Herrschaft

In the German feudal system, a Herrschaft was the fiefdom of a lord, who in this area exercised full feudal rights. It is the equivalent of the French term seigneurie and is often translated as "lordship" in English.

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 thus called a Freiherrschaft (barony).