Technological advances in a short time have greatly changed our world. Many concepts that were in use a hundred years ago today are a thing of the past. For example, to the question: “Who is higher - the count or the prince?” our ancestors would answer without hesitation.
Nevertheless, many of us can be confused. Indeed, it is no wonder that the inhabitants of the 21st century get entangled in noble titles, and even more so explain how the prince differs from the count.
The emergence of estate nobility
The social structure of medieval society was clearly regulated. Each person from birth occupied a certain step in it, and the transition from one estate to another was practically impossible. Then, in the Middle Ages, a social hierarchy took shape that regulated the way of life and relations within the estates.
The nobility appeared in Europe in the process of the formation of feudalism, when there was a need to streamline relations between overlords and their vassals. The duties of the latter included protecting the interests and life of the feudal lord, from whom they received possession of flax. Thus, the medieval nobleman is a warrior, ready at the call of the suzerain to join his army.
Over time, economic relations in society have changed, and with them the role of the nobility. For example, a count is a title that in the early Middle Ages designated a large feudal ruler, who had full power in his county. However, after the formation of centralized states, possession of it indicated only membership in the higher nobility - the aristocracy.
Titled nobles of medieval Europe
As already noted, each estate had a strict hierarchical structure. So, the nobility was divided into the granted and patrimonial, and also the titled and not having titles. The last group in all countries was the largest.
The social affiliation of the clan nobles was determined by the very fact of birth in a noble family, while the salaries became a part of the privileged estate due to personal merits or impeccable public service.
The titled nobles were at the very top of the hierarchical pyramid, second only to the monarchs and members of the royal family. Princes, dukes, counts, marquises, barons, viscounts made up the feudal aristocracy in medieval Western Europe.
But the prince is a title that mainly used the noble estate in the Slavic states. In importance, it corresponded to the West European prince or duke.
The origin of noble titles
Over the past years, today it is impossible to say with certainty when and how the honorary titles of nobles appeared. Suppose a count is a title that researchers associate with the Latin word comes. So in the late Roman Empire, the highest state dignitaries were called. Today in Romance languages this title is written as conte (Italian), conde (Spanish) and comte (French).
The tribes of the Franks in the early Middle Ages called the leaders of the rural community counts. Several centuries later, under King Karl Lys, their possessions and title, together with the right to govern, began to be inherited.
Slavic princes were originally the heads of tribes, and only after centuries, this honorary title began to be associated with the clans that controlled a certain territory, who had the right to reign, inherited.
Thus, one can notice something in common in the titles “prince” and “count”. The difference was initially rather geographic. The word count was used in Western Europe, and the prince in Eastern and Central Europe. Only with time did these titles acquire a different semantic meaning.
Petrovsky Table of Ranks
The Russian nobility was formed in the XII century on the basis of yard people who were in the service of the boyars or princes. They performed various judicial and administrative functions along with the obligation to perform military service in the princely army.
Peter I, in the framework of the struggle against the tribal boyar aristocracy, introduced the new noble titles borrowed from Western Europe. So, in the XVIII century in Russia, along with the princes, counts and barons appeared. These and other innovations were recorded in the Table of Ranks - a list of civil, court and military ranks.
Some time passed before the subjects of the Russian autocrat figured out the new hierarchical structure and were able to understand who is higher - the count or the prince. The last title has existed in Russia since ancient times, and by the time of the reign of Peter I there were 47 princely families in Russia.
Title Award
Peter's reforms put an end to the aristocratic hierarchy, which was based on childbirth. Since that time, not only the descendants of the Rurikovich and Gediminovich could become princes. The elevation to princely or count dignity now depended on the will of the emperor.
The first in Russia, even before the adoption of the Table of Ranks, the title of Count was received by Boris Sheremetev - Field Marshal and associate of Peter the Great. However, not all successors to the Reformed Tsar generously favored new titles. Catherine II built in count dignity mainly her favorites.
A certain appeal was attached to the new title: your excellency, your high nobility. It is noteworthy that the princes in the XVIII century. have not yet enjoyed such a privilege. For this reason, to the question: “Who is higher - the count or the prince?” a Russian nobleman at that time would most likely answer: “Count”. In the next century, this title was received mainly by ministers or those who had previously been awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.
What is the difference between a prince and a count
In the 19th century, emperors did not skimp on new awards. Therefore, by the end of the century in Russia, there were 310 counts and 250 princely families. In exceptional cases, a nobleman was allowed to have several titles. For example, Suvorov A.V. for invaluable services to the Fatherland was elevated to both count and princely dignity.
So who is higher - count or prince? In short, the last title holders stood a notch higher on the hierarchical ladder. Only someone who had already been elevated to count dignity could become a prince.
This state of affairs was characteristic not only of the Russian nobility. As mentioned above, in Western Europe the princely title corresponded to the title of duke or prince, who occupied the highest step on the aristocratic ladder.