prince-primate

English

Alternative forms

• prince primate

Etymology

From prince +‎ primate, a calque of German Fürstprimas. In the case of the archbishop of Esztergom, the title derived from his status as primate of Hungary and a prince of the Holy Roman Empire from 1715.

Noun

prince-primate (plural prince-primates or princes-primate)

1. (Roman Catholicism, historical) An honorary title given to an especially prominent archbishop with certain secular prerogatives, in particular:
   1. The archbishop of Esztergom in Hungary.
      • 1884, John Fallon, “From Passau to Pesth, along the Danube. Part II”, in The Irish Monthly, volume 12, page 453:

        Soon, on the right, appears the cathedral of Grann [Esztergom], a miniature of St. Peter’s, in something like red porphyry, built within this century by the prince-primates, at their own private expense […]

      • 2006, Paul Hanebrink, In Defense of Christian Hungary: Religion, Nationalism, and Antisemitism, 1890–1944, →ISBN, page 228:

        These factors may have convinced Pope Pius XII to pass over other figures in the Hungarian Church and select Mindszenty in August 1945 to be cardinal at Esztergom and thus prince-primate of Hungary.

   2. The prince-primate of the Napoleonic Confederation of the Rhine, Karl von Dalberg.
      • 1964, Hajo Holborn, A History of Modern Germany, 1648–1840, page 371:

        The act of the Confederation also seemed to hold forth some hope that the new federation might develop a growing community of its German member states. Apart from the presidency of the prince-primate, it mentioned the establishment of two colleges, those of the kings and princes.

Translations

honorary title given to an especially prominent archbishop with certain secular prerogatives

• Dutch: vorst-primaat
• German: Fürstprimas m
• Hungarian: hercegprímás (hu)