Editing Prince (section)

==== France and the Holy Roman Empire ====
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2016}}
The kings of France started to bestow the style of prince, as a title among the nobility, from the 16th century onwards. These titles were created by elevating a {{Lang|fr|seigneurie}} to the nominal status of a principality—although prerogatives of sovereignty were never conceded in the letters patent. Princely titles self-assumed by the {{Lang|fr|[[prince du sang|princes du sang]]}} and by the {{Lang|fr|[[prince étranger|princes étrangers]]}} were generally tolerated by the king and used at the royal court, outside the [[Parlement of Paris]]. These titles held no official place in the hierarchy of the nobility, but were often treated as ranking just below [[French peerage|ducal peerages]], since they were often inherited (or assumed) by ducal heirs:
* French titles of prince recognized by the king
** Holy Roman Empire states annexed by France
*** Arches-Charleville: in the [[Ardennes]] region, near the border with the Empire
*** Château-Renaud: near Arches-Charleville
*** [[Dombes]]: on the east bank of the [[Rhône]]
*** [[Principality of Orange|Orange]]
*** [[Sedan, France|Sedan]]: held by the [[Duchy of Bouillon|Dukes of Bouillon]]
** Ancient principalities seated in the Kingdom of France
*** Boisbelle, later Henrichemont: in the [[Berry (province)|Berry]] region, a sovereign principality recognized in 1598
*** Luxe: in the [[Béarn]] region, also styled ''Sovereign Count'' ([[cf.]] [[Graf#Gefürsteter Graf|Princely Count]])
*** Yvetot: in the [[Normandy]] region, recognized, nominally, as ''King of Yvetot''
** Principalities created by the King
*** [[Château-Porcien]]: in the [[Ardennes]] region, created in 1561 for the [[House of Croÿ]]
*** [[Prince of Guéméné|Guéméné]]: in [[Brittany]], created in 1667 for the [[House of Rohan]] (title borne by the Duke of Montbazon or his heir)
*** [[Joinville, Haute-Marne|Joinville]]: in the [[Champagne, France|Champagne]] region, created in 1552 for the [[House of Lorraine]]
*** [[Martigues]]: in the [[Provence]] region, created 16th century for [[cadet (genealogy)|cadets]] of the House of Lorraine
*** Mercœur: in the [[Auvergne (province)|Auvergne]] region, created in 1563 for cadets of the [[House of Lorraine]], later a duchy; recreated in 1719
*** Tingry: in the [[Nord-Pas-de-Calais]] region, created in 1587 for the [[House of Luxemburg]]
** The princes of [[prince of Condé|Condé]] and [[prince of Conti|Conti]], heads of [[cadet branch]]es of the French royal [[House of Bourbon]]: used recognized princely titles, but the lordships of Condé and Conti were never formally created principalities by the King
* Unrecognized titles of Prince
** Aigremont
** [[Anet]]: used by the Dukes of Vendôme, then the Dukes of Penthièvre
** [[Antibes]]: claimed by the de Grasse family
** [[Bédeille, Pyrénées-Atlantiques|Bédeille]]: in [[Béarn]]
** [[Bidache]]: in Béarn used by the [[Duke of Gramont|Dukes of Gramont]], but the heir was usually styled Count of Guiche rather than Prince of Bidache
** [[Carency]]: in [[Artois]] (originally a lordship of the House of Bourbon, it was inherited by the Counts of La Vauguyon, who used the style of Prince of Carency for the heir)
** [[Chabanais]]: in [[Angoumois]]; reduced to a marquisate in 1702
** [[Chalais, Dordogne|Chalais]]: in [[Périgord]] (inherited by the elder branch of the [[Talleyrand]] family; Spanish [[Grandee]]ship attached to the title in 1714)
** [[Commercy]]: lordship of [[Lorraine]] (cadets of the [[House of Lorraine]] used the style of Prince of Commercy)
** Courtenay: the [[House of Courtenay]] legitimately descended from [[Louis VI of France]] but was not recognized as {{Lang|fr|princes du sang}} by France's kings. The last branch of the house used the style of Prince of Courtenay from the 17th century. The style passed to the Dukes of Bauffremont.
** [[Elbeuf]]: lordship of [[Normandy]] (younger sons of the [[House of Guise]] used the style of {{Lang|fr|prince d'Elbeuf}}; later a duchy)
** [[Lamballe]]: in [[Brittany]], used by the heir of the [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]] Duke of Penthièvre
** [[Lambesc]]: in [[Provence]], used by various cadets of the House of Guise, notably by the heirs of the Dukes of Elbeuf
** [[Kingdom of León|Léon]]: viscountcy of [[Brittany]] (the heirs of the Dukes of Rohan used the style of Prince of Léon)
** Listenois: in [[Franche-Comté]], used by the Dukes of Bauffremont after the Courtenay inheritance
** [[Marcillac]]: in [[Angoumois]], used by the heir of the [[Duc de La Rochefoucauld|Duke de La Rochefoucauld]]
** Maubuisson: in [[Île-de-France]], used by the Dukes of Rohan-Rohan
** [[Montauban]]: in Brittany, used by various cadets of the [[House of Rohan]]
** [[Montbazon]]: a duchy of the House of Rohan, style of Prince of Montbazon used by various cadets of the House
** [[Mortagne-sur-Gironde|Mortagne]]: in [[Aquitaine]], used by the [[Duke of Richelieu|Dukes of Richelieu]]
** [[Poix-de-Picardie|Poix]]: in [[Picardy]], used by various families, twice raised to a duchy
** [[Pons]]: in [[County of Saintonge|Saintonge]], used by cadets of the House of Guise
** [[Rochefort, Charente-Maritime|Rochefort]]: used by cadets of the House of Rohan
** [[Soubise, Charente-Maritime|Soubise]]: used by head of the second branch of the House of Rohan, also Dukes of Rohan-Rohan
** [[Soyons]]: in [[Dauphiné]], used by cadets of the Dukes of Uzès
** Talmond: in [[Vendée]], used by the Dukes of [[La Trémoïlle]]
** [[Tonnay-Charente]]: used by the heirs of the Dukes of Mortemart
** [[Turenne]]: viscounty of the [[House of La Tour d'Auvergne]], style of Prince de Turenne used by cadets of the house
This can even occur in a monarchy within which an identical but real and substantive feudal title exists, such as ''{{Lang|de|[[Fürst]]}}'' in German. An example of this is:
* [[Otto von Bismarck]] was created [[Prince of Bismarck|Prince von Bismarck]] in the empire of reunited Germany, under the Hohenzollern dynasty.