- Jens Nielsen Galen was a Knight (Ridder) in Näsbyholm (in Vemmehøj
district) in Skåne. Died 1320. (DAÅ 1893/160).
* * * * *
The following is taken from an article written by Gilbert von Studnitz in
"Der Blumenbaum", a publication of the Sacramento German Genealogy
Society, Vol. 9, number 4, April-June 1992:
Ranks of German Lower Nobility: Very often a certain level of income,
wealth, or social standing was necessary for appointment to these ranks,
so as to demonstrate the ability of the person ennobled to maintain
himself at a proper level.
The highest rank of the non-sovereign nobility is Herzog or Duke, a title
almost never given them and then only "ad personam", or much like an
English life peer. An example is Otto von Bismarck as Duke of Lauenburg.
He was styled Serene Highness. The highest rank that normally was part of
the lower nobility is Fürst. This title, like Duke, was given to them
only in the last centuries of the monarchy. Their
children were rarely princes, but more usually counts or barons,
depending on what was the original title of the Fürst.
Next in rank is Graf or Count, which in modern times could be given
primogeniture (inherited only by the eldest son), but was usually given
to all the children of the new count. A very few houses also carry the
title Burggraf which is approximately equivalent to Count.
Baron follows, which is almost always called Freiherr in Germany, but
given as Baron to the Germans of the Baltic regions. For many years it
was in dispute whether Baron was equivalent to Freiherr (which was deemed
"better"), but this was settled in the last century in an affirmative
manner. The wife of a Freiherr is a Freifrau, the daughter a
Freiherrin. This last title is sometimes abbreviated Freiin. The wife
of a Baron is a Baronin, the daughter a Baronesse. Another variant of
this rank is called Edler Herr, or Edle Herrin for females, which is
borne by only a few very old families (such as the Gans zu Putlitz).
The last level is that of the untitled nobility, which nevertheless
includes some titled families. Normally an untitled noble is addressed
as Herr, in this context meaning Lord.
In former times untitled nobles, especially those from the eastern
regions, were addressed as Junker, a title still in usage in the
Netherlands as Jonkheer. It is no longer normally used in Germany. In
Bavaria and especially Austria, the hereditary title of Ritter (Knight)
was given to families, but they were still considered part of the
untitled nobility. Much the same applies to the title of Edler, which is
mainly northern and central German. While the wife and daughters of an
Edler were titled Edle, the wife of a Ritter was called a Frau (in this
sense Lady) and not Ritterin.
This database researched and compiled by Norman Lee Madsen, Toronto,
Ontario, copyright 1990-2002.
|
Anebasen — Ole Thyge Plannthin
før 1360 - 1407 (> 47 år)
[1] 
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