What is a duke?

Question

what was the duke's role in the middle ages, and whats the difference between a duke and a prince?? its all so confusing to me. please and thankyou!! =]

Answer 1

A duke is the Lord of a duchy (or dukedom), granted by a sovereign (king or queen). A prince is the son of a sovereign. Anyone, including a prince, can be granted a duchy, which is then inherited by the duke's descendants. The term comes from "dux", the title of a Roman military commander at the head of two or more legions, and often governing a province.

In the peerage of England, Dukes are the highest-ranking titles of privilege. They are followed, in order, by marquesses, earls, viscounts and barons.

Answer 2

A duke is a nobleman, historically of highest rank and usually controlling a duchy.

As someone said above he is not a brother of the monarch as they would be princes or princesses. They generally are cousins of monarchs or those marrying into the monrachy such as the Duke and Duchess of York (i.e. Fergie and Andrew) or the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall (Prince Edward and Sophie)

Answer 3

A Duke is a nobleman with the highest hereditary rank, especially a man of the highest grade of the peerage in Great Britain. A prince is usually a male heir of the monarch and the title "Duke" is granted by the monarch, which gives the Prince the power and authority to rule in an independent territory within the monarch’s realm. For example, a monarch rules the entire Great Britain, and each one of his sons will rule as an independent “sovereign” within their granted territory.

In the United Kingdom, a duke is – with the exception of the monarch and immediate Royal Family – the highest-ranking hereditary title in the British peerage, sometimes referred to as "the nobility" or simply as "Lords and Ladies." A duke therefore outranks Marquesses, Earls, Viscounts and Barons. The wife of a duke is known as a duchess.

A Royal Duke is a duke who is a member of the British Royal Family, entitled to the style of "His Royal Highness". The current Royal Dukedoms are Cornwall and Rothesay (both held by the Prince of Wales), York, Edinburgh, Gloucester and Kent. The former King Edward VIII was created Duke of Windsor after his abdication; however he did not have any heirs and therefore the title is not currently in use.

Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dukes_in_Br...

Answer 4

A duke is a nobleman, historically of highest rank below the king, and usually controlling a duchy. The title comes from the Latin dux, which had the sense of "military commander" and was employed both by the Germanic peoples themselves and by the Roman authors covering them to refer to their war leaders.

In the Middle Ages, the title signified first, among the Germanic monarchies. The 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. There were, however, variants of these meanings, and there were even sovereign princes employing ducal titles.

In the Modern Age, it has become a nominal rank without an actual principality. It is still the highest titular peerage in France, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Italy.

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. However, Queen Elizabeth II is known as the Duke of Lancaster and the Duke of Normandy in the Channel Islands, and is called that on their coinage.

The title Grand Duke (in Latin, Magnus Dux; in Spanish, Gran Duque; in Russian, Великий князь; in German, Großherzog, Italian Gran Duca; in French, Grand-duc; in Portuguese, Grão-duque; in Finnish, Suurherttua; in Polish, Wielki Książę; in Hungarian, nagyherceg;in Swedish, Storhertig; in Dutch, Groothertog; in Danish, Storhertug, in Lithuanian, Didysis Kunigaikštis) used in Western Europe and particularly in Germanic countries for provincial sovereigns, is of a protocolary rank below King but higher than a sovereign Duke (Herzog) or Fürst (usually but confusingly translated as "Prince").

The feminine form is Grand Duchess. A Grand Duke's principality (state or merely titular) is called a Grand Duchy.

Grand Duke is the usual and established translation of Grand Prince in languages which do not have separate words meaning prince for (1) children of a monarch, and (2) monarch (sovereign or like) princes. English and French use Grand Duke also in this way.

The title Grand Duke as translation of Grand Prince and the proper title Grand Duke have clearly different meanings and a separate background. Compare with the article Grand Prince.

Answer 5

Duke=brother of king or queen

Prince=son of king or queen

Answer 6

A price is usually the son of a the monarch and the heir to the throne and the duke is a title in nobility the duke is usually the son of another Duke or sibling of a monarch they control what is called a Duchy.Dutchies are like modern day counties or cities they can govern themselves but the monarch governs them.

Answer 7

duke  (dk, dyk)

n.

1. A nobleman with the highest hereditary rank, especially a man of the highest grade of the peerage in Great Britain.

2. A sovereign prince who rules an independent duchy in some European countries.

prince  (prns)

n.

1. A male member of a royal family other than the monarch, especially a son of the monarch.

2.

a. A man who is a ruler of a principality.

b. A hereditary male ruler; a king.

3. A nobleman of varying status or rank.

I'm pretty sure that Duke and Prince are the same thing...just certain countries and cultures say "duke" some others say "prince". A "child" and a "kid" are the same thing...I'm thinking that "duke" and "prince" are just two different cultural words meaning the same thing...could be wrong

Answer 8

A duke (or duchess, if female) is the nobleman of the highest peerage.  In the UK, the princes of the ruling family are made honorary dukes.  Prince of Wales (Duke of Cornwall); the Duke of York, and the Duke of Wessex - in the Windsor's case.

Answer 9

Just "dude" spelled wrong.