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68-561: Grand duke is the usual and established, though not literal , translation of these terms in English and Romance languages , which do not normally use separate words for a "prince" who reigns as a monarch (e.g., Albert II, Prince of Monaco ) and a "prince" who does not reign, but belongs to a monarch's family (e.g., Prince George of Wales ). Some Slavic ( Królewicz ), Germanic, Dutch, and Scandinavian languages do use separate words to express this concept, and in those languages grand prince

136-540: A royal duchy , since 1581 with the King assuming the secondary title Grand Duke of Finland (Finnish: Suomen suuriruhtinas , Swedish: Storfurste av Finland ). Grand princes (or sometimes great princes ) were medieval monarchs who usually ruled over several tribes and/or were feudal overlords of other princes. At the time, the title was usually translated as " king ", sometimes also as "minor king" or "little king" ( German : Kleinkönig ). However, grand princes did not have

204-547: A Germanic loanword adopted by tribal chieftains . Although, the Slavic knjaz and the Baltic kunigaikštis (nowadays usually translated as prince) are similar to kings in terms of ruling and duties. However, a velikiy knyaz (grand prince) was usually only primus inter pares within a dynasty, primogeniture not governing the order of succession . All knyazs (princes) of the family were equally eligible to inherit

272-616: A compilation of agronomic works from earlier Greek and Punic texts that are otherwise lost; De Ceremoniis ("On Ceremonies", in Greek, Περὶ τῆς βασιλείου τάξεως), describing the kinds of court ceremonies (also described later in a more negative light by Liutprand of Cremona ); De Administrando Imperio ("On the Administration of the Empire", bearing in Greek the heading Πρὸς τὸν ἴδιον ὑιὸν Ρωμανόν), giving advice on running

340-859: A crown (for example, succession might be through agnatic seniority or rotation ). Often other members of the dynasty ruled some constituent parts of the monarchy/country. An established use of the title was in the Kievan Rus' and in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (from the 14th century). Thus, Veliki Knjaz has been more like a regional high king (but without international recognition as such) than "grand duke", at least, originally and were not subordinated to any other authority as more western (for example Polish) Grand Dukes were. As these countries expanded territorially and moved towards primogeniture and centralization , their rulers acquired more elevated titles. Grand Prince ( Hungarian : Nagyfejedelem )

408-496: A dominant position among the regents. Patriarch Nicholas was presently forced to make peace with Tsar Simeon of Bulgaria , whom he reluctantly recognized as Bulgarian emperor. Because of this unpopular concession, Patriarch Nicholas was driven out of the regency by Constantine's mother Zoe . She was no more successful with the Bulgarians, who defeated her main supporter, the general Leo Phokas , in 917. In March 919, she

476-526: A godfather to marry his goddaughter. Constantine VII died at Constantinople on 9 November 959 and was succeeded by his son Romanos II . It was rumored that he had been poisoned by his son or his daughter-in-law Theophano . Constantine VII was recognized as a writer and scholar, surrounding himself with educated people of the Imperial Court. He wrote, or had commissioned, the works Geoponika ("On Agriculture", in Greek Τὰ γεωπονικά),

544-413: A group of monarchies of intermediate importance with that title. Thus the 19th century saw a new group of monarchs titled grand duke in central Europe, especially in present-day Germany. The title was also used for the part of Poland granted to Prussia – the Grand Duchy of Posen – which was formally held in a personal union with Prussia (and so nominally separate) until its incorporation in 1848. In

612-541: A major power ( Großfürst , Grootvorst ). In 1582, King John III of Sweden added " Grand Duke of Finland " to the subsidiary titles of the Swedish kings, but without any political consequences, as Finland was already a part of the Swedish realm. After the Russian conquests, the title continued to be used by the Russian emperors in their role as rulers of both ( de facto non-sovereign) Lithuania (1793–1917) and

680-441: A man of his class, he seems to have been an excellent painter. He was the most generous of patrons—to writers and scholars, artists and craftsmen. Finally, he was an excellent Emperor: a competent, conscientious and hard-working administrator and an inspired picker of men, whose appointments to military, naval, ecclesiastical, civil and academic posts were both imaginative and successful. He did much to develop higher education and took

748-422: A monarch (respectively Prinz , Prins ) and for a sovereign prince ( Fürst , Vorst ), there is also a clear linguistic difference between a sovereign grand duke reigning over a state of central and western Europe ( Großherzog , Groothertog ) and a non-sovereign, purely ceremonial grand duke of either the Russian imperial family or other non-sovereign territories that are de facto dependencies of

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816-411: A sad one due to his unpleasant appearance, his taciturn nature, and his relegation to the third level of succession, behind Christopher Lekapenos , the eldest son of Romanos I Lekapenos. Nevertheless, he was a very intelligent young man with a large range of interests, and he dedicated those years to studying the court's ceremony. Romanos kept and maintained power until 16/20 December 944, when he

884-525: A seven-man regency council for Constantine. It was headed by the Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos , the two magistroi John Eladas and Stephen , the rhaiktor John Lazanes , the otherwise obscure Euthymius and Alexander's henchmen Basilitzes and Gabrielopoulos. Following Alexander's death (6 June), the new and shaky regime survived the attempted usurpation of Constantine Doukas , and Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos quickly assumed

952-646: A special interest in the administration of justice. By his wife Helena Lekapene , the daughter of Emperor Romanos I , Constantine VII had several children: Constantine VII is still remembered in the Eastern Orthodox liturgy when the transfer of the Holy Mandylion is celebrated on 16 August in the Julian calendar which corresponds to 31 August in the Gregorian calendar . This feast

1020-579: A useful summary of the commission by Porphyrogenitus of the Constantine Excerpts: He felt that the historical studies were being seriously neglected, mainly because of the bulk of the histories. He therefore decided that a selection under fifty-three titles should be made from all the important historians extant in Constantinople; thus he hoped to assemble in a more manageable compass the most valuable parts of each author. ... Of

1088-519: Is a Russian title that is often translated as "grand prince" because there are no better equivalents in European languages. When Ivan IV's pre-tsarist title is referred to in English, however, it is usually as grand duke . Velikiy knjaz is also a Russian courtesy title for members of the family of the Russian tsar (from the 17th century), although the people who held this title were not sovereigns. Velikiy knyaz (Meaning closest to Grand Prince but

1156-421: Is understood as a distinct title (for a cadet of a dynasty ) from grand duke (hereditary ruler ranking below a king). Some recent sources also use Archduke . The title of grand prince was once used for the sovereign of a grand principality . The last titular grand principalities vanished in 1917 and 1918, the territories being united into other monarchies or becoming republics . Already at that stage,

1224-535: Is used in some current and former independent monarchies in Europe, particularly: The term grand duke as a monarch reigning over an independent state was a later invention (in Western Europe at first in 1569 for the ruler of Tuscany ) to denote either a particularly mighty duke or a monarchy playing an important political, military and/or economic role, but not large enough to be a kingdom . It arose because

1292-411: The Kievan Rus' . The reasons for this voyage have never been clarified; but she was baptised a Christian with the name Helena, and sought Christian missionaries to encourage her people to adopt Christianity . According to legends, Constantine VII fell in love with Olga, but she found a way to refuse him by tricking him into becoming her godfather . When she was baptized, she said it was inappropriate for

1360-541: The Russian Imperial Family . Constantine VII Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus ( ‹See Tfd› Greek : Κωνσταντῖνος Πορφυρογέννητος , Kōnstantinos Porphyrogennētos ; 17 May 905 – 9 November 959) was the fourth Byzantine emperor of the Macedonian dynasty , reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Karbonopsina , and

1428-477: The history of Lithuania from 1230s to 1795, most of its leaders were referred to as Grand Duke of Lithuania , even when they jointly held the title King of Poland and other titles. From 1328 the Velikii Kniaz of Muscovy appeared as the grand duke for "all of Russia" until Ivan IV of Russia in 1547 was crowned as tsar . Thereafter the title was given to sons and grandsons (through male lines) of

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1496-413: The (equally non-sovereign) autonomous Finland (1809–1917). The Habsburg monarchy also instituted the similarly non-sovereign Großfürstentum Siebenbürgen ( Grand Principality of Transylvania ) in 1765, and the (purely nominal) Großherzogtum Krakau ( Grand Duchy of Kraków ) in 1846. The Latin title dux (the etymological root of duke ), which was phonetically rendered doux (δούξ) in Greek,

1564-689: The 1090s, Vukan became the veliki župan in Raška (Rascia). Stefan Nemanja expelled his brother Tihomir in 1168 and assumed the title of veliki župan , as described in the Charter of Hilandar ( и постави ме великог жупана ). A Latin document used mega iupanus for King Stefan the First-Crowned ( Stephanus dominus Seruie siue Rasie, qui mega iupanus ). Afterwards, it was a high noble rank with notable holders such as Altoman Vojinović ( fl. 1335–59). The Grand Prince of Kiev (sometimes grand duke)

1632-583: The 15th century, when they ruled most of present-day northeastern France as well as almost the entire Low Countries. They tried—ultimately without success—to create from these territories under their control a new unified country between the Kingdom of France in the west and the Holy Roman Empire (mainly present-day Germany) in the east. Philip III, Duke of Burgundy (reigned 1419–67) assumed the subsidiary, legally void style and title of "Grand Duke of

1700-613: The Empire internally and on fighting external enemies; a history of the Empire covering events following the death of the chronographer Theophanes the Confessor in 817; and Excerpta Historica ("Excerpts from the Histories"), a collection of excerpts from ancient historians (many of whose works are now lost) in four volumes (1. De legationibus. 2. De virtutibus et vitiis. 3. De insidiis. 4. De sententiis). In The Manuscript Tradition of Polybius , John Michael Moore (CUP, 1965) provides

1768-612: The Kings (Polish: król ) of Poland during the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . The first monarchs ever officially titled grand duke were the Medici sovereigns of Tuscany , starting from the late 16th century. This official title was granted by Pope Pius V in 1569 to Cosimo I de' Medici . Napoleon I awarded the title extensively: during his era, several of his allies (and de facto vassals) were allowed to assume

1836-567: The Middle Ages, the Serbian veliki župan (велики жупан) was the supreme chieftain in the multi-tribal society. The title signifies overlordship, as the leader of lesser chieftains titled župan . It was used by the Serb rulers in the 11th and 12th centuries. In Greek, it was known as archizoupanos (ἄρχιζουπάνος), megazoupanos (μεγαζουπάνος) and megalos zoupanos (μεγάλος ζουπάνος). In

1904-719: The Russian title than grand duke would be great prince — especially in the pre- Petrine era — but the term is neither standard nor widely used in English. In German, however, a Russian Grand Duke was known as a Großfürst , in Swedish as a Storfurste and in Latin as Magnus Princeps . Grand prince remained as a dynastic title for the senior members of the Romanov dynasty in Russia's imperial era. The title Velikiy Knyaz , its use finally formalized by Alexander III , then belonged to children and male-line grandchildren of

1972-588: The Swedish House of Vasa also used the grand-princely title for their non-Polish territories. In the late Middle Ages, the title "grand prince/grand duke" became increasingly a purely ceremonial courtesy title for close relatives of ruling monarchs, such as the Tsar of Russia, who granted his brothers the title Grand Duke of Russia ( veliki knjaz ). Most often, a sovereign grand duke was styled as " Royal Highness " (abbreviated "HRH"), possibly because of

2040-564: The Tsars and Emperors of Russia. The daughters and paternal granddaughters of Russian emperors, as well as the consorts of Russian grand dukes, were generally called "grand duchesses" in English. From 1809 to 1917 the Emperor of Russia was also the Grand Duke of Finland , which he held as an autonomous state. Before the Russian conquest Finland had been held by the Kings of Sweden, first as

2108-562: The West" in 1435, having previously brought the duchies of Brabant and Limburg as well as the counties of Holland, Zeeland, Friesland, Hainaut and Namur into his possession. His son and successor Charles the Bold (reigned 1467–77) continued to use the same style and title. The title magnus dux or grand duke ( Kunigų kunigas , Didysis kunigaikštis in Lithuanian) has been used by

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2176-476: The connection of many grand-ducal houses to royal ones or as the highest style beneath that of a king (sometimes styled "Royal Highness"). The heir to the throne (a hereditary grand duke) was sometimes styled as "Royal Highness", otherwise as " Grand Ducal Highness " (HGDH). Junior members of the family also generally bore the lower title of prince or princess with the style of "Grand Ducal Highness". However, in other grand duchies (e.g., Oldenburg ), junior members of

2244-402: The emperors of Russia. The daughters and paternal granddaughters of the emperors used a different version of the title ( Великая Княжна , Velikaya Knyazhna ) from females who obtained it as the consorts of Russian grand princes ( Великие Княгини , Velikie Knyagini ). In modern times a Russian Grand Duke or Grand Duchess is styled Imperial Highness . The title grand prince was also used for

2312-631: The family bore the title of duke or duchess, with the style of "Highness" (HH). The Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg styles all its members as "Royal Highness" since 1919, due to their being also cadet members of the Royal and Ducal House of Bourbon-Parma as male-line descendants of Prince Felix of Bourbon-Parma . The Habsburg grand dukes of Tuscany, being members of the imperial family of Austria, were styled as " Imperial and Royal Highness " (HI&RH). Grand dukes and grand duchesses from Russia were styled as " Imperial Highness " (HIH), being members of

2380-509: The fifty-three titles into which the excerpts were divided, only six have survived: de Virtutibus et Vitiis; de Sententiis; de Insidiis; de Strategematis; de Legationibus Gentium ad Romanos; de Legationibus Romanorum ad Gentes . The titles of only about half the remaining forty-seven sections are known. Also amongst his historical works is a history eulogizing the reign and achievements of his grandfather, Basil I ( Vita Basilii , Βίος Βασιλείου). These books are insightful and of interest to

2448-401: The general John Tzimiskes , who one year later captured Samosata , in northern Mesopotamia . An Arab fleet was also destroyed by Greek fire in 957. Constantine had active diplomatic relationships with foreign courts, including those of the caliph of Cordoba Abd ar-Rahman III and of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor . In the autumn of 957 Constantine was visited by Olga of Kiev , regent of

2516-403: The grand principalities of Lithuania , Transylvania and Finland had been for centuries under rulers of other, bigger monarchies, so that the title of grand prince was superseded by the titles "king" and "emperor" there. Ivan IV of Moscow in the 16th century was the last sovereign to reign whose highest title was velikiy knyaz , until he assumed the rank of Tsar of Russia . "Velikiy knyaz"

2584-552: The heading Πρὸς τὸν ἴδιον υἱὸν Ῥωμανόν), De Ceremoniis (Περὶ τῆς Βασιλείου Τάξεως), De Thematibus (Περὶ θεμάτων Άνατολῆς καὶ Δύσεως), and Vita Basilii (Βίος Βασιλείου), though his authorship of the Vita Basilii is not certain. The epithet porphyrogenitus alludes to the Purple chamber of the imperial palace, decorated with porphyry , where legitimate children of reigning emperors were normally born. Constantine

2652-438: The heir apparent to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany . Grand duke Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess ) is a European hereditary title , used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. In status, a grand duke traditionally ranks in order of precedence below an emperor , king , grand prince , archduke , or prince-archbishop , and above a sovereign prince or sovereign duke . The title

2720-465: The historian, sociologist, and anthropologist as a source of information about nations neighbouring the Empire. They also offer a fine insight into the Emperor himself. In his book, A Short History of Byzantium , John Julius Norwich refers to Constantine VII as "The Scholar Emperor". Norwich describes Constantine: He was, we are told, a passionate collector—not only of books and manuscripts but works of art of every kind; more remarkable still for

2788-563: The immediate restitution of all peasant lands, without compensation; by the end of his reign, the condition of the landed peasantry, which formed the foundation of the whole economic and military strength of the Empire, was better off than it had been for a century. In 949, Constantine launched a new fleet of 100 ships (20 dromons , 64 chelandia , and 10 galleys) against the Arab corsairs hiding in Crete , but like his father's attempt to retake

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2856-666: The island in 911, this attempt also failed. On the Eastern frontier things went better, even if with alternate success. In the same year, the Byzantines conquered Germanicea , repeatedly defeated the enemy armies, and in 952 they crossed the upper Euphrates . But in 953, the Hamdanid amir Sayf al-Dawla retook Germanicea and entered the imperial territory. The land in the east was eventually recovered by Nikephoros Phokas , who conquered Adata , in northern Syria , in 958, and by

2924-636: The legitimate successors of the Byzantine-East Roman Emperors. Grand Prince Ivan IV of Muscovy was the last monarch to reign without claiming any higher title, until he finally assumed the style Tsar of Russia in 1547. The rulers of the Turkish vassal state of Transylvania ( German : Siebenbürgen ) used the title of grand prince; this title was later assumed by the Habsburgs after their conquest of Hungary. The Polish kings of

2992-538: The nephew of his predecessor Alexander . Most of his reign was dominated by co-regents: from 913 until 919 he was under the regency of his mother, while from 920 until 945 he shared the throne with Romanos Lekapenos , whose daughter Helena he married, and his sons. Constantine VII is best known for the Geoponika (τά γεοπονικά), an important agronomic treatise compiled during his reign, and three, perhaps four, books; De Administrando Imperio (bearing in Greek

3060-570: The next oldest sibling. This system didn’t last very long, and in 12th century multiple northern princes of the Rurikid Dynasty could compete for their dominance in Kiev. Some of them would prefer to establish themselves as grand dukes independently from Kiev. Another translation of this title would be grand prince. While this term is a more precise translation, it is neither standard nor widely used in English. In German, however, grand duke

3128-568: The personal title of Magnus Dux Portucalensium ("Grand Duke of the Portuguese") and rebelled against his feudal lord, King Bermudo II of León . He was defeated by the royal armies but nevertheless obtained a remarkable autonomy as a Magnus Dux (Grand Duke), leading ultimately to Portuguese independence from the Spanish kingdom of Castille-León. Another example was the line of self-proclaimed grand dukes (legally dukes) of Burgundy in

3196-531: The rulers of Lithuania , who after Jogaila also became kings of Poland . From 1573, both the Latin version and its Polish equivalent wielki książę (literally "grand prince"), the monarchic title of the rulers of Lithuania as well as of (western) Russia, Prussia, Mazovia, Samogithia, Kiev, Volhynia, Podolia, Podlachia, Livonia, Smolensk, Severia and Chernigov (including hollow claims nurtured by ambition), were used as part of their full official monarchic titles by

3264-453: The same century, the purely ceremonial version of the title grand duke in Russia (in fact the western translation of the Russian title "grand prince" granted to the siblings of the tsar ) expanded massively because of the large number of progeny of the ruling House of Romanov during those decades. In the German and Dutch languages, which have separate words for a prince as the issue (child) of

3332-614: The same monarchic precedence as later Western European kings, and thus they were considered lower in rank, particularly in later literature. Grand princes reigned in Central and Eastern Europe, notably among Slavs and Lithuanians. The title "grand prince" translates to velikiy knjaz ( Великий князь ) in Ukrainian and Russian. The Slavic word knjaz and the Lithuanian kunigas (today translated as "priest") are cognates of

3400-733: The subsidiary titles of the Swedish kings, however without any territorial or civic implications, Finland already being a fully integrated part of the Swedish realm. The Holy Roman Empire ruling house of Habsburg instituted a similar Grand Principality in Transylvania ( Siebenburgen ) in 1765. After the Russian conquests, the title continued to be used by the Russian emperor in his role as ruler of Lithuania (1793–1918) and of autonomous Finland (1809–1917) as well. His titulary included, among other titles: "Grand Duke of Smolensk , Volynia , Podolia ", "Lord and Grand Duke of Nizhni Novgorod , Chernigov " etc. A more literal translation of

3468-502: The title of duke had gradually lost status and precedence during the Middle Ages by having been granted to rulers of relatively small fiefs (feudal territories), instead of the large tribal regions or even national territories to which the title was once attached. One of the first examples occurred when Count Gonçalo I Mendes of Portucale (in northwest Portugal and considered as that country's original nucleus) took, in 987,

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3536-479: The title of "grand prince" as well. Next were Moscow , Tver' , Yaroslavl' , Ryazan' , Smolensk , and others, each claiming to be the legitimate successors of the former Kievan Rus' realm. From the 15th century, the Grand Princes of Moscow (Muscovy) started adding "and of all Rus'" to their title until Ivan IV proclaimed himself " tsar of Russia " in 1547. The Lithuanian title Didysis kunigaikštis

3604-608: The title of grand duke, usually at the same time as their inherited fiefs (or fiefs granted by Napoleon) were enlarged by annexed territories previously belonging to enemies defeated on the battlefield. After Napoleon's downfall, the victorious powers who met at the Congress of Vienna , which dealt with the political aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, agreed to abolish the Grand Duchies created by Bonaparte and to create

3672-464: The word king in its original meaning of "ruler". Thus, the literal meaning of Veliki Knjaz and Didysis kunigaikštis was more like "great ruler" than "grand duke". With the growing importance and size of their countries, those monarchs claimed a higher title, such as king or tsar (also spelled "czar" in English) which was derived from the Latin caesar ("emperor") and based on the claim to be

3740-488: Was a common title for imperial generals in the Late Roman Empires (west and east), but note it was lower in rank than comes (the etymological root of count ). Under the latter, exclusively Byzantine theme system , the commander of a theme was often styled a doux instead of the earlier strategos from the 10th century on. The title of "Grand Duke" ( megas doux ) was created by Alexios I Komnenos and

3808-496: Was a court title in the Kingdom of Bosnia , bestowed by the king to highest military commanders, usually reserved for most influential and most capable among highest Bosnian nobility. To interpret it as an office post rather than a court rank could be even more accurate. Unlike usage in Western Europe, Central Europe, or in various Slavic lands from Central to North-East Europe, where analogy between grand duke and grand prince

3876-465: Was also born in this room, although his mother Zoe had not been married to Leo at that time. Nevertheless, the epithet allowed him to underline his position as the legitimate son, as opposed to all others, who claimed the throne during his lifetime. Sons born to a reigning Emperor held precedence in the Eastern Roman line of succession over elder sons not born "in the purple" . Constantine

3944-553: Was born in Constantinople on 17/18 May 905, an illegitimate son of Leo VI before an uncanonical fourth marriage. To help legitimize him, his mother gave birth to him in the Purple Room of the imperial palace, hence his nickname Porphyrogennetos . He was elevated to the throne as a two-year-old child by his father and uncle on 15 May 908 ( Whitsunday ). In early 913, as his uncle Alexander lay dying, he appointed

4012-527: Was conferred upon the commanding admiral of the Byzantine navy . As such, it was an actual office rather than a court rank (although it also became a grade in the court order of precedence under the Palaiologan emperors ), and was always held by one individual. Grand Duke of Bosnia ( Serbo-Croatian : Veliki Vojvoda Bosanski ; Latin : Bosne supremus voivoda / Sicut supremus voivoda regni Bosniae )

4080-803: Was deposed by his sons, the co-emperors Stephen and Constantine . Romanos spent the last years of his life in exile on the Island of Prote as a monk and died on 15 June 948. With the help of his wife, Constantine VII succeeded in removing his brothers-in-law, and on 27 January 945, Constantine VII became sole emperor at the age of 39, after a life spent in the shadow. Several months later, on 6 April ( Easter ), Constantine VII crowned his own son Romanos II co-emperor. Having never exercised executive authority, Constantine remained primarily devoted to his scholarly pursuits and delegated his authority to bureaucrats and generals, as well as to his energetic wife Helena Lekapene. In 947, Constantine VII ordered

4148-569: Was generally translated as Grand Duke in state documents written in Latin ), used in the Slavic and Baltic languages , was the title of a medieval monarch who headed a more-or-less loose confederation whose constituent parts were ruled by lesser knyazs ( often translated as "princes" ) . Those great knyazs' (grand princes') title and position was at the time sometimes translated as king , though kings, princes, and dukes seemingly initially did not exist amongst proto-Slavs and Balts with Knyaz being

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4216-531: Was known as a Großfürst, and in Latin as magnus princeps . With the decline of Kiev under the Mongols in the 13th century, Danylo of Galicia would be crowned as king of Ruthenia to show succession between Kiev and Galicia, while keeping the title of Grand Duke of Kiev. With the expansion of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania into Ukrainian lands, Lithuanian princes would take the title of Grand Dukes of Ruthenia, until their unification with Poland. Throughout

4284-474: Was replaced as regent by the admiral Romanos Lekapenos , who married his daughter Helena Lekapene to Constantine. Romanos used his position to advance to the ranks of basileopatōr in April 919, to kaisar ( Caesar ) on 24 September 920, and finally to co-emperor on 17 December 920. Thus, just short of reaching nominal majority , Constantine was eclipsed by a senior emperor. Constantine's youth had been

4352-509: Was significant, with both titles corresponding to sovereign lower than king but higher than duke. In Bosnia, the title grand duke corresponded more to the Byzantine military title megas doux . It is possible to register some similarities with equivalent titles in neighboring Slavic lands, such as Serbia; however, in neighboring countries, the title duke , in Slavic vojvoda , also had military significance, but in that sense "grand duke"

4420-404: Was specifically, even exclusively, Bosnian title. "Grand duke" is the traditional translation of the title Velyky Knyaz (Великий Князь), which from the 11th century was at first the title of the leading prince ( Kniaz ) of Kievan Rus' , then of several other East Slavic princes. The title of Grand Duke of Kiev was usually given by a father to his eldest son, and with his death passed to

4488-558: Was the title of the monarch of Kievan Rus' , residing in Kiev (modern Kyiv ) from the 10th to 13th centuries. In the 13th century, Kiev became an appanage principality first of the grand prince of Vladimir and the Mongol Golden Horde governors, and later was taken over by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania . In the 13th century, the monarchs of other Rus' principalities which originated as appanages of Kiev, such as Vladimir-Suzdal and Galicia-Volhynia , started claiming

4556-509: Was the title used by contemporary sources to name the leader of the federation of the Hungarian tribes in the 10th century. Constantine VII mentioned Árpád in his book De Administrando Imperio as megas Turkias arkhon , while Bruno of Querfurt referred to Géza in his Sancti Adalberti Pragensis episcopi et martyris vita altera as Ungarorum senior magnus . It was used by Géza and his son and heir Stephen of Hungary . In

4624-414: Was used by the rulers of Lithuania , and after 1569, it was one of two main titles used by the monarch of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . The kings of Poland from the Swedish House of Vasa also used this title for their non-Polish territories. This Lithuanian title was sometimes latinized as Magnus Dux or Grand Duke . In 1582, King Johan III of Sweden added Grand Prince of Finland to

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