imperial family Non-ruling members of the imperial family held various titles: The wife of the emperor (Kaiser) bore the title of empress (Kaiserin) and was styled Her Imperial Majesty. Agnates of the imperial family and their authorized wives bore the title of archduke/archduchess (Erzherzog/Erzherzogin) and styled Imperial and Royal Highness (Kaiserliche und königliche Hoheit). Legitimate but morganatic descendants of the imperial family were excluded from the line of succession, but might sometimes receive lesser titles with noble rather than royal prerogatives, e.g.: Prince von Hohenberg, later further created duke (Herzog) and styled Highness (Hoheit) Prince von Montenuovo, Duke of Reichstadt, Margrave von Burgau, Count von Meran, Titles of mediatized nobility (English titles with German equivalents) Prince/Princess of the Holy Roman Empire (Reichsfürst/Reichsfürstin) Imperial Count/Countess (Reichsgraf/Reichsgräfin) A title with the prefix Reichs- indicates its being granted by a past Holy Roman Emperor, ranking above other titles of the same or higher nominal rank. Titles of higher nobility (English titles with German equivalents) Prince/Princess (Fürst/Fürstin) Margrave/Margravine (Markgraf/Markgräfin) Count/Countess (Graf/Gräfin) Titles of lower nobility (English titles with German equivalents) Baron/Baroness (Freiherr/Freifrau and Freiin) Knight (Ritter) (no female version existed) Edler/Edle In German, a distinction between baronesses exists, a Freifrau being a baroness by marriage and Freiin being a baroness by birth. The title of Ritter is equivalent to the British baronet (i.e., hereditary knight), and Edler means "noble". Use of nobiliary particles, such as the prepositions "von", "zu", variations such as "van" and "vom", or combinations ("von und zu"), common until after World War I (non-German-speaking nobility preferred to use "de"), were also banned by the 1919 Law on the Abolition of Nobility. Titles of nobility Below is an incomplete list of Austrian noble families, listed by rank of title. Note that some members of a family were sometimes given higher titles by the emperor because of merit. Titles, styles, and rights could only be conferred by the monarch. In some cases, they could even be revoked because of fall from favour. Fürst/Fürstin (prince/princess) The style of address was usually "Serene Highness" (Durchlaucht) or the lower style of "Princely Grace" (Fürstliche Gnaden). Although Herzog ("duke") was officially a higher title than Fürst, the former was rare in Austria, except among sovereign and mediatized houses (e.g., the House of Liechtenstein as Herzog von Jägerndorf und Troppau, and the House of Croÿ as Herzog von Croÿ). The princely title was the most prestigious of the