Grand duchy

A grand duchy is a form of principality, monarchy which has a Grand Duke or a Grand Duchess as head of state.

Styles and forms of address

Most often, a reigning Grand Duke was styled Royal Highness. Other members of the families differed in style. Junior members of the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg are also Royal Highnesses.

Related Topics:
Styled - Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg

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In Hesse-Darmstadt and Baden, however, junior members of the dynasty bore the style of Grand Ducal Highness (Großherzogliche Hoheit). For instance, prior to her marriage, Empress Alexandra of Russia was known as "Her Grand Ducal Highness Princess Alix of Hesse and on the Rhine" (Ihre Großherzogliche Hoheit Alix Prinzessin von Hessen und bei Rhein).

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A Russian Grand Duke or Grand Duchess was an Imperial Highness.

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Grand Prince

Grand Princes were medieval monarchs which ruled a nation or several tribes, and were usually at the time translated as kings. However, a grand prince was usually only primus inter pares within a dynasty, other princes of the dynasty were approximately as entitled to succession as the then ruler (succession was for example through agnatic seniority or rotation), and often other members of the dynasty ruled parts of the same realm as some sort of "sub-princes". Such was usual in Eastern Europe, for example among Russians and Lithuanians. As the position of current ruler was not as elevated as that of Western kings, they have been treated more like great princes than full kings.

Related Topics:
King - Primus inter pares - Agnatic seniority - Rotation

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Velikiy Kniaz was from the 11th century was at first the title of the leading Prince of Kievan Rus' (head of the Rurikid House), then of several princes of the Rus'. From 1328 the Velikii Kniaz of Muscovy appeared as the Grand Duke for "all of Russia" until Ivan IV of Russia in 1547 was crowned as Tsar.

Related Topics:
Kniaz - 11th century - Prince - Kievan Rus' - Rurikid - Rus' - 1328 - Muscovy - Ivan IV of Russia - 1547 - Crowned - Tsar

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The title Grand Prince was used in Slavic, Baltic,

Related Topics:
Slavic - Baltic

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and Russian, Великий князь The Slavic "knjaz" and the Baltic "kunigaitis" (nowadays usually translated as Prince) is actually a cognate of King. Thus, "Veliki Knjaz" was more like high king than "grand duke".

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An established use of the title was in Grand Duchy of Lithuania (since 14th century) and Grand Duchy of Moscow.

Related Topics:
Grand Duchy of Lithuania - Grand Duchy of Moscow

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These countries moved slowly towards primogeniture or their rulers obtained another Kingdom, whereby the position of the head of the dynasty became more elevated compared to other dynasts. In such situations, those monarchs assumed a higher title, such as Tsar or sole King.

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The title Grand Prince (which in many of those lands already was in later grand princely epochs awarded simultaneously to several rulers in the more expanded dynasty) continued as a courtesy title for all or several members of the dynasty, such as the Grand Duke of Russia (veliki knjaz) in Russia's imperial era. The title Velikiy Kniaz, finally formalized by Alexander III, was given to sons and grandsons (through male lines) of the Tsars and Emperors of Russia. The daughters and paternal granddaughters of Russian Emperors, as well as the consorts of Russian Grand Dukes, were generally called "Grand Duchesses" in English.

Related Topics:
Grand Duke of Russia - Kniaz

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A more accurate translation of the Russian title would be Great Prince—especially in the pre-Petrine era &mdash - but the term is neither standard nor widely used in English. In German, however, a Russian Grand Duke was known as a Großfürst, and in Latin as Magnus Princeps.

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In 1582 king John III of Sweden added Grand Prince of Finland to the subsidiary titles of the Swedish kings, however without any factual consequences, Finland already being a part of the Swedish realm.

Related Topics:
1582 - John III of Sweden - Grand Prince of Finland - Finland

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After the Russian conquests, it continued to be used by the Russian Emperor in his role as ruler of Lithuania (1793-1918) and of Grand Duchy of Finland (1809-1917) as well. The Holy Roman Empire ruling house of Habsburg instituted a similar Grand Principality in Transylvania (Großfürst von Siebenbürgen) in 1765.

Related Topics:
Lithuania - 1793 - 1918 - Grand Duchy of Finland - 1809 - 1917 - Holy Roman Empire - Habsburg - Transylvania - Siebenbürgen - 1765

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The title Didysis kunigaikštis (in Lithuanian) was used by the rulers of Lithuania, and after Jagiello also became kings of Poland and was later found among the titles used by kings of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Polish kings of the Swedish Vasa dynasty also used the grand princely title for their non-Polish territories.

Related Topics:
Lithuania - Jagiello - Poland - Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - Vasa

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It is said that the Latinized translation of Lithuanian rulers was sometimes Magnus Dux or Grand Duke.

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