FüRST

(Redirected from Reichsfürst)

'''Fürst''' (plural ''Fürsten'') is a German title of nobility, usually translated into English as 'Prince'. The German word derives from the Latin word princeps, which linguistically translates into English as 'the first', hence the old Germanic roots of the word.
This translation can be misleading, since a ''Fürst'' usually ranks ''below'' a Duke. The female form is '''Fürstin''' (plural ''Fürstinnen''). The term always means a ruling prince, not the son of a king.

Contents

Use of the title in German

Derived titles

Other uses in German

Origins and cognates of the title

Sources and references

Use of the title in German

The title ''Fürst'' is used for the heads of princely houses of German origin. Unless he also holds a higher title, such as duke or king, he will be known either by the formula "''Fürst von'' + [geographic origin of the dynasty]", or by the formula "''Fürst zu'' + [name of the ruled territory]". Exceptions, however, exist to these general rules. The Liechtenstein family use "''...von und zu Liechtenstein.''" as their title.
The actual rank of the holder of a title is, however, dependent on not only the title as such, but on for instance the degree of sovereignty and on the rank of the lord of the title-holder. But also such matters as the age of the princely dynasty play a role (note the terms ''Uradel, Briefadel, altfürstliche, neufürstliche; and see German nobility).''
The present-day rulers of the principality of Liechtenstein bear the title of ''Fürst'', and the title is also used in German when referring to the ruling princes of Monaco. The hereditary rulers of the one-time principalities of Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, and Albania were also all referred to in German as ''Fürsten'' before they eventually assumed the title of "King" (translated in German as ''König'').
In Mozart's opera The Magic Flute, Prince Tamino refers to his father as ''Fürst'', while he is always called ''Prinz''. Also, the Three Ladies often refer to their leader, the Queen of the Night, as ''Fürstin''.
On the other hand ''Fürst'' in some contexts can mean simply "lord" which in English would rank well below a prince.

Derived titles

A '''Reichsfürst''', rendered as "Prince of the Empire", is any ruling Prince whose territory is a member of the Holy Roman Empire (HRR, HRE), and hence is entitled to a voting seat (or in a collective voting unit, such as the ''Grafenbank'') in its representative but not permanent highest assembly, the ''Reichstag'' ('Imperial Diet', also including some cities- not princes- and ''Kirchenfürsten''); regardless of his style, mainly the feudal aristocratic ranks, in descending order, of King (German: ''König''), Grand Duke (see below), Duke (''Herzog''), Margrave (''Markgraf''), the lower comital titles (Count (''Graf''), Landgrave (''Landgraf''), Count of the Empire (''Reichsgraf''), not lower offices ending in ''-graf''), then the nominal 'mere' Prince (''Fürst''), next Burgrave (''Burggraf''), Baron (''Freiherr'', circa Baron, though sometimes that title is used in German too, and may be considered just half a step higher; the lowest rank equivalent to a British peerage as none is equivalent to Baronet) and even lower nominal (circa Manorial) 'Lord' (''Herr'') or ''Reichsritter'' ('Imperial Knight', also in a voting bench); finally, a good number of Princes of the church (German ''Kirchenfürst'', see below), often at par with secular counterparts.

★ Kirchenfürst is any Prince of the Church, i.e. ecclesiastics with a secular territory carrying princely rank, such as Prince-abbots (rather styled 'Reichsabt' 'imperial abbot'), Grand Masters of military orders), and especially '''Fürst(erz)bischof''' - Prince-Bishop, a diocesan (Arch)bishop who also holds a temporal principality

★ '''Landesfürst''' (''prince of the land'') is the term for the princely Head of state (not just a titular prince) of a ''Land'', i.e. a country (political geographical entity) with (feudal) statehood, whether sovereign or not; in a personal union, the Monarch has this capacity in each of the states, under a different title, and indeed often in chief of a different constitutional tradition, whether coordinated over time or not; thus the Habsburg Emperor of Austria had a different style as such in each Kronland ('crown land', i.e. feudal state, normally under one provincial government), the sum of which is then to be part of the full imperial style

★ A '''Kurfürst''' was a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, i.e. a Prince sitting in the highest bench of the Reichstag, the only ones with a casting vote in the exclusive election of the successor to the imperial throne. Regardless of the titles attached to their own principalities, this quality made them officially the first order of nobility, directly under the Emperor. ''Kur'', earlier spelled ''Chur'', is derived from ''kur''/''küren'', "to choose".

★ '''Großfürst''' (Grand Prince) is the German equivalent of the Latin ''Magnus Princeps'', in English often translated as Grand Duke, and is used for the sons of a Russian Emperor and for the sovereign of the Grand Principality of Transylvania (a title held by the Emperor of Austria) . "Grand Duke" is otherwise translated as ''Großherzog'' in German (''Magnus Dux'' in Latin).

★ '''Fürstprimas''' - see Prince-Primate

Other uses in German

''Fürst'' is also used more generally in German to refer to a ruler anywhere, such as in Machiavelli's ''The Prince''. Thus a King, Duke, and a ''Fürst'' in the narrower sense are all covered by the term. Before the 12th century, counts were also included in this group, according to how the word was used in Germany.
The child of a ''Fürst'' (in this general sense) is as a rule referred to as ''Prinz'' (Prince) or ''Prinzessin'' (Princess), although exceptionally there exist families where all or some members are ''Fürst/Fürstin'' (Wrede) or ''Herzog/Herzogin'' (Anhalt, Bavaria, Mecklenburg, Oldenburg, Saxony, and Württemberg)[1].
''Fürst'' is also a German, Hungarian and/or Jewish (Ashkenazy) surname.

Origins and cognates of the title

The word ''Fürst'' designates the head (the "first") of a ruling house, or the head of a branch of such a house. The "first" originates from ancient Germanic times, when the "first" was the leader in battle.
Various cognates of the word ''Fürst'' exist in other European languages (see extensive list under Prince), sometimes only used for a princely ruler. A derivative of the Latin ''Princeps'' (ironically, a Republican title in Roman law, which never formally recognized a monarchic style for the executive head of state but nominally maintained the Consuls as collegial Chief magistrates) is used for a genealogical prince in some languages (e.g., Dutch, where a ruler is usually called ''Vorst'', but a prince of the blood is always styled ''Prins''; and Icelandic where ''Fursti'' is a ruler, and a blood prince is ''Prins''), while in other languages only a ''Princeps''-derived word is used for both irrespectively (e.g., English uses ''prince'' for both). In any case the original (German or other) term may also be used.

Sources and references

★ German Empire (in German- use the English and French translated versions only with due caution)

★ Danubian Monarchy Austria-Hungary (in German- use the English and French translated versions only with due caution)

★ Westermann, ''Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte'' (in German)

★ WorldStatesmen - here Germany (with specifics on the HREmpire); see also other present countries

★ Etymology Online