Grand duchy
A Grand Duchy is a territory ruled by a Grand Duke and is a monarchy in terms of its form of government. The rank of Grand Duke did not exist in the nomenclature of the Holy Roman Empire; rather, the title originated in Italy, where under Cosimo I the Duchy of Tuscany was elevated to the status of Grand Duchy of Tuscany by papal privilege in 1569.
The title was brought to Germany by Napoleon Bonaparte. On the one hand, he founded the Grand Duchy of Berg (with Grand Duke Joachim Murat) as a new state in 1806, as well as the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt from previously ecclesiastical territories in the same year and the Grand Duchy of Würzburg in 1810. On the other hand, he granted the title as a formal elevation of status to some princes who had already ruled (including Baden and Hesse-Darmstadt), whose allegiance he particularly intended to secure within the framework of the Confederation of the Rhine.
After the end of the Napoleonic Confederation of the Rhine in 1815, the German princes were allowed to retain their new titles for status reasons, and Luxembourg, which for the time being was still ruled in personal union with the Netherlands, was created as an additional grand duchy. The Grand Duchy of Berg, on the other hand, was occupied in 1813 by troops of the Prussian King Frederick William III, who created the titular Grand Duchy of the Lower Rhine from parts of the Rhineland and annexed it to Prussia; the Grand Duchy of Frankfurt was divided in 1813 between the Free City of Frankfurt, Hesse-Kassel, Bavaria and Prussia, and the Grand Duchy of Würzburg fell to Bavaria in 1814.
After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, eight grand duchies existed in Europe:
- Baden
- Hesse-Darmstadt
- Luxembourg
- Mecklenburg-Schwerin
- Mecklenburg-Strelitz
- Oldenburg
- Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
- Tuscany
The titular Grand Duchies were then the Prussian provinces of the Grand Duchy of the Lower Rhine and the Grand Duchy of Posen.
The Grand Duchy of the Lower Rhine existed until 1822, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany until 1861, and the Grand Duchies of Baden, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Oldenburg and Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach existed until the end of the First World War.
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg still exists today.
Questions and Answers
Q: What is a grand duchy?
A: A grand duchy is a country whose head of state is a Grand Duke or Grand Duchess.
Q: Which is the only existing grand duchy today?
A: Luxembourg is the only existing grand duchy today.
Q: How did Luxembourg become a grand duchy?
A: Luxembourg became a grand duchy in 1815 when the Netherlands became an independent kingdom and King William I of the Netherlands was made Grand Duke of Luxembourg.
Q: Why did Luxembourg not follow suit when the two countries separated in 1890?
A: Luxembourg followed Salic law, which meant that only a man could rule; therefore, William III of the Netherlands was succeeded by Queen Wilhelmina, but Luxembourg needed a male heir.
Q: Who is the present Grand Duke of Luxembourg?
A: The present Grand Duke of Luxembourg is Henri.
Q: Apart from Luxembourg, what are other examples of grand duchies in history?
A: Other examples of grand duchies in history are the independent republics of Finland and Lithuania and the Dutch province Limburg (Duchy of Limburg).
Q: Are there any houses in Europe that style themselves as Grand Dukes but are not recognized?
A: Yes, there are other houses of Europe that style themselves as Grand Dukes even if not wholly recognized by the rest of society.
