Royal and Noble Titles

Question 1

A king who holds a position of seniority over a group of other kings, without the title of emperor. (They usually ruled over lands of cultural unity, as in Ireland, as opposed to emperors who control culturally different lands.)

Answer 1

High king/High queen

Question 2

A hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title was originally introduced in England in the 14th century and was often awarded by James I of England in 1611 as a means of raising funds; holders are address as “Sir.”

Answer 2

Baronet/Baronetess

Question 3

A steward of an Islamic state who is considered a political-religious successor to Muhammad

Answer 3

Caliph

Question 4

The title of the heir apparent or presumptive in the Russian Empire. It either preceded or replaced the given name and patronymic

Answer 4

Tsesarevich (not to be confused with tsarevich, used for any son, including those of tsars of Crimea, Georgia, etc.)

Question 5

A Turkish title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders or rulers of various sized areas in the Ottoman Empire (roughly equivalent to a duchy); the word is still used formally as a social title for men.

Answer 5

Bey/Begum

Question 6

An Indian title for a crown prince, usually applied to the eldest son of a Raja or Maharaja

Answer 6

Yuvraj (or Jubraj)

Question 7

the spouse of a reigning monarch

Answer 7

consort

Question 8

A monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm; generally recognized to be of a higher honour and rank than kings

Answer 8

Emperor/Empress

Question 9

A member of the highest rank of the feudal Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian, Wallachian, Moldavian, and later Romanian and Livonian (Modern day Latvia and Estonia ) aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes (in Bulgaria, tsars) from the 10th century to the 17th century.

Answer 9

Boyar

Question 10

A title used in Medieval Europe for an appointed official, a governor of a castle and its surrounding territory.

Answer 10

Castellan

Question 11

The title borne from 1358 by the Habsburg rulers of Austria, and later by all senior members of that dynasty. It denotes a rank within the former Holy Roman Empire, just below that of Emperor and King.

Answer 11

Archduke/Archduchess

Question 12

A historical Slavic title, used both as a royal and noble title in different times of history and different ancient Slavic lands. It is usually translated into English as prince, duke or count.

Answer 12

Knyaz

Question 13

A rank of nobility, often hereditary, often the lowest rank of the peerage; from the Late Latin for a soldier or mercenary; William I introduced the rank in England to distinguish those men who had pledged their loyalty to him under the feudal system.

Answer 13

Baron/Baroness

Question 14

A noble honorific derived from the German for “young lord,” originally one of the Edelfrei but later roughly the equivalent of a county squire. The term was traditionally used throughout the Baltic region.

Answer 14

Junker (or Jonkheer in Belgium and the Netherlands)

Question 15

An honorific title in the Arabic language, it commonly designates the ruler of a tribe or a royal family member, who inherited the title from his father; today the term is used by almost every male and female member of all the Gulf royal houses

Answer 15

Sheik/Sheika

Question 16

A free noble of the Holy Roman Empire whose direct overlord was the Emperor; not represented in the Imperial Diet.

Answer 16

Imperial Knight (formerly Edelfrei)

Question 17

A German hereditary title held by one who rules over a duchy or possesses a right by law or tradition to be referred to by the ducal title; generally ranked below a king and above a count.

Answer 17

Herzog

Question 18

From the Persian for “chief,” an honorific title for a civilian or military officer

Answer 18

Agha

Question 19

An official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an ordinary count. The title originated in the late Roman Empire and in the Middle Ages was associated with the Holy Roman Empire

Answer 19

Count palatine or Palsgrave (from Pfalzgraf)

Question 20

The title given to a local royal official in medieval eastern Scotland, below an earl, who was at the head of an administrative and socio-economic unit.

Answer 20

Thane

Question 21

A title in medieval Norway, ranked below only kings and earls

Answer 21

Lenderman

Question 22

A title granted to the eldest daughter of a laird, not often used today.

Answer 22

Maid

Question 23

A historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility, settled in a locality.

Answer 23

Count (or Earl in England)/Countess or in France, Comte/Comtesse
(the land owned by a Count was a county)

Question 24

A title used to designate East and South Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers of Eastern Europe, originally Bulgarian monarchs from 10th century onwards but associated especially with the Russian Empire; derived from the Latin word Caesar

Answer 24

Tsar

Question 25

The lowest rank of nobility in Austria-Hungary and Germany, just beneath a Ritter (hereditary knight), but above untitled nobles, who used only the nobiliary particle von before their surname. It was mostly given to civil servants and military officers.

Answer 25

Edler

Question 26

The title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to the sons and daughters of the king (sometimes with the exception of the [male] heir apparent to the throne, who usually bears a unique princely or ducal title)

Answer 26

Infante/Infanta

Question 27

Title used in Muslim countries for rulers who claimed full sovereignty of a province within the caliphate; the title carries more religious significance than the secular “king.”

Answer 27

Sultan/Sultana

Question 28

Historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman and below the rank of knight; usually used today as a general courtesy title for lawyers.

Answer 28

Esquire

Question 29

In Muslim countries, a noble title of high office; it means commander or general; when translated as prince, it means the ruler of a sovereign principality.

Answer 29

Emir/Emira

Question 30

Title used for either a monarch ranked below the emperor, king, and grand duke or a member of royalty or nobility, historically of highest rank, below princes of nobility and grand dukes. The title comes from from the Latin for ‘leader’, used in republican Rome to refer to a military commander without an official rank (particularly one of Germanic or Celtic origin), and later coming to mean the leading military commander of a province.

Answer 30

Duke/Duchess

Question 31

A noble appointed by the King of England to guard the border between England and Wales (e.g. the Earl of Chester).

Answer 31

Marcher Lord

Question 32

a widow with a title (or property) derived from her late husband

Answer 32

dowager

Question 33

A nobleman in feudal Germany whose jurisdiction stretched over a territory larger than usually held by a count.

Answer 33

Landgraf or Landgrave/Landgräfin or Landgravine

Question 34

In Scotland, the holder of the lowest form of peerage (pre-Union, entitled to take part in sessions of Parliament).

Answer 34

Lord of Parliament

Question 35

The title given to the sons and daughters of the king of Poland (and Grand Duke of Lithuania at the same time).

Answer 35

Królewicz / Królewna

Question 36

An honorific title that is the female equivalent for knighthood; also a style used by a baronetess in her own right.

Answer 36

Dame

Question 37

In the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire, and in its various successor states, including Austria, Prussia, Bavaria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, it denotes the titled rank within the nobility above Ritter (knight) and Edler (nobility without a specific title) and below Graf (count, earl) and Herzog (duke)

Answer 37

Freiherr/Freifrau

Question 38

A title given to the kings of Iran/Persia.

Answer 38

Shah (the Shahanshah was the King of Kings of the Persian Empire)

Question 39

A princely title used for members of the highest nobility who ruled over states of the Holy Roman Empire and later its former territories, below the ruling Kaiser (emperor) or König (king).

Answer 39

Fürst/Fürstin

Question 40

A member of the electoral college that elected the Holy Roman Emperor. ( In practice, every emperor from 1440 onwards – except for Charles VII and Francis I – came from the Austrian House of Habsburg, and the election merely ratified the Habsburg succession.)

Answer 40

Prince-elector or simply Elector

Question 41

A French title: originally a secular official chosen by the bishop of the diocese—with the consent of the count—to perform functions on behalf of the church’s earthly interest that were religiously inappropriate; this especially included violence; with the advent of the feudal system, the title became hereditary

Answer 41

Vidame

Question 42

A noble title of high hereditary rank, above earl or count and second only to a duke. (Originally used for a nobleman who ruled over a border province.)

Answer 42

Marquess (UK) or Marquis (France)/Marchioness (UK) or Marquise (France)
(a border province was a “march”)

Question 43

The name formerly given in France to someone who had been granted a fief by the crown; still used for the hereditary ruler of the English Channel Island of Sark

Answer 43

Seigneur (The word shares the same provenance as the Italian Signore, Portuguese Senhor and Spanish Señor, which in addition to meaning “Mister” were used to signify a feudal lord.)

Question 44

A title of nobility in German-speaking areas roughly equal to Knight or Baronet; traditionally it denotes the second-lowest rank within the nobility, standing above “Edler” and below “Freiherr” (Baron).

Answer 44

Ritter (the wife of a Ritter was called a “Frau”); in Belgium, Ridder

Question 45

A title of lower nobility, historically conferred upon mounted warriors; usually they served as vassals, bodyguards, or mercenaries

Answer 45

Knight (in France, Chevalier)

Question 46

A title used in certain European countries for a noble of middling status, usually below an earl or count and above a baron; often a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial position that did not develop into an hereditary title until much later.

Answer 46

Viscount/Viscountess (in France, Vicomte/Vicomtess)

Question 47

The title given to the heir apparent to the throne of France from 1350 to 1791 and 1824 to 1830. The word is French for dolphin. At first the heirs were granted the County of Viennois to rule, but eventually only the title was granted.

Answer 47

Dauphin/Dauphine

Question 48

The German word for “emperor,” derived from the Roman emperors’ title of Caesar; only used for rulers over the rank of kings (König)

Answer 48

Kaiser

Question 49

Originally meaning “cheiftain” and applied generally to Norse and Danish noblemen, this title was held by members of medieval Swedish royals before their accession to the throne. Since the early 12th century, there usually was only one holder of the title at a time, second only to the King of Sweden.

Answer 49

Jarl

Question 50

Originally a military governor of a Carolingian border province. In medieval times the borders of the Holy Roman Empire were especially vulnerable to foreign attack, so the hereditary count of these provinces was sometimes granted greater authority than other vassals.

Answer 50

Markgraf or Margrave (a “mark” was a border province)/Markgräfin or Margravine

Question 51

A title for a monarch equivalent to king or princely ruler in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia

Answer 51

Raja (a High King was a Maharaja)

Question 52

The heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. (In certain monarchies, a more specific substantive title may be accorded and become associated with the position of heir apparent – e.g. Prince of Wales in the United Kingdom.)

Answer 52

Crown prince/Crown princess

Question 53

A European hereditary title for either certain monarchs or members of certain monarchs’ families; traditionally ranked in order of precedence below the title of emperor, king or archduke and above that of sovereign prince or sovereign duke; e.g. used for the monarch of Luxembourg

Answer 53

Grand duke/Grand duchess

Question 54

A Scottish style of address for the heir apparent to a Laird, clan chief, or other person of rank.

Answer 54

Younger

Question 55

A generic name for the owner of a large, long-established Scottish estate, roughly equivalent to an esquire in England; ranked below a baron and above a gentleman.

Answer 55

Laird

Question 56

A widow with a title or property derived from her late husband.

Answer 56

dowager

Question 57

A historical title of the German nobility, intermediate among noble ranks, usually translated as “count;” equivalent to the British title of “earl”

Answer 57

Graf/Gräfin

Question 58

Originally the French title for the keeper of a castle, with the development of feudalism the office became a fief and so hereditary; equivalent of a viscount or vicomte

Answer 58

Chatelain

Question 59

In the medieval period in Europe, especially Germany, the official title for the ruler of a castle, especially a royal or episcopal castle; a count in rank equipped with judicial powers

Answer 59

Burgrave

Question 60

A person legitimately descended in dynastic line (historically, the male line) from any of a realm’s hereditary monarchs. In some European kingdoms, especially France, this appellation was a specific rank in its own right, of a more restricted use than other titles.

Answer 60

Prince du sang (Prince of the Blood)