''Herzog'' (female ''Herzogin'') is a German hereditary title held by one who rules a territorial duchy, exercises

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a wa ...

authority over an estate called a

duchy A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a Middle Ages, medieval country, territory, fiefdom, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or Queen regnant, queen in Western European tradition. There once exis ...

, or possesses a right by law or tradition to be referred to by the ducal title. The word is usually translated by the English ''

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 ran ...

'' and the Latin ''

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, ''dux' ...

''. Generally, a ''Herzog'' ranks below a

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

and above a

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: ...

. Pine, L.G. Titles: How the King became His Majesty. ''Titles in Western Europe.''Barnes & Noble, Inc. 1992, pp. 70-73. . Whether the title is deemed higher or lower than titles translated into English as "prince" (''

Fürst ' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German word for a ruler and is also a princely title. ' were, since the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ruled over states of ...

'') has depended upon the language, country and era in which the titles coexisted.

History

''Herzog'' is not related to '' Herz'' ('heart'), but is derived from German(ic) He(e)r (English: 'army') and zog (ziehen) (English: 'to move' or 'to pull', also: ''in die Schlacht ziehen'' – "to go into battle", related to the modern English verb '' to tug''), a military leader (compare to Slavic

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 me ...

). It may have originated from the

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 branc ...

title of '' Harjatugô'', who were elected by their tribes to lead them into battle. Thus, ''Herzog'' was a title borne by Germanic warriors who exercised military authority over a tribe by general acclaim among its members or warriors, especially in the

stem duchies A stem duchy (german: Stammesherzogtum, from '' Stamm'', meaning "tribe", in reference to the Franks, Saxons, Bavarians and Swabians) was a constituent duchy of the German Empire at the time of the extinction of the Carolingian dynasty (death of ...

. During the medieval era, some of the most powerful

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. W ...

s whose territories lay within the boundaries of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...

took or were granted the title of ''Herzog'' by the Emperor. Several dynasties, such as the

Habsburgs The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

of Austria,

Hohenzollerns The House of Hohenzollern (, also , german: Haus Hohenzollern, , ro, Casa de Hohenzollern) is a German royal (and from 1871 to 1918, imperial) dynasty whose members were variously princes, electors, kings and emperors of Hohenzollern, Brandenbu ...

of Prussia,

Welfs The House of Welf (also Guelf or Guelph) is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th century and Emperor Ivan VI of Russia in the 18th century. The originally Franconian family from the Meuse ...

of Hanover, Wettins of Saxony,

Wittelsbachs The House of Wittelsbach () is a German dynasty, with branches that have ruled over territories including Bavaria, the Palatinate, Holland and Zeeland, Sweden (with Finland), Denmark, Norway, Hungary (with Romania), Bohemia, the Electorate o ...

of Bavaria and the

House of Württemberg The House of Württemberg is a German dynasty and former royal family from Württemberg. History County The House probably originated in the vicinity of the Salian dynasty. Around 1080 the ancestors of modern Württemberg, which was then called ...

, held the ''Herzogswürde'' (dukedom) before becoming kings. Although a ''Herzog'' ranked below a

Prince Elector The prince-electors (german: Kurfürst pl. , cz, Kurfiřt, la, Princeps Elector), or electors for short, were the members of the electoral college that elected the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 13th century onwards, the prince ...

within the Empire, he also belonged by hereditary right to the ''Fürstenbank'' (Chamber of Princes) within the '' Reichstag'', exercised ''

Landeshoheit In the Holy Roman Empire, ''Landeshoheit'' or ''superioritas territorialis''Latin, sometimes ''ius territoriale''. (translated as territorial superiority, territorial supremacy or territorial sovereignty) was the authority possessed by the immedi ...

'' within his

Imperial state 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 ...

and enjoyed ''

Reichsunmittelbarkeit Imperial immediacy (german: Reichsfreiheit or ') was a privileged constitutional and political status rooted in German feudal law under which the Imperial estates of the Holy Roman Empire such as Imperial cities, prince-bishoprics and secular prin ...

'' within the Empire. Therefore, ''Herzöge'' were regarded as members of the ''Hoher Adel'' ( reigning nobility) whose families inter-married with sovereign dynasties outside as well as within the Empire. They ranked as royalty, distinct from nobles who were subject to a lesser

suzerain Suzerainty () is the rights and obligations of a person, state or other polity who controls the foreign policy and relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary state to have internal autonomy. While the subordinate party is calle ...

than the Emperor. Occasionally, the Emperor conferred the title of ''Herzog'' on a nobleman who was not necessarily a

Prince of the Holy Roman Empire Prince of the Holy Roman Empire ( la, princeps imperii, german: Reichsfürst, cf. ''Fürst'') was a title attributed to a hereditary ruler, nobleman or prelate recognised as such by the Holy Roman Emperor. Definition Originally, possessors o ...

and did not rule a duchy. Such a person ranked only as a ''Titularherzog'' (duke-by-title) in Germany's non-reigning nobility. File:T09 Herzog.svg, ''Herzogskrone'', the

heraldic crown A crown is often an emblem of a sovereign state, usually a monarchy (see The Crown), but also used by some republics. A specific type of crown is employed in heraldry under strict rules. Indeed, some monarchies never had a physical crown, just ...

of a ''Herzog'' File:Ducal Hat.svg, ''Herzogshut'', the ducal hat of a ''Herzog''

Current usage

''Herzog'' was borrowed into other European languages, with the chief meaning of the word being "duke", such as Russian ''gertsog'' (''герцог''), Belarusian ''hertsag'', Croatian, Serbian and Bosnian ''herceg'' (''херцег''; e.g.,

Herzegovina Herzegovina ( or ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, Hercegovina, separator=" / ", Херцеговина, ) is the southern and smaller of two main geographical region of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being Bosnia. It has never had strictly defined geogra ...

), Bulgarian ''hertsog'', Latvian ''hercogs'', Lithuanian ''hercogas'', Estonian ''hertsog'', Finnish ''herttua'', Hungarian ''herceg'', Georgian ''herts’ogi'', Danish ''hertug'', Dutch and Afrikaans ''hertog'', Icelandic ''hertogi'', Luxemburgish ''Herzog'', Norwegian ''hertug'' and Swedish ''hertig''. The Slavic semantic equivalent of ''Herzog'' (for example in Polish) is ''

'', or Russian ''воевода'', where ''voi-'' (army) and ''-vode'' (to lead, to guide). Some historical territories of the former

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

have both names of

and

Vojvodina Vojvodina ( sr-Cyrl, Војводина}), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia. It lies within the Pannonian Basin, bordered to the south by the national capital ...

. ''Herzog'' is not uncommon as a surname in German-speaking countries. The surname does not indicate an aristocratic origin (much like the family name "King" in English does not indicate a royal ancestry).

References

{{reflist German noble titles de:Herzog he:הרצוג (תואר)

History

Current usage

See also

References