Count 196470 225763625 2008-07-15T08:17:18Z CarsracBot 6929011 robot Adding: [[simple:Count]] [[Image:Horona hr.png|right|thumb|British Viscount Coronet|[[Coronet]] of a count]] {{this|the style or title of nobility}} {{Redirect|Countess}} A '''count''' is a [[nobleman]] in [[Europe]]an countries; The word ''count'' comes from [[French language|French]] ''comte'', itself from [[Latin]] ''[[comes]]''—in its [[Accusative case|accusative]] ''comitem''—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The British equivalent is an [[earl]] (whose wife is also a "countess", for lack of an Anglo-Saxon term). Alternative "Count" (Hakushaku) status are used in other countries with different names such as during the [[Empire of Japan]]. ==Definition== {{main|Comes}} In the late [[Roman Empire]], the Latin title ''[[comes]]'' meaning (imperial) 'companion' denoted the high rank of various courtiers and provincial officials, either military or administrative: before [[Anthemius]] was made emperor in the West in 467, he was military ''comes'' charged with strengthening defenses on the [[Danube]] frontier<ref>{{cite web|title= An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors|publisher=''University of South Carolina''|url=http://www.roman-emperors.org/anthemiu.htm|accessdate=2008-04-10}}</ref>. Military counts in the Late Empire and the Germanic successor kingdoms were often appointed by a ''[[Duke|dux]]'' and later by a king. From the start the count was in charge, not of a roving warband, but settled in a locality, a countship, his main rival for power being the [[bishop]], whose [[diocese]] was often coterminous. In many [[Germanic]] and [[Frankish]] kingdoms in the early [[Middle Ages]], the count might also be a [[count palatine]], 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]] too: the father of [[Cassiodorus]] held positions of trust with Theodoric, as ''comes rerum privatarum'', in charge of the imperial lands, then of ''comes sacrarum largitionum'' (concerned with the strictly monetary fiscal matters of the realm) [http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/texts/cassbook/chap1.html], The position of ''comes'' was originally not hereditary. By holding large estates, many counts were able to make it a hereditary title&mdash;though not always. For instance, in [[Piast Poland#Early Kingdom of Poland.2C .281025-1146.29|Piast Poland]], the position of ''komes'' was not hereditary, resembling the early [[Merovingian]] institution. The title had disappeared by the era of the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]], and the office replaced with other institutions. Only after the [[Partitions of Poland]] did the title of "count" re-surface in the German-derived title ''hrabia.'' *The title of Count was also often conferred by the monarch as an honorific title for special services rendered, without an actual feudal estate (countship, county), just a title, with or without a domain name attached to it. In the UK, the equivalent Earl is often a [[courtesy title]] for the eldest son of a duke. In the [[United Kingdom]] stringent rules apply, often a future heir has a lower ranking [[courtesy title]]; in [[Italy]], by contrast, all the sons of certain counts are counts (''contini''). In [[Sweden]] there is a distinction between counts (swedish: greve) introduced before 1809 and after. All children in countship families introduced before 1809 are called count/countess. In families introduced after 1809 only the head of the family is called count, the rest had a status similar to barons and was called Mr. and Ms./Mrs. (before the use of titles 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 circonscription === Etymological derivations from the Latin ''comes'' === {| class="wikitable" ! scope="col" | [[Language]] ! scope="col" | Male title ! scope="col" | Female title / Spouse ! scope="col" | Territory |- ! scope="row" | [[Albanian language|Albanian]] | Kont | Konteshë | |- ! scope="row" | [[Armenian language|Armenian]] | Կոմս (Koms) | Կոմսուհի (Komsuhi) | |- ! scope="row" | [[Catalan language|Catalan]] | Comte | Comtessa | Comtat |- ! scope="row" | [[English language|English]] | ''Count'' (applies to title granted by monarchies other than UK) | Countess (even where Earl applies) | ''Earldom'' for an Earl; ''Countship'' or ''county'' for a count, but the last is also, and indeed rather, in Anglo-Saxon countries an administrative district |- ! scope="row" | [[French language|French]] | [[Comte]] — cfr. the variation <sup><small>?</small></sup>Comtor | Comtesse | Comté |- ! scope="row" | [[Irish language|Irish]] | Cunta; Iarla | Cuntaois, Baniarla | Honorary title only; ''iarla'' does not derive from Latin ''comes'' but rather from English "earl". |- ! scope="row" | [[Italian language|Italian]] | [[Conte]] | [[Contessa]] | Contea, Contado, Comitato |- ! scope="row" | [[Greek language|Greek]] | Κόμης (Kómēs) | Κόμησσα (Kómēssa) | Κομητεία (Komēteía); in the [[Ionian Islands]] the respective [[Italian language|Italian]]ate terms ''Kóntes'', ''Kontéssa'' were used instead |- ! scope="row" | [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] | Rozen (רוזן) | Rozenet (רוזנת) | Roznoot (רוזנות); these do not derive from Latin ''comes''. |- ! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal;" | '''[[Latin]]''' (feudal jargon, not classical) | [[Comes]] | Comitissa | Comitatus |- ! scope="row" | [[Maltese language|Maltese]] | Konti | Kontessa | |- ! scope="row" | [[Monegasque language|Monegasque]] | Conte | Contessa | |- ! scope="row" | [[Old English language|Old English]] | Hlaford | Hlǣfdiġe |These do not derive from Latin ''comes''. |- ! scope="row" | [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] | [[Conde]] | Condessa | Condado |- ! scope="row" | [[Polish language|Polish]] | Komes | Komesa | Comitates |- ! scope="row" | [[Romanian language|Romanian]] | [[Conte]] | Contesă | Comitat |- ! scope="row" | [[Romansh]] | Cont | Contessa | |- ! scope="row" | [[Scottish Gaelic language|Scottish Gaelic]] | Iarla | Ban-iarla | Honorary title only; ''iarla'' does not derive from Latin ''comes'', but rather English "earl". |- ! scope="row" | [[Spanish language|Spanish]] | [[Conde]] | Condesa | Condado |- ! scope="row" | [[Turkish language|Turkish]] | Kont | Kontes | |- ! scope="row" | [[Welsh language|Welsh]] | [[Welsh Peers|Iarll]] | Iarlles | Iarllaeth; ''iarll'' does not derive from Latin ''comes'' but rather English "earl". |- |} === Etymological parallels of the German ''Graf'' (some unclear) === {| class="wikitable" ! scope="col" | [[Language]] ! scope="col" | Male title ! scope="col" | Female title / Spouse ! scope="col" | Territory |- ! scope="row" | [[Belarusian language|Belarusian]] | Граф (Hraf) | Графiня (Hrafinia) | Графствa (Hrafstva) |- ! scope="row" | [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]] | Граф (Graf) | Графиня (Grafinya) | Графство (Grafstvo) |- ! scope="row" | [[Croatian language|Croatian]] | Grof | Grofica | Grofovija |- ! scope="row" | [[Czech language|Czech]] | Hrabě | Hraběnka | Hrabství |- ! scope="row" | [[Danish language|Danish]] | [[Greve]] | Grevinde | Grevskab |- ! scope="row" | [[Dutch language|Dutch]] | Graaf | Gravin | Graafschap |- ! scope="row" | [[English language|English]] | [[Grave]] | &nbsp; | &nbsp; |- ! scope="row" | [[Estonian language|Estonian]] | Krahv | Krahvinna | Krahvkond | Butl |- ! scope="row" | [[Latvian language|Latvian]] | Grāfs | Grāfiene | Grāfiste |- ! scope="row" | [[German language|German]] | [[Graf]] | [[Gräfin]] | Grafschaft |- ! scope="row" | [[Finnish language|Finnish]] | Kreivi | Kreivitär | Kreivikunta |- ! scope="row" | [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] | Gróf | Grófnő, Grófné | Grófság |- ! scope="row" | [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]] | Greifi | Greifynja | |- ! scope="row" | [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]] | Grafas | Grafienė | Grafystė |- ! scope="row" | [[Luxembourgish language|Luxembourgish]] | Grof | Gräfin | |- ! scope="row" | [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]] | Grof | Grofina | |- ! scope="row" | [[Polish language|Polish]] | [[Hrabia]] | [[Hrabina]] | Hrabstwo |- ! scope="row" | [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] | Greve | Grevinne | Grevskap |- ! scope="row" | [[Romanian language|Romanian]] | Grof (also [[Conte]], ''see above'') | | |- ! scope="row" | [[Russian language|Russian]] | Граф (Graf) | Графиня (Grafinya) | Графство (Grafstvo) |- ! scope="row" | [[Serbian language|Serbian]] | Grof | Grofica | Grofovija |- ! scope="row" | [[Slovak language|Slovak]] | Gróf | Grófka | Grófstvo |- ! scope="row" | [[Slovene language|Slovene]] | Grof | Grofica | Grofija |- ! scope="row" | [[Swedish language|Swedish]] | [[Greve]] | Grevinna | Grevskap |- ! scope="row" | [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]] | Ґраф (Graf) | Ґрафiня (Grafinya) | |} ===Compound and related titles=== Apart from all these, a few unusual titles have been of comital rank, not necessarily to remain there. *[[Dauphin of France|Dauphin]] (anglicized ''Dolphin'', possibly an etymological match; {{lang-la|Delphinus}}) was a multiple (though rare) comital title in southern France before it became (informally) the courtesy title of the heir to the French royal crown, in chief of the province still known as the ''région [[Dauphiné]]'' *'''[[Conde-Duque]]''' 'Count-Duke' is a rare title used in [[Spain]], notably by [[Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimentel, Count-Duke of Olivares]] who had inherited the title of count of Olivares, but being created Duke of Sanlucar la Mayor by King Philip IV of Spain 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 a he would when simply juxtapositioning both titles. *'''[[Conde-Barão]]''' 'Count-Baron' is a rare title used in [[Portugal]], notably by [[D. Luís Lobo da Silveira]], 7th Baron of Alvito, who received the title of Count of Oriola in 1653 from King John IV of Portugal. His palace in Lisbon still exists, located in a square named after him (Largo do Conde-Barão). *'''Archcount''' is a very rare title, etymologically analogous to [[archduke]], apparently never recognized officially, used by or for: **the [[count of Flanders]] (an original [[pairie]] 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 ''Grand Duc de l'Occident'' (before [[Grand duke]] became a formal title) for the even wealthier [[Duke of Burgundy]] **at least one [[Count of Burgundy]] (i.e. ''Freigraf'' of [[Franche-Comté]]) *In German kingdoms, the title [[Graf]] was combined with the word for the jurisdiction or domain the nobleman was holding as a fief and/or as a conferred or inherited jurisdiction, such as "Markgraf" ([[Margrave]] - see also [[Marquess]]), "[[Landgraf]]" ('landgrave'), "[[Freigraf]]" ('free count'), "Burggraf" ('Burgrave', where ''burg'' signifies castle; see also [[Viscount]]), [[Pfalzgraf]] (see (Count) Palatine), "Raugraf" (Raugrave, see '[[graf]]'. Originally a unique title) and "Waldgraf" ([[waldgrave]] (''comes nemoris''), where ''wald'' signifies a large forest). * The German ''Graf'' and Dutch ''graaf'' ({{lang-la|Grafio}}) stems from the Byzantine-Greek ''grapheus'' or ''suggrapheus'' "he who calles a meeting [i.e. the court] together"). * These titles are not to be confused with various minor administrative titles containing the word -''graf'' in various offices which are not linked to nobility of feudality, such as the Dutch titles ''Pluimgraaf'' (a court sinecure, so usually held by noble courtiers, may even be rendered hereditary) and ''Dijkgraaf'' (to the present, in the Low Countries, a managing official in the local or regional administration of water household trough dykes, ditches, controls etcetera; also in German ''Deichgraf'', synonymous with ''Deichhauptmann'', 'dike captain'). ==Lists of countships <!--preferably weighted lists of major counts and interesting particularities-->== ===Territory of today's France=== ====West-Francia proper==== Since [[Louis VII of France|Louis VII]] (1137–80), the highest precedence amongst the vassals ([[Prince-bishop]]s 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]]''; 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-pairie]]s'': * [[Bishop of Beauvais|Bishop-counts of Beauvais]] (in Picardy) * [[Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne|Bishop-counts of Châlons]] (in Champagne) * Bishop-counts of [[Noyon]] (in Picardy) * [[Counts of Toulouse|Count of Toulouse]], 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]], 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]]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: * [[Counts and dukes of Angouleme|Count of Angoulême, later Dukes]] * [[List of Counts and Dukes of Anjou|Count of Anjou, later Dukes]] * [[Rulers of Auvergne|Count of Auvergne]] * [[Counts and dukes of Bar|Count of Bar, later Dukes]] * [[Count of Blois]] * [[Count of Boulogne]] * [[Countship of Foix|Count of Foix]] * [[Count of Montpensier]] * [[Count of Poitiers]] ====Parts of today's France long within other kingdoms of the Holy Roman Empire==== * [[County of Burgundy|Freigraf ('free count') of Burgundy]] (i.e present Franche-Comté) * [[Countess Michelle Casiraghi Henning Maranzano of Provence]] ===The Holy Roman Empire=== ''See also above for parts of present France'' ====In Germany==== :See also [[Graf]] for various comital and related titles; especially those actually reigning over a principality that can be rendered as countship: [[Gefürsteter Graf]], [[Landgraf]], [[Reichsgraf]]; compare [[Markgraf]], [[Pfalzgraf]] ====In Italy====<!-- This section is linked from [[Giulio Masetti]] --> The title of ''Conte'' is very prolific on the peninsula, and modern counts occupy the position in rural society comparable to an English squire, members of rural [[gentry]]. In the eleventh century however, ''conti'' like the Count of Savoia or the Norman Count of Apulia, were virtually sovereign lords of broad territories. Even apparently "lower"-sounding titles, like [[Viscount]], could describe powerful dynasts, such as the [[Visconti family]] who ruled a major city such as [[Milan]]. The essential title of a feudatory, introduced by the Normans, was ''signore'', modelled on the French ''seigneur'', used with the name of the [[fief]]. By the fourteenth century, ''conte'' and the Imperial title ''barone'' were virtually synonymous, but some titles of count, according to the particulars of the patent, might be inherited by the eldest son of a Count. Other 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, she can inherit the title: for example the Countess Luisa Gazelli di Rossana e di Sebastiano, mother of [[Queen Paola of Belgium]]. 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]]. Many Italian counts left their mark on Italian history as individuals, yet only a few ''contadi'' (countships; the word ''contadini'' for its inhabitants remains the Italian word for "peasant") were politically significant principalities, notably : * Norman Count of [[Apulia]] * [[House of Savoy|Count of Savoy, later Duke]] (also partly in France and in Switzerland) * [[Asti|Count of Asti]] * [[Montferrat|Count of Montferrat (Monferrato)]] * [[Montefeltro|Count of Montefeltro]] * [[Tusculum|Count of Tusculum]] =====Roman count===== Count is one of the nobiliary titles granted by the [[Pope]] as temporal [[Monarch|sovereign]] (of the [[Papal State]]), and is thus often known as ''Roman count'', its holder signified as ''Cavaliere'' (''Cav.'', literally [[Knight]]). The title, which can be for life or hereditary, has been awarded since the Middle Ages, mostly to foreigners, and the pope continued to grant titles even after 1870 and the loss of most of the Papal territory. By the Lateran Accord of 1929, the Italian government recognized and confirmed the pope's power to grant titles, and the titles granted by the Pope were considered equivalent to Italian titles, contrary to which it had never been abolished. However, the title has not been granted since [[Pope Pius XII]], [[John McCormack]] being the last to receive this honor. ====In Austria==== The principalities tended to start out as margraviate and/or (promoted to) duchy, and became nominal archduchies within the Habsburg dynasty; noteworthy are: * Count of Tyrol * Count of [[Cilli]] * Count of Schaumburg ==== In Poland ==== Numerous small ones, particularly: * [[Counts of Galicia and Poland]] * [[Count Zaleski]] ==== In Galicia (Central Europe) ==== particularly see: * [[Counts of Galicia]] ==== In the Low Countries ==== Apart from various small ones, significant were : * in present Belgium : ** [[Count of Flanders]] (Vlaanderen in local 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]] ** [[Count of Namur]], later a margraviate ** Count of Leuven (Louvain) soon became the Duke of Brabant * in the present Dutch kingdom of the Netherlands: ** [[Count of Holland]] ** [[Count of Zeeland]] ** [[Count of Zutphen]] ==== In Switzerland ==== * Count of [[Neuchâtel|Neuenburg]] * [[Count of Toggenburg]] * Count of [[Kyburg, Zurich|Kyburg]] * [[Jerome, 2nd Count de Salis|Count de Salis-Soglio]] * [[Count Panzutti|Count of Panzutti]] ===In other continental European countries=== ====In Iberia==== {{Expand|date=February 2007}} 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]] 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===== In Spain, no countships of wider importance exist, except in the former Spanish march{{Fact|date=February 2007}}. *[[List of Counts of Barcelona|Count of Barcelona]] - it became integrated in the [[kingdom of Aragon]], which became one of the two main components of the Spanish realm *[[Count of Aragon]] *[[Count of Castile]] *[[Kingdom of Galicia|Count of Galicia]] *[[Count of Lara]] *[[Count Cassius]], progenitor of the [[Banu Qasi]] *[[Count of Urgel]] *The other counts in [[Catalonia]] were much smaller and got absorbed into [[County of Barcelona|Barcelona]]/[[Kingdom of Aragon|Aragon]]: [[County of Cerdagne|Cerdanya]], [[County of Ampurias|Ampurias]], [[County of Conflent|Conflans]], [[Pallars]], [[County of Roussillon|Roussillon]] (in present France) ===Crusader states=== * [[Count of Edessa]] * [[Count of Tripoli]] (1102-1288) ==Equivalents== Like other major Western [[noble title]]s, 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, which are considered 'equivalent' in relative rank. This is the case with: *the [[China|Chinese]] ''Bó'' (伯), hereditary title of nobility ranking below ''Hóu'' (侯) and above ''Zĭ'' (子) *the [[Japan]]ese equivalent ''Hakushaku'' ({{lang|ja|伯爵}}), adapted during the [[Meiji restoration]] *the [[Korea]]n equivalent ''Baekjak'' or ''Poguk'' * in [[Vietnam]], it is rendered '''Ba''', one of the lower titles reserved for male members of the Imperial clan, above Tu (Viscount), Nam (Baron) and Vinh phong (lowest noble title), but lower than — in ascending order — Hau (Marquis), Cong (Prince), Quan-Cong (Duke) and Quoc-Cong (Grand Duke), all under Vuong (King). ==See also== * [[County]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==Sources== * Labarre de Raillicourt: ''Les Comtes Romains'' *Westermann, ''Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte'' (in German) ==External links== {{wiktionary}} (incomplete) *[http://www.heraldica.org/topics/france/peerage.htm Heraldica.org - here the French peerage] *[http://www.regalis.com/nobletitles.htm Italian Titles of Nobility] *[[Pauly-Wissowa]] (in German) *[http://65.66.134.201/cgi-bin/webster/webster.exe?firstp=10661 Webster's 1828 Dictionary] [[Category:Feudalism]] [[Category:Late Antiquity]] [[Category:Middle Ages]] [[Category:Noble titles]] [[Category:Titles]] [[Category:Counts| ]] [[ca:Comte]] [[cs:Hrabě]] [[da:Greve (rang)]] [[de:Graf]] [[et:Krahv]] [[es:Conde]] [[eo:Grafo]] [[fr:Comte]] [[fy:Greve]] [[ko:백작]] [[hr:Grof]] [[is:Greifi]] [[it:Conte]] [[la:Comes]] [[lv:Grāfs]] [[hu:Gróf]] [[nl:Graaf (titel)]] [[ja:伯爵]] [[no:Greve]] [[pl:Hrabia]] [[pt:Conde]] [[ru:Граф (титул)]] [[simple:Count]] [[sl:Grof]] [[fi:Kreivi]] [[sv:Greve]] [[uk:Граф (титул)]] [[zh:伯爵]]