graaf

Graaf is a Dutch noble title corresponding to the English word count or earl. The holder is traditionally the ruler of a graafschap, or county, and the title ranks between baron and duke in many medieval European hierarchies. The term originated in the early Middle Ages as a Frankish/Germanic rank for an administrator and military leader appointed over a county. In the Low Countries and surrounding areas, several counts governed regions such as Holland, Zeeland, and Flanders (historically large counties), and the title was granted by sovereigns to nobles responsible for administration, defense, and justice within their domains.

A graaf typically held jurisdiction over lands, towns, and fortifications, dispensed justice, levied taxes, and led feudal levies. The title often carried lands and seats in regional assemblies and, at times, influence at royal or imperial courts. The female form of the title is gravin.

In the Netherlands, the graafschap as a political unit appears in the medieval period; many counts formed dynasties that shaped regional politics. With the gradual centralization of state power and changes in governance, noble privileges diminished, and the legal status of titles became largely honorific. Since the modern era, titles such as graaf are recognized socially and genealogically through heraldic authorities, such as the Dutch Hoge Raad van Adel, but they do not confer automatic political power or legal privileges.

The term graaf is cognate with similar titles in other Germanic languages, such as Graf in German and greve in Scandinavian languages. Today, graaf may appear in surnames or place names and is primarily used in historical contexts to describe former rulers and nobility.