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landgrave

landgrave

9.9
A lord who ruled a large area in medieval Germany
  • noun
  • /ˈlændˌɡreɪv/
  • Archaic
translation icon : landgrave
  • There is ample room for exaggeration of one's situation in a supplication, but the Landgrave and his officials had a strong interest in extracting resources from their subjects, which made them disinclined to grant release from obligations unless they saw a compelling reason.
  • Landgrave of Hesse

Examples

  • The Landgrave did not, however, personally visit his devastated lands during the war.

    Academic text (1993)
  • In December 1636, the district administrator of Sontra, Johann Stuckrodt, corresponded with the Landgrave about the miserable conditions in his district.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The Landgrave, on the other hand, might have found the first line of argument more persuasive.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Supplications flooded in to the Landgrave in such numbers that the administration was no longer capable of responding to them, much less rectifying the problems.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The council of the Landgrave noted with regret in 1648 that "when we write to our officials for information, as has always been the case, we see from the letters that they send that they completely agree with the complaints of the subjects and confirm and strengthen the claims of damage."

    Academic text (1993)
  • The Landgrave of Hesse, Duke of Brunswick, and Prince of Hanau forced poor peasants and young men to go over to the British for pay.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The failure of the local nobility prompted the villagers of Grandenborn to turn to Landgrave Moritz for support, but he was unable to provide security either.

    Academic text (1993)
  • The bride's grandfather, Philip, Landgrave of Hesse, issued countercommands to the effect that she be allowed full liberty to profess her Lutheran faith.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The Landgrave did not, however, personally visit his devastated lands during the war.

  • The Landgrave, on the other hand, might have found the first line of argument more persuasive.

Synonyms

feudal lord
vslandgrave
2 9.5

A rich, powerful man who holds land from the king and gives soldiers to the king

is a specific high noble title with formal territorial jurisdiction, not just landholding
palsgrave
vslandgrave
  • Archaic
9.9

A lord who ruled part of a country with nearly all power in the Middle Ages

has high rank and territorial jurisdiction but not full sovereign autonomy
count palatine
vslandgrave
  • Archaic
9.9

A noble who rules a small area with royal power in medieval Europe

is similar but denotes a broad noble jurisdiction rather than full kingship
margrave
vslandgrave
  • Archaic
9.9

A noble who rules and defends a border region

is a high noble with wide territorial rule without focusing on border defense
ealdorman
vslandgrave
  • Archaic
9.9

A noble who rules a region for the king in Anglo-Saxon England

performs similar regional governance but in different historical place and system
burgrave
vslandgrave
  • Archaic
9.9

A noble who governs a castle or town in Germany in the Middle Ages

has higher-rank jurisdiction over larger territories rather than local sites

Surface Forms

landgrave singular
landgraves plural

Etymology

Landgrave comes from German words land 'land' and graf 'count'. So, think of a landgrave as a 'count of the land' — a high noble who ruled a large territory in medieval Germany.