Landgrafs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A title used in certain European regions denoting a count or noble ruler of a border territory or province; historically, a rank combining administrative and military authority over land; also designating a hereditary nobleman with territorial jurisdiction in the Holy Roman Empire
2. Referring to a noble official who governed a frontier region or county in medieval Europe; commonly a ruler with both civil and military duties tied to a specific land; a hereditary aristocrat wielding power over a border province or territory
3. A rank of nobility assigned to a ruler of a borderland area or county, often tasked with defending and administering the region; historically, an aristocratic title in parts of central Europe, especially the Holy Roman Empire; signifying authority over a territorial domain with certain autonomous powers

Etymology: "Landgrafs" is the plural of "landgraf," the German form of the title that English calls "landgrave." The plural is what the rank denotes in groups, such as several rulers holding the same kind of office. The title is built from German "Land" (land or territory) and "Graf" (count). A landgrave was thus a "land count," a lord who governed a whole territory rather than a single county. The "Graf" element comes from an older office of royal administrator who ran a district on a ruler's behalf, and the Holy Roman Empire later let some of these governors pass their posts down through their families. The best-known example is the Landgraviate of Hesse, whose princes kept the title into the modern era.

Synonyms: landgraves, counts, nobles, aristocrats, lords