<P> In Italy some important sovereign ducal families were the Visconti and the Sforza, who ruled Milan; the Savoia in Piedmont; the Medici of Florence; the Farnese of Parma and Piacenza; the Cybo - Malaspina of Massa; the Gonzaga of Mantua; the Este of Modena and Ferrara . The maritime republics of Venice and Genoa were ruled by elected Doges, a word which comes from the same Latin root as "Duke". </P> <P> In Germany, important ducal families were the Wittelsbachs in Bavaria, the Welfs in Hannover, the ducal family of Cleves, the Wettins in Saxony (with its Ernestine branch divided into several duchies), the Württembergs, the Mecklenburgs and the Habsburgs in Austria as "Archdukes". In the German Confederation the Nassaus, the Ascanians of Anhalt, the Welf branch of Brunswick and the Ernestine lines of the Saxon duchies were the sovereign ducal families . </P> <P> In the Kingdom of Hungary no ducal principalities existed but duchies were often formed for members of the dynasty as appanages . During the rule of the Árpád dynasty dukes held territorial powers, some of them even minted coins, but later this title became more often nominal . These duchies usually were </P> <Ul> <Li> the Duchy of Nitra </Li> <Li> the Duchy of Bihar </Li> <Li> the Duchy of Transylvania (consisting of the voivodship of Transylvania and some other counties) </Li> </Ul>

What does it mean to be a duke or duchess in england