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The title of Grand Duke (Latin, Magnus Dux; German, Großherzog) used in Slavic, Baltic and Germanic countries, is ranked in honour below King but higher than a sovereign Duke (Herzog) or Prince (Fürst). The feminine form is Grand Duchess.
The term probably originated in Germany, where it was used to refer to the rulers of medieval Russian states.
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2 Russian Grand Dukes 3 Styles 4 Related topics |
The territory ruled by a Grand Duke is called a grand duchy. There is only one such contemporary country, namely Luxembourg. The present Grand Duke of Luxembourg is Henri.
An early use of the title was in Tuscany, which became a grand duchy in 1569, and remained one until 1860, when it was annexed by Piedmont-Sardinia.
The title Magnus Dux or Grand Duke was used by the Jagiello rulers of Lithuania, who also became kings of Poland. In 1582 king John III of Sweden added "Grand Duke of Finland" to the subsidiary titles of the Swedish kings, however without any factual consequences, Finland already being a part of the Swedish realm. The Polish kings of the Swedish Vasa dynasty also used the grand ducal title for their non-Polish territory. After the Russian conquests, it continued to be used by the Russian Emperor in his role as ruler of Lithuania (1793-1918) and of autonomous Finland (1809-1917) as well. The Holy Roman Empire ruling house of Habsburg instituted a similar Grand Duchy in Transylvania in 1765.
The title was also used in some short-lived Napoleonic creations:
Grand duchies
"Grand Duke" is the traditional translation of the title Velikii Kniaz, which from the 11th century was the title of first the leading Russian Prince (in Kiev), then of several Russian princes. From 1328 the Velikii Kniaz of Muscovy appeared as the Grand Duke for "all of Russia" until Ivan IV of Russia in 1547 was crowned as Tsar. Thereafter the title was given to sons and grandsons (through male lines) of the Tsars and Emperors of Russia. The daughters and granddaughters of Russian Emperors, as well as the consorts of Russian Grand Dukes, were generally called "Grand Duchesses" in English.
A more accurate translation of the Russian title would be Great Prince - especially in the pre-Petrine era - but the term is neither standard nor widely used in English. In German, however, a Russian Grand Duke was known as a Großfürst, and in Latin as Magnus Princeps.
Most often, a reigning Grand Duke were styled Royal Highness. Other members of the families differed in style. Junior members of the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg are also Royal Highnesses.
In Hesse-Darmstadt and Baden, however, junior members of the dynasty bore the style of Grand Ducal Highness (Großherzogliche Hoheit). For instance, prior to her marriage, Empress Alexandra of Russia was known as "Her Grand Ducal Highness Princess Alix of Hesse and the Rhine" (Ihre Großherzogliche Hoheit Alix Prinzessin von Hessen bei Rhein).
A Russian Grand Duke or Grand Duchess was an Imperial Highness.Russian Grand Dukes
Styles