Freiherr

"Freiherr" [ˈfʀaɪ̯ˌhɛʁ] (male, abbreviated as Frhr.), "Freifrau" [ˈfʀaɪ̯ˌfʀaʊ̯] (his wife, abbreviated as Frfr.) (literally "free lord" or "free lady") and "Freiin" [ˈfʀaɪ̯ɪn] (his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire, and in its various successor states, including Austria, Prussia, Bavaria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, etc. Traditionally it denotes the second lowest titled rank within the nobility, above Ritter (knight) and Edler (nobility without a specific title) and below Graf (count, earl) and Herzog (duke). The title superseded the earlier medieval form, Edelherr.