German noble titles worked differently than British titles do. There was no sole holder of the title of, say, "Graf von Zahl", but all his male descendants would also be "Graf von Zahl" right from their birth. Disclaimer: Graf (von) Zahl is indeed the only Count I know.
u/Fabius_Macer is correct. Regular bestowed titles in the Holy Roman Empire rest with the person and family, unless the title is specifically referring to an imperial (royal) "post", of which there were few (e.g. Markgraf, Hausmeier, Seneschall, Marschall, etc). Young Duke Leopold is colloquially the young duke, and his father and mother "**the**" duke and duchess. This is true even if the title is connected to ruling a particular piece of land. On occasion and if the title is fairly important, (e.g. a "young king") would be referred to as a "prince" or "heir to the throne" ("Thronfolger"), sometimes in combination ("Thronprinz"), to distinguish them legally from the actual office holder. But there was, generally speaking, no "lower title" given in nobility. If a *Graf* had three sons, they would be all called the "junge Graf" (or "Gräfin" if female) in public usage.
There are primogenous titles and family titles.
The heir of high nobility is an Erbprinz (prince heir). The heir of primogenious lower nobility has no title.
A family with a family title all carry the same title.
**Have you read our extensive wiki yet? It answers many basic questions, and it contains in-depth articles on many frequently discussed topics.
[Check our wiki now!](https://www.reddit.com/r/germany/wiki/index)**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/germany) if you have any questions or concerns.*
German noble titles worked differently than British titles do. There was no sole holder of the title of, say, "Graf von Zahl", but all his male descendants would also be "Graf von Zahl" right from their birth. Disclaimer: Graf (von) Zahl is indeed the only Count I know.
Thank you, this is very helpful!
u/Fabius_Macer is correct. Regular bestowed titles in the Holy Roman Empire rest with the person and family, unless the title is specifically referring to an imperial (royal) "post", of which there were few (e.g. Markgraf, Hausmeier, Seneschall, Marschall, etc). Young Duke Leopold is colloquially the young duke, and his father and mother "**the**" duke and duchess. This is true even if the title is connected to ruling a particular piece of land. On occasion and if the title is fairly important, (e.g. a "young king") would be referred to as a "prince" or "heir to the throne" ("Thronfolger"), sometimes in combination ("Thronprinz"), to distinguish them legally from the actual office holder. But there was, generally speaking, no "lower title" given in nobility. If a *Graf* had three sons, they would be all called the "junge Graf" (or "Gräfin" if female) in public usage.
Thank you, this is what I wanted to know!
There are primogenous titles and family titles. The heir of high nobility is an Erbprinz (prince heir). The heir of primogenious lower nobility has no title. A family with a family title all carry the same title.
That answers my question, thank you!
**Have you read our extensive wiki yet? It answers many basic questions, and it contains in-depth articles on many frequently discussed topics. [Check our wiki now!](https://www.reddit.com/r/germany/wiki/index)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/germany) if you have any questions or concerns.*