COUNT, Comes, a nobleman who possesses a domain erected into a county. English and Scottish counts we distinguish by the title of Earls; foreign ones still retain their proper designation. The dignity of count is intermediate between that of duke and baron. According to the modern use, most plenipotentiaries and ambassadors assume the title of counts though they have no county. Anciently, all generals, counsellors, judges, and secretaries of cities under Charlemagne were called counts; the distinguishing character of a duke and count being this, that the latter had but one town under him, whereas the former had several.
A count has a right to bear on his arms a coronet, adorned with three precious stones, and surmounted with three large pearls, those in the middle and extremities of the coronet advancing above the rest.
Counts were originally lords of the court, or of the emperor's retinue, and had their name of comites either a comitando or a commendo; and hence those who were always in the palace, or at the emperor's side, were called counts palatine, or comites a latere.
In the times of the commonwealth, comites among the Romans was a general name for all those who accompanied the proconsuls and propraetors into the provinces, there to serve the commonwealth; as the tribunes, prefects, scribes, and others.
Under the emperors, comites were the officers of the palace. The origin of what we now call counts seems to date from the time of Augustus, who took several senators as his comites, that is, to accompany him in his voyages and travels, and to assist him in the hearing of causes, which were thus judged with the same authority as in full senate. But Gallienus seems to have abolished this council, by forbidding the senators to appear in the armies; and none of his successors re-established it.
These counsellors of the emperor were really comites, or companions of the prince; and they sometimes took the title accordingly, but always with the addition of the name of the emperor whom they accompanied; so that it was rather a mark of their office than a title of dignity. Constantine was the first who converted it into a dignity, and under him the name was first given absolutely. But the title being once established, it was in a little time indifferently conferred, not only on those who followed the court, and accompanied the emperor, but also on most kinds of officers, a long list of whom is given by Du Cange.
Eusebius tells us that Constantine divided the counts into three classes: the first bore the title of illustres; the second that of clarissimi, and afterwards spectabiles; whilst the third were called perfectissimi. Of the first two classes the senate was composed; those of the third had no place in the senate, but enjoyed several other of the privileges of senators.
There were counts who served on land, and others at sea: some in a civil, some in a religious, and some in a legal capacity; as comes ararii, comes sacrarum largitionum, comes ueri consistorii, comes curiae, comes capella, comes archiatrorum, comes commerciorum, comes vestiarum, comes hortorum, comes opsoniorum vel annonae, comes domesticorum, comes equorum regionum vel comes stabuli, comes domorum, comes excubitorum, comes notariorum, comes legum
vel professor in jure, comes limitum vel marcarum, comes portus Romae, comes patrimoni, and so on.
The Franks, Germans, and other nations, on passing into Gaul and Germany, did not abolish the form of the Roman government; and as the governors of cities and provinces were called counts, comites, and dukes, duces, they continued to be so designated. They commanded during war, and in time of peace they administered justice. Thus, under Charlemagne, counts were the ordinary judges and governors of the cities.
These counts of cities ranked below the dukes and counts who presided over provinces. The counts of provinces were in nothing inferior to dukes, who themselves were only governors of provinces. Under the last of the second race of French kings, their dignity was rendered hereditary, and they even usurped the sovereignty. When Hugh Capet came to the crown, his authority was not sufficient to oppose their encroachments; and hence it is that they date the privilege of wearing coronets in their arms. They assumed it then, as enjoying the rights of sovereigns in their particular districts or counties; but by degrees most of the counties became reunited to the crown.
The quality of count has now become very different from what it was anciently, being no more than a title, which a king grants upon erecting a territory into a county, with a reserve of jurisdiction and sovereignty to himself. At first there was no clause in the patent of erection intimating the reversion of the county to the crown in default of heirs male; but Charles IX. to prevent their being too numerous, ordained that duchies and counties, in default of heirs male, should revert to the crown.
The point of precedence between counts and marquis was formerly much controverted; and the reason was, that there were counts who were peers of France, but no marquis. The point, however, was given up, and marquis took precedence; although anciently, when counts were governors of provinces, they were on a level even with dukes.
William the Conqueror, as is observed by Camden, gave the dignity of counts in fee to his nobles, annexing it to this or that county or province, and allotting for their maintenance a certain proportion of money arising from the prince's profits in the pleadings and forfeitures of the provinces.
The Germans call a count graef or graff, which properly signifies judge, and is derived from gravio or graffio, formed from graffa, I write. They have several kinds of counts or graffs, as land-graves, march-graves, burg-graves, and palse-graves or counts palatine. These last are of two kinds; the one of the number of princes, with the investiture of a palatinate, while the others have only the title of count palatine, without the investiture of any palatinate. Some assert that, by publicly professing the imperial laws for twenty years, a person acquires the title of count palatine; and there are instances of professors in law who have assumed the title accordingly; but this right has been much disputed.