The Nobility - A Hierarchy all of its Own

Having a hierarchy is a fundamental part of any being living in a group to keep things a bit organized. In almost every system you have a clear leader calling the shots, a trusting figure (or as trusty as they get) that enforces the leader’s will, and then everyone else, sometimes broken down into the normal members and the ‘lower class’ encompassing the young, elderly, and new comers. There are some exceptions to this, like the penguins who, despite being highly social creatures living in large groups, don’t have any designated figures of authority.

Of course, we humans also have developed complex systems of hierarchies, forming and evolving depending on time and cultures to create and end various classes. In Western Europe, for example, before the social revolutions of the Enlightening era, people were divided among the peasantry, artisans/merchants, and ruling nobility. However, each of these groups can be broken down into further sub-divisions, each having their own functions and responsibilities, which we will explore with the noble class.

Standing at the very bottom of the pyramid is the Baron/Baroness, ruling over a small plot of land from an estate and serving as a junction between proper lords and the knights. Popularized by the French, the name is one of the many relics of the Roman Empire from the word ‘baro’ referring to a free military man. The title, however, became hereditary in the Middle Ages and then was used in the industrial era to name exceedingly wealthy businessmen. John D. Rockefeller, the most powerful American oil tycoon in history, is an example of these barons.

Above the Barons stood the Viscount/Viscountess, and they are a bit different from the other titles. Unlike the lower Baron or overseeing Counts, Viscounts don’t own lands directly. Instead, they serve as a right-hand person of the Count, overseeing part of the latter's domain in his name. First seen in Normandy in the 11th century, the concept was quickly adopted throughout the Carolingian Empire. Another major difference is that the title of Viscount isn’t hereditary and is instead granted by the monarch to avoid rebellion. However, a busy (or lazy) ruler could cut this process out and make it hereditary.

Now reaching what is the ‘middle-class’ of nobility, the Counts or Earls if you are a tea lover. These men serve as regional lords, overseeing a section of the kingdom/empire in the name of their monarchs and are quite often linked to the ruling family. Their duties involve collecting taxes, maintaining order, and raising troops when they are called to war. The name Count derives from the Latin word ‘comes’ standing for companion of the emperor and, just like the other titles, was popularized by the French. The British Earl, on the other hand, originated from the Scandinavian roots of the Anglo-Saxons, evolving from ‘jarl,’ which is a Nordic noble or ruler.

Marquess and Marchioness are a special type of Counts and thus receive higher prestige in high society. The main difference between a regular Count and a Marquess is that the latter oversees a territory bordering a foreign power, called a march (nothing to do with the month). This means that in times of war, Marquesses stood on the first line of defense against foreign invasions and thus had a greater emphasis on military security and owned larger castles. Due to this, the title of Marquess was mostly used by the nations of the continent while Britain rarely used it by virtue of not having proper border territories.

Now going over the cream of the crop of nobility, standing as the last formal level of nobility before entering the ruling family, Duke/Duchess. Dukes are the heads of extremely powerful noble families in a kingdom/empire and serve as the close circle of the ruling monarch. They oversee large swathes of territory, encompassing multiple counts, and when a royal family falls, a Duke is almost always the one filling the gaps. Duke comes from the Latin word ‘dux’ meaning leader. Within the rank of Dukes, you have two sub-classes each serving their own functions. The first is the Grand Duke, a semi-independent political entity ruling over an extremely large territory but not large enough to be considered a proper kingdom. Finland before its independence from Russia was ruled by Grand Dukes while Luxembourg is still governed by one. The other title is Archduke, exclusive to the House of Habsburg and refers to the most important Duke in their domain, the crown prince.

The final echelons of nobility are filled by the royal/imperial family, starting with Prince/Princess. These were the children of the monarch, or one of the close relatives, and the heir, crown prince, almost always comes from them. Funnily enough, the term princess is actually a relatively modern invention, appearing in the late 18th century as daughters of the monarch were referred to as Ladies. Next come the King, ruler of a kingdom serving as its supreme authority, save a couple of exceptions. The role of the king is balancing his subjects, resources, and state affairs in order to maintain or expand the power of their domains. If one is successful enough, he can proclaim himself Emperor and rule over multiple kingdoms at once. Emperors are properly used when one’s domain is so vast that multiple cultures and ethnicities start to be mixed sufficiently. The only exception to this being the British Empire, as their constitution was built in such a way that the idea of an Emperor was unacceptable and thus kept to King.

 

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