On the titles of the English nobility. What is nobility? Hierarchy of titles from Knight to King

Names of titles are chosen from France. Why from there? Because among the peoples it is the French names that are used most often. Except for some used in Russia. And on this page we will tell you who is into what.

Titles and titles, as a rule, are presented in order: from the highest to the simplest. Titles going from Emperors to Chevaliers (Knights) are usually called nobility. For reference: The nobleman is one of the upper classes of the feudal society (along with the clergy), which was in the service of the monarch and carried out state activities. In other words, a nobleman is a person in the service of a court, usually a prince or tsar.

Emperor- the title of a monarch or several monarchs at once, the head of an empire. The emperor is usually the owner of several countries or peoples at once. As a rule, he takes lands of his own free will. The highest title in existence. Feminine - Empress.

Caesar (Russian – Tsar) - an autocratic sovereign, the owner of a kingdom or a large state. A king is a person chosen by God, the people, etc. Usually associated with the highest dignity of the emperor. In Russia, by the way, the current "tsar" is currently called the president, but in fact this is not so. The king, as a rule, takes over the whole country, and the president leads the country through others. Feminine - Queen.

King- the title of a monarch, usually hereditary, but sometimes elective, the head of a kingdom or a small state. Feminine - Queen.

Prince- who it? It seems that everyone knows, but I’ll tell you anyway: this is the son of a monarch (king, king or emperor). And when the king dies, the prince takes his place, being the new king. Feminine - Princess.

duke (Russian – Prince) - the leader of the army and the ruler of the region. The head of a feudal monarchical state or a separate political entity, a representative of the feudal aristocracy. The highest title of nobility. Feminine - Duchess or Princess.

marquis (Russian – Zemsky Boyar) - a title of nobility above the count, but below the duke. The marquis usually became the counts who had served the king and had received permission to rule the boundary mark (administrative unit). Hence, by the way, the name of the title. Feminine - Marquise or Boyarynya.

Graph (Russian – Prince Boyar) is a title of nobility in Western Europe and pre-revolutionary Russia. Initially, it denoted the highest official, but since the time of the Norman kings it has turned into an honorary title. As a rule, above the baron and viscount, but below the marquis and duke. Feminine - Countess.

Viscount- a member of the European nobility, middle between a baron and a count. As a rule, the eldest son of a count (during his father's lifetime) bears the title of viscount. In the Russian nobility, the title of viscount is absent. Feminine - Viscountess.

Baron (Russian – Barin or boyar) - a title of nobility, standing below the count and viscount. A noble person, in the narrow sense, the highest stratum of feudal society. In medieval feudal Western Europe - a large sovereign nobleman and feudal seigneur, later - an honorary title of nobility. Feminine - Baroness or Boyar.

Chevalier (Russian – Knight) - he is also a Knight as well. The most junior title of nobility that had land. Formally, they were not considered nobles and were not included in high society, but at the same time they were blue-blooded persons and still were nobles.

Gentleman- originally the word "gentleman" meant a man of noble birth, this was the basic definition of an aristocrat, the next title was Esquire. But then they began to call an educated and well-mannered man, respectable and balanced. Gentleman, as a rule, does not apply to the title of nobility. And there is no female counterpart to the word "Gentleman". They are called Lady.

Lord- this is not a title, but a common name for representatives of the upper class. Lord off English means "ruler". They can be called any ruler, regardless of rank. Although, if we talk about Great Britain, then Lord is still a title, but in other nations, dukes, marquises, earls, etc. are also called lords.

At the end of March, Joan Collins celebrated an important event on a grand scale: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II dedicated the actress to ... knights. Of course, Joan will not wear armor and a sword, but now the actress has the title of "lady of cavalry" - the female equivalent of a knighthood. My agent called and said that they sent me a letter from Buckingham Palace with a proposal to take the title of lady, Collins told HELLO!. - But the envelope was lost among the letters from fans, it was discovered only a week after receipt. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to say yes. Fortunately, it was not too late.

Joan Collins

For many centuries, English monarchs have knighted their subjects in recognition of military merit. Most knights belong to orders: the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Bath, the Order of the Thistle... However, there is a class of knights who do not belong to any order: they are called bachelors, and they appeared back in the 13th century during the time of King Henry III. Then these warriors, although they were called sirs, did not have the right to their own banner and their own detachment of knights.

Times are changing, and now any man can become a knight bachelor thanks to his achievements, which have nothing to do with war and palace coups. Moreover, in modern Britain, women are also encouraged (they are ordained ladies). So, Paul McCartney, Sean Connery, Patrick Stewart, Judi Dench and Helen Mirren received royal recognition for their services to the arts. As a rule, along with the title, the Queen gives the lucky person the Order of the British Empire. Unlike her colleagues in show business, Angelina Jolie received the Order of St. Michael and St. George not for her acting successes, but for her humanitarian work. The actress was also awarded the title of lady, but she cannot use it, because she is not a citizen of Great Britain.

Elizabeth II and Angelina Jolie

By tradition, the ceremony is performed by the queen, but monarchs are busy people, so sometimes Her Majesty is replaced by heirs. The Queen may also waive her duty for personal reasons. For example, as in the case of Sir Mick Jagger. The musician has been on the list of knight candidates for five years in a row on the recommendation of Prime Minister Tony Blair, a big fan of the rocker. But every time, Elizabeth II crossed out the name of the leader of The Rolling Stones. It is not known for certain why Her Majesty refused the musician an award, but they say it was because of the "tender friendship" between Jagger and the Queen's sister, Princess Margaret.

Be that as it may, Mr. Jagger still became sir. True, the words "I knight you!" he heard from Prince Charles, who, according to rumors, persuaded his mother to recognize the merits of Rolling. The Queen herself went to the clinic that day for an operation on her kneecap. The public was unhappy with this award: no one understood for what merits the brawler and rebel Jagger was awarded the title. It seems that only his 6-year-old son Gabriel was sincerely happy about this event: "Now dad can wear armor," he boasted at school.

Interestingly, not every holder of the Order of the British Empire is a knight. For example, David Beckham has an order but no title. In 2006, the football player was completely sure that his time had come. "Let me tell you a secret: I will be awarded a knighthood, I will become the second Jew with such a title after the Prime Minister of England Disraeli," he said in an interview. But, alas, neither then, nor seven years later, when the name of the football player was on the list of candidates, Beckham never became a sir. Perhaps Queen Elizabeth II remembered how, at the wedding of Prince William, David put on his order on the right side of the tuxedo, although according to the rules, all awards are worn closer to the heart - on the left.

David and Victoria Beckham

They say that the guests endured, coughed, but nevertheless pointed out to the unlucky order bearer his mistake. At the same time, Beckham is so often at court and has a strong friendship with Prince William that many believe that the athlete has long been with the title. So, in 2012 in Greece, at the ceremony of lighting the Olympic flame, the presenter, announcing the guests from the UK, called Beckham sir. Representatives of the English delegation laughed together, but Beckham, most likely, was not laughing: he still hopes to get the coveted title.

However, no matter how honorable the title of knight is considered, it gives its holder little: free travel on public transport and the right to ask for an audience with the monarch at any time. And one more detail: the title of knight bachelor is not hereditary, but by law everyone should address the sir's wife as a lady. But this privilege does not apply to same-sex marriages, so after the wedding, Sir Elton John's husband remained simply "Mr. David Furnish."

Other interesting facts about the knights of our days, the order of Angelina Jolie and a retro photo of Elton John - in the gallery, click on this photo:

Click on photo to view gallery

Text: HELLO! UK
Translation and adaptation: Natalia Vasilets/HELLO! Russia

Whenever we watch historical English films or read books about, we are constantly confronted with all sorts of sirs, lords, princes, dukes and other titles. It is quite difficult to understand the purpose of all these appeals to certain segments of the population from books or films. We will try to consider what titles there are in England, what is their hierarchy, how they are obtained and whether it is possible to transfer the title by inheritance, etc.

Peerage in England

The Peerage is the system of nobility in England. All Englishmen who hold a title are called peers. All other people who do not have any titles are considered commoners. The main difference between peers and other people is that a title of nobility in England gives certain privileges, and these privileges differ among peers of different ranks.

There are also differences in privileges between different parts of the peerage system:

The Peerage of England is all titled Englishmen whose title was created before 1707 (signing of the Act of Union).

The Peerage of Scotland is a title of nobility created by the monarchs of Scotland before 1707.

Peerage of Ireland - titles of the Kingdom of Ireland created before 1800 (signing of the Act of Union) and some of them created later.

The Peerage of Great Britain is all titles created in the Kingdom of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800.

Peerage of the United Kingdom - almost all titles created after 1800.

Older ranks are considered higher in the hierarchy. In addition, determining in the hierarchy is the ownership of the title:

English,

Scottish,

Irish.

For example, an Irish earl with a title created before 1707 is lower in the hierarchy than an English earl with a title obtained at the same time. But the same Irish earl would be higher in the hierarchy than a Great Britain earl with a post-1707 title.

Emergence of the Peerage

The history of the creation of the peerage system among the British began with the conquest of England by the illegitimate son of the ruler of Normandy, William the Conqueror. He created a single Kingdom of England and divided the entire territory into manors. Those Englishmen who owned manors were called barons; depending on the amount of land, there were "big barons" and "lesser barons".

The king collected the big barons for royal councils, and the smaller ones were collected by the sheriffs. Then the lesser barons ceased to convene. It was the meetings of the great barons that were then transformed into the House of Lords, which still exists today. Most titles of nobility, like, are heritable.

Times changed and various ranks began to form among the nobles, the privileges of which differed significantly.

Title hierarchy

At the top of the hierarchy is naturally the royal family, which has its own hierarchy. The British royal family includes the monarch himself and a group of his close relatives. Members of the royal family are: the monarch, the monarch's spouse or the monarch's widowed spouse, the monarch's children, his male grandchildren, the spouses or widowed spouses of the monarch's male heirs.

The next most important among the English are:

Duke and Duchess (began to confer this title in 1337). Duke (derived from the Latin for "chief") is the highest ranking English title after King and Queen. Usually dukes govern the Duchy. Dukes constitute the second rank of princes after the princes of the royal family.

Marquis and marquise (first awarded in 1385). Marquis is an English title of nobility between a duke and an earl. It comes from the designation of the boundaries of certain territories (from the French "mark" or border territory). In addition to the marquises themselves, this title is awarded to the eldest son of the duke and the daughter of the duke.

Count (earl) and countess (used from 800-1000). Earls - members of the English nobility, who previously owned and managed their own lands - counties, tried court cases in provincial courts on behalf of the King, collected fines and taxes from the local population. Also counties were honored: the eldest son of the marquis, the daughter of the marquis and the youngest son of the duke.

Viscount and viscountess (the first such title was awarded in 1440). The word comes from the Latin "vice count", "deputy count". During the lifetime of the father, the eldest son of an earl or the younger sons of a marquis became viscounts as a courtesy title.

Baron and Baroness (first appeared in 1066). The word comes from the Old German "free master". Baron is the lowest noble rank in England. If the title is historically related to feudal baronies, then the baron holds that barony. In addition to the barons themselves, the following persons were endowed with this title in the form of a courtesy title: the eldest son of a viscount, the youngest son of a count, the eldest son of a baron, then the younger sons of viscounts and the younger sons of barons followed the hierarchy.

Another rank, although inherited, but not belonging to the English titled aristocratic persons, is the baronet (there is no female equivalent). Baronets do not sit in the House of Lords and do not enjoy the privileges of the nobility. The eldest children of the younger sons of peers of various ranks, the eldest and youngest sons of baronets became baronets.

All other Englishmen are non-titled persons.

Appeal to titled persons

The treatment of titled Englishmen is a rather complex issue. Everyone knows that addressing the King and Queen involves the combination "Your Majesty."

For dukes, "Your Grace" is used, as for duchesses, or duke-duchess is used along with the use of the title (for example, Duke of Wellington). The surnames of dukes are rarely used in circulation, those of duchesses are never used.

Marquesses, viscounts, earls, barons and their wives are addressed as Milord (My Lord) or Milady (My Lady), or simply Lord and Lady. You can also use the address directly in the form of rank and title (for example, Marquess of Queensbury).

Ex-wives of peers of any rank are addressed as follows: the woman's first name, then rank and title, without using the definite article "the" before rank (eg Diana, Princess of Wales).

Baronets and untitled persons are addressed with the words "sir" and "lady".

Getting the title

The real title of Lord in England can be awarded by the Queen for special services to the country. But you can also get it in other ways, for example, by purchasing a medieval estate for a huge price along with the title of, for example, a baron. At the same time, they receive a certificate of belonging to a certain noble rank.

Title Features

Most often, the holder of any title is a man. Sometimes the title could also belong to a woman, if it was supposed to be inherited. In other cases, the woman was awarded the title of courtesy as the wife of her husband. At the same time, the woman did not have the privileges that the husband had.

The title of a woman was inherited in two cases:

If the woman was only the custodian of the title, in order to transfer it to the male heir in the future;

When a woman rightfully received a title, but could not sit in the House of Lords and hold certain positions.

Moreover, if a titled woman got married, her husband did not receive her title.

If a woman who received a title thanks to her husband turned out to be a widow, she kept it, while the word “widowed” could be added before addressing her. If a woman remarried, she acquired a new title corresponding to the title of her new husband, or even turned out to be an untitled person if the new husband did not belong to the nobility of England.

Another feature is that illegitimate sons did not receive titles under any circumstances. Therefore, often titled persons sought to marry pregnant women in order to ensure their son the right to inherit his title. Otherwise, only the youngest son had the right to receive nobility, if he was already born in marriage, and in the absence of other sons, a distant relative.

Privileges of titled persons

Previously, the privileges of peers were very wide, but now there are very few rights left for titled Englishmen:

The right to sit in parliament

Access to the Queen and King, although this right has not been used for a long time,

The right not to be subject to civil arrest (it has been used only twice since 1945).

In addition, all peers have special crowns for use at coronations and distinctive robes for sitting in the House of Lords (if they are members) and coronations.

It seems that prince- an analogue of the European king. But not really, that would be too easy!

The analogue of the European king can be called the Grand Duke, although his power is not necessarily inherited by the son and the new Grand Duke is not elected, like the Holy Emperor.

Then the specific princes can be compared with the dukes, as was customary. Dukes are former tribal leaders, princes can also be called the leaders of their destinies. Just as the king could, in principle, remove the duke, so the Grand Duke could move the princes around the destinies.

Of course, before the onset of feudal fragmentation. True, unlike the "real", "Russian dukes" have never been tribal leaders ...

Everything, there were no other titles in pre-Petrine Russia. There were court and military ranks - but these are not titles, but positions.

The first significant changes occur with the creation of a single Muscovite state: the specific princes and boyars lose their independence. Princes retain formal titles, turning into boyars; the boyars are gradually losing the right to leave for another prince. These processes are similar to those that took place in Europe: titles are "torn off" from land ownership and the military hierarchy, becoming a conditional, formal indicator of status.

Titles are sometimes confused with titles - stolniks, okolniki, etc. Alas, these are only court ranks, positions that have nothing to do with land tribal property. And from the 16th century, the word "boyar" acquires a second meaning: a Duma rank, which can be assigned and gives the right to participate in Duma meetings.

It can also be assigned, at this time, those who begin to crowd out the boyars. By the way, nobility in our country, unlike the European one, it is completely untitled, that is, it did not have generic titles.

And only since the XVIII century in Russia for the first time European titles of nobility were introduced - count and baron.
Photo: en.wikipedia.org

The first Russian baron (1710) was Pyotr Pavlovich Shafirov, a diplomat, vice-chancellor, long-term head of the Russian post office. The first count (1702) was Fyodor Alekseevich Golovin (chancellor). He was awarded the second count title, which is not surprising. Both receive the title from the Holy Roman Emperor.

In 1706, Peter himself elevated the commander, field marshal, to the count's dignity. This practice of obtaining foreign and Russian titles continues in the future.

The Roman emperor also assigns the first "new" princely titles. The first most illustrious princes (1707) - A. D. Menshikov (1707) and the sovereign of Moldavia (1711). Further, the princely title is not assigned until 1797, when he raises an official and diplomat to the princely rank - by that time a count of the Roman Empire. At the same time, the family of Counts Bezborodko is accepted as one of the Russian count families. And in 1799 he receives a princely title from the king of Sardinia.
Photo: en.wikipedia.org

Since 1796, awards to Russian subjects of Roman titles have ceased.

By the end of the 19th century, there were about 20 granted princely families and 310 counts in the Empire (the construction of which continues into the 20th century). Naturally, there were also hereditary Russian and foreign princes, as well as foreign count and baron families.

As a rule, titles were assigned in order, from the lowest to the highest. So, the industrialists Stroganovs successively become: barons (1722), then counts (1761). The "lower" title was usually lost. There were exceptions: when doubling the surname due to the received honorary surname-nickname or inherited surname. For example, Suvorov is Count Rymniksky, he is also the Prince of Italy.

More difficult with the baronial rank. The original, European, title of a baron sounded very respectable: a royal fief, "a free master." In Russia, the baronial families did not have such deep roots, although initially the title seemed to be introduced for the Baltic nobility.

In addition, the baronial rank was often conferred along with the nobility - like the same Stroganov (who at the same time lost the honorary title of eminent people worn since 1610). And then not only born nobles (such as Arakcheev), but also merchants, industrialists, bankers become barons ...

But it's all about men. Women received the title of husband. Or they lost theirs by marrying an untitled one.

Appeals to "noble gentlemen" had their own nuances. The barons were so called: "Mr. Baron" or the common nobility "your honor." The only exception is Privy Councilor Baron I. A. Cherkasov, who receives the title of Highborn, which passes along with the title to his descendants.
Photo: en.wikipedia.org

Counts are called: "Your Excellency", then "Your Excellency".

The prince is also addressed as "Your Excellency". But not for everyone. A special category is the princes of imperial blood, referred to as "Your Imperial Highness" or "Your Highness", depending on the position in the family.

But it is precisely the most serene princes who are called "Lord". Moreover, the title of "Highness" could be granted after the assignment of the princely title.

The following titles and ranks are established in the Miraculus martial clan:

My lord- head of the clan.

My lord (English my lord - my lord) is a polite and respectful appeal of the English to an aristocrat, lord or a man from a privileged society, who is higher in his position than the interlocutor.

Lord (Lady Lord) - a member of the VIP group, included in the elite of the clan.

Lord (eng. Lord - lord, master, lord) - a title of nobility in Great Britain. The title of lordship became collective for the five ranks of the peerage (duke, marquis, earl, viscount and baron). Nobles with the title of lord sat in the House of Lords by birthright, while other feudal lords had to elect their representatives to the House of Commons by county.

Baron (Baroness) - a member of the group of sponsors, making significant contributions to the treasury of the clan.

Baron (from late Latin baro - a word of Frankish origin with the original meaning - a man, a man, identical to the Russian "boyar") - in medieval feudal Western Europe, a large sovereign nobleman and feudal lord, a direct vassal of the king, later just an honorary noble title (a woman is a baroness ). For example, the title of baron in England (where it remains to this day) is a title of junior peer, and is located in the hierarchical system below the title of viscount, occupying the last place in the hierarchy of titles of high nobility (peers); in Germany, this title was below the count.

Sir (Lady)- a member of the Osnova group, making regular contributions to the clan's treasury.

Sir (English sir, Sir, from Old French sieur, lord, sovereign, in turn from Latin senior, senior) is an honorary naming of a man in the English-speaking world, which has two meanings - a title and an address. In the United Kingdom, an honorific prefix (prefix) to the name of persons holding a knighthood or a baronetcy. In English, it is capitalized (Sir) and is used in combination with a given name (without a surname, for example, Sir Paul, Sir Paul) or with a full name (Sir Walter Scott, Sir Walter Scott); it is incorrect to use only with a surname (you cannot say *Sir McCartney, Sir McCartney). In English texts (especially in British ones), the word sir is used quite consistently with the names of knights and baronets (at least at the first mention in the text). A woman holding the title of knight or baronet in her own right is called a Dame, but a sir's wife is a lady, just like a lord's wife, or a lord herself. In the English-speaking world, a polite address to a man, usually to a boss or senior in rank (officially accepted, for example, in the US Army) or in the case when the name of the interlocutor is unknown (until the 20th century, usually only a gentleman, but not necessarily a knight or baronet) . Usually lowercase, sir: "yes sir"; "hello sir" and the like. The appropriate address for a woman is madam, madam.

Paladin (Lady Paladin) - a member of the Warriors group, having a high percentage of victories in battles and hunting, winning prizes in tournaments, regularly participating in group clan battles, selflessly devoted to the Miraculus miracle clan.

Paladin (lat. palātīnus - "Knight of Honor" - the name of the highest court, military and civil ranks at the court of Roman and Byzantine emperors) is a knight selflessly devoted to any idea or any person. Most often, a paladin is understood as a warrior devoted to the church and church ideals. All knights of the Round Table were called paladins. Later, this was the name of any knight devoted to his sovereign or lady and possessing all knightly virtues. In virtual worlds, a “paladin” is a knight with magical abilities granted to him by his god, who does not have an overlord, as a rule, follows the ideals of good and fights the forces of Darkness, and is also able to heal the wounds of his allies and his own. His faith in ideals gives him special strength.

Prince (Princess) - Treasurer of the clan or other especially valuable assistant to the head of the clan.

Prince - the head of a feudal monarchical state or a separate political entity (an appanage prince) in the 9th-16th centuries among the Slavs and some other peoples; representative of the feudal aristocracy; later - the highest title of nobility, depending on the importance equated to a prince or a duke. Initially, the prince was a tribal leader who headed the organs of military democracy. In Russia, until the 18th century, the title of prince was only generic. From the beginning of the 18th century, the title of prince also began to be complained by the tsar to the highest dignitaries for special merits (the first prince granted was A. D. Menshikov).

Duke (Duchess) - Deputy head of the clan.

The Duke (German Herzog, French duc, English duke, Italian duca) among the ancient Germans is a military leader elected by tribal nobility; in Western Europe, in the early Middle Ages, it was a tribal prince, and in the period of feudal fragmentation, it was a major territorial ruler, occupying first place after the king in the military hierarchy. The title of duke is never replaced by the title of lord. With the formation and expansion of the Frankish state, the German dukes were turned into officials of the king, to whom the rulers of individual regions, the counts, were subordinate. In England, dukes constitute the second rank of princes, following immediately after the princes of royal blood, before the marquesses.

Marquis (Marquise) - governor, coordinator.

Marquis (French Marquis, English Marquess, Italian Marchese, new Latin marchisus or marchio, from German German Markgraf) is a Western European title of nobility (marquisate). According to the hierarchy, the marquis is between ducal and county titles. In England, besides marquesses in the proper sense, this title is also given to the eldest sons of dukes.

Count (Countess) - commander of a detachment of fighters, permanent coordinator of battles.

Count (from German Graf; Latin comes (literally: "companion"), French comte, English earl or count) is a royal official in the Early Middle Ages in Western Europe. The title arose in the 4th century in the Roman Empire and was originally assigned to the highest dignitaries (for example, comes sacrarum largitionum - chief treasurer). In the Frankish state, from the second half of the 6th century, the count in his district-county had judicial, administrative and military power. By decree of Charles II the Bald (Capitulary of Kersey, 877), the position and possessions of the count became hereditary. The English earl (OE eorl) originally denoted the highest official, but from the time of the Norman kings it turned into an honorary title. During the period of feudal fragmentation - the feudal lord of the county, then (with the elimination of feudal fragmentation) the title of the highest nobility (a woman - a countess).

Viscount (Viscountess) - other officials of the clan.

Viscount (eng. viscount; fr. vicomte, literally vice-count) is a title of European nobility, especially in the British peerage, in the hierarchy of titles it is ranked above a baron, but below an earl.
The eldest son of the count (during the life of his father) bears the title of viscount. The title of viscount is used as a way of expressing respect for the heir of an earl or marquis.

Chaplain - the warrior priest of the clan.

For titled persons in the clan - special discounts. For example, they get art for rent at the lowest price, they have an advantage in obtaining loans, etc.