The pages of any English novel about bygone days are full of "sirs", "lords", "princes" and "counts", although these persons constituted only a small stratum of the entire English society - the English nobility. In this social stratum, everyone was subject to a rigid hierarchy that had to be known and observed in order not to be at the center of a scandal.
Noble Title System
The system of noble ranks in Great Britain was called the "peerage". The whole society is divided into "peers" and "everyone else". Peers are called English people who have a title, while other people (without high ranks) are considered commoners by default. Most of the English aristocracy also belonged to "everyone else", because peers are nobility.
All honors for the British aristocracy in accordance with the title come from the sovereign, who is called the source of honor. This is the head of state, the head of the Catholic Church or the dynasty that previously ruled but was overthrown by force, who have the exclusive right to assign titles.other persons. In the United Kingdom, this source of honor is the king or queen.
The list of English titles is fundamentally different from the continental ones. The English tacit tradition considers any person who is not a peer, a sovereign and does not have a title, to be a commoner. In England (but not in Scotland, where the legal system is as close as possible to the continental one), members of the family of peers can be considered commoners, although, from the point of view of law and common sense, they still belong to the junior nobility. That is, not the whole family, as in the continental and Scottish traditions, is classified as nobility, but individuals.
Parts of the Peerage
English titles refer to all created by the kings and queens of England prior to 1707, when the Act of Union was passed. The Peerage of Scotland (all titles before 1707), the Peerage of Ireland (before 1800 and additionally some later titles), the Peerage of Great Britain (all titles created between 1701 and 1801) stand out separately. Most English titles created after 1801 are in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
After the conclusion of the Act of Union with Scotland, an agreement appeared, according to which all Scottish peers were able to sit in the House of Lords and elect sixteen representatives. Elections ended in 1963, when all peers were given the right to sit in Parliament. The same situation happened with Ireland: from 1801 Ireland was allowed to have twenty-nine representatives, but the elections were canceledin 1922.
Historical background
Modern English titles trace their history back to the conquest of England by the illegitimate William the Conqueror, one of Europe's greatest political figures of the eleventh century. He divided the country into "manors" (lands), the owners of which were called barons. Those who owned many lands at once were called "great barons". The lesser barons were summoned to the royal councils by the sheriffs, the greater ones were invited individually by the sovereign.
In the middle of the thirteenth century, the lesser barons ceased to convene, and the greater formed a government body, which was the forerunner of the House of Lords. The crown was hereditary, so it would be normal for seats in the House of Lords to be hereditary too. So by the beginning of the fourteenth century, the hereditary rights of holders of English titles had expanded significantly.
Life peerages were often created before, but such a measure was not legally introduced until 1876, when the Appeal Jurisdiction Act was passed. Barons and counts date back to feudal times, perhaps even to the Anglo-Saxon era. The ranks of marquis and duke were first introduced in the fourteenth century, viscounts appeared in the fifteenth.
Hierarchy by title creation time
In the entire existing hierarchy, the old ranks are considered higher. The ownership of the title is also decisive. English titles are ranked higher, followed by Scottish and Irish titles. So,an Irish earl with a title created before 1707 lower than an English earl. An Irish earl would be higher in title than a British earl with a post-1707 title.
Royals and Monarch
At the top is the reigning monarch's family, which has its own hierarchy. The British royal family includes the reigning monarch and a group of his close relatives. Family members are the Queen, his spouse, the monarch's dowager, the male children and grandchildren of the King or Queen, the spouses or widowed spouses of the King's or Queen's male heirs.
Today's Queen Elizabeth II has been ruling for more than half a century. She became queen on February 6, 1952. On this day, the twenty-five-year-old daughter of George VI, upset, but not losing her temper in public, ascended the throne. The full title of the Queen of England consists of twenty-three words. After ascending the throne, the spouses Elizabeth II and Philip were given the titles of Her and His Royal Majesty, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
Hierarchy of titles by importance
Further, the English titles are in order as follows:
- The Duke and Duchess. This title began to be awarded in 1337. The word "duke" comes from the Latin "leader". This is the highest title of nobility after the monarch. Dukes govern the duchies and form the second rank after the princes of the reigning monarch's family.
- Marquis and Marquise. Titles for the first timebegan to appropriate in 1385. The marquis in the hierarchy is between the duke and the count. The name comes from the designation of certain territories (the French "mark" means border territory). In addition to marquesses, the title is given to the sons and daughters of dukes and duchesses.
- Count and Countess. Titles were used from 800-1000. These members of the English nobility previously ruled their own counties, tried cases in the courts, collected taxes and fines from the local population. The daughter of a marquis, the eldest son of a marquis, the youngest son of a duke were honored with their own county.
- Viscount and Viscountess. The title was first awarded in 1440. The title of "deputy count" (from Latin) was given to the eldest son of a count during his father's lifetime and to the younger sons of a marquis as a courtesy title.
- Baron and Baroness. One of the oldest titles - the first barons and baronesses appeared in 1066. The name comes from "free lord" in Old German. This is the lowest rank in the hierarchy. The English title was given to the holders of feudal baronies, the youngest son of an earl, the sons of viscounts and barons.
- Baronet. The title is inherited, but the baronet does not belong to titled persons, does not have a female variant. Baronets do not enjoy the privileges of the nobility. The title is given to the eldest children of the younger sons of various peers, sons of baronets.
English titles in ascending order and the rules of court etiquette are known to all representatives of the nobility. The system has been in place for a long time and is still in operation. English titles of the 20th century do not differ from modern ones, new titles toonot going to enter yet.
Appeal to representatives of the nobility
The combination "Your Majesty" is considered to be a common address to the reigning monarch. Dukes and duchesses are referred to as "Your Grace" along with the use of the title. The rest of the titled persons are addressed as "lord" or "lady", an address by rank may be used. In the system of English titles from the 19th century, not only large landowners, as was the case before, but also owners of significant capital began to be called lords. Non- titled persons (including baronets) are referred to as "sir" or "lady".
Privileges of titled persons
Previously, the privileges of titled persons were very significant, but today there are quite a few exclusive rights left. Counts, marquises, dukes, barons and others have the right to sit in parliament, to receive personal access to the reigning monarch (this right, by the way, has not been used for a long time), not to be arrested (the right has been used twice since 1945). All peers have special crowns that are used for sitting in the House of Lords and coronations.
Features of female titles
As a rule, a man became the owner of the title. Only in certain situations could the title belong to a female representative if transmission through the female line was acceptable. But this is rather an exception to the rule. A woman occupies a place determined by the title of her husband. So, a lady could become a countess if she married a count,marquise, becoming the wife of the marquis, and so on. In most cases, women's titles are "courtesy titles". The holder of a high rank did not receive the privileges that are due to the holder of the title.
Some titles could be passed "by right", that is, by inheritance through the female line. A woman could become something like a " title holder" in order to pass the title to her eldest son after herself. In the absence of a direct male heir, the title passed on the same terms to the next heiress. In some cases, a woman could receive a title “by right”, but at the same time she did not have the right to sit in the English Parliament and hold the corresponding posts.
