Herrschaft (territory)

In the German feudal system, a Herrschaft, equivalent of the French term seigneurie and often translated as lordship in English, was the fiefdom of a lord, who in this area exercised full feudal rights. In the feudal ranking of the Holy Roman Empire it was the lowest rank in which a nobleman could exercise feudal rights. The next higher rank was that of a Freiherr (baron). His territory was then called a Freiherrschaft (barony).