Duke

The term duke is a title of nobility which refers to the sovereign male ruler of a Continental European duchy, to a nobleman of the highest grade of the British peerage, or to the highest rank of nobility in various other European countries, including Portugal, Spain and France (in Italy, principe is held to be the highest grade). The wife of a duke, or a woman who rules a duchy, is known as a duchess.

Holy Roman Empire

Germany & The Netherlands / Belgium / Luxembourg

• Duke of Brabant (claiming the rank of Archduke)
• Duke of Gelre (claiming the rank of Archduke)
• Duke of Bouillon
• Duke of Lower Lorraine and successors
• Duke of Swabia
• Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg

Austria

• Austria proper (the former Ostmark, see margrave), Carinthia, Styria, ... came to serve as royal archduchies for the (imperial) Habsburg dynasty; the same goes for the neighbouring (southern) duchy of Krain, now in Slovenia

None (?) in Switzerland

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Kurland

On the Baltic east coast, the duchy was part of the Ordensstaat till its takeover by the Polish crown; now in Latvia

Related Topics:
Ordensstaat - Latvia

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Italy

• Dukes of Modena and Reggio
• the duchies of Benevento and Pontecorvo became part of the Papal states
• special variant : the Doges of Genua and of Venice were elective crowned heads of commercial 'most serene republics', in style echoed by the minute Adriatic republic of Senarica
• See also Historical states of Italy