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Freiherr (German: [ˈfʁaɪˌhɛɐ̯]; male, abbreviated as Frhr.), Freifrau ([ˈfʁaɪˌfʁaʊ]; his wife, abbreviated as Frfr., literally "free lord" or "free lady")[1] and Freiin ([ˈfʁaɪ.ɪn]; his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire, and in its various successor states, including Austria, Prussia, Bavaria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, etc. Traditionally it denotes the titled rank within the nobility above Ritter (knight) and Edler (nobility without a specific title) and below Graf (count, earl) and Herzog (duke). The title superseded the earlier medieval form, Edelherr.

It corresponds to baron in rank.[2]


Freiherr in the feudal systemEdit

The title Freiherr 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) in vassalage to a higher lord or sovereign, and unlike medieval German ministerials, who were bound to provide administrative services for a lord. A Freiherr sometimes exercised hereditary administrative and judicial prerogatives over those resident in his barony instead of the liege lord, who might be the duke (Herzog) or count (Graf).

Freiherr vs. BaronEdit





Prior to abolition of nobilityEdit



In Prussia and some other countries in northern Europe, the title of Freiherr was – as long as the monarchy existed – usually used preceding a person's given name (e.g. Freiherr Hans von Schwarz). In Austria-Hungary and Bavaria, however, it would by contrast be inserted between the given and the family name (e.g. Hans Freiherr von Schwarz).

Since abolition of nobilityEdit


In AustriaEdit


In practice, however, former noble titles are still used socially in Austria; some people consider it a matter of courtesy to use them. The late Otto von Habsburg, in his childhood Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary, was styled Otto Habsburg-Lothringen in his post-1919 Austrian passport, and Otto von Habsburg in his German passport (he was a Member of the European Parliament for Germany).


In GermanyEdit


Parallel titlesEdit


Swedish and Danish–Norwegian titleEdit

From the Middle Ages onward, each head of a Swedish noble house was entitled to vote in any provincial council when held, as in the Realm's Herredag, later Riddarhuset. In 1561, King Eric XIV began to grant some noblemen the titles of count or baron (friherre). The family members of a friherre were entitled to the same title, which in time became Baron or Baronessa colloquially: thus a person who formally is a friherre 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.[9] In the now valid Swedish Instrument of Government (1974), the possibility to create nobility is completely eliminated; and since the beginning of the twenty-first century, noble dignities have passed from the official sphere to the private.

In Denmark and Norway, the title of Friherre was of equal rank to that of Baron,[citation needed] which has gradually replaced it. It was instituted on 25 May 1671 with Christian V's Friherre privileges. Today only a few Danish noble families use the title of Friherre and most of those are based in Sweden, where that version of the title is still more commonly used; a Danish Friherre generally is addressed as "Baron".[10] The wife of a Danish or Norwegian Friherre is titled Friherreinde, and the daughters are formally addressed as Baronesse.[8]

Finnish titleEdit



  1. ^ a b "Freiherr – Britannica Online Encyclopedia", Britannica Online Encyclopedia, 2008, webpage: EB-Freiherr
  2. ^ A number of English-language historians specializing in Germany do translate Freiherr. Agatha Ramm in Germany 1798–1919 (1967) states that she is preserving Freiherr because Baron carries a different association in English.
  3. ^ For example: Karl-Theodor Maria Nikolaus Johann Jacob Philipp Franz Joseph Sylvester Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg
  4. ^ Nobiliary particles used by German nobility
  5. ^ "Law in the original version of 1919".
  6. ^ "Decree of 18 April 1919 in the original version".
  7. ^ "CURIA – Suchformular".
  8. ^ a b "Friherre".
  9. ^ The formula used is that a person "upphöjdes i friherrlig värdighet jämlikt 37 § 1809 års regeringsform, innebärande att endast huvudmannen innehar friherrlig värdighet"; literal translation: "was raised to the dignity of baron in accordance with §37 in the Instrument of Government (1809), implying that only the head of the family possesses the dignity of baron". The formulation is found, for example, with reference to the family Bildt in the 2013 edition of the Sveriges ridderskaps och adels kalender: that family was ennobled much earlier than 1809, so all its (agnatic) members belong to the untitled nobility, with the exception of a single baron; the great-grandfather of Carl Bildt was created a baron in 1864, but, because this was after 1809, Carl Bildt is just an untitled nobleman while his cousin Lars Bildt is a baron.
  10. ^ "Friherre". Gyldendal.

See alsoEdit


External linksEdit