burgrave

American  

[bur-greyv] / ˈbɜr greɪv /

noun

German History.

1. the appointed head of a fortress.

2. the hereditary governor of a castle or town.

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burgrave British  

/ ˈbɜːɡreɪv /

noun

1. the military governor of a German town or castle, esp in the 12th and 13th centuries

2. a nobleman ruling a German town or castle by hereditary right

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Etymology

Origin of burgrave

1540–50; < German Burggraf, equivalent to Burg castle, town + Graf count

Example Sentences

It is still included among the subsidiary titles of several sovereign princes; and the king of Prussia, whose ancestors were burgraves of Nuremberg for over 200 years, is still styled burgrave of Nuremberg.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4 "Bulgaria" to "Calgary" by Various

In 1415-18, Frederick of Hohenzollern, burgrave of Nuremberg, was invested with the margravate of Brandenburg and the electoral dignity.

From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 17, No. 101, May, 1876 by Various

The great Bohemian nobles, and in particular the supreme burgrave, Zdeněk Leo, lord of Rožmital, ruled the country almost without control.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 2 "Bohemia" to "Borgia, Francis" by Various

In 1427 he sold his rights as burgrave to the town of Nuremberg, and he was a prominent member of the band of electors who sought to impose reforms upon Sigismund.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 1 "Franciscans" to "French Language" by Various

The Franconian branch of the Hohenzollerns was represented in 1227 by Conrad, burgrave of Nuremberg, whom the emperor Frederick II. appointed guardian of his son Henry, and administrator of Austria.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 5 "Hinduism" to "Home, Earls of" by Various