Editing Duke (section)

=== Greece ===
The Byzantines retained the title ''dux'', transcribed as δούξ (''doux'') in [[Medieval Greek]]. As in the later Roman Empire, it remained a military office and was not a feudal or hereditary rank. In the 10th century, it was given to the military commanders over several ''[[Theme (Byzantine district)|themata]]'' (also known as ''[[katepano]]''), and in the late 11th century it became used for the governor of a ''thema''.

When the Catholic crusaders overran the Byzantine Empire in the [[Fourth Crusade]], they installed several [[crusader state]]s (see [[Frankokratia]]), some of which were of ducal rank:
* the [[Duchy of Athens]], to which the [[Duchy of Neopatras]] was later linked
* the Aegean insular [[Duchy of Naxos]], officially the "Duchy of the Archipelago"
* the [[Venetian Crete|Venetian colony of Crete]] (Candia) was initially ruled by the [[Duke of Candia]]

In Italy and other western countries, the later Byzantine [[appanage]]s of the [[Palaiologan period]] were sometimes translated as duchies: the [[Despotate of the Morea|Morea]], [[Mesembria]], [[Selymbria]] and [[Thessaloniki]]. The Greek rank of their holders, however, was that of ''[[despotes]]''.

In the independent [[Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg)|Kingdom of Greece]], the style of [[Duke of Sparta]] was instituted in 1868 upon the birth of the future [[Constantine I of Greece|Constantine I]] as a distinct title for the [[Crown Prince of Greece]].