Editing Graf (section)

{{short description|Historical title of the German nobility}}
{{other uses}}
{{italic title}}
[[File:Rangkronen-Fig. 18.svg|thumb|160px|Image of a {{lang|de|Grafenkrone}}, the heraldic [[coronet]] of a titular {{lang|de|Graf}}]]
[[File:Princely Hat.svg|thumb|160px|Heraldic headpiece of a [[mediatised houses|mediatised]] {{lang|de|Graf}}]]
'''{{lang|de|Graf}}''' ({{IPA|de|ɡʁaːf|-|De-Graf.ogg}}; feminine: '''{{lang|de|Gräfin}}''' {{IPA|de|ˈɡʁɛːfɪn||De-Gräfin.ogg}}) is a historical [[title]] of the [[German nobility]] and later also of the [[Russian nobility]], usually translated as "[[count]]". Considered to be intermediate among [[noble ranks]], the title is often treated as equivalent to the British title of "[[earl]]" (whose female version is "countess").

The German nobility was gradually divided into high and low nobility. The high nobility included those counts who ruled immediate imperial territories of "[[prince]]ly size and importance" for which they had a seat and vote in the [[Imperial Diet (Holy Roman Empire)|Imperial Diet]].