Topic summary
Ritter von
Extracted from the Wikipedia article Ritter (title).
History
In heraldry, from the late 18th century, a Ritter was often indicated by the use of a coronet with five points, but not everyone who was a Ritter and displayed arms made use of such a coronet. In the Austrian Empire and in Austria-Hungary, the title of "Ritter von" was bestowed upon citizens who deserved more than the plain "von" but were not considered deserving enough as to be given a barony and designated as "Freiherr". In addition to the described system, Württemberg introduced orders of merit beginning in the late 18th century, which also conferred nobility as "Ritter von" but kept the title limited to the recipient's lifetime (see Military Order of Max Joseph).