A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a
nobleman
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...
of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is
Markgraf
Margrave was originally the medieval title for the military commander assigned to maintain the defence of one of the border provinces of the Holy Roman Empire or of a kingdom. That position became hereditary in certain feudal families in the Em ...
(margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or widow) of a marquess is a marchioness or marquise. These titles are also used to translate equivalent Asian styles, as in
Imperial China and
Imperial Japan
The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...
.
Etymology
![Wenceslas Hollar - A marquis (State 1)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Wenceslas_Hollar_-_A_marquis_%28State_1%29.jpg)
The word ''marquess'' entered the English language from the
Old French
Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intellig ...
("ruler of a border area") in the late 13th or early 14th century. The French word was derived from ("frontier"), itself descended from the
Middle Latin ("frontier"), from which the modern English word ''
march
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March ...
'' also descends. The distinction between governors of frontier territories and interior territories was made as early as the founding of the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...
when some provinces were set aside for administration by the senate and more unpacified or vulnerable provinces were administered by the emperor. The titles "
duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
" and "
count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
" were similarly distinguished as ranks in the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
, with (literally, "leader") being used for a provincial military governor and the rank of (literally "companion," that is, of the Emperor) given to the leader of an active army along the frontier.
Belgium
The title of marquess in Belgium predates the French Revolution and still exists today. See and .
Spain
In Spain, the rank of Marquess/Marchioness (/) still exists. One hundred forty-two of them are Spanish
grandees. Normally a is addressed as "
The Most Illustrious
The Most Illustrious (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Ilustrísimo Señor'' (male) or ''Ilustrísima Señora'' (female), literally "Illustrious Sir/Mister") is an honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain people in Spain and certain S ...
Lord" (), or if he/she is a grandee as "
The Most Excellent
The Most Excellent (Spanish: ''Excelentísimo Señor'' (male) or ''Excelentísima Señora'' (female), literally "Most Excellent Sir/Madam") is an honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain people in Spain and certain Spanish-speakin ...
Lord" (). Examples include the
Marquess of Carpio
Marquess of Carpio ( es, Marqués del Carpio, link=no) is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Spain accompanied by the dignity of Grandee, granted in 1559 by Philip II to Diego López de Haro, Lord of Carpio, '' veintiquatro'' and first chie ...
,
Grandee of Spain
Grandee (; es, Grande de España, ) is an official aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neither country did they ha ...
.
United Kingdom
The
honorific
An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...
prefix "
The Most Honourable" precedes the name of a marquess or marchioness of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
In
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
, and historically in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, the correct spelling of the aristocratic title of this rank is marquess (although on the European mainland and in Canada, the French spelling of marquis is used in English). In Scotland, the French spelling is also sometimes used. In Great Britain and historically in Ireland, the title ranks below a
duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
and above an
earl
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particula ...
. A woman with the rank of a marquess, or the wife of a marquess, is a marchioness in Great Britain and Ireland or a marquise elsewhere in Europe. The dignity, rank, or position of the title is referred to as a marquisate or marquessate.
![Coronet of a British Marquess](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Coronet_of_a_British_Marquess.svg)
The theoretical distinction between a marquess and other titles has, since the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, faded into obscurity. In times past, the distinction between a
count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
and a marquess was that the land of a marquess, called a
march
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March ...
, was on the border of the country, while a count's land, called a
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
, often was not. As a result of this, a marquess was trusted to defend and fortify against potentially hostile neighbors and was thus more important and ranked higher than a count. The title is ranked below that of a
duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
, which was often largely restricted to the royal family.
The rank of marquess was a relatively late introduction to the British peerage: no
marcher lord
A Marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales.
A Marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in ...
s had the rank of marquess, though some were
earl
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form '' jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particula ...
s. On the evening of the
Coronation of Queen Victoria
The coronation of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom took place on Thursday, 28 June 1838, just over a year after she succeeded to the throne of the United Kingdom at the age of 18. The ceremony was held in Westminster Abbey after a public ...
in 1838, the Prime Minister
Lord Melbourne
William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, (15 March 177924 November 1848), in some sources called Henry William Lamb, was a British Whig politician who served as Home Secretary (1830–1834) and Prime Minister (1834 and 1835–1841). His first pre ...
explained to her why (from her journals):
I spoke to ord Melbourne
Ord or ORD may refer to:
Places
* Ord of Caithness, landform in north-east Scotland
* Ord, Nebraska, USA
* Ord, Northumberland, England
* Muir of Ord, village in Highland, Scotland
* Ord, Skye, a place near Tarskavaig
* Ord River, Western Austr ...
about the numbers of Peers present at the Coronation, & he said it was quite unprecedented. I observed that there were very few Viscounts, to which he replied "There are very few Viscount
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status.
In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...
s," that they were an old sort of title & not really English; that they came from Vice-Comites; that Dukes & Barons were the only real English titles; – that Marquises were likewise not English, & that people were mere made Marquises, when it was not wished that they should be made Dukes.
Equivalent non-Western titles
![Pompa funebris Albert Ardux - Trazegnies](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Pompa_funebris_Albert_Ardux_-_Trazegnies.jpg)
Like other major Western noble titles, marquess (or marquis) is sometimes used to translate certain titles from non-Western languages with their own traditions, even though they are, as a rule, historically unrelated and thus hard to compare. However, they are considered "equivalent" in relative rank.
This is the case with:
* In
ancient China, 侯 (''hóu'') was the second of five noble ranks 爵 (''jué'') created by
King Wu of Zhou and is generally translated as marquess or marquis. In
imperial China, 侯 (''hóu'') is generally, but not always, a middle-to-high ranking hereditary nobility title. Its exact rank varies greatly from dynasty to dynasty, and even within a dynasty. It is often created with different sub-ranks.
* In
Meiji Japan
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...
, 侯爵 (''kōshaku''), a hereditary peerage (''
kazoku
The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. They succeeded the feudal lords () and court nobles (), but were abolished with the 1947 constitution.
Kazoku ( 華族) should not be confused with ...
'') rank, was introduced in 1884, granting a hereditary seat in the upper house of the imperial diet just as a British peerage did (until the
House of Lords Act 1999
The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...
), with the ranks usually rendered as baron, viscount, count, marquis and duke/prince.
* In
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, the title of 현후 (縣侯; ''hyeonhu''), the meaning of which is "marquess of district", existed for the hereditary nobility in the
Goryeo dynasty. It was equivalent to the upper fifth rank of nine bureaucratic orders, and was in the third rank of six nobility orders. The title of Buwongun, could be received only Father in law of King or The Vassals who dedicate Notably to create New kingdom is also same as Marquess. In the
Joseon dynasty
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...
, there was no title equivalent to marquess.
* In
Maritime Southeast Asia
Maritime Southeast Asia comprises the countries of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and East Timor. Maritime Southeast Asia is sometimes also referred to as Island Southeast Asia, Insular Southeast Asia or Oceanic Sout ...
, ''
temenggong
Temenggong or Tumenggung ( Jawi: تمڠݢوڠ; ''Temenggung'', Hanacaraka: ꦠꦸꦩꦼꦁꦒꦸꦁ; ''Tumenggung'') is an old Malay and Javanese title of nobility, usually given to the chief of public security.
Responsibilities
The Tem ...
'' (or ''tumenggung'') is a title used by Islamic dynasties such as
Mataram Sultanate and
Johor
Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares maritime ...
to designate a noble ruled over a frontier area or district, or to a chief of public security. Tumenggung ranks below
Bendahara
Bendahara ( Jawi: بنداهارا) is an administrative position within classical Malay kingdoms comparable to a vizier before the intervention of European powers during the 19th century. A bendahara was appointed by a sultan and was a heredi ...
or vizier.
* In
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
, ''hầu'' () was a senior title of hereditary nobility, equivalent to marquis, for male members of the imperial clan, ranking under ''hoàng đế'' (皇帝)(emperor), ''vương'' (王)(king/prince), ''quốc công'' (國公)(grand duke/duke of the nation), ''quận công'' (郡公)(provincial duke) and ''công'' (公)(duke, rather like a German
Fürst), and above ''bá'' (伯)(count), ''tử'' (子)(viscount) and ''nam'' (男)(baron).
In fiction
Marquesses and marchionesses have occasionally appeared in works of fiction. For examples of fictional marquesses and marchionesses, see
List of fictional nobility#Marquesses and marchionesses.
See also
*
Mark (county)
The County of Mark (german: Grafschaft Mark, links=no, french: Comté de La Marck, links=no colloquially known as ) was a county and state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Lower Rhenish–Westphalian Circle. It lay on both sides of the Ruhr River ...
*
Marquesses in the United Kingdom
Marquess is a rank of nobility in the peerages of the United Kingdom.
In the United Kingdom, and the former kingdoms of England, Ireland, and Great Britain, the monarch is the only authority capable of awarding titles of nobility, unlike the ...
*
List of marquesses in the peerages of Britain and Ireland
This is a list of the 34 present and extant marquesses in the peerages of the Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland, Kingdom of Great Britain, Kingdom of Ireland, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which became the United King ...
*
List of marquessates in the peerages of Britain and Ireland
This article lists all marquessates, extant, extinct, dormant, abeyant, or forfeit, in the peerages of England, Scotland, Great Britain, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
The title of Marquess of Dublin, which is perhaps best described as Ang ...
*
List of French marquisates
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
List of marquises in Norway
The list of marquisates in Norway contains two titles:
* Marquis of Lista (created in 1709)
* Marquis of Mandal (created in 1710)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norway, List of marquises in
Danish nobility
Norwegian nobility
Marquisates
A marquess ( ...
*
List of marquises in Portugal
This is a list of marquisates in Portugal.
A
# Marquess of Abrantes
# Marquis of Aguiar
# Marquis of Alegrete
# Marquis of Alenquer
# Marquis of Alorna
# Marquis of Alvito
# Marquis of Angeja
# Marquis of Angra
# Marquis of Arronches
...
*
Exarch
*
List of Marquess in Japan
Notes
References
* The Chronological Peerage of England, hereditarytitles.com as of 2 March 2003
omits Normanby, misspells Hartington as Martington, places Marquess of Lorn and Kintyre in the peerage of England (Scotland is more probable).
EtymologyOnLine* — "and in 1694 was made marquess of Normanby"
External links
*
*{{cite EB1911 , wstitle=Marquess , volume=17 , page=751 , short=x
Marquessates,
Noble titles
Peerage
Men's social titles
de:Markgraf