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Countess - Definition and Overview |
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- This page is about the European nobility; for the baseball term, see count (baseball).
A count is a nobleman in various European countries, equivalent in rank to a British earl. Originally the title denoted the rank of a high official in the late Roman Empire and later in many German kingdoms in the early Middle Ages, as well as the Holy Roman Empire in Central Europe. It was often conferred by the head of a country as an honorific title for special services rendered.
Title
In German kingdoms the title was combined with the word for the jurisdiction or domain the nobleman was responsible for, such as "Landgraf" - landgrave, "Burggraf" - burgrave (burg = castle).
List of counts
Territory of today's France
In other continental European countries
See also
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