- published: 05 Jun 2015
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In the 19th century Junker (/ˈjʊŋkər/YUUNG-kər; German: [ˈjʊŋkɐ]) was an often pejorative designation for a member of the landed nobility in Prussia and eastern Germany (East Elbia).
Junker is derived from Middle High German Juncherre, meaning "young lord" (derivation of jung and Herr), and originally was the title of members of the higher edelfrei (immediate) nobility without or before the accolade. It evolved to a general denotation of a young or lesser noble, often poor and politically insignificant, understood as "country squire" (cf. Martin Luther's disguise as "Junker Jörg" at the Wartburg; he would later mock King Henry VIII of England as "Junker Heinz"). As part of the nobility, many Junker families only had prepositions such as von or zu before their family names without further ranks. The abbreviation of Junker was Jkr., most often placed before the given name and titles, for example: Jkr. Heinrich von Hohenberg. The female equivalent Junkfrau (Jkfr.) was used only sporadically. In some cases, the honorific Jkr. was also used for Freiherren (Barons) and Grafen (Counts).