Duke

A duke (male) or duchess (female) can either be a monarch ruling over a duchy or a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch. The title comes from French duc, itself from the Latin dux, 'leader', a term 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.

During the Middle Ages the title signified first among the Germanic monarchies. Dukes were the rulers of the provinces and the superiors of the counts in the cities and later, in the feudal monarchies, the highest-ranking peers of the king. A duke may or may not be, ipso facto, a member of the nation's peerage: in the United Kingdom and Spain all dukes are/were also peers of the realm, in France some were and some were not, while the term is not applicable to dukedoms of other nations, even where an institution similar to the peerage (e.g., Grandeeship, Imperial Diet, Hungarian House of Magnates) existed.

During the 19th century many of the smaller German and Italian states were ruled by Dukes or Grand Dukes. But presently, with the exception of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, there are no ruling dukes. Duke remains the highest hereditary title (aside from titles borne by the reigning or formerly reigning dynasty) in Portugal, Scandinavia, Spain and the United Kingdom. The Pope, as a temporal sovereign, has also, though rarely, granted the title of Duke or Duchess to persons for services to the Holy See. In some realms the relative status of "duke" and "prince", as titles borne by the nobility rather than by members of reigning dynasties, varied, e.g. in Italy and the Netherlands.

A woman who holds in her own right the title to such duchy or dukedom, or is the wife of a duke, is normally styled duchess. Queen Elizabeth II, however, is known by tradition as Duke of Normandy in the Channel Islands and Duke of Lancaster in Lancashire.

Read more about Duke:  Duchy Versus Dukedom, Middle Ages, Royal Dukes, France, Italy, Germany and Austria, Equivalents

Other articles related to "duke, dukes":

Marie Antoinette - Ancestry
... Nicholas II, Duke of Lorraine 8 ... Charles V, Duke of Lorraine 17 ... Leopold, Duke of Lorraine 18 ...
Duke - Equivalents - Indonesia
... in the official title of the hereditary dukes Mangkunegara of Surakarta and Paku Alam of Yogyakarta i ...
Zach Duke
... Zachary Thomas Duke (born April 19, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball ... Duke bats and throws left-handed ...
Charles XIV John Of Sweden - King of Sweden and Norway
... Charles XIV John Children Oscar I Oscar I Children Charles XV Gustaf, Duke of Upland Oscar II Princess Eugenie August, Duke of Dalarna Charles XV Children Lovisa, Queen of Denmark Carl Oscar, Duke of Söder ...
Albert II Of Germany - Family - Ancestors
... Albert II, Duke of Austria 17 ... Albert III, Duke of Austria 18 ... Albert IV, Duke of Austria 20 ...

Famous quotes containing the word duke:

    One of the things I’ve discovered in general about raising kids is that they really don’t give a damn if you walked five miles to school. They want to deal with what’s happening now.
    —Patty Duke (20th century)

    A fully equipped duke costs as much to keep up as two Dreadnoughts, and dukes are just as great a terror—and they last longer.
    David Lloyd George (1863–1945)

    It seemed a long way from 143rd Street. Shaking hands with the Queen of England was a long way from being forced to sit in the colored section of the bus going into downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. Dancing with the Duke of Devonshire was a long way from not being allowed to bowl in Jefferson City, Missouri, because the white customers complained about it.
    Althea Gibson (b. 1927)