Freiherr (German:[ˈfʁaɪˌhɛɐ̯]; male, abbreviated asFrhr.),Freifrau ([ˈfʁaɪˌfʁaʊ]; his wife, abbreviated asFrfr.,lit. 'free lord' or'free lady')[1] andFreiin ([ˈfʁaɪ.ɪn], his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used astitles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of theHoly Roman Empire, theAustro-Hungarian Empire and in its various successor states, includingAustria,Prussia,Bavaria,Liechtenstein,Luxembourg, etc. Traditionally, it denotes the titledrank within the nobility aboveRitter (knight) andEdler (nobility without a specific title) and belowGraf (count or earl). The title superseded the earlier medieval form,Edelherr.
It corresponds approximately to the Englishbaron in rank.[2] TheDuden orthography of the German language references the French nobility title ofBaron, deriving from the Latin-Germanic combinationliber baro (which also means "free lord"), as corresponding to the German "Freiherr"; and thatBaron is a corresponding salutation for aFreiherr.[3]
The titleFreiherr derives from the historical situation in which an owner held free (allodial) title to his land, as opposed "unmittelbar" ("unintermediated"), or held without any intermediate feudal tenure; or unlike the ordinary baron, who was originally a knight (Ritter) invassalage to a higher lord or sovereign, unlike medievalGerman ministerials, who were bound to provide administrative services for a lord. AFreiherr sometimes exercised hereditary administrative and judicial prerogatives over those resident in his barony instead of theliege lord, who might be the duke (Herzog) or count (Graf).
The German-language title ofFreiherr is rendered in English as "Baron", although the title was derived separately in the two languages.[1]Even in German, aFreiherr is often styled as and addressed by the more elegant, Latin equivalent "Baron" in social circumstances, although not the official title.[4]
Separately, in the 19th century some families of theBaltic German nobility who had historically carried the title ofFreiherr were recognized by theTsardom of Russia as noble in the form of ukases additionally awarding the equivalent Russian title ofBaron. When in 1919 privileges to members of dynastic and noble families were abolished by the constitution of theWeimar Republic and hence titles became part of the last name some members of the affected families chose to be officially namedFreiherr while others preferredBaron to emphasize their Baltic-German heritage. This is why members of the same family can have different official last names.[4]
The original distinction from other barons was that aFreiherr's landed property wasallodial instead of afief.
Barons who received their title from theHoly Roman Emperor are sometimes known as "Barons of the Holy Roman Empire" (Reichsfreiherren), in order to distinguish them from other barons, although the title as such was simplyFreiherr. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806,Reichsfreiherren did not belong to the noble hierarchy of any realm, but by a decision of theCongress of Vienna in 1815, their titles were nonetheless officially recognised. From 1806 the then independent German monarchies, such as Bavaria, Württemberg andLippe could create their ownnobility, includingFreiherren (although the Elector of Brandenburg had, as king of the originally exclusively extraterritorialPrussia even before that date, arrogated to himself the prerogative ofennoblement). Some of the older baronial families began to useReichsfreiherr in formal contexts to distinguish themselves from the new classes of barons created by monarchs of lesser stature than the Holy Roman Emperors, and this usage is far from obsolete.
As with most titles and designations within thenobility in the German-speaking areas of Europe, the rank was normally hereditary and would generally be used together with thenobiliary particle ofvon orzu (sometimes both:von und zu) before a family name.[5][6]
The inheritance of titles of nobility in most German-speaking areas was not restricted byprimogeniture as is the baronial title in Britain. Hence, the titles applied equally to all male-line descendants of the original grantee in perpetuity: All legitimate sons of aFreiherr shared his title and rank, and could be referred to asFreiherr. The wife of aFreiherr is titledFreifrau (literally "free lady"), and the daughter of aFreiherr is calledFreiin (short forFreiherrin). Both titles are translated in English as "Baroness".
InPrussia and some other countries in northern Europe, the title of Freiherr was, as long as the monarchy existed, usually usedpreceding a person'sgiven name (e.g.Freiherr Hans von Schwarz). InAustria-Hungary andBavaria, however, it would be inserted between the given name and the family name (e.g.Hans Freiherr von Schwarz).
After theFirst World War, the monarchies were abolished in most German-speaking areas of Europe, and thenobility lost recognition as a legal class in the newly created republics ofGermany andAustria.
The Republic of Austria abolished hereditary noble titles for its citizens by theAdelsaufhebungsgesetz of 3 April 1919[7] and the corresponding decree of the state government.[8] The public use of such titles was and still is prohibited, and violations could be fined.Hans Freiherr von Schwarz, as an Austrian citizen, therefore lost his title ofFreiherr von and would simply be named asHans Schwarz in his Austrian passport.
In practice, however, former noble titles are still used socially in Austria; some people consider it a matter of courtesy to use them. The lateOtto von Habsburg, in his childhood Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary, was styledOtto Habsburg-Lothringen in his post-1919 Austrian passport, andOtto von Habsburg in his German passport (he was a Member of the European Parliament for Germany).
In 2003, the Constitutional Court (Verfassungsgerichtshof) ruled that an Austrian woman having been adopted by a German carrying an aristocratic title as part of his name is not allowed to carry this title in her name. The Federal Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgerichtshof) in a similar case asked theEuropean Court of Justice whether this Austrian regulation would violate the right of theEuropean Union; the European Court of Justice did not object to the Austrian decision not to accept the wordsFürstin von as part of an Austrian woman's name.[9]
The German republic, under Article 109 of theWeimar Constitution of 1919, legally transformed all hereditary noble titles into dependent parts of thelegal surname. The former title thus became a part of the family name, and moved in front of the family name.Freiherr Hans von Schwarz, as a German citizen, therefore becameHans Freiherr von Schwarz. As dependent parts of the surnames ("nichtselbständige Namensbestandteile") they are ignored in alphabetical sorting of names, as is a possiblenobiliary particle, such asvon, and might or might not be used by those bearing them. Female forms of titles have been legally accepted as a variation in the surname after 1919 by a still valid decision of the former German High Court (Reichsgericht). The distinguishing main surname is the name, following the Freiherr, Freifrau or Freiin and, where applicable, the nobiliary particle – in the preceding example, the main surname isSchwarz and so alphabetically is listed under"S".
Similar titles have been seen in parts of Europe that have historically been dominated by Germany (in the cultural sense): the Baltic States, Austria–Hungary, Sweden, Finland and to some extent in Denmark–Norway.[10]
From the Middle Ages onward, each head of aSwedish noble house was entitled to vote in any provincial council when held, as in the Realm'sHerredag, laterRiddarhuset. In 1561,King Eric XIV began to grant some noblemen the titles of count (greve) or baron (friherre). The family members of afriherre were entitled to the same title, which in time became Baron or Baronessa colloquially: thus a person who formally is afriherre now might use the title of "Baron" before his name, and he might also be spoken of as "a baron".
However, after the change of constitution in 1809, newly created baronships in principle conferred the dignity only in primogeniture.[11] In the now valid SwedishInstrument of Government (1974), the possibility to create nobility is eliminated; and since the beginning of the twenty-first century, noble dignities have passed from the official sphere to the private.
InDenmark andNorway, the title ofFriherre was of equal rank to that of Baron,[citation needed] which has gradually replaced it. It was instituted on 25 May 1671 withChristian V'sFriherre privileges. Today only a few Danish noble families use the title ofFriherre and most of those are based in Sweden, where that version of the title is still more commonly used; a DanishFriherre generally is addressed as "Baron".[12] The wife of a Danish or NorwegianFriherre is titledFriherreinde, and the daughters are formally addressed asBaronesse.[10] With the first freeConstitution of Denmark of 1849 came a complete abolition of the privileges of the nobility. Today titles are only of ceremonial interest in the circles around themonarchy of Denmark.[13]
In 1561, the Swedish kingEric XIV conferred the hereditary titles of count andvapaaherra ("baron") on some persons, not all of them nobles. This prerogative was confirmed in the constitutional arrangements of 1625. All family members ofvapaaherra (baronial) families were entitled to that same title, which in practice, came to mean that they were addressed asParoni orParonitar. TheFinnish nobility shares most of its origins withSwedish nobility. In the beginning, they were all without honorific titulature, and known just as "lords". In subsequent centuries, while Finland remained an autonomousgrand duchy, many families were raised in rank as counts,vapaaherras, or as untitled nobles. Theoretically, all createdvapaaherra families were given a barony (with some rights of taxation and jurisprudence), but such fiefs were only granted in the 16th and 17th centuries. Thereafter the "barony" was titular, usually in chief of some already-owned property, and sometimes that property was established as afideicommiss. Their property tax exemption continued into the 20th century, being, however, diminished substantially by reforms of the 19th century.
