Monarch - Titles and Precedence

Titles and Precedence

For commonly used names for specific monarchs, see List of monarchs by nickname.

The normal monarch title in Europe — i.e., the one used if the monarch has no higher title — is prince or princess, by convention. As an absolute ruler, a monarch can choose a title. However, titles are usually defined by tradition and diplomatic considerations.

Note that some of these titles have several meanings and do not necessarily designate a monarch. A Prince may be a person of royal blood (some languages uphold this distinction, see Fürst). A Duke may be a British peer. In Imperial Russia, a Grand Duke was a son or grandson of the Tsar or Tsarina. Holders of titles in these alternative meanings did not enjoy the same status as the monarchs of the same title.

Within the Holy Roman Empire, there were even more titles that were used occasionally for monarchs although they were normally noble; Margrave, Count Palatine, and Landgrave. A monarch with such a low title was still regarded as more important than a noble Duke.

The table below lists titles in order of precedence. According to protocol any holder of a title of monarchy took precedence over all holders of a lower title. Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom was arguably the most powerful monarch of her time, but at banquets was seated below all the Emperors until she took the title of Empress of India.

Male version	Female version	Realm	Adjective	Examples
Emperor	Empress	Empire	Imperial	Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Ottoman Empire, Holy Roman Empire, Russia, Korean Empire, Mongol Empire, Imperial China, First and Second French Empire, Austria, Mexico, Brazil, German Empire (none left in Europe after 1918), Empress of India (ceased to be used after 1947 when India was granted independence from the British Empire), Japan (the only remaining enthroned emperor in the world).
King	Queen	Kingdom	Royal	Common in larger sovereign states
Viceroy	Vicereine	Viceroyalty	Viceregal	Historical: Spanish Empire (Peru, New Spain, Rio de la Plata, New Granada), Portuguese Empire, (India, Brazil), British Empire
Grand Duke	Grand Duchess	Grand Duchy	Grand Ducal	Today: Luxembourg; historical: Lithuania, Baden, Finland, Tuscany et al.
Archduke	Archduchess	Archduchy	Archducal	Historical: Unique only in Austria, Archduchy of Austria; title used for member of the Habsburg dynasty
Prince	Princess	Principality, Princely state	Princely	Today: Monaco, Liechtenstein; Andorra (Co-Princes). Historical: Principality of Albania, Serbia
Duke	Duchess	Duchy, Dukedom	Ducal	There are none left currently. Though historical examples include Normandy.
Count	Countess	County	Countly, comital	Most common in the Holy Roman Empire, translated in German as Graf; historical: Barcelona, Brandenburg, Baden, numerous others
Lord	Lady	Lordship	Lordly	Today: Isle of Mann; historical: Lordship of Ireland
Baron	Baroness	Barony	Baronial	There are normal baronies and sovereign baronies, a sovereign barony can be compared with a principality, however, this is an historical exception; sovereign barons no longer have a sovereign barony, but only the title and style
Pope	Females cannot hold the office of Pope	Papacy	Papal	Monarch of the Papal States and later Sovereign of the State of Vatican City

The pope is the Bishop of Rome (a celibate office always forbidden to women), in English however, reports of female popes such as (Pope Joan) refer to them as pope and Popess is used, among other things, for the second trump in the Tarot deck; some European languages also have a feminine form of the word pope, such as the Italian papessa, the French papesse, and the German Päpstin.