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Prince, from the Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 root princeps
Princeps

The Latin word Princeps means exactly 'a prime'. This article is devoted to a number of specific historical meanings the word took, by far the most important of which follows first....
, is a general term for a monarch, for a member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title
Hereditary Title

Hereditary titles, in a general sense, are titles, positions or Style s that are hereditary and thus tend or are bound to remain in particular families....
 in some members of Europe's highest nobility
Nobility

Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary or for a lifetime. Titles of nobility exist today in many countries although it is usually associated with present or former monarchies....
. The female equivalent is a princess
Princess

Princess, is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or her daughters.For many centuries, the title "princess" was not regularly used for a monarch's daughter, who might simply be called "Lady" or a non-English equivalent; Old English language had no female equivalent to "prince", "earl"...
.

Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 word princeps (older Latin *prismo-kaps, literally "first taker"), became the usual title of the informal leader of the Roman senate
Roman Senate

The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic. According to the Greek historian Polybius, our principal source on the Constitution of the Roman Republic, the Roman Senate was the predominant branch of government....
 some centuries before the transition to empire
Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, the princeps senatus
Princeps senatus

The princeps senatus was the first member by precedence of the Roman Senate. Although officially out of the cursus honorum and owning no imperium, this office brought enormous prestige to the senator holding it....
.

Emperor Augustus established the formal position of monarch on the basis of principate
Principate

The Principate is the first period of the Roman Empire, extending from the beginning of the reign of Caesar Augustus to the Crisis of the Third Century, after which it was replaced with the Dominate....
, not dominion
Dominate

The Dominate was the 'despotism' latter phase of government in the ancient Roman Empire from the conclusion of the Crisis of the Third Century of 235?284 until the formal date of the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476....
.






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Prince, from the Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 root princeps
Princeps

The Latin word Princeps means exactly 'a prime'. This article is devoted to a number of specific historical meanings the word took, by far the most important of which follows first....
, is a general term for a monarch, for a member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title
Hereditary Title

Hereditary titles, in a general sense, are titles, positions or Style s that are hereditary and thus tend or are bound to remain in particular families....
 in some members of Europe's highest nobility
Nobility

Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary or for a lifetime. Titles of nobility exist today in many countries although it is usually associated with present or former monarchies....
. The female equivalent is a princess
Princess

Princess, is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or her daughters.For many centuries, the title "princess" was not regularly used for a monarch's daughter, who might simply be called "Lady" or a non-English equivalent; Old English language had no female equivalent to "prince", "earl"...
.

Historical background

Maccari Cicero
The Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 word princeps (older Latin *prismo-kaps, literally "first taker"), became the usual title of the informal leader of the Roman senate
Roman Senate

The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic. According to the Greek historian Polybius, our principal source on the Constitution of the Roman Republic, the Roman Senate was the predominant branch of government....
 some centuries before the transition to empire
Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, the princeps senatus
Princeps senatus

The princeps senatus was the first member by precedence of the Roman Senate. Although officially out of the cursus honorum and owning no imperium, this office brought enormous prestige to the senator holding it....
.

Emperor Augustus established the formal position of monarch on the basis of principate
Principate

The Principate is the first period of the Roman Empire, extending from the beginning of the reign of Caesar Augustus to the Crisis of the Third Century, after which it was replaced with the Dominate....
, not dominion
Dominate

The Dominate was the 'despotism' latter phase of government in the ancient Roman Empire from the conclusion of the Crisis of the Third Century of 235?284 until the formal date of the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476....
. He also tasked his grandsons as summer rulers of the city when most of the government were on holiday in the country or attending religious rituals, and, for that task, granted them the title of princeps.

The title has generic and substantive meanings:
  • generically, prince refers to members of a family that ruled by hereditary right
    Monarchy

    A monarchy is a form of government in which supreme power is absolutely or nominally lodged in an individual, who is the head of state, often for Life tenure or until abdication, and "is wholly set apart from all other members of the state." The person who heads a monarchy is called a monarch....
    , the title being used to refer either to sovereigns or to cadets of a sovereign's family. The term may be broadly used of persons in various cultures, continents or eras. In Europe, it is the title legally borne by dynastic cadets in monarchies, and borne by courtesy by members of formerly reigning dynasties.
  • as a substantive title
    Substantive title

    A substantive title is a title of nobility or Royal family held by someone , which they gained through either grant or Hereditary peer, as opposed to one given or loaned to them either as a courtesy title, or gained through marriage....
    , a prince was a monarch of the lowest rank
    Rank

    Rank is a very broad term with several meanings. As a noun it is usually related to a relative position or to some kind of ordering . As an adjective it is used to mean profuse, conspicuous, absolute, or unpleasant, especially in relation to the sense of smell or taste....
     in post-Napoleon
    Napoleon I of France

    Napoleon Bonaparte later known as Emperor Napoleon I, was a military and political leader of France whose actions shaped European politics in the early 19th century....
    ic Europe, e.g. Princes of, respectively, Andorra
    Andorra

    Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, is a small landlocked country in western Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France....
    , Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
    Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen

    The House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen is the cadet branch of the senior Swabian branch of the Hohenzollern dynasty, less known than the Franconian branch which became Burgrave of Nuremberg and later ruled Brandenburg-Prussia and the German Empire....
    , Mingrelia, Monaco
    Monaco

    Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a small sovereign city-state located in South Western Europe . The territory lies on the northern coast of the Mediterranean Sea....
    , Waldeck and Pyrmont, Wallachia
    Wallachia

    Wallachia or Walachia is a Historical regions of Romania and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians....
    , etc.
  • also substantively, the title was granted by pope
    Pope

    The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and head of state of Vatican City. The current pope is Pope Benedict XVI, who was elected April 19, 2005 in Papal conclave, 2005....
    s and secular monarchs to specific individuals and to the heads of some high-ranking European families who, however, never exercised dynastic sovereignty and whose cadets are not entitled to share the princely title, e.g. de Beauvau-Craon, Colonna, von Bismarck
    Otto von Bismarck

    Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Sch?nhausen, Duke of Lauenburg, Prince of Bismarck, , was a Kingdom of Prussia and Germany statesman and aristocrat of the 19th century....
    , von Dohna-Schlobitten, von Eulenburg, de Faucigny-Lucinge, von Lichnowsky, von Pless, Ruffo di Calabria, (de Talleyrand) von Sagan
    Sagan

    A Sagan is a humorous unit of measurement equal to at least 4 billion.The unit is derived from the phrase billions and billions , frequently attributed to the United States Astronomy Carl Sagan....
    , van Ursel, etc.
  • generically, cadets of some non-sovereign families whose head bears the non-dynastic title of prince (or, less commonly, duke
    Duke

    A duke is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy or a dukedom. The title comes from the Latin language Dux Bellorum, which had the sense of "military commander" and was employed by both the Germanic peoples themselves and by the Ancient Rome authors covering them to r...
    ) were sometimes also authorized to use the princely title, e.g. von Carolath-Beuthen, de Broglie
    Broglie

    Broglie may refer to:* Duc de Broglie* Louis de Broglie, a physicist and Nobel prize laurate* Broglie, Eure, a commune in France of the Eure d?partement in France, in France...
    , Demidoff di San Donato, Lieven
    Lieven

    The Lievens are one of the oldest and noblest families of Baltic Germans. They claim descent from Caupo of Turaida , the Livs quasi rex who converted to Christianity in 1186, when Bishop Meinhard attempted to Christianize the region....
    , de Mérode
    Mérode

    The M?rode Altarpiece is a three-panel painting by the Early Netherlandish painter Robert Campin, although believed by some to be by a follower, probably copying an original by Campin....
    , Pignatelli, Radziwill
    Radziwill

    Radziwill is a family of Nobility which has been powerful and important for centuries, first in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth....
    , von Wrede
    Wrede

    Wrede may refer to:*Fabian Wrede , an advisor to Charles XI of Sweden, King of Sweden**Carl Gustaf Fabian Wrede, governor of Vaasa province in Finland....
    , Yussopov, etc.
  • substantively, the heirs apparent
    Heir apparent

    An heir apparent is an heir who cannot be displaced from inheriting; the term is used in contrast to heir presumptive, the term for a conditional heir who is currently in line to inherit but could be displaced at any time in the future....
     in some monarchies use a specific princely title associated with a territory within the monarch's realm
    Realm

    A realm is a dominion of a monarch or other sovereign ruler.The Old French word reaume, modern French royaume, was the word first adopted in English; the fixed modern spelling does not appear until the beginning of the 17th century....
    , e.g. the Princes of, respectively, Asturias (Spain), Grao Para (Brazil, formerly), Orange (Netherlands), Viana (Navarre, formerly), Wales (UK), etc.
  • substantively, it became the fashion from the 17th century for the heirs apparent
    Heir apparent

    An heir apparent is an heir who cannot be displaced from inheriting; the term is used in contrast to heir presumptive, the term for a conditional heir who is currently in line to inherit but could be displaced at any time in the future....
     of the leading ducal
    Duke

    A duke is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy or a dukedom. The title comes from the Latin language Dux Bellorum, which had the sense of "military commander" and was employed by both the Germanic peoples themselves and by the Ancient Rome authors covering them to r...
     families to assume a princely title, associated with a seigneurie in the family's possession. These titles were borne by courtesy and preserved by tradition, not law, e.g. the princes de, respectively, Bidache (Gramont), Marcillac (La Rochefoucauld), Tonnay-Charente (Mortemart), Poix (Noailles), Léon (Rohan-Chabot),


Prince as generic
Generic

Generic is something that is general, comon, or inclusive rather than specific, unique, or selective.* Generic mood, a grammatical mood used to make generalized statements like Snow is white...
 for ruler

The original, but now less common use of the word, originated in the application of the Latin word princeps
Princeps

The Latin word Princeps means exactly 'a prime'. This article is devoted to a number of specific historical meanings the word took, by far the most important of which follows first....
, from Roman
Roman law

Roman law is the law system of ancient Rome. As used in the West the term commonly refers to legal developments prior to the Roman/Byzantine state's adopting Greek language as its official language in the 7th century....
, more precisely Byzantine
Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire and Eastern Roman Empire are conventional names used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on its capital of Constantinople....
 law
LAW

LAW may refer to:* Anti-tank warfare, e.g. the US Army M72 LAW or the British Army LAW 80*Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights ...
, and the classical system of government that was the European feudal
Feudalism

Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period , in its most classic sense refers to a Middle Ages European political system composed of a set of reciprocal law and military obligations among the warrior nobility, revolving around the three key concepts of lords, vassals, and fiefs....
 society. In this sense, a prince is a ruler of a territory which is sovereign
Sovereign

Sovereign may refer to:*Sovereignty, a philosophical concept or state*Sovereign *Sovereign Hill, Victoria, Australia*Lady Sovereign, a female MC and performing artist for Def Jam Recordings...
, or quasi
Quasi

Quasi is an indie rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1993, consisting of the ex-husband and wife team of Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss vocals and drum set....
-sovereign, i.e., exercising substantial (though not all) prerogatives associated with monarchs of independent nations, as was common, for instance, within the historical boundaries of the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire

The Holy Roman Empire was a union of territories in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the Early modern Europe under a Holy Roman Emperor....
. In medieval and Early Modern Europe
Early modern Europe

Early modern is the term used by historians to refer to a period in the history of Western Europe and its first colony which spanned the centuries between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, roughly the late 15th century to the late 18th century....
, there were as many as two hundred such territories, especially in Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
 and Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
. In this sense, "prince" is used of any and all rulers, regardless of actual title or precise rank. This is the Renaissance
Renaissance

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe....
 use of the term found in Niccolň Machiavelli
Niccolň Machiavelli

Niccol? di Bernardo dei Machiavelli is the philosopher, writer, and Italian politician considered the founder of modern political science. As a Renaissance Man, he was a Diplomacy, Political philosophy, musician, poet, and playwright, but, foremost, he was a Civil Servant of the Florence....
 famous work, Il Principe
The Prince

Il Principe is a politics treatise by the Florence Civil service and Political philosophy Niccol? Machiavelli. Originally called De Principatibus , it was originally written in 1513, but not published until 1532, five years after Machiavelli's death....
.

As a title, by the end of the medieval era, prince was borne by rulers of territories that were either substantially smaller than or exercised fewer of the rights of sovereignty than did emperors and kings. A lord
Lord

Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a Prince#Prince_as_a_generic_word_for_ruler or a Examples of feudalism . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'Courtesy titles in the U...
 of even a quite small territory might come to be referred to as a prince before the 13th century, either from translations of a native title into the Latin princeps (as for the hereditary ruler of Wales
Wales

native_name = Cymru|conventional_long_name = Wales|common_name = Wales|image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg|national_motto = ...
), or when the lord's territory was allodial
Allodial title

Allodial title is a concept in some systems of property law. It describes a situation where real property is owned free and clear of any encumbrances, including liens, mortgages and tax obligations....
. The lord of an allodium
Allodial title

Allodial title is a concept in some systems of property law. It describes a situation where real property is owned free and clear of any encumbrances, including liens, mortgages and tax obligations....
 owned his lands and exercised prerogatives over the subjects in his territory absolutely, owing no feudal homage or duty as a vassal to a liege lord
Feudalism

Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period , in its most classic sense refers to a Middle Ages European political system composed of a set of reciprocal law and military obligations among the warrior nobility, revolving around the three key concepts of lords, vassals, and fiefs....
, nor being subject to any higher jurisdiction. Most small territories designated as principalities during feudal eras were allodial, e.g. the Princedom of Dombes
Dombes

The Dombes is an historic region of east-south-eastern France, once an independent municipality, formerly part of the provinces of France of Burgundy , and now a district comprised in the d?partement in France of Ain, and bounded W....
.

Lords who exercised lawful authority over territories and people within a feudal hierarchy were also sometimes regarded as princes in the general sense, especially if they held the rank of count
Count

A count is a nobleman in European countries; The word count comes from French language comte, itself from Latin comes?in its Accusative case comitem?meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor"....
 or higher. This is attested in some surviving styles
Style (manner of address)

A style of office, or honorific, is a legal, official, or recognized title, in other words a term which by tradition or law precedes a reference to a person who holds a post, or which is used to refer to the political office itself....
 for e.g., British earls, marquess
Marquess

A marquess or marquis is a nobleman of hereditary rank in various European monarchies and some of their colonies. The term is also used to render equivalent oriental styles as in imperial China and Japan....
es, and duke
Duke

A duke is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy or a dukedom. The title comes from the Latin language Dux Bellorum, which had the sense of "military commander" and was employed by both the Germanic peoples themselves and by the Ancient Rome authors covering them to r...
s are still addressed by the Crown
The Crown

Throughout the Commonwealth realms, the Crown is an abstract metonymy concept which represents the legal authority for the existence of any government....
 on ceremonial
Ceremony

A ceremony is an activity, infused with ritual significance, performed on a special occasion....
 occasions as high and noble princes (cf. Royal and noble styles
Royal and noble styles

Styles represent the fashion by which monarchs and noblemen are properly addressed. Throughout history, many different styles were used, with little standardization....
).

In parts of the Holy Roman Empire in which primogeniture
Primogeniture

Primogeniture is the common law right of the firstborn son to inherit the entire Estate , to the exclusion of younger siblings. It is the tradition brought by the Normans to England in 1066....
 did not prevail (i.e. Germany), all legitimate agnates
Patrilineality

Patrilineality is a system in which one belongs to one's father's lineage; it generally involves the inheritance of property, names or titles through the male line as well....
 had an equal right to the family's hereditary titles. While this meant that offices, such as emperor
Emperor

An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress is the female equivalent. As a title, "empress" may indicate the wife of an emperor or a woman who rules in her own right ....
, king
King

King is a title for a head of state.King may also refer to:...
, and elector could only be legally occupied by one dynast at a time, holders of such other titles as duke
Duke

A duke is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy or a dukedom. The title comes from the Latin language Dux Bellorum, which had the sense of "military commander" and was employed by both the Germanic peoples themselves and by the Ancient Rome authors covering them to r...
, margrave
Margrave

Margrave is the English language and French language form of the German language title Markgraf and certain equivalent nobiliary titles in other languages....
, landgrave
Landgrave

Landgrave was a title only used in the Holy Roman Empire and later on by its former territories. The title refers to a count who had feudal duty directly to the Holy Roman Emperor....
, count palatine
Count palatine

Count palatine is a noble title, used to render several comital styles, in some cases also shortened to Palatine, which can have other meanings as well....
, and prince could only differentiate themselves by adding the name of their appanage
Appanage

An apanage or appanage is the grant of an estate, titles, offices, or other things of value to the younger male children of a sovereign, who under the system of primogeniture would otherwise have no inheritance....
 to the family's original title. Not only did this tend to proliferate unwieldy titles (e.g. Princess Katherine of Anhalt-Zerbst
Catherine II of Russia

Catherine II, called Catherine the Great .The Russian empress Catherine II, known as Catherine the Great, reigned from 1762 to 1796. Under her direct auspices the Russian Empire expanded, improved in its administration, and underwent a dramatic policy of Westernization....
 ane Karl, Count Palatine of Zweibrucken-Neukastell-Kleeburg), but as agnatic primogeniture gradually became the norm in the Holy Roman Empire by the end of the eighteenth century, another means of distinguishing the monarch from other members of his dynasty became necessary. Gradual substitution of the title of Prinz for the monarch's title of Fürst occurred, and became customary in all German dynasties except in the grand duchies of Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg

Mecklenburg is a region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, and Neubrandenburg....
 and Oldenburg
Oldenburg

||-||-||-||}Oldenburg is an Independent City in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen , at the Hunte river....
. Both Prinz and Fürst are translated into English as "prince", but they reflect not only different but mutually exclusive terms.

This distinction had evolved before the eighteenth century (in most families: Liechtenstein long remained an exception, cadets and females using Fürst/Fürstin into the 19th century) for dynasties headed by a Fürst in Germany. The custom spread through the Continent
Continental Europe

Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands and, at times, peninsulas....
 to such an extent that a renowned imperial general who belonged to a cadet branch
Cadet branch

Cadet branch is a term in genealogy to describe the lineage of the descendants of the younger sons of a monarch or patriarch. In the ruling dynasty and nobility families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets – titles, realms, fiefs, property and income – have historically been passed from a father to his firstborn...
 of a reigning ducal family, remains best known to history by the generic dynastic title, Prince Eugene of Savoy
Prince Eugene of Savoy

Fran?ois-Eug?ne, Prince of Savoy-Carignan , was one of the most prominent and successful military commanders in European history. Born in Paris to aristocratic Italian parents, Eugene grew up around the French court of Louis XIV of France....
. Note that the princely title was used as a prefix to his Christian name, which also became customary.

Cadets of France's princes étrangers
Foreign Prince

Foreign Prince is the English translation of prince ?tranger, a high, though somewhat ambiguous, rank at the French royal court of the ancien r?gime....
 began to affect similar usage but when, for example, the House of La Tour d'Auvergne's ruling dukes of Bouillon
Bouillon

Bouillon is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Luxembourg .The municipality, which covers 149.09 km?, had 5,477 inhabitants, giving a population density of 36.7 inhabitants per km?....
, attempted to use the same style, it was initially resisted by historians such as Pčre Anselme
Pčre Anselme

P?re Anselme was a French genealogist.He was born in Paris in 1625. As a layman his name was Pierre Guibours. He entered the order of the barefoot Augustinians on March 31 1644, and it was in their monastery that he died, on January 17, 1694....
 -- who, however, willingly recognized use of territorial titles, i.e. he accepts that the ducal heir apparent is known as prince de Bouillon, but would record in 1728 only that the heir's cousin, the comte d'Oliergues was "known as the Prince Frederick" ("dit le prince Frédéric").

The post-medieval rank of gefürsteter Graf (princely count) embraced but elevated the German equivalent of the intermediate French, English and Spanish nobles. In Germany, these nobles rose to dynastic status by preserving from the Imperial crown (de jure
De jure

De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".The terms de jure and de facto are used instead of "in principle" and "in practice", respectively, when one is describing politics or legal situations....
 after the Peace of Westphalia
Peace of Westphalia

The term Peace of Westphalia refers to the two Peace treaty of Osnabr?ck and M?nster, signed on May 15 and October 24, 1648, respectively, and written in Latin, that ended both the Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire and the Dutch Revolt between Spain and the Dutch Republic....
 in 1648) the exercise of such sovereign prerogatives as the mint
Mint (coin)

A mint is an industrial facility which manufacturing coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is normally related in a fashion that more closely ties to the political situation of an era....
ing of money; the muster
Muster (military)

In Tudor period England, musters were periodic assessments of the availability of local militia to act as a defence force when needed. To some extent, the system was an outdated remnant of the feudalism system where local lords had their own armies, which they provided for the King as required....
 of military troops and the right to wage war and contract treaties
Treaty

A Treaty is an agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely states and international organizations. A Treaty may also be known as: agreement, protocol, covenant, convention, exchange of letters, etc....
; local judicial authority and constabular
Constabulary

Constabulary may have several definitions.*A civil, non-paramilitary police force consisting of police officers called constables. This is the usual definition in United Kingdom, in which all county police forces once bore the title ....
 enforcement; and the habit of inter-marrying with sovereign dynasties. Eventually, these titles came to be more highly valued than that of Fürst
Fürst

is a German nobility, usually translated into English language as Prince.The term refers to the head of a principality and is distinguished from the son of a monarch, which is referred to as Prinz....
 itself, and by the 19th century, their cadets would become known as Prinzen.

Prince of the blood

Grandconde
The husband of a queen regnant
Queen regnant

A queen regnant is a qualifying reference to a female monarch possessing and exercising all of the monarchical powers of a ruler, in contrast to a "queen consort", who is the wife of a male reigning as monarch and who is without any official powers of state....
 is usually nowadays titled prince or prince consort
Prince consort

A prince consort, generally speaking, is a common term for the husband of a queen regnant, unless he himself also is a Monarchy in his own right....
, whereas the wives of male monarchs take the female equivalent of their husbands' title -- the same as is used when a female mounts the throne in her own right, such as empress or queen
Queen

In singular form, 'Queen' may refer to:In government and monarchy:See also...
. In Brazil, Spain and Portugal, however, the husband of a female monarch was accorded the masculine equivalent of her title -- at least after she bore him a child. In previous epochs, husbands of queens regnant
Queen regnant

A queen regnant is a qualifying reference to a female monarch possessing and exercising all of the monarchical powers of a ruler, in contrast to a "queen consort", who is the wife of a male reigning as monarch and who is without any official powers of state....
 often shared their consort
Consort

A consort is a marriage or companion, often of royalty or a deity, sometimes slightly inferior in function/status.* Queen consort, wife of a reigning king...
s' regnal title and rank.

But in cultures which allow the ruler to have several wives (e.g. four in Islam
Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
) and/or official concubines, for these women sometimes collectively referred to as harem
Harem

Harem refers to the sphere of women in a usually polygyny household and their quarters which is enclosed and forbidden to men. It originated in the Near East and came to the Western world via the Ottoman Empire....
 there are often specific rules determining their hierarchy and a variety of titles, which may distinguish between those whose offspring can be in line for the succeesion or not, or specifically who is mother to the heir to the throne.

To complicate matters, the style His Royal Highness, a prefix
Prefix

A prefix is an affix which is placed before the stem of a word. The word "prefix" is itself made up of the stem fix , and the prefix pre- , both of which are derived from Latin root s....
 normally accompanying the title of a dynastic prince, of royal or imperial rank, that is, can be awarded separately (as a compromise or consolation prize, in some sense).

Although the definition above is the one that is most commonly understood, there are also different systems. Depending on country
Country

Country may refer to the territory of a state, or to a smaller, or former, political division of a geographical region. In another meaning of the word, the country is also a term used to refer to rural areas....
, epoch
Calendar era

A calendar era is the year numbering system used by a calendar. For example, the Gregorian calendar numbers its years in the Western Christian era ....
, and translation
Translation

Translation is the hermeneutics of the Meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an Dynamic and formal equivalence text, likewise called a "translation," that communicates the same message in another language....
, other meanings of prince are possible.

Over the centuries foreign-language titles such as Italian
Italian language

Italian is a Romance languages spoken by about 63 million people as a first language, primarily in Italy. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four Linguistic geography of Switzerlands....
 principe, French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 prince, German
German language

German is a West Germanic languages, thus related to and classified alongside English language and Dutch language. It is one of the world's world language and the most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union....
 Fürst, Russian
Russian language

Russian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe....
 kniaz, etc., are usually translated as prince in English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
.

Some princely titles are derived from that of national rulers, such as tsarevich
Tsarevich

Tsarevich is a Slavic term for the Tsar's son. Under the Pauline house law, the term was discontinued. The tsar's eldest son , came to be called Tsesarevich....
 from tsar
Tsar

Tsar or czar , occasionally spelled csar or tzar in English language, is a slavs term designating certain monarchs.Originally, the title Czar meant Emperor in the European medieval sense of the term, that is, a ruler who has the same rank as a Ancient Rome or Byzantine emperor due to recognition by another emperor or...
. Other examples are (e)mirza
Mirza

The title Mirza is used for a member of a royal family or a member of the highest aristocracy. The name Mirza is still in use today by members of ruling or formerly ruling princely and royal houses all over the world....
(da), khanzada
Khanzada

Khanzada or Khan Zadeh is a title and surname in India and Pakistan. It is usually used by descendants of people that have been given the title of Khan by the Sultans and Nawabs....
, nawabzada, sahibzada, shahzada, sultanzada (all using the Persian patronymic suffix -zada, meaning son, descendant.

However, some princely titles develop in unusual ways, such as adoption of a style for dynasts which is not pegged to the ruler's title, but rather continues an old tradition (e.g. grand duke
Grand Duke

The title grand duke is used in Western Europe and particularly in Germanic languages countries for provincial sovereigns. Grand duke is of a protocolary rank below Monarch but higher than a sovereign duke....
 in Romanov
Romanov

The House of Romanov was the second and last monarchy dynasty of Russia, which ruled the country from 1613 to 1917. From 1762 until the February Revolution of 1917, the Russian Empire was ruled for five generations by a line of the House of Oldenburg descended from the marriage of a Romanov grand duchess to the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp....
 Russia), claims dynastic succession to a lost monarchy (e.g. prince de Tarente for the La Trémoďlle heirs to the Neapolitan throne
Kingdom of Sicily

The Kingdom of Sicily was a state that existed in the south of Italy from its founding by Roger II of Sicily in 1130 until 1816. The Kingdom of Sicily covered not only the island of Sicily itself, but also the whole Mezzogiorno region of southern Italy and, until 1530, the islands of Malta and Gozo....
, or is simply assumed by fiat
Fiat

Fiat S.p.A. Fiat based cars are constructed all around the world?the largest concern outside Italy is in Brazil . It also has factories in Argentina and Poland....
 (e.g. prince Français by the House of Bonaparte).

Specific titles

In some dynasties, a specific style other than prince has become customary for dynasts, such as fils de France
Fils de France

Fils de France was the style and rank held by the sons of the French monarchy and Dauphin of France of France. A daughter was known as a fille de France ....
 in the House of Capet
House of Capet

For a full history of the Capetian family, see Capetian dynasty.The House of Capet, or The Direct Capetian Dynasty, , also called The House of France , or simply the Capets, which ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328, was the most senior line of the Capetian dynasty - itself a derivative dynasty from the...
, and infante
Infante

Infante or infanta , also anglicised as infant, was the title and rank given in the European kingdoms of Kingdom of Spain, and Kingdom of Portugal to a son or daughter, and to a grandson or granddaughter in the male line of a reigning monarch , and their woman consorts....
 in Spain
Spain

Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
, Portugal
Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
, and Brazil
Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
 (infante was borne by children of the monarch other than the heir apparent
Heir apparent

An heir apparent is an heir who cannot be displaced from inheriting; the term is used in contrast to heir presumptive, the term for a conditional heir who is currently in line to inherit but could be displaced at any time in the future....
, for whom each realm did use a unique princely title, viz, "Prince Imperial" in Brazil, "Prince of Brazil" in Portugal until 1822, and "Prince of Asturias" in Spain).

Sometimes a specific title is commonly used by various dynasties in a region, e.g. Mian
Mian

Mian are found among Hindus and Muslims. It is family name and a title of nobility used in India by Rajputs from northern India, and northern Pakistan....
 in various of the Punjabi princely Hill States
Hill States

The term hill states means states in a hilly area. In particular it is used for two northern border regions of colonial British India....
 (lower Himalayan region in British India).

European dynasties usually awarded apanages to princes of the blood, typically attached to a feudal noble title, such as Britain's royal dukes , the Dauphin
Dauphin

The Dauphin of France ?strictly, The Dauphin of Viennois ?was the title given to the heir apparent of the throne of France from 1350 to 1791, and from 1824 to 1830....
 in France, the Count of Flanders in Belgium, and the Count of Syracuse in Sicily. Sometimes appanage titles were princely, e.g. Prince of Achaia (Courtenay), prince de Condé (Bourbon), Prince of Carignan (Savoy), but it was the fact that their owners were of princely rank rather than that they held a princely title which ensured their prominence.

  • For the often specific terminology concerning a probable future successor, see Crown Prince
    Crown Prince

    A Crown Prince or Crown Princess is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
     and links there.

Prince as a substantive title

Other princes derive their title not from dynastic membership as such, but from inheritance of a title named for a specific and historical territory, although the family's possession of prerogatives or properties in that territory may be long past. Such are most of the "princedoms" of France's ancien régime
Ancien Régime

Ancien R?gime refers primarily to the aristocracy, sociology, and politics system established in France under the Valois Dynasty and House of Bourbon dynasties ....
 so resented for their pretentiousness by St-Simon. These include the princedoms of http://www.heraldica.org/topics/france/frprince.htm#list Arches-Charleville, Boisbelle-Henrichemont, Chalais, Château-Regnault, Guéméné, Martigues, Mercoeur, Sedan, Talmond, Tingrey, and the "kingship of Yvetot, among others.

Prince as a reigning monarch


A prince or princess who is the head of state
Head of State

Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation, commonwealth or any other political state....
 of a territory that has a monarchy
Monarchy

A monarchy is a form of government in which supreme power is absolutely or nominally lodged in an individual, who is the head of state, often for Life tenure or until abdication, and "is wholly set apart from all other members of the state." The person who heads a monarchy is called a monarch....
 as a form of government
Form of government

A form of government is a term that refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized in order to exert its powers over a body politic....
 is a reigning prince.

Nominal principalities
The current princely monarchies include:
  • the co-principality of Andorra (current reigning princes are the French President
    President of the French Republic

    The President of the French Republic colloquially referred to in English as the President of France, is France's elected Head of State....
     Nicolas Sarkozy
    Nicolas Sarkozy

    Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd President of the French Republic and ex officio List of Co-Princes of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating Socialist Party candidate S?gol?ne Royal ten days earlier....
     and HE Joan Enric Vives Sicília
    Joan Enric Vives Sicília

    Joan Enric Vives i Sic?lia is the current Diocese of Urgell, a Roman Catholic diocese, and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He was officially appointed on May 12, 2003, replacing Joan Mart? Alanis....
    )
  • The emirate
    Emir

    Emir , is a high Nobility or office, used throughout the Arab World and historically in some Turkic peoples states and Afghanistan. Emirs are usually considered high-ranking sheikhs, but in monarchical states the term is also used for princes, with "Emirate" being analogous to principality in this sense....
     of Kuwait
    Kuwait

    The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed by Saudi Arabia to the south and Iraq to the north and west....
     (current reigning emir is Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah
    Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

    File:????? ????.jpgSheikh Sabah IV Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is the List of emirs of Kuwait of Kuwait. He was sworn in on January 29, 2006 after confirmation by the National Assembly of Kuwait....
  • The principality
    Principality

    A principality is a monarchy feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
     of Liechtenstein
    Liechtenstein

    The Principality of Liechtenstein is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked country alpine country microstate in Western Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and by Austria to the east....
     (current reigning prince is Hans-Adam II
    Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein

    Hans-Adam II , is the currently reigning 15th Prince of Liechtenstein. He is the son of Franz Joseph II, Prince of Liechtenstein and his wife Countess Georgina von Wilczek ....
    )
  • The principality of Monaco
    Monaco

    Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a small sovereign city-state located in South Western Europe . The territory lies on the northern coast of the Mediterranean Sea....
     (current reigning prince is Albert II
    Albert II, Prince of Monaco

    }|-||-||}Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco is the head of the House of Grimaldi and the current ruler of the Principality of Monaco....
    )
  • The Emirate of Qatar
    Qatar

    Qatar , officially the State of Qatar , is an Arab emirate in Southwest Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the larger Arabian Peninsula....
     (Emir Hamad bin Khalifa
    Hamad bin Khalifa

    Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani became the Emir of the State of Qatar on June 26 1995 after deposing Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, who was vacationing in Switzerland at the time....
    )
  • The member emirtes of the federation
    Federation

    A federation is a Political union comprising a number of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government. In a federation, the self-governing status of the state is typically constitutionally entrenched and may not be altered by a Unilateralism decision of the central government....
     in the United Arab Emirates
    United Arab Emirates

    The United Arab Emirates is a federation of seven states situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia....
     (    United Arab Principalities):
    • Abu Dhabi
      Abu Dhabi

      Abu Dhabi is the capital city and second most populous city in the United Arab Emirates , after Dubai. It is also the seat of government of the emirate of Abu Dhabi , which is ruled by Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan – the current ruling Emir of the UAE....
       (Emir Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also president of the UAE.)
    • Ajman
      Ajman

      Ajman is one of the seven Emirates of the United Arab Emirates comprising the United Arab Emirates. With an area of just 260 square kilometres, Ajman is the smallest emirate by area....
       (Emir Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi)
    • Dubai
      Dubai

      Dubai is one of the seven Emirates of the United Arab Emirates and the most populous city of the United Arab Emirates . It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula....
        (Emir Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
      Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

      Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum , also Sheikh Mohammed , , is the List of Prime Ministers of the United Arab Emirates and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates , and the emir of Dubai....
      , also Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE)
    • Fujairah
      Fujairah

      Fujairah is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, and the only one on the Gulf of Oman in the country's east instead of Persian Gulf ....
       (Emir Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi)
    • Ras al-Khaimah
      Ras al-Khaimah

      Ras is one of the Emirates of the United Arab Emirates of the United Arab Emirates. It covers an area of 656 square miles . Ras Al Khaimah is in the northern part of the Persian Gulf....
       (Emir Saqr bin Mohammad al-Qassimi
      Saqr bin Mohammad al-Qassimi

      Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad al-Qassimi became the ruler of Ras al Khaimah on 17 July 1948, when he overthrew his uncle and father-in-law Shaykh Sultan Bin Salem al-Qassimi in a bloodless coup....
    • Sharjah (Emir Sultan III bin Muhammad al-Qasimi)
    • Umm al-Quwain
      Umm al-Quwain

      Umm al-Quwain is one of the emirates in the United Arab Emirates. It is located in the north of the country. The emirate was ruled until his death by Rashid bin Ahmad Al Mu'alla, who has been a member of the UAE's Supreme Council since 1981....
       (Emir Saud bin Rashid Al Mu'alla
      Saud bin Rashid Al Mu'alla

      Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mu'alla is the current ruler of Umm Al Quwain and also a member of Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates. He is the son of Rashid III bin Ahmad Al Mu'alla....
      )




Micronations
In the same tradition some self-proclaimed monarchs of so-called micronation
Micronation

Micronations — sometimes also referred to as model countries and new country projects — are entities that resemble independent nations or states but which are unrecognized by world governments or major international organisations....
s establish themselves as virtual princes:
  • Roy Bates calls himself Prince Roy of the Principality of Sealand
  • Leonard George Casley calls himself Prince Leonard I of the Principality of Hutt River (enclave in Australia
    Australia

    Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
    )


Princes as representants of a reigning monarch
Various monarchies provide for different modes in which princes of the dynasty can temporarily or permanently share in the style and / or office of the Monarch, e.g. as Regent
Regent

A regent, from the Latin regens "reigning", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present or debilitated....
 or Viceroy
Viceroy

A viceroy is a royal official who governs a country or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king....
.

Though these offices must not be reserved for members of the ruling dynasty, in some traditions they are, possibly even reflected in the style of the office, e.g. prince-lieutenant in Luxembourg
Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a small landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany....
 repeatedly filled by the Crown prince
Crown Prince

A Crown Prince or Crown Princess is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
 before the grand duke's abdication, or in form of consortium imperii
Consortium imperii

Consortium imperii is a Latin term dating from the Roman dominate, denoting the sharing of imperial authority between two or more emperors, hence designated as consors imperii, i.e....
.

Some monarchies even have a practice in which the Monarch can formally abdicate in favor of his heir, and yet retain a kingly title with executive power, e.g. Maha Upayuvaraja (Sanskrit
Sanskrit

Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India....
 for Great Joint King in Cambodia
Cambodia

The Kingdom of Cambodia is a country in South East Asia with a population of over 13 million people. The kingdom's capital and largest city is Phnom Penh....
), though sometimes also conferred on powerful regents who exercised executive powers.

Non-dynastic princes
France and the Holy Roman Empire In several countries of the European continent
Continental Europe

Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands and, at times, peninsulas....
, e.g. in France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
, prince can be an aristocratic title of someone having a high rank of nobility
Nobility

Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary or for a lifetime. Titles of nobility exist today in many countries although it is usually associated with present or former monarchies....
 in chief of a geographical place, but no actual territory and without any necessary link to the royal family
Royal family

A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term "imperial family" more appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress regnant, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate in reference to the relatives of a reigning duke, grand duke, or prince....
, which makes comparing it with e.g. the British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 system of royal princes difficult.

The kings of France started to bestow the style of prince, as a title among the nobility, from the 16th century onwards. These titles were created by elevating a seigneurie to the nominal status of a principality -- although prerogatives of sovereignty were never conceded in the letters patent. These titles held no official place in the hierarchy of the nobility, but were often treated as ranking just below dukedoms, since they were often inherited (or assumed) by ducal heirs:

  • French titles of prince recognized by the king
    • Holy Roman Empire States annexed by France
      • Arches-Charleville : in the Ardennes
        Ardennes

        The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and old mountains formed on the Givetian Ardennes mountains, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel....
         region, near the border with the Empire.
      • Château-Renaud : near Arches-Charleville.
      • Dombes : on the east bank of the Rhône
        Rhône

        Rh?ne can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rh?ne Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
        .
      • Orange.
      • Sedan
        Sedan

        A sedan automobile or saloon car is a passenger car with two rows of seats and adequate passenger space in the rear compartment for adult passengers....
         : principalty part of the Duchy of Bouillon.
    • Ancient principalties seated in the Kingdom of France
      • Boisbelle, later Henrichemont : in the Berry
        Berry

        In everyday English, a berry is a broad term for any small edible fruit. Most berries are juicy, round or semi-oblong, brightly coloured, sweet or sour, and don't have a stone or pit....
         region, a sovereign principalty recognized in 1598.
      • Luxe : in the Béarn
        Béarn

        B?arn is a former province of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country provinces of Soule, Lower Navarre, and Labourd, the principality of Bidache, as well as small parts of Gascony, it forms in the southwest France the current d?partement...
         region, also styled Sovereign Count.
      • Yvetot : in the Normandy
        Normandy

        Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is situated along the coast of France south of the English Channel between Brittany and Picardy and comprises territory in northern France and the Channel Islands....
         region, recognized as King of Yvetot.
    • Principalties created by the King
      • Château-Porcien
        Château-Porcien

        Ch?teau-Porcien is a Communes of France in the Ardennes Departments of France in northern France....
         : in the Ardennes
        Ardennes

        The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and old mountains formed on the Givetian Ardennes mountains, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel....
         region, created in 1561 in the House of Cro˙
        House of Cro˙

        The House of Cro? is an international family of European mediatized nobility which held a seat in the Reichstag from 1486, and was elevated to the rank of Imperial Princes in 1594....
        .
      • Guéméné : in Brittany
        Brittany

        Brittany is a former independent Celtic nations monarchy and duchy, now incorporated into France. It is also, more generally, the name of the cultural area whose limits correspond to the historic province and independent duchy....
        , created in 1667 in the House of Rohan. Used at times for the heir of the Duke of Montbazon or form the Duke himself.
      • Joinville
        Joinville

        Joinville is a city in Santa Catarina , in the Southern Brazil of Brazil. Joinville is Santa Catarina's largest city. In 2008 its population was about 500,000, of whom the majority are of German-Brazilian....
         : in the Champagne
        Champagné

        Champagn? is a commune in France of the Sarthe d?partement in France, in France....
         region, created in 1552 in the house of Lorraine.
      • Martigues
        Martigues

        Martigues is a Communes of France in the southeastern part of France, to the northwest of Marseille. It is part of the Bouches-du-Rh?ne Departments of France and lies in the Provence-Alpes-C?te d'Azur Regions of France on the eastern end of the Canal de Caronte....
         : in the Provence
        Provence

        Provence is a region of southeastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative regions of France of Provence-Alpes-C?te d'Azur....
         region, created XVIth century in the House of Lorraine.
      • Mercœur : in the Auvergne
        Auvergne

        Auvergne can refer to:* Auvergne , the historical independent county and later French province* Auvergne , the modern-day administrative region, larger than the historical province of Auvergne, as it includes other provinces which historically were not part of Auvergne...
         region, created in 1563 in the House of Lorraine, later a duchy. Recreated in 1719.
      • Tingry : in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, created in 1587 in the House of Luxemburg.
    • The princes of Condé
      Prince of Condé

      The prince de Cond? is a historical French title, originally assumed circa 1557 by the French Protestant leader, Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Cond? , uncle of King Henry IV of France, and borne by his male line descendants....
       and Conti
      Prince of Conti

      The title of Prince of Conti, assumed by a cadet branch of the house of Prince of Cond?, was taken from Conti-sur-Selles, a small town of northern France, about 20 miles southwest of Amiens, which came into the Cond? family by the marriage of Louis I, Prince of Cond?, first prince of Cond?, with Eleanor de Roye in 1551....
      , cadets of the french royal house, used recognized princely titles, but the lordships of Condé and Conti were never formally created principalties by the King.


  • Unrecognized titles of Prince
    • Aigremont
      Aigremont

      Aigremont is the name of several communes in France:* Aigremont, Gard, in the Gard department* Aigremont, Haute-Marne, in the Haute-Marne department...
    • Anet
      Anet

      Anet is a commune in France in the Eure-et-Loir Departments of France in northern France. It is situated between the rivers Eure River and V?gre, 10 miles N.E....
       : used by the Dukes of Vendôme, then the Dukes of Penthičvre.
    • Antibes
      Antibes

      Antibes is a resort town in the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France in southeastern France, on the Mediterranean Sea in the French Riviera, located between Cannes and Nice....
       : claimed by the de Grasse
      De Grasse

      People * Fran?ois Joseph Paul, marquis de Grasetilly, comte de Grasse , French admiral that helped George Washington during the siege of Yorktown in the American Revolutionary War...
       familiy.
    • Bédeille
      Bédeille

      B?deille is the name of the following communes in France:* B?deille, Ari?ge, in the Ari?ge department* B?deille, Pyr?n?es-Atlantiques, in the Pyr?n?es-Atlantiques department...
       : in Béarn
      Béarn

      B?arn is a former province of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country provinces of Soule, Lower Navarre, and Labourd, the principality of Bidache, as well as small parts of Gascony, it forms in the southwest France the current d?partement...
      .
    • Bidache
      Bidache

      Bidache is a small village and commune in France in the Pyr?n?es-Atlantiques d?partement in France of southwestern France.It is located in the Provinces of France of Lower Navarre, but it was a little principality since Antonio I proclaimed himself sovereign prince in 1570, until the Revolution finished it....
       : in Béarn
      Béarn

      B?arn is a former province of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country provinces of Soule, Lower Navarre, and Labourd, the principality of Bidache, as well as small parts of Gascony, it forms in the southwest France the current d?partement...
       used by the House of Gramont, but the heir was usually styled Count of Guiche rather than Prince of Bidache.
    • Carency
      Carency

      Carency is a Communes of France in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France....
       : in Artois
      Artois

      Artois is a former provinces of France of northern France. Its territory has an area of around 4000 km? and a population of about one million....
      . Originally a lordship of the House of Bourbon. It was inherited by the Counts of La Vauguyon, who used the style of Prince of Carency for the heir.
    • Chabanais
      Chabanais

      Chabanais is a communes of France in western France in the Departments of France of Charente. The village had about 2,000 inhabitants in 1999....
       : in Angoumois
      Angoumois

      Angoumois was an old Provinces of France, nearly corresponding today to the Charente d?partement in France. Its capital was Angoul?me....
      . Reduced to a marquessate in 1702
    • Chalais
      Chalais

      Chalais may refer to:* Chalais, Switzerland* Chalais, Charente, a commune in France* Chalais, Indre, a commune in France* Chalais, Vienne, a commune in France...
       : in Périgord
      Périgord

      The P?rigord is a Provinces of France of France, which corresponds roughly to the current Dordogne d?partement in France, now forming the northern part of the Aquitaine r?gion in France....
      . Inherited by the elder branch of the House of Talleyrand. Grandeeship of Sapin annexed to the title in 1714.
    • Commercy
      Commercy

      Commercy is a Communes of France in the Meuse Departments of France in Lorraine in northeastern France.It is the home of the Madeleine referred to by Marcel Proust in A la Recherche du Temps Perdu....
       : lordship of Lorraine
      Lorraine

      Lorraine may refer to:toponymy* Lorraine , one of the 26 r?gions of France* Lotharingia or Lorraine, a short-lived kingdom in western Europe...
      . Younger sons of the House of Lorraine used the style of Prince of Commercy.
    • Courtenay : the House of Courtenay
      House of Courtenay

      The House of Courtenay was an important dynasty in medieval France originating from the castle of Courtenay, Loiret in the G?tinais , going back to the 10th century....
       descended from Louis VI of France
      Louis VI of France

      Louis VI , called the Fat , was List of French monarchs from 1108 until his death . Chronicles called him "roi de Saint-Denis". The first member of the House of Capet to make a lasting contribution to the centralizing institutions of royal power, Louis was born in Paris, the son of Philip I of France and his first wife, Bertha of Hollan...
       but was never recognized as Princes of the Blood by the King. The last branch of the house used the style of Prince of Courtenay from the XVIIth century. The style passed to the Dukes of Bauffremont.
    • Elbeuf
      Elbeuf

      Elbeuf is a communes of France and chief town of a cantons of Francein the Seine-Maritime departments of France of the Haute-Normandie region of northern France....
       : lordship of Normandy
      Normandy

      Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is situated along the coast of France south of the English Channel between Brittany and Picardy and comprises territory in northern France and the Channel Islands....
      . Younger sons of the House of Lorraine used the style of Prince of Elbeuf ; later a duchy.
    • Lamballe
      Lamballe

      Lamballe is a commune in France in the C?tes-d'Armor Departmenst of France in Bretagne in northwestern France. It lies on the Gouessant 13 miles east-southeast of Saint-Brieuc by rail....
       : in Brittany
      Brittany

      Brittany is a former independent Celtic nations monarchy and duchy, now incorporated into France. It is also, more generally, the name of the cultural area whose limits correspond to the historic province and independent duchy....
      , used by the heir of the Duke of Penthičvre.
    • Lambesc
      Lambesc

      Lambesc is a Communes of France in the Bouches-du-Rh?ne Departments of France in southern France. It is located near Saint-Cannat and Aix-en-Provence....
       : in Provence
      Provence

      Provence is a region of southeastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative regions of France of Provence-Alpes-C?te d'Azur....
      , used by various cadets of the House of Lorraine, notably by the heirs of the Dukes of Elbeuf.
    • Léon
      Leon

      Leon, L?on or Le?n may refer to:...
       : viscountcy of Brittany
      Brittany

      Brittany is a former independent Celtic nations monarchy and duchy, now incorporated into France. It is also, more generally, the name of the cultural area whose limits correspond to the historic province and independent duchy....
      . The heirs of the Dukes of Rohan used the style of Prince of Léon.
    • Listenois : in Franche-Comté
      Franche-Comté

      Franche-Comt? the former County of Burgundy, as distinct from the neighbouring Duchy of Burgundy, is an regions of France and a Provinces of France of eastern France....
      , used by the Dukes of Bauffremont after the Courtenay inheritance.
    • Marsillac : in Angoumois
      Angoumois

      Angoumois was an old Provinces of France, nearly corresponding today to the Charente d?partement in France. Its capital was Angoul?me....
      , used by the heir of the Duke of La Rochefoucauld
      La Rochefoucauld

      La Rochefoucauld can refer to:People:* Fran?ois de La Rochefoucauld , French author* Fran?ois de La Rochefoucauld , French cardinal of the Catholic Church...
      .
    • Maubuisson : in Île-de-France, used by the Dukes of Rohan-Rohan.
    • Montauban
      Montauban

      Montauban is a town and Communes of France of southwestern France, Prefectures in France of the Tarn-et-Garonne Departments of France, north of Toulouse....
       : in Brittany
      Brittany

      Brittany is a former independent Celtic nations monarchy and duchy, now incorporated into France. It is also, more generally, the name of the cultural area whose limits correspond to the historic province and independent duchy....
      , used by various cadets of the House of Rohan.
    • Montbazon
      Montbazon

      Montbazon is a Communes of France in the Indre-et-Loire Departments of France in central France.Montbazon is located on the river Indre between the towns Veign?, Monts and Sorigny....
       : a duchy of the House of Rohan, style of Prince of Montbazon used by various cadets of the House.
    • Mortagne
      Mortagne

      Mortagne is a commune in France of the Vosges d?partement in France, in France....
       : in Aquitaine
      Aquitaine

      Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 26 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain....
      , used by the Dukes of Richelieu.
    • Poix
      Poix

      Poix is a Communes of France in the Marne Departments of France in northeastern France....
       : in Picardy
      Picardy

      This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France....
      , used by various houses, raised two times to a duchy.
    • Pons
      Pons

      The pons is a structure located on the brain stem. It is cranial to the medulla oblongata, caudal to the midbrain, and ventral to the cerebellum....
       : in Saintonge
      Saintonge

      Saintonge is a small region on the Atlantic Ocean coast of France within the d?partement Charente-Maritime, west and south of Charente in the administrative region of Poitou-Charentes....
      , used by cadets of the House of Lorraine.
    • Rochefort
      Rochefort

      Rochefort may refer to:...
       : used by cadets of the House of Rohan.
    • Soubise
      Soubise

      Soubise can refer to:* Soubise sauce, a b?chamel-based sauce containing strained or pur?ed onions* Soubise, Charente-Maritime, a commune of the Charente-Maritime d?partement in France, in France...
       : used by cadets of the House of Rohan, also Dukes of Rohan-Rohan.
    • Soyons
      Soyons

      Soyons is a communes of France in the Ard?che departments of France in southern France....
       : in Dauphiné
      Dauphiné

      The Dauphin? or Dauphin? Viennois is a Provinces of France in southeastern France, roughly corresponding to the present departements of Frances of the Is?re, Dr?me, and Hautes-Alpes....
      , used by cadets of the Dukes of Uzčs.
    • Talmond : in Vendée
      Vendée

      The Vend?e [] is a departments of France in the Pays-de-la-Loire region in west central France, on the Atlantic Ocean. The name Vend?e is taken from the Vend?e River which runs through the south-eastern part of the department....
      , used by the Dukes of La Trémoďlle
      La Trémoille

      La Tr?moille, an old France family which derives its name from a village in the departments of France of Vienne.The family has been known since the middle of the 11th century, and since the 14th century its members have been conspicuous in French history....
      .
    • Tonnay-Charente
      Tonnay-Charente

      Tonnay-Charente is a Communes of France in the Charente-Maritime Departments of France in western France....
       : used by the heirs of the Dukes of Mortemart.
    • Turenne : sovereign viscountcy on the House of La Tour d'Auvergne, style of Prince of Turenne used by cadets of the house.
This can even occur in a monarchy within which an identical but real and substantive feudal title exists, such as Fürst in German. An example of this is:

  • Otto von Bismarck
    Otto von Bismarck

    Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Sch?nhausen, Duke of Lauenburg, Prince of Bismarck, , was a Kingdom of Prussia and Germany statesman and aristocrat of the 19th century....
     was called Prince of Bismarck in the empire of reunited Germany, under the Hohenzollern dynasty.


Spain and France In other cases, such titular princedoms are created in chief of an event, such as a treaty of a victory. An example of this is:

  • The Spanish minister Manuel Godoy was created Principe de la Paz or Prince of Peace by his king for negotiating the 1795 double peace-treaty of Basilea, by which the revolutionary French republic made peace with Prussia and with Spain.


  • The triumphant generals who led their troops to victory often received a victory title
    Victory title

    A victory title is an honorific title adopted by a successful military commander to commemorate his defeat of an enemy nation. This practice was first used by Ancient Rome and is still most commonly associated with the Romans, but it has also been adopted as a practice by many modern empires, especially Napoleonic, British and Russian....
     from Napoleon, both princely and ducal.


  • King William I of the Netherlands
    William I of the Netherlands

    William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....
     bestowed the victory title
    Victory title

    A victory title is an honorific title adopted by a successful military commander to commemorate his defeat of an enemy nation. This practice was first used by Ancient Rome and is still most commonly associated with the Romans, but it has also been adopted as a practice by many modern empires, especially Napoleonic, British and Russian....
     of prince of Waterloo
    Prince of Waterloo

    The title Prince of Waterloo is retained by the Dukes of Wellington.This Dutch title of nobility was given to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington as a victory title, by King William I of the Netherlands of the then recently united Low Countries, this in recognition of his defeat of the French Emperor Napoleon I at the Battle of Waterl...
     upon Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington
    Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

    Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Order of the Garter, Order of St Patrick, Order of the Bath, Royal Guelphic Order, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, Royal Society , was an Anglo-Irish soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the nineteenth century....
     after his victory over Napoleon I Bonaparte at Waterloo
    Battle of Waterloo

    In the Battle of Waterloo forces of the First French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte and Michel Ney were defeated by those of the Seventh Coalition, including a Prussian army under the command of Gebhard Leberecht von Bl?cher and an Anglo-Allied army under the command of the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington....
     in 1815.


Poland and Russia
Herb Pogon Litewska
In Poland
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
 specifically, the titles of prince dated either to the times before the Union of Lublin
Union of Lublin

The Union of Lublin replaced the personal union of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania with a real union and an elective monarchy, since Sigismund II Augustus, the last of the Jagiellons, remained childless after three marriages....
 or were granted to Polish nobles by foreign kings, as the law in Poland forbade the king from dividing nobility by granting them hereditary titles. For more information, see The Princely Houses of Poland
The Princely Houses of Poland

The Princely Houses of Poland had some important qualities differentiating them from other Prince in Europe. Most importantly, Polish nobility could not be granted nobility titles by the Polish kings in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth....
.

In the Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
n system, knyaz
Knyaz

Kniaz?, knyaz or knez is a slavic title found in most Slavic languages, denoting a Royal family nobility rank. It is usually translated into English as either Prince or less commonly as Duke....
, translated as "prince", is the highest degree of official nobility. Members of older dynasties that were eventually subjected to the Russian imperial dynasty were also accorded the title of knyaz -- sometimes after first being allowed to use the higher title of tsarevich
Tsarevich

Tsarevich is a Slavic term for the Tsar's son. Under the Pauline house law, the term was discontinued. The tsar's eldest son , came to be called Tsesarevich....
 (e.g. the Princes Gruzinsky and Sibirsky
Sibirsky

Sibirsky was the foremost of many Genghis Khan families formerly living in Russia. It traced its descent from Kuchum, the last of the Siberia Khanate....
. Rurik
Rurik

Rurik or Riurik was a Varangian chieftain who gained control of Staraya Ladoga in 862, built the Holmgard settlement near Novgorod, and founded the Rurik Dynasty which ruled Kievan Rus and then Galicia-Volhynia 14th and Muscovy until the 16th century....
id branches used the knyaz title also after they were succeeded by the Romanov
Romanov

The House of Romanov was the second and last monarchy dynasty of Russia, which ruled the country from 1613 to 1917. From 1762 until the February Revolution of 1917, the Russian Empire was ruled for five generations by a line of the House of Oldenburg descended from the marriage of a Romanov grand duchess to the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp....
s as the Russian imperial dynasty. An example of this is:

  • Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin who was made Prince Potemkin


The title of prince in various Western traditions and languages


In each case, the title is followed (when available) by the female form and then (not always available, and obviously rarely applicable to a prince of the blood without a principality) the name of the territorial associated with it, each separated by a slash. If a second title (or set) is also given, then that one is for a Prince of the blood, the first for a principality. Be aware that the absence of a separate title for a prince of the blood may not always mean no such title exists; alternatively, the existence of a word does not imply there is also a reality in the linguistic territory concerned; it may very well be used exclusively to render titles in other languages, regardless whether there is a historical link with any (which often means that linguistic tradition is adopted)

Etymologically, we can discern the following traditions (some languages followed a historical link, e.g. within the Holy Roman Empire, not their linguistic family; some even fail to follow the same logic for certain other aristocratic titles):

Romance languages


  • Languages (mostly Romance
    Romance languages

    The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European languages comprising all the languages that descend from Latin language, the language of ancient Rome....
    ) only using the Latin root     princeps:
    • Catalan: Príncep /Princesa - Príncep /Princesa
    • French: Prince /Princesse - Prince /Princesse
    • Friulian: Princip /Principesse - Princip /Principesse
    • Italian: Principe /Principessa - Principe /Principessa
    • Latin (post-Roman): Princeps/*Princeps/*
    • Monegasque: Principu /Principessa - Principu /Principessa
    • Occitan: Prince /Princessa - Prince /Princessa
    • Portuguese: Príncipe /Princesa - Príncipe /Princesa
    • Rhaeto-Romansh: Prinzi /Prinzessa - Prinzi /Prinzessa
    • Romanian: Print /Printesa - Principe /Principesa
    • Spanish: Príncipe /Princesa - Príncipe /Princesa
    • Venetian: Principe /Principessa - Principe /Principessa


Celtic languages

    • Breton: Prińs /Prińsez
    • Irish: Prionsa /Banphrionsa - Flaith /Banfhlaith
    • Scottish Gaelic: Prionnsa /Bana-phrionnsa - Flath /Ban-fhlath
    • Welsh: Twysog /Twysoges - Prins /Prinses


Germanic languages

  • Languages (mainly Germanic
    Germanic languages

    The Germanic languages are a group of related languages that constitute a branch of the Indo-European languages language family. The common ancestor of all the languages in this branch is Proto-Germanic, spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Pre-Roman Iron Age....
    ) that use (generally alongside a princeps-derivate for princes of the blood) an equivalent of the German     Fürst:
    • Old English: ?đeling /Hlćfdige
    • English:Prince /Princess - Prince /Princess
    • Danish: Fyrste /Fyrstinde - Prins /Prinsesse
    • Dutch: Vorst /Vorstin- Prins /Prinses
    • Estonian [Finno-Ugric family]: Vürst /Vürstinna - Prints /Printsess
    • German: Fürst /Fürstin - Prinz /Prinzessin
    • Icelandic: Fursti /Furstynja - Prins /Prinsessa
    • Luxembourgish: Fürst /Fürstin - Prënz /Prinzessin
    • Norwegian: Fyrste /Fyrstinne - Prins /Prinsesse
    • Swedish: Furste /Furstinna - Prins /Prinsessa


Slavic and Baltic languages

  • Slavic
    Slavic languages

    File:Slavic europe.svgThe Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia....
     and Baltic languages
    Baltic languages

    The Baltic languages are a group of related languages belonging to the Indo-European languages language family and spoken mainly in areas extending east and southeast of the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe....
    :
    • Belarusian: Tsarevich, Karalevich, Prynts /Tsarewna, Karalewna, Pryntsesa
    • Bulgarian: (phonetically pronounced) Knyaz /Knaginya, Tsar, Kral, Prints /Printsesa
    • Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian: ????/??????? or Knez/Kneginja, ????????/???????? or Kraljevic/Kraljevna, ?????/???????? or Princ/Princeza
    • Czech: Kníže /Knežna, Princ/Princezna
    • Latvian: Firsts /Firstiene - Princis /Princese
    • Lithuanian: Kunigaikštis /Kunigaikštiene - Princas /Princese
    • Macedonian: Knez /Knezhina, Tsarevich, Kralevich, Prints /Tsarevna, Kralevna, Printsesa
    • Polish: Ksiaze /Ksiezna, Ksiaze, Królewicz /Ksiezna, Królewna
    • Russian: Knyaz /Knyagina Knyazhnya, Tsarevich, Korolyevich, Prints /Tsarevna, Korolyevna, Printsessa
    • Slovak: Knieža /Knažná, Královic, Princ /Princezná
    • Slovene: Knez /Kneginja, Kraljevic, Princ /Kraljicna, Princesa
    • Ukrainian: Knyaz /Knyazhnya, Tsarenko, Korolenko, Prints /Tsarivna, Korolivna, Printsizna


Other languages

  • Albanian: Princ /Princeshë - Princ /Princeshë
  • Afrikaans
    Afrikaans

    Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from Dutch language and thus classified as Low Franconian languages West Germanic languages. It is mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia, with smaller numbers of speakers living in Botswana, Angola, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, Australia, New Zealand, United States of America, Taiwa...
    : Prins
  • Arabic: Emir
    Emir

    Emir , is a high Nobility or office, used throughout the Arab World and historically in some Turkic peoples states and Afghanistan. Emirs are usually considered high-ranking sheikhs, but in monarchical states the term is also used for princes, with "Emirate" being analogous to principality in this sense....
     /Emira - Prince /Princess
  • Danish: Prins / Prinsesse
  • Estonian: Vürst /Vürstinna - Prints /Printsess
  • Finnish: Ruhtinas /Ruhtinatar - Prinssi /Prinsessa
  • Georgian: ?????? / Tavadi
    Tavadi

    Tavadi , "prince", lit. "head/chief" [man], from t?avi, "head", with the prefix of agent -di) was a feudal title in Georgia first applied in the Late Middle Ages usually translated in English language as prince....
  • Greek (Medieval, formal): Prigkips, ???????/Prigkipissa, ??????p?ssa
  • Greek (Modern, colloquial): Prigkipas, ??????pa?/Prigkipissa, ??????p?ssa
  • Hindi: Rajkumar (????????), Kuwar, both from Sanskrit raj (royal) + kumara (a boy)
  • Hungarian (Magyar): Herceg / Hercegno
  • Maltese: Princep /Principessa - Princep /Principessa
  • Turkish: Prens /Prenses
  • Malaysian: Putera / Tuan Putera
  • Urdu: Shahzada / Shahzadi - Prince /Princess
  • Filipino: Prinsipe / Prinsesa - Prince / Princess


The title of prince in other traditions and languages

The above is essentially the story of European, Christian dynasties and other nobility, also 'exported' to their colonial and other overseas territories and otherwise adopted by rather westernized societies elsewhere (e.g. Haiti).

Applying these essentially western concepts, and terminology, to other cultures even when they don't do so, is common but in many respects rather dubious. Different (historical, religious...) backgrounds have also begot significantly different dynastic and nobiliary systems, which are poorly represented by the 'closest' western analogy.

It therefore makes sense to treat these per civilization.

Islamic traditions

  • Arabian tradition since the caliphate
    Caliphate

    The caliphate represented the political leadership of the Muslim ummah in classical and medieval Islamic history and juristic theory. The head of state's position is based on the notion of a successor to the Prophets of Islam Muhammad's political authority....
     - in several monarchies it remains customary to use the title Sheikh
    Sheikh

    Sheikh, also rendered as Sheik, Shaykh, Shaikh, Cheikh, and other variants , is a word or honorific term in the Arabic language that literally means "Elder "....
     (in itself below princely rank) for all members of the royal family. In families (often reigning dynasties) which claim descent from Muhammad
    Muhammad

    Muhammad Patronymic#Arabic Abd Allah ibn Abd al Muttalib , is the founder of the Major religious groups of Islam and is regarded by Muslims as a Rasul and prophet of , the last and the greatest law-bearer in a series of prophets....
    , this is expressed in either of a number of titles (supposing different exact relations): sayid, sharif; these are retained even when too remote from any line of succession to be a member of any dynasty.
  • Malay countries
  • In the Ottoman empire, the sovereign of imperial rank (incorrectly known in the west as (Great) sultan) was styled padishah
    Padishah

    Padishah, Padshah, Padeshah, Badishah or Badshah is a very prestigious title, which is composed from the Persian words pad "master" and the better-known title shah "king", which was adopted by several Islamic monarchy claiming the highest rank, roughly equivalent to Christian Emperors or the ancient notion of...
     with a host of additional titles, reflecting his claim as political successor to the various conquered states. Princes of the blood, male and female, were given the style sultan
    Sultan

    Sultan is an Islamic honorifics, with several historical meanings. Originally it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", or "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ???? sulah, meaning "authority" or "power"....
     (normally reserved for Muslim rulers)
  • Persia (Iran) - Princes as members of a Royal family, are referred to by the title Shahzadeh, meaning "descendant of the king". Since the word zadeh could refer to either a male or female descendant, Shahzadeh had the parallel meaning of "princess" as well. Princes can also be sons of provincial kings (Khan) and the title referring to them would be the title of Khanzadeh. Princes as people who got a title from the King are called "Mirza", diminutive of "Amir Zadeh" (King's Son).


East Asian traditions

  • China
In ancient China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
, the title of prince developed from being the highest title of nobility
Chinese nobility

Di and Wang and Huangdi * The King during the Xia and Shang dynasties called themselves di * The King during the Zhou dynasty was called Wang , was the title of the China head of state until the Qin dynasty....
 (synonymous with duke
Duke

A duke is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy or a dukedom. The title comes from the Latin language Dux Bellorum, which had the sense of "military commander" and was employed by both the Germanic peoples themselves and by the Ancient Rome authors covering them to r...
) in the Zhou Dynasty
Zhou Dynasty

The Zhou Dynasty was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in China history?though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou....
, to five grades of princes (not counting the sons and grandsons of the emperor) by the time of the fall of the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty , also known as the Manchu Dynasty, followed the Ming Dynasty in History of China, and was the last ruling Chinese Dynasties of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 ....
.The Chinese word for prince 'Wang' ? literally means King as Chinese believe the emperor 'huangdi'?? is the ruler of all kings. The most accurate translation of the English word 'prince' in Chinese is ??(son of the Emperor) or ?? (son of the King).
  • Japan
In Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, the title of prince (kôshaku ) was used as the highest title of kazoku
Kazoku

The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan that existed between 1869 and 1947....
 ( Japanese modern nobility) before the present constitution. The title kôshaku, however, is more commonly translated as duke to avoid confusion with the royal ranks in the imperial household, shinnô ( literally king of the blood), female naishinnô ( literally queen (by herself) of the blood), and shinnôhi literally consort of king of the blood), or ô ( literally king); female, jyo-ôh ( literally queen (by herself)) and ôhi ( literally consort of king). The former is the higher title of a male member of the Imperial family and the latter is the lower.
  • Korea
  • See princely states for the (often particular, mainly Hindu) title on the Indian subcontinent in (former British) India
    India

    India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
     (including modern Pakistan
    Pakistan

    Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...
     and Bangladesh
    Bangladesh

    , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a country in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south....
    ) as well as Burma and Nepal
    Nepal

    Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and is the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by India....
    .
  • Indochina: Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos
  • Thailand
  • Philippines (Principalia
    Principalia

    The Principal?a [i.e., chieftain class or nobility] was the ruling class in the towns of Spanish Philippines composed of the Gobernadorcillo or the Municipal Captain who presided over it, the First Lieutenant, the former Municipal Captains or former Gobernadorcillos, the municipal judges, the Cabeza de Barangay, the newly elected , and th...
    )


African traditions

A Western model was sometimes copied by emancipated colonial regimes (e.g. Bokassa I's short-lived Central-African Empire in Napoleonic fashion). Otherwise, most of the styles for members of ruling families do not lend themselves well to English translation. Nonetheless, in general the princely style has gradually replaced the colonialist
Colony

In politics and in history, a colony is a Territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies....
 title of chief
Tribal chief

A traditional tribal chief is the leadership of a tribe, or the head of a tribal form of self-government.The notion of a "tribal chief" is rather vague and arbitrary; neither chief nor tribe is clearly defined, so in many cases other designations are used for the same institution, such as petty ruler or even headman ....
, which does not particularly connote dynastic rank to Westerners, e.g. Swazi Royal Family and Zulu Royal Family
Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu

Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu is the reigning Paramount chief of the Zulu nation under the Traditional Leadership clause of South Africa's republican constitution....
.

The title of prince in religion

Bellarmine 3
In states with an element of theocracy
Theocracy

Theocracy is a form of government in which a god or deity is recognized as the state's supreme civil ruler, or in a broader sense, a form of government in which a state is governed by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided....
, this can affect princehood in several ways, such as the style of the ruler (e.g. with a secondary title meaning son or servant of a named divinity), but also the mode of succession (even reincarnation and recognition).

Furthermore, certain religious offices may be considered of princely rank, and/or imply comparable temporal rights.

See Prince of the Church
Prince of the Church

The term Prince of the Church is nowadays used nearly exclusively for Catholic cardinal s. However the term is historically more important as a generic term for clergymen whose offices hold the secular rank and privilege of a prince or are considered its equivalent....
 for the main Christian versions. Also in Christianity
Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
, Jesus Christ is sometimes referred to as the Prince of Peace. Other likely titles for Jesus Christ are Prince of Princes and Prince of the Covenant. Further, Satan
Satan

Satan is a term that originates from the Abrahamic religions, being traditionally applied to an angel in Judeo-Christian belief, and to a Genie in Islamic belief....
 is often titled the Prince of Darkness; and in the Christian
Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism#Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus and interpreted by Christians to have been prophesied in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament....
 faith he is also referred to as the Prince of this World and the Prince of the Power of the Air. Another title for Satan, not as common today but apparently so in approximately 30 A.D. by the Pharisees
Pharisees

The word Pharisees comes from the Hebrew language ?????? perushim from ???? parush, meaning "separated" . The Pharisees were, depending on the time, a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews that flourished during the Second Temple Era ....
 of the day, was the title Prince of the Devils.

See also


  • Prince du Sang
    Prince du Sang

    A Prince of the Blood was a person who was legitimately descended in the male line from the monarch of a country. In France, the rank of prince du sang played a major role in determining court precedence during the Ancien R?gime, from the reign of King Henry IV of France onward to the reign of his great-great-great-great-great grand...
  • Heir apparent
    Heir apparent

    An heir apparent is an heir who cannot be displaced from inheriting; the term is used in contrast to heir presumptive, the term for a conditional heir who is currently in line to inherit but could be displaced at any time in the future....
     and Heir presumptive
    Heir Presumptive

    An heir presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honor, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the throne....
  • Prince-elector
    Prince-elector

    The Prince-Electors of the Holy Roman Empire were the members of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of Imperial election the Holy Roman Emperors....
     and Prince Regent
    Prince Regent

    A prince regent is a prince who rules a monarchy as Regent instead of a Monarch, e.g., due to the Sovereign's incapacity or absence .While the term itself can have the generic meaning and refer to any prince who fills the role of regent, historically it has mainly been used to describe a small number of individual Princes who were Regents....
  • Prince consort
    Prince consort

    A prince consort, generally speaking, is a common term for the husband of a queen regnant, unless he himself also is a Monarchy in his own right....
     and Princess consort
    Princess consort

    A princess consort is the female equivalent to a prince consort. It is a title or more informal designation normally given to a princess who is the wife of a sovereign prince....
  • King consort
    King consort

    King consort is a title given in some monarchies to the Marriage of a queen regnant. Nowadays, it is a symbolic title only, the sole constitutional function of the holder being similar to a queen consort, namely to produce an heir to the throne....
     and Queen consort
    Queen consort

    A queen consort is the title given to the wife of a reigning Monarch. Queens consort usually share their husbands' Royal and noble ranks and hold the feminine equivalent of their husbands' monarchical titles....
  • King regnant and Queen regnant
    Queen regnant

    A queen regnant is a qualifying reference to a female monarch possessing and exercising all of the monarchical powers of a ruler, in contrast to a "queen consort", who is the wife of a male reigning as monarch and who is without any official powers of state....
  • Crown Prince
    Crown Prince

    A Crown Prince or Crown Princess is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
    , Grand Prince
    Grand Prince

    The title Grand Prince or Great Prince ranked in honour below emperor and tsar and above a sovereign prince .Grand Duke is the usual and established, though not literal, translation of these terms in English and Romance languages, which do not normally use separate words for a "prince" who reigns as a monarchy had been for centurie...
     and Infante
    Infante

    Infante or infanta , also anglicised as infant, was the title and rank given in the European kingdoms of Kingdom of Spain, and Kingdom of Portugal to a son or daughter, and to a grandson or granddaughter in the male line of a reigning monarch , and their woman consorts....
  • First Prince of the Blood
  • Fils de France
    Fils de France

    Fils de France was the style and rank held by the sons of the French monarchy and Dauphin of France of France. A daughter was known as a fille de France ....
     and Petit-Fils de France
  • Monsieur
    Monsieur

    meant "my lord" in French language, and is now generally used in French language as an honorific for all men , the equivalent to the English language titles "Mr." and "Sir"....
     and Madame Royale
    Madame Royale

    Madame Royale was a Style - Manner of Address customarily used for the eldest living daughter of a reigning France monarch.It was similar to the style Monsieur , which was typically used by the King's second son....
  • Prince of the Church
    Prince of the Church

    The term Prince of the Church is nowadays used nearly exclusively for Catholic cardinal s. However the term is historically more important as a generic term for clergymen whose offices hold the secular rank and privilege of a prince or are considered its equivalent....
     and Cardinal
    Cardinal (Catholicism)

    A cardinal is a senior Ecclesiology official, usually a Bishop , of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope....
  • Prince-Archbishop, Prince-Bishop
    Prince-Bishop

    A Prince-Bishop is a bishop who is a territorial Prince of the Church on account of one or more secular principalities, usually pre-existent titles of nobility held concurrently with their inherent clerical office....
     and Prince-abbot
    Prince-abbot

    A Prince-abbot is a cleric, who is a prince of the church in the sense of an ex officio temporal lord of a feudal entity known as prince-abbacy or abbey-principality, which is an area that is ruled by the head of an abbey....
  • Principality
    Principality

    A principality is a monarchy feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
     and Princely state
    Princely state

    For other uses, see Principality, Princely state#Other princely statesA Princely State was a nominally sovereign entity of British rule in India that was not directly administered by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy....
  • Auctoritas
    Auctoritas

    Auctoritas is a Latin word and is the origin of English "authority." While historically its use in English was restricted to discussions of the political history of Rome, the beginning of Phenomenology philosophy in the twentieth century changed the use of the word substantially....
    , Dominate
    Dominate

    The Dominate was the 'despotism' latter phase of government in the ancient Roman Empire from the conclusion of the Crisis of the Third Century of 235?284 until the formal date of the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476....
    , Potestas
    Potestas

    Potestas is a Latin word meaning power or faculty. It is an important concept in Roman Law....
     and Imperium
    Imperium

    Imperium in a broad sense translates as 'Power '. In ancient Rome the concept applied to people and meant something like 'power status' or 'authority' or could be used with a geographical connotation and meant something like 'territory'....
  • Fürst
    Fürst

    is a German nobility, usually translated into English language as Prince.The term refers to the head of a principality and is distinguished from the son of a monarch, which is referred to as Prinz....
  • List of British princes and List of British princesses
  • Grand Duchy
    Grand duchy

    A grand duchy is a territory whose head of state is a Grand Duke or Grand Duchess.The only grand duchy in existence today is Luxembourg. It has been a grand duchy since 1815 when the Netherlands became an independent kingdom and Luxembourg was handed over to the King of the Netherlands, William I of the Netherlands....
    , Grand duke
    Grand Duke

    The title grand duke is used in Western Europe and particularly in Germanic languages countries for provincial sovereigns. Grand duke is of a protocolary rank below Monarch but higher than a sovereign duke....
     and Grand duchess
  • Nobility
    Nobility

    Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary or for a lifetime. Titles of nobility exist today in many countries although it is usually associated with present or former monarchies....
    , Royalty
    Royal family

    A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term "imperial family" more appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress regnant, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate in reference to the relatives of a reigning duke, grand duke, or prince....
     and Royal and noble ranks
    Royal and noble ranks

    Traditional ranks among European monarch, peerage, and nobility are rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and between geographic regions , the following is a fairly comprehensive list that provides information on both general ranks and specific differences....


External links

  • .
  • thorough on a limited number of dynasties.
  • select the present state, often navigate within for a former polity.