Barons, viscounts, counts, marquises, dukes

Among the 5th level nobles in England, the earl appeared the earl. Some scholars believe that the earldom came from continental Europe, and by 900 A.D. in France, the count had become a vassal of the duke. However, more scholars believe that the English Earl and the French Count have no inheritance or joint relationship; Moreover, the title of English earl is the only English word among the five noble titles, which is transformed from the Old English eorl; Around the end of the Anglo-Saxon era, large areas of England were divided into several large earldoms due to the lack of royal power. The title of earl was introduced to England in the early 11th century by King Cnut of Denmark. Before the middle of the 11th and 12th centuries, the counts were mostly princes who guarded one side. Most of them governed several counties by one person, so they were also called "Fang Bo". After the Norman Archduke William invaded the British, he was worried that they would be too powerful and endanger the royal power and the unity of the country, so he divided the power of the Earl and handed it over to his cronies. The title of earldom can be inherited by descendants, but the total number will not increase due to the lack of heirs in some counts. During Stephen's reign, he made an exception and added Aufrey to the throne. Morality?? Manville is the Earl of Essex. Since the 14th century, the number of counts has risen. In 1307 there were nine. When Edward III ascended the throne in 1327, there were only 6 left, and 10 years later the number increased to 12; Edward's reign increased to 14. Before the twenties of the 14th century, the count, as a high-ranking nobleman, was the "natural leader" of the barons, and had local responsibility for the management of the barons and knights. However, during the political crisis of 1327 [referring to Edward III's deposition of his mother, Princess Isabella of France, as regent and ascension to power, the counts acted independently as a "self-conscious" political group, and a "sense of distance" from the barons suddenly appeared. After the addition of the county of March by Henry III in 1328, the count was not required to exercise the duties of local administration.

On major formal occasions, the Count wore a crimson velvet coat trimmed with white fur, a soft hat with three mink skins sewn to indicate his knighthood, and a crown with a gold-plated silver ring and eight silver balls on the upper edge; The king, on the other hand, called the count "a truly believable and lovely companion." ”

In the Anglo-Saxon era, the word baron existed, but there was no baronial title, and the meaning of the word was uncertain. It seems to have the meaning of "freeman" or "servant of the king", but it has no meaning of honor. English barons appeared in the 11th century. By the beginning of the 12th century, most of the king's high-ranking secular nobles were made barons. Among them, a few who were close to the royal family and had more fiefs were also called "archbarons", and their status was between earls and barons. Soon, the archbarons were divided, with the illustrious promoted to the rank of earl, and the rest on a par with the common barons. Because of the high proportion of barons among the secular aristocracy at that time, the term "baron" was used as a collective noun for the nobility for a long time. In the 11th and 14th centuries, barons and fiefs could be passed on by blood and marriage, but they could not be sold or transferred at will, and successive kings did not arbitrarily add or deprive them of noble titles. In 1387, Richard II added the title of barony for the first time, Bio Chambo?? Morality?? Haunt was made Baron Kidminster. For hundreds of years, the barons at the end of the 5th rank of nobility have always had the largest number.

On formal occasions, the baron wore the same coat as the count, with two mink skins on the hat and a pale silver ring on the tiara, decorated with 6 silver balls.

In turn is the Duke. As early as the Roman Empire, the title of duke on the continent was usually given to high-ranking commanders who defended their territories and had distinguished military achievements, but were later interrupted by major political changes. A few hundred years later, the dukedom was found in Germany. Around 970 AD, the German Emperor Otto I first established the title of duke. Soon France and other parts of continental Europe also established principalities (duchy; Grand Duchy, Archduchy). In England, the duke was the highest nobility after the king or prince, as distinct from the "archduke" (i.e., archduke) of continental Europe as the lord of a country. The English dukedom appeared very late. In 1337, Edward III elevated Cornwall to a duchy and bestowed the title of duke on the seven-year-old "Black Prince" Edward. The crown prince participated in the Hundred Years' War at the age of 16, and his edge was revealed; In 1355, he went to France to command the war and made great military achievements. His father rewarded him with many titles, such as Prince of Wales in 1343 and Duke of Aquitaine in 1362. In order to highlight the special status of the duke, except for the queen's spouse and the prince, no other prince was allowed to claim the title of king for many years to come, and the highest title of duke could be obtained. Subsequently, Edward III and his successors established the Duchy of Lancaster (1351), the Duchy of Clarence (1362), the Duchy of York and the Duchy of Gloucester (1385), the Duchy of Hereford (1397), the Duchy of Bertford (1413) and the Duchy of Somerset (1443). The leaders of these principalities were all royal relatives, and after they obtained high-ranking titles, they stood out among the nobles and were extraordinary, laying hidden dangers for future competition for royal power, disrupting the dynasty, and creating wars. Since the establishment of the Duchy of Norfolk in 1483, dukedoms have been granted to anyone other than the prince, but principalities have rarely been established. And most of the people who can obtain this highest title are commanders with outstanding military achievements. It is difficult for a politician in the administrative circles to receive this honor, even if he has served for many years and has made remarkable achievements. On formal occasions, the duke also wore a crimson velvet coat with four mink furs on his hat. The crown is adorned with a gold ring and eight red gold leaves. The king, for his part, called the Duke "our true and most beloved companion." ”

Look again at the Marquess (also Marquis). Etymologically, it is derived from the German Markgraf [Castle Marquis; Governor of the Frontier Colonies; Earl] evolved. The original meaning of the marquis is similar to the meaning of the word "Fang Bo", which refers to the feudal officials who rule one place. In England, the Latin word "marquis" originally referred to a lord of the Welsh frontier. At that time, it only meant that their territory was located close to the border, not that their status was higher than that of the earl. In 1385 the meaning changed, the 9th Earl of Oxford, Robert?? Morality?? Will was made Marquess of Dublin. In 1397, John, Earl of Somerset, was made Marquis of Dosit and Marquess of Somerset. The status and degree of honor of the marquis is not clear, and it is about the time between the duke and the earl, and it is not valued. During the reign of Henry VI, John ?? Morality?? Biofort was removed from the title of Marquis by the King, and the House of Commons petitioned the King to restore Biofort's title. But he himself objected to begging the king, saying: "The Marquis is a new honorary title, which is completely unknown to the ancestors." Therefore, it is not wise to ignore it and not to accept it. It was not until the 15th century that the title was firmly maintained as the second rank of the noble titles, and it was valued by the nobility. Compared to the other 4 classes of nobility, the number of marquis has always been the smallest.

On important occasions, the marquis also wore a red velvet coat with three rows of semi-mink on his hat and a silver ring with four gold leaves and four silver balls on his tiara. The king addressed him as he did to the duke.

Among the nobles of the House of Lords, the number of viscounts is the least qualified. The title of viscount originated in France, and was originally a county guard, below the status of a count, but sometimes it could be a powerful prince. In England, in 1440 John of Biomant was made viscount, above all the barons. The viscount's hat has two rows of semi-mink fur, a silver ring on the crown, and 6 silver balls.

Until this time, the British 5th level of nobility was fully formed and became a relatively fixed aristocratic hierarchy.

In academic circles, there is a very popular saying that the British 5th class nobles are the ex-officio members of the House of Lords. The historical truth is not so simple. In the 13th and 15th centuries, although all the great nobles were eligible to attend the House of Lords, they were not allowed to attend each council unless they had a royal edict stamped before each council. Since the 14th century, earls, viscounts, barons, and dukes' sons have been referred to as "lords", and later lords can also refer to marquises, counts, viscounts, and barons below dukes. It has a similar meaning to the word "nobility". In addition, in the United Kingdom, the term "nobility" has always been broadly and narrowly defined. Aristocracy is derived from Greek and Latin. In Greek, it originally meant "outstanding" and "excellent", and could be used to refer to great nobility. But in Latin, which has a broader meaning, the word includes a lesser freeman in addition to a large nobility, and contains derogatory connotations of "stupid" and "mediocre", which is later homographically translated into English to mean a free peasant in military service. From the Norman Conquest to modern times, aristocracy was used to refer to large and small nobles, including knights. After the formation of the 5th level of aristocracy, in order to show the difference, Peers and the collective nouns nobility and Peerage were used to refer to the great nobles of the upper house. Later, in addition to referring to the nobility of the House of Lords, Nobility was sometimes used to refer to important political figures.

Compared with the nobility of Spain, Portugal, Sweden, France and other countries on the European continent, one of the characteristics of the British aristocracy is that it is small in number. For a long time, titles of nobility and the corresponding property and political privileges were held only by the holder of the title himself, whose family members, although members of the noble family, were close to those of ordinary freemen, and were not allowed to sit in the House of Lords. Titles and fiefs of nobility were passed on according to a fairly strict system of primogeniture; If the eldest son dies young, the eldest grandson, second son, youngest son or other family members will replace him in order. If a nobleman has no heirs, his close relatives may inherit his fiefdom in accordance with his will or during his lifetime, and with the approval of the King and the High Court. But in most cases it was the king who took back the title. In general, British titles and titles of nobility cannot be transferred or sold at will. In order to maintain the size of the nobility group and for other reasons, most of the kings would add a moderate amount of nobility.

Once an important person has acquired a title, it is not fixed. If a new person has a distinguished military achievement, outstanding political achievements, or is particularly favored by the king, he can be promoted to a higher rank or receive a new title. In addition, noble marriages are also a good opportunity and way to obtain, add to or improve titles. Because the fiefdom is dazzling and lovely, and is admired by many people in society, those who have noble status and family property, as well as their long-term heirs, can always easily get admirers and suitors. For example, Henry IV, the founder of the Lancastrian dynasty, had the title of duke before his accession to the throne from his mother, Bridge, from his mother. Bridge, the great-granddaughter of Henry III, owned the Earls of Derby, Lincoln and Leicester in addition to the Duchy of Lancaster.

The English fifth-class aristocracy was roughly shaped in the 13th-15th centuries. It is different from the 5-level aristocratic feudal system at the beginning of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. It is not built up at a particular moment, but gradually formed over a long period of time, and eventually becomes customized.

At the beginning of the 14th century, among the royal nobles above the fifth rank of nobility, there was also a rather unique title reserved for the crown prince - "Prince of Wales". The name was first coined by the Prince of Wales, Levelen, who once unified the country. In 1282, King Edward I of England led a large army and fleet against Wales, and Levelen died. Two years later, Wales was annexed to England, and in 1301 Edward added the title of Prince of Wales to the heir to the throne of Britain.

In the late Middle Ages, when the political situation was turbulent and wars continued, in order to make nobles at all levels make meritorious achievements and loyalty to the king under the inspiration of chivalry, the feudal monarchs of Europe not only used the noble titles to bestow their subordinates, but also set up medals and decorations divided into different ranks to reward their military achievements.

In England, the most famous order is the Order of the Garter, founded in the mid-4th century. Legend has it that Edward III established the title to commemorate a seemingly unrelated event. At a ball celebrating the capture of Calais, the beautiful Countess of Salisbury dropped a blue garter, which was picked up by Edward III and wrapped around her lap. Later these words became the motto of the King's founding of the Garter Order and the awarding of the Order of Garter in 1449, and it appeared on the medal along with the blue garter and the cross of St. George, inspiring the samurai to fight in defiance of death in war, which at the time was mainly the Hundred Years' War. Edward himself was a member of the Garter Knights. He and his favorite samurai discussed around the round table, dined together, and presided over the samurai's martial arts many times, which revived the declining chivalry. and made the Order of the Garter the most attractive noble medal in Britain in the future.

The origin of the nobility of continental Europe is roughly as follows: in the beginning, there were only dukes, counts, and barons. Among them, the duke is supposed to be the provincial administrative or military governor after Diocletian reformed the Roman provinces, and was later used by the barbarians to refer to the great lord. The Count was the commander of the army of the Clovis dynasty. But because often with military service granted territories, he also became a lord. Baron is an honorific title for the dignitaries of the court. The viscount and the marquis were created as vice-earls and vice-dukes, respectively. These titles were also inherited as fiefs during the annexation of the fiefs in the Carolingian era, and gradually became knighthoods (just as the Elector of the Rhine-Baradin was himself a Count of the Imperial Palace, but he was also the head of the Emperor's stables). The Marquis of Brandenburg, like the Emperor's courtiers, had the title of fief, but there were too few people to become knights). Therefore, many nobles who have a territory but do not have an official title take the territory as their title. Add an infix in between. Translated to Mr. So-and-so in such and such a place. Many famous families, including the Bourbon family, which would later reign in half of Europe, were originally from these untitled families.

Titles in foreign countries

When you read Shakespeare's comedy The Merchant of Venice, you will be greeted by the Duke of Venice who presided over the court trial, and the Count of Barratin, the British Baron Fogenburg, the German Duke of Saxon, and so on. Readers who are new to foreign literature are often dazzled and confused by these titles. Therefore, understanding a little about the origin and connotation of foreign titles is essential knowledge for reading foreign literary works.

Titles were a hierarchical system of feudal nobility within European feudal monarchies. It first appeared in the Middle Ages and continues to be used in some countries in modern times. Generally, the level of the sub-title is determined by the amount of land occupied, which can be mainly divided into five categories: duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron.

Duke: Among the nobility, the duke is the first rank and has the highest status. The origin of this title is threefold: first, the military chief of the Germanic tribes during the disintegration of European clan societies; the second was the military chief of the ancient Roman tribes; The third is the border province general in the ancient Roman era, and later referred to the local military and political chief, whose Latin originally meant "commander-in-chief". With the development of feudal relations and the strengthening of royal power, the duke became the upper echelon of the ruling class. In England, dukes were originally given titles by King Edward III in the 14th century, and all the people who were crowned dukes were members of the royal family. It was only in the fifteenth century that this practice was broken, and a small number of non-royal members were made dukes.

Marquises: Marquis is the second rank of nobility. During the reign of Charlemagne, it referred to the governor of the border with special powers, equivalent to a vassal prince, and after the division of Charlemagne's empire, it became an independent large feudal lord. After the feudal monarchy was strengthened, the marquis became a title between duke and count, and its status was equal to that of other counts, and it was not until the tenth to the fourteenth century that the status of the marquis was confirmed above the earl.

Count: In the Roman Empire, the count was the emperor's attendant, in charge of the military, civil, and financial powers, and sometimes served as a local official. Later, its status gradually declined, between the marquis and the viscount, and it was the third estate of the nobility. In England, the title of earl is the longest, and it was the highest title in England until the Black Prince Edward was made a duke in 1237. The name comes from Denmark in Scandinavia.

Viscount: Originally a state official in the Frankish Kingdom, the viscount was first given by King Charlemagne in the eighth century and later spread to other continental European countries. At first, the viscount was the earl's deputy, and later it stood on its own and could also be hereditary. The viscount title was not introduced to England until the fifteenth century, and Beaumond?? John was the first to be made an English viscount in 1440, and his status was above that of a baron.

Baron: A baron is the lowest rank of the noble titles. In the 11th-12th centuries, it was a direct vassal of the kings of European monarchies or large feudal lords. In English, the word Baron, introduced by the Normans during the conquest of the European continent, originally meant "just an ordinary man", which later evolved into "a powerful man". At that time, the great tenants of England who received land directly from the king could be called barons, but this was not divided by the king. By 1387 Richard II John ?? It was only after Beecham became a baron that the baron became the official title of the British nobility.

Among the five titles of nobility mentioned above, they are divided into two categories: hereditary nobility and lifelong nobility according to whether they can be passed on to future generations. Hereditary nobility can be inherited by the eldest son after death, and lifelong nobility can only be held by the person while he is alive, and his son cannot inherit after death. The uncle of the English poet Byron was a hereditary nobleman, and after his death, his nephew Byron received a hereditary title. The young baron Fogenburgi in The Merchant of Venice also falls into this category.

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