PRINCE, a title implying either political power or social rank. The Latin word princeps originally signified merely "the first." As an honorary title it was applied in the Roman republic to the princeps senatus, i.e., the senator who stood first on the censor's list, and the princeps juventutis, i.e., the first on the roll of the equestrian order. The assumption of the style of princeps senatus by Augustus (q.v.) first associated the word with the idea of sovereignty and dominion, but throughout the period of the em pire it is still used as a title of certain civil or military officials; while in the middle ages it is applied vaguely in charters to the magnates of the State or the high officials of the palace, principes being treated as the equivalent of proceres, optimates or senores. In the Visigothic and Lombard codes princeps is the equivalent of rex or imperator.
From Italy the use of the title spread—first, with the crusaders, to the Holy Land, where Bohemund, son of Tancred, took the style of prince of Antioch ; next, with the Latin conquerors, into the East Roman empire, where in 1205 William de Champlette, a cadet of the House of Champagne, founded the principality of Achaea and the Morea. This example was followed by lesser mag nates, who styled themselves loosely, or were so styled by the chroniclers, "princes." From the East the fashion was carried back to France ; but there the erection of certain fiefs into "principali ties," which became common in the 15th and 16th centuries, cer tainly implied no independent sovereignty, and the title of "prince" ranked below that of "duke," being sometimes borne by cadet branches of ducal houses. On the other hand, the title of "prince" was borne from the time of Charles VII. or Louis XI. by the sons of the royal house, so-called "princes of the blood," who took precedence in due order after the king. To these were added, from the time of Louis XIV., the princes legitimes, recognized bastards of the sovereign.
In Germany, Austria and other countries formerly embraced in the Holy Roman empire the title of "prince" had a somewhat different history. During the first period of the empire, the "princes" were the whole body of the optimates who took rank next to the emperor. In the I 1 th century, with the growth of feudalism, all feudatories holding in fief of the Crown ranked as "princes." Towards the end of the izth century, however, the
order of princes (Fiirstenstand) was narrowed to the more impor tant spiritual and temporal feudatories who had a right to a seat in the diet of the empire in the "college of princes" (Fiirstenbank). Finally, in the 13th century, seven of the most powerful of these separated themselves into a college which obtained the sole right of electing the emperor. These were called "prince electors" (Kurfiirsten), and formed the highest rank of the German princes (see ELECTOR). The formal designation of "prince" (Furst) was, however, extremely rare in Germany in the middle ages ; but in the i 7th and centuries the number of princi palities was increased.
Thus, in Germany, with the decay of the empire the title "prince" received a sovereign connotation, though it ranked, as in France, below that of "duke." There were, however, in the coun tries formerly embraced in the Holy Roman empire other classes of "princes." Some of these inherited titles, sovereign under the old empire, but "mediatized" during the years of its collapse at the beginning of the 19th century ; others received the title of "prince" at the end of the empire as "compensation" for ceded territories. There were also in Austria and Germany "princes," created by the various German sovereigns, and some dating from the period of the old empire, who took a lower rank, as not being "princes of the Holy Roman empire" nor entitled to any royal privileges. Some of these titles were bestowed to give rank to the morganatic wives and children of royal princes ; others as a reward for distinguished service, e.g., Hardenberg, Blucher, Bis marck. In this latter case the rule of primogeniture was usual, the younger sons taking the title of "count" (Graf). All these princes were styled Fiirst, having the predicate "Serene Highness" (Durchlaucht). The word Prinz, actually synonymous with Furst, was reserved as the title of the non-reigning members of sovereign houses and, with certain exceptions (e.g., Bavaria), for the cadets of mediatized ducal and princely families. The heir to a throne was "crown prince" (Kronprinz), "hereditary grand duke" (Erb grossherzog) or "hereditary prince" (Erbprinz). The heir to the crown of Prussia, when not the son of the monarch, had the title of "prince of Prussia" (Prinz von Preussen).