margrave
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margrave
A historical noble title for the ruler of a march, a border region of an empire. His rank was typically between that of a count and that of a duke.
Der Markgraf von Brandenburg hatte eine wichtige politische Stellung im Heiligen Römischen Reich.
The Margrave of Brandenburg held an important political position in the Holy Roman Empire.
The word 'Markgraf' is made up of 'die Mark' (march/borderland) and 'der Graf' (count). A 'Mark' was a border region of an empire in the Middle Ages. The 'Markgraf' was therefore literally the 'count of the border'.
Ein Markgraf hatte die Aufgabe, die Grenzen des Reiches zu verteidigen.
A margrave had the task of defending the borders of the empire.
This noble title is purely historical and is no longer used today. You find it almost exclusively in texts about the European Middle Ages and the early modern period.
Im Geschichtsunterricht haben wir über die Rolle der Markgrafen gelernt.
In history class, we learned about the role of the margraves.
The word belongs to the family of noble titles. The base word 'Graf' (count) is contained in it. The rank of a margrave was higher than that of a simple count, since he often carried more military and political responsibility.
Der Titel des Markgrafen war mit großem Ansehen verbunden.
The title of margrave was associated with great prestige.
count
'der Graf' (the count) and 'der Markgraf' (the margrave) are similar noble titles, but they are not the same. A count is a general noble title. Historically, a margrave was a special kind of count who ruled over a 'Mark', meaning a march or border region. That is why 'Markgraf' can be more precise when talking about history and a specific region on a border. The words can be confused because 'Graf' is part of the word 'Markgraf'.
Der Markgraf schützte früher ein Grenzgebiet des Reiches.
In the past, the margrave protected a border region of the empire.
In der Führung erzählte die Historikerin von einem Grafen aus dem 18. Jahrhundert.
During the guided tour, the historian talked about an 18th-century count.