A term duke occurs as title of nobility which refers to the sovereign male ruler of a Continental European duchy, to a nobleman of the highest grade of the British peerage, or to the greatest rank of nobility within various more European countries, including Portugal, Spain and France (in Italy, principe is held to be a greatest grade). the married woman of the duke, or even the woman world health organization system the dukedom, is called a duchess.

History

Dux was the title from the Romans to a general commanding one military expedition & holding there are no more power than that which he exercised across his soldiers. A designation foremost arose in the early a portion of the 2nd century AD. Upon a separation of a civil & military functions in the 4th century the dux became commander of all the troops cantoned within one province. To stay away from a connotations of the modern "dukes", Roman armed forces leaders come normally known as duces.

A Germanic Franks converted, under Roman influence, the Germanic conception of Herzog (literally: "war-leader", ordinarily translated when "duke"), the temporarily elective general for a major expedition of warfare, into military governors for units of up to the twelve counties. In the 7th century these units developed into hereditary clan-duchies of Bavarians, Thuringians, Alemanni, Franks and more Germanic tribes, which Charlemagne crushed in 788, converting the border provinces into margraviates (which however presently emerged when clan-margraviates: Saxony, Bavaria, Swabia, Lorraine...).

A dissolution tendency was counteracted per appointment of immature sons of the monarchs (royal dukes) as military machine governors of a significant border provinces, which nevertheless as well before long developed into hereditary dukedom & the source of intrigues against the monarch (watch for example: History of Schleswig-Holstein). the mediaeval dukes experienced a hard position in the realms it belonged to. Such as a margraves, it were responsible a military defence of an crucial vicinity, & got heavy arguments for retaining the Crown's tax incomes of their duchy to fund their force.

Around early Medieval Italy, a Dukes of Benevento and of Spoleto were independent territorial magnates inside dukedom originally created per Lombards.

In a 19th century, the sovereign dukes of Parma and Modena in Italy, and of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Anhalt, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Saxe-Meiningen, and Saxe-Altenburg in Germany survived Napoleon's reorganization.

Since a unification of Italy in the 1870, there have there is no protracted been any sovereign dukedom inside Europe, for Luxembourg is a grand duchy.

A Black Prince was created Duke of Cornwall in 1337. He was a number one Duke within England.

There were there are no Anglo-Saxon dukes; the Middle English duke derives from a Old French duc, which in turn come from either a Latin dux/ducis deriving from a verb ducere, meaning "to lead". A Genoese & Venetian title "doge" is derived from a equivalent origin.

In the late Roman Empire, dux was a military title. Latin chroniclers applied it to the leaders of Lombard warbands. Whilst this title appeared in the Carolingian empire, dukes ruled over non-Frankish nations (dukes of the Alamans, of the Bavarians, of the Aquitans), when counts ruled over the area in the Frankish realm.

In the United Kingdom, the genetic professional of a duke along by using its dignities, privileges, & rights occurs as dukedom. But, a title of duke has never been associated by using independent rule out the British Isles. Dukes in the United Kingdom come addressed when 'The Grace' & known as 'His Grace'. Presently, there are twenty-27 dukedoms in a baronage of Engl&, Scotland, Swell Britain, and the United Kingdom, held by twenty-xxiv different population (view List of Dukes in order of precedence).

Royal dukes

4 regnant European royalty traditionally awarded dukedoms to a sons & within occasionally shells, the girl, of their several Crowned head.

A heir apparent to the Belgian throne is styled Duke of Brabant.

United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, a royal duke occurs as duke world health organization occurs as member of the British Royal Family, entitled to the style of Royal Highness. In the United Kingdom, the todays royal dukes come HM The Duke of Lancaster (held by the Monarch), The Prince of Wales, who is Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay; HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (The Prince Philip), HRH The Duke of York (The Prince Andrew), HRH The Duke of Gloucester (Prince Richard), and HRH The Duke of Kent (Prince Edward). A previous king Edward VIII was created Duke of Windsor after his abdication. By using a exceptions of a dukedoms of Cornwall & Rothesay (which potty merely become held per firstborn boy of the Sovereign), these dukedoms come hereditary based on data from the Letters Patent that created them, which contain a standard remainder "heirs male of his body." More dukedoms that keep close at hand been awarded to members of the British royal house it used to be that include victims of Albany, Avondale, Cambridge, Clarence, Connaught, Cumberland, Kendal, Strathearn, and Sussex. It used to be that, British monarch use at times combined many territorial designations into one dukedom. E.g., King George III created his second boy, Prince Frederick Augustus, Duke of York & Albany, & Queen Victoria bestowed the dukedom of Clarence & Avondale on her grandson, Prince Albert Victor of Wales. Up to now, Avondale, Stathearn, & St. Andrews own non been granted when separate dukedoms. Another time a particular baronage is granted to the member of the British royalty, these are non after granted to anyone outside the royalty.

In a United Kingdom, there exists nothing just about a particular dukedom that makes it royal, potentially though the formal style of an average duke is 'A Virtually all High, Nobleman & Potent Prince'. Like, these favorite baronage come known as "royal dukedoms" because it is held by the member of the royalty world health organization is entitled to the style Royal Highness. Under a November 20, 1917, Letters Patent of King George V, the nominal dignity of Prince/Princess & the style Royal Highness come restricted to the sons of a Crowned head, the sons of a Crowned head's sons, & the firstborn residing boy of the firstborn boy of a Prince of Wales. E.g., after a todays Duke of Gloucester & Duke of Kent come succeeded by their firstborn sons, a Earl of Ulster & a Earl of St. Andrews, severally, victims baronage (or even like, a 1928 and 1934 creations of them) might prevent to turn into royal dukedoms, instead a title holders might become average, 'garden' Dukes. A third dukes of Gloucester & Kent may from each one exist as styled "His Grace" because when low grandsons of George V, it is non Princes & are non styled HRH. Likewise, upon a dying of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught (1850-1942), the third boy of Queen Victoria, his only male-line grandson, Alastair Arthur Windsor, Earl of MacDuff (1914-1942), briefly succeeded to his peerages. But, as the duke, a 2nd Duke of Connaught, a male-line peachy grandson of Queen Victoria, was just styled "His Grace." France
Watch appanage and the listing in the geographical division below

Elsewhere
Within Belgium, a title of Duke of Brabant (historically a virtually all prestigious in the Online Countries, & containing the federal capital Brussels), whenever however vacant, has run to the oldest boy & presumptive heir of the King, more potty candidates unremarkably make their way moo titles, like Count of Flanders (king Leopold III's brother became head of state when Prince-regent) & Prince of Liège (e.g. a present king Albert II prior to he succeeded his older brother Baudouin=Boudewijn We)

For Portugal, watch below

Present, Spanish infantes and infantas are usually given the dukedom upon marriage. This title is non hereditary. A todays royal duchesses come: HRH the Duchess of Badajoz (Infanta Maria del Pilar), HRH the Duchess of Soria (Infanta Margarita), HRH the Duchess of Lugo (Infanta Elena) and HRH the Duchess of Palma de Mallorca (Infanta Cristina).

Sweden experienced the history of making sons of its Kings really opinion princes of huge duchies, but this ceased within 1622. Title-caring, even so, completely Swedish princes since 1772, and princesses since 1980, are given the dukedom for life. Presently, there are 1 duke & ii duchesses. A territorial designations one dukedoms refer to iv of the Provinces of Sweden.

Addressing Dukes
Begin: Our Lord Duke Address: His Grace a Duke of _____ Speak to when: The Grace

Royal Dukes: Begin: Sir Address: His Royal Highness a Duke of _____ Speak to when: The Royal Highness

Territory of today's France
Duke of Angouleme Duke of Anjou Duke of Aquitaine Duke of Auvergne Duke of Bourbon Duke of Brittany (considered a sovereign state until portable union using France, per marriage of Anne of Brittany with French King Francis I) Duke of Broglie Duke of Burgundy (known as Grand duc; non the separate title at that instance; simply the description of the wealth & rattling clout of the 15th century Dukes, cousins of the Kings of France.) Duke of Guise Duke of Lorraine Duke of Montpensier Duke of Normandy Duke of Savoy (although Haute Savoie is now section of France, a Dukes of Savoy were Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, not peers of France.)

Favorite ecclesiastical subjects : Prince-Bishops of ducal rank - styled * evêque-duc pair de France

Understand likewise List of French dukedoms

Iberian pensinsula
After a reconquista, sweeping a Moors from either a previous caliphate of Cordoba & its taifa-remnants, transformed the territory previous Suevian & Visigothic realms into fanatically catholic feudalistic princedom, none one war lords wwhen styled duke, two or three (when Portugal itself) began as count, but shortly wholly politically relevant princes were to apply to royal style of king.

Portugal
This listings refers sole to the royal dukedoms

Duke of Aveiro Duke of Barcelos Duke of Beja Duke of Bragança (a front yard principality of the Portuguese royal dynasty fallowing the post-Habsburg restoration of independence) Duke of Coimbra Duke of Guarda Duke of Porto Duke of Viseu

Spain
There is no dukedom when admittedly politically significant princedom, however numerous domanial or even strictly nominal ones cfr Grande A few title genetic by or even presented in historically significant politicians, like : Duke of Alva Duke of Medinacelli Colonial titles
On the Canaries(?) & inside various U.s. viceroyalties

Holy Roman Empire
Germany & The Netherlands / Belgium / Luxembourg
Duke of Brabant (claiming the rank of Archduke) Duke of Gelre (claiming a rank of Archduke) Duke of Bouillon Duke of Lower Lorraine and successors Duke of Swabia Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg

Austria
Austria proper (the previous Ostmark, look at margrave), Carinthia, Styria, ... come to service when royal arcdukedom for a (royal) Habsburg dynasty; the equivalent goes for the neighboring (southern) dukedom of Krain, now inside Slovenia

None (?) within Switzerland Kurland
On a Baltic east coast, the dukedom was a portion of the Ordensstaat till its takeover by the Polish crown; nowadays within Latvia

Italy
Dukes of Modena and Reggio a dukedom of Benevento and Pontecorvo became part of the Papal states favorite variant : a Doges of Genua and of Venice'' were elected crowned heads of commercial 'virtually all serene republics', in vogue echoed per microscopic Adriatic republic of Senarica

See besides Historical states of Italy''