 In 1671 a new titled higher nobility was introduced with the ranks of count and baron available for families that owned estates with a minimum of 2,500 and 1,000 barrels of land hartkorn respectively and were willing to allocate them as feudal counties and baronies to be inherited by primogeniture with the possessor receiving the title of lensgreve (literally "fief count") or lensbaron (literally "fief baron").Despite their patents - which in reality were subjugations to a nascent absolutist state, most nobles who were elevated to the titled nobility by the post 1671 patents came from families that had belonged to the higher nobility prior to the introduction of absolutism, such as Brahe or Rantzau.The title of duke being restricted to the royal family and their relatives is in contrast to German and French usage.