hainaut, a historical region in the Low Countries (including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany). In English-la ...
**
Count of Namur
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: ...
, later a margraviate
** Count of Leuven (Louvain) soon became the Duke of Brabant
** Count of Mechelen, though the
Heerlijkheid Mechelen was given the title of "Graafschap" in 1490, the city was rarely referred to as a county and the title of Count has not been in practical use by or for anyone of the series of persons that became rightfully entitled to it; the flag and weapon of the municipality still has the corresponding heraldic crowned single-headed eagle of sabre on gold.
* in the present Netherlands:
**
Count of Guelders
This article is about the rulers of the historical county and duchy of Guelders.
Counts House of Wassenberg
* before 1096–about 1129: Gerard I
* about 1129–about 1131: Gerard II, son of Gerard I
* about 1131–1182: Henry I, son of Gerar ...
later Dukes of Guelders
**
Count of Holland
**
Count of Zeeland
**
Count of Zutphen
The title of Count of Zutphen historically belonged to the ruler of the Dutch province of Gelderland ( Zutphen being one of the major cities in the province during the medieval period). The lordship was a vassal title before it eventually become ...
In Switzerland
![DeSalisClothBellonna](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/DeSalisClothBellonna.jpg)
*
Count of Geneva
The County of Geneva, largely corresponding to the later Genevois province, originated in the tenth century, in the Burgundian Kingdom of Arles (Arelat) which fell to the Holy Roman Empire in 1032.
History
Several nobles had held the title of a ...
* Count of
Neuchâtel
*
Count of Toggenburg
* Count of
Kyburg
*
Count de Salis-Soglio
Count de Salis-Soglio is a continental title of nobility that was recognized in the United Kingdom for a Swiss family which became British Subjects when Jerome, 2nd Count de Salis, was naturalized by Private Act of Parliament in 1743.
Emperor F ...
(also in the UK, Canada and Australia)
*
Count de Salis-Seewis
Count de Salis- Seewis (also written Comte or Graf v. Salis-Seewis / Graf Salis-Seewis / Graf Salis / Gräfin Countess"'' von Salis / Graf von Salis) is a primogenitive title created in Versailles, France on 1 February 1777, while the title Gra ...
*
Count of Panzutti
*Count In-Albon
In other continental European countries
Holy See
Count/Countess was one of the noble titles granted by the Pope as a temporal sovereign, and the title's holder was sometimes informally known as a papal count/papal countess or less so as a Roman count/Roman countess, but mostly as count/countess. The comital title, which could be for life or hereditary, was awarded in various forms by popes and Holy Roman Emperors since the Middle Ages, infrequently before the 14th century, and the pope continued to grant the comital and other noble titles even after 1870, it was largely discontinued in the mid 20th-century, on the accession of
John XXIII
Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...
. The Papacy and the
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies might appoint counts palatine with no particular territorial fief. Until 1812 in some regions, the purchaser of land designated "feudal" was ennobled by the noble seat that he held and became a ''conte''. This practice ceased with the formal abolition of feudalism in the various principalities of early-19th century Italy, last of all in the
Papal States
The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...
.
In Poland
Poland was notable throughout its history for not granting titles of nobility. This was on the premise that one could only be born into nobility, outside rare exceptions. Instead, it conferred Offices in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, non-hereditary courtly or civic roles. The noble titles that were in use on its territory were mostly of foreign provenance and usually subject to the process of indygenat, naturalisation.
In Hungary
Somewhat similar to the native privileged class of nobles found in Poland, Hungary also had a class of Conditional nobles.
On the Iberian peninsula
As opposed to the plethora of hollow "gentry" counts, only a few countships ever were important in medieval Iberian Peninsula, Iberia; most territory was firmly within the Reconquista kingdoms before counts could become important. However, during the 19th century, the title, having lost its high rank (equivalent to that of Duke), proliferated.
=Portugal
=
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
itself started as a countship in 868, but became a History of Portugal (1112-1279), kingdom in 1139 (see:''County of Portugal''). Throughout the History of Portugal, especially during the History of Portugal (1834-1910), Constitutional Monarchy many other countships were created (see: ''List of Countships in Portugal'').
=Spain
=
![Heraldic Crown of Spanish Count](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Heraldic_Crown_of_Spanish_Count.svg)
In Spain, no countships of wider importance exist, except in the former Spanish march.
*County of Barcelona, the initial core of the Principality of Catalonia, later one of the states of the Crown of Aragon, which became one of the two main components of the Spanish crown.
*Count of Aragon
*Count of Castile
*Kingdom of Galicia, Count of Galicia
*Count of Lara
*Count Cassius, progenitor of the Banu Qasi
*County of Urgell, later integrated into the Principality of Catalonia.
*The other Catalan counties were much smaller and were absorbed early into the County of Barcelona (between parentheses the annexation year): County of Girona (897), County of Besalú, County of Osona, which included the nominal County of Manresa (1111), County of Berga and County of Conflent (1117) and County of Cerdanya (1118). From 1162 these counties, together with that of Barcelona, were merged into the Principality of Catalonia, a sovereign state that absorbed some other counties: County of Roussillon (1172), County of Pallars Jussà (1192), County of Empúries (1402), County of Urgell (1413) and County of Pallars Sobirà (1487), giving the Principality its definitive shape.
South Eastern Europe
Bulgaria
In the First Bulgarian Empire, a ''komit'' was a hereditary provincial ruler under the tsar documented since the reign of Presian I of Bulgaria, Presian (836-852) The Cometopuli dynasty, Cometopouli dynasty was named after its founder, the ''komit'' of Sofia, Sredets.
Montenegro and Serbia
The title of Serdar (Ottoman rank), Serdar was used in the Principality of Montenegro and the Principality of Serbia as a noble title below that of Voivode equivalent to that of Count.
Crusader states
* Count of Edessa
* Count of Tripoli (1102–1288)
Scandinavia
In Denmark and historically in Denmark-Norway the title of count (''greve'') is the highest rank of nobility used in the modern period. Some Danish/Dano-Norwegian countships were associated with
fief
A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form ...
s, and these counts were known as "feudal counts" (Lensgreve (Danish title), ''lensgreve''). They rank above ordinary (titular) counts, and their position in the Danish aristocracy as the highest-ranking noblemen is broadly comparable to that of dukes in other European countries.
[Ferdinand Christian Herman von Krogh: ''Den høiere danske Adel. En genealogisk Haandbog'', C. Steen & søn, 1866] With the first free Constitution of Denmark of 1849 came a complete abolition of the privileges of the nobility. Since then the title of count has been granted only to members of the Danish royal family, either as a replacement for a princely title when marrying a commoner, or in recent times, instead of that title in connection with divorce. Thus the first wife of Prince Joachim of Denmark, the younger son of Margrethe II of Denmark, became Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg on their divorce - initially retaining her title of princess, but losing it on her remarriage.
In the Middle Ages the title of earl, jarl (earl) was the highest title of nobility. The title was eventually replaced by the title of duke, but that title was abolished in Denmark and Norway as early as the Middle Ages. Titles were only reintroduced with the introduction of absolute monarchy in 1660, with count as the highest title.
In Sweden the rank of count is the highest rank conferred upon nobles in the modern era and are, like their Danish and Norwegian counterparts, broadly comparable to that of dukes in other European countries. Unlike the rest of Scandinavia, the title of duke is still used in Sweden, but only by members of the royal family and are not considered part of the nobility.
Equivalents
Like other major Western noble titles, Count is sometimes used to render certain titles in non-western languages with their own traditions, even though they are as a rule historically unrelated and thus hard to compare, but which are considered "equivalent" in rank.
This is the case with:
*the China, Chinese ''Bó'' (伯), hereditary title of nobility ranking below ''Hóu'' (侯) and above ''Zĭ'' (子)
*the Japanese equivalent ''Hakushaku'' (), adapted during the Meiji restoration
*the Korean equivalent ''Baekjak'' (백작) or ''Poguk''
* in Vietnam, it is rendered ''Bá'', one of the lower titles reserved for male members of the Imperial clan, above ''Tử'' (Viscount), ''Nam'' (Baron) and ''Vinh phong'' (lowest noble title), but lower than—in ascending order—''Hầu'' (Marquis), ''Công'' (Prince), ''Quận-Công'' (Duke/Duke of a commandery) and ''Quốc-Công'' (Grand Duke/Duke of the Nation), all under ''Vương'' (King) and ''Hoàng Đế'' (Emperor).
*the Indian ''Sardar'', adopted by the Maratha Empire, additionally, Jagirdar and Deshmukh are close equivalents
*the Arabic equivalent ''Sheikh''
*In traditional Sulu equivalent to Datu Sadja
In fiction
The title "Count" in fiction is commonly given to evil characters or vampires:
*Count Nefaria
*Count Vertigo
*The Count (Sesame Street)
*Count Duckula
*Count Olaf
*Count Chocula
*Count Paris
*Count of Monte Cristo
*Count Dooku
*Count Dracula
*Count Orlok
See also
* Czech nobility
* Icelandic nobility
* Romanian nobility
* Russian nobility
*
Viscount
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status.
In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...
* Earl
References
Sources
* Labarre de Raillicourt: ''Les Comtes Romains''
* Westermann, ''Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte'' (in German)
External links
Heraldica.org - here the French peerageWebster's 1828 Dictionary
{{Authority control
Counts,
Feudalism
Roman Empire in late antiquity
Noble titles
Titles
Men's social titles
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