Ritter is the second lowest-ranking title of nobility in German-speaking areas, just above an Edler, considered roughly equal to the title Knight or Baronet.
Ritter is a designation used as a title of nobility in German-speaking areas. Traditionally it denotes the second-lowest rank within the nobility, standing above "Edler" and below "Freiherr" (Baron). For its historical association with warfare and the landed gentry in the Middle Ages, it can be considered roughly equal to the titles of "Knight" or "Baronet".
Edler was until 1919 the lowest rank of nobility in Austria-Hungary and Germany, just beneath a Ritter, but above untitled nobles, who used only the nobiliary particle von before their surname. It was mostly given to civil servants and military officers, as well as those upon whom the lower rank of an Order had been conferred. The noun Edler comes from the adjective edel ("noble"), and translated literally means "noble [person]". In accordance with the rules of German grammar, the word can also appear as Edle, Edlem, or Edlen depending on case, gender, and number.
A knight is a man granted an honorary title of knighthood by a monarch, bishop or other political or religious leader for service to the monarch or a Christian church, especially in a military capacity. Historically, in all Europe, knighthood was conferred upon mounted warriors. During the High Middle Ages, knighthood was considered a class of lower nobility. By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior. Often, a knight was a vassal who served as an elite fighter, a bodyguard or a mercenary for a lord, with payment in the form of land holdings. The lords trusted the knights, who were skilled in battle on horseback.
This list includes only those whose main Wikipedia article includes the titular 'Ritter' in the article name. There are many others whose name could include the title but whose main entry is at the non-titular version of the name.
People whose names include the title Ritter:
- Hans Ritter von Adam (1886–1917), German flying ace in World War I
- Rudolf Ritter von Alt (1812–1905), Austrian landscape and architectural painter
- Carl Ferdinand Ritter von Arlt (1812–1887), Austrian ophthalmologist
- Joseph Calasanza von Arneth (1791–1863), Austrian numismatist and archaeologist
- Alfred Ritter von Arneth (1819–1897), Austrian historian
- Ludwig August Ritter von Benedek (1804–1881), Austrian general, commander at the Battle of Königgrätz
- Jakob Ritter von Danner (1865–1942), Bavarian general, put down the Beer Hall Putsch
- Leopold Ritter von Dittel (1815–1898), Austrian urologist
- Franz Ritter von Epp (1868–1946), officer in the Imperial German Army, early member of the Nazi party
- Paul Johann Anselm Ritter von Feuerbach (1775–1833), German legal scholar
- Georg Ritter von Frauenfeld (1807–1873), Austrian naturalist
- Friedrich Ritter von Friedländer-Malheim (1825–1901), Bohemian-Austrian painter
- Carl Ritter von Ghega (1802–1860), Albania-Italian engineer
- Robert Ritter von Greim (1892–1945), German field marshal during World War II
- Wilhelm Karl Ritter von Haidinger (1795–1871), Austrian mineralogist, geologist, and physicist
- Franz Ritter von Hauer (1822–1899), Austrian geologist
- Ferdinand Ritter von Hebra (1816–1880), Austrian physician and dermatologist
- Gustav Ritter von Kahr (1862–1934), German conservative politician in Bavaria
- Ludwig Ritter von Köchel (1800–1877), Austrian musicologist, catalogued the works of Mozart (K numbers)
- Karl Heinrich Lang, Ritter von Lang (1764–1835), German historian and statesman
- Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb (1876–1956), German field marshal during World War II
- Karl Gottfried Ritter von Leitner (1800–1890), German author, editor, and publicist
- Johann Ritter von Oppolzer (1808–1871), Austrian physician
- Georg Ritter von Schönerer (1842–1921), Austrian politician
- Carl Franz Anton Ritter von Schreibers (1775–1852), Austrian naturalist
- Lorenz Ritter von Stransky (1889–1923), German engineer and early member of the Nazi Party
- Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma (1891–1948), German officer who served in World War I, the Spanish Civil War, and World War II
- Georg Ludwig von Trapp (1880–1947), Austrian naval officer, headed the singing family immortalized in The Sound of Music
- Heinrich Ritter von Zeissberg (1839–1899), Austrian historian
- Johann Georg Ritter von Zimmermann (1728–1795), Swiss philosophical writer and physician
- Anselm Franz von Ritter zu Groenesteyn (1692–1765), Dutch-German government official and architect
- Eduard Ritter von Weber, the German mathematician
Rudolf Ritter von Alt was an Austrian landscape and architectural painter. Born as Rudolf Alt, he could call himself von Alt and bear the title of a Ritter (knight) after he gained nobility in 1889.
Carl Ferdinand Ritter von Arlt was an Austrian ophthalmologist born in Ober-Graupen, a village near Teplitz (Teplice) in Bohemia.
Joseph Calasanza, Ritter von Arneth was an Austrian numismatist and archæologist, born at Leopoldschlag, Upper Austria. He became custodian of the Cabinet of Coins and Antiquities in Vienna, and director of that institution in 1840, in which capacity he rendered very valuable services to the department of numismatics. Among his more important works are:
