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Jarl
Jarl is a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. ''Jarl'' could also mean a sovereign prince. For example, the rulers of several of the petty kingdoms of Norway had the title of ''jarl'' and in many cases they had no less power than their neighbours who had the title of king. It became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced by duke (''hertig''/''hertug''/''hertog''). The word is etymologically related to the English earl. Etymology The term ''jarl'' has been compared to the name of the Heruli, and to runic '' erilaz''. Proto-Norse ''eril'', or the later Old Norse , came to signify the rank of a leader. Norway In later medieval Norway, the title of ''jarl'' was the highest rank below the king. There was usually no more than one ''jarl'' in mainland Norway at any one time, and sometimes none. The ruler of the Norwegian dependency of Orkney held the title of ''jarl'', an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Earl Of Orkney
Earl of Orkney, historically Jarl of Orkney, is a title of nobility encompassing the archipelagoes of Orkney and Shetland, which comprise the Northern Isles of Scotland. Originally Scandinavian Scotland, founded by Norse invaders, the status of the rulers of the Northern Isles as Norway, Norwegian vassals was formalised in 1195. Although the Old Norse term ''jarl'' is etymologically related to "earl", and the jarls were succeeded by earls in the late 15th century, a Norwegian ''jarl'' is not the same thing. In the Norse context the distinction between jarls and kings did not become significant until the late 11th century and the early jarls would therefore have had considerable independence of action until that time. The position of Jarl of Orkney was eventually the most senior rank in medieval Norway except for the king himself. The jarls were periodically subject to the kings of Kingdom of Alba, Alba for those parts of their territory in what is now mainland Scotland (i.e. Cait ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
