A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various

hereditary title Hereditary titles, in a general sense, are nobility titles, positions or styles that are hereditary and thus tend or are bound to remain in particular families. Though both monarchs and nobles usually inherit their titles, the mechanisms often di ...

s (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include:

Australia

* Australian peers

Belgium

* Belgian nobility

Canada

* British peerage titles granted to Canadian subjects of the Crown * Canadian nobility in the aristocracy of France

China

* Chinese nobility

France

Peerage of France The Peerage of France (french: Pairie de France) was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 in the Middle Ages. The prestigious title and position of Peer of France (french: Pair de France, links=no) was ...

* List of French peerages * Peerage of Jerusalem

Japan

* Peerage of the Empire of Japan *

House of Peers (Japan) The was the upper house of the Imperial Diet as mandated under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan (in effect from 11 February 1889 to 3 May 1947). Background In 1869, under the new Meiji government, a Japanese peerage was created by a ...

Portugal

* Chamber of Most Worthy Peers

Spain

* Chamber of Peers (Spain) *

List of dukes in the peerage of Spain This is a list of the 149 present and extant royal and non-royal dukes in the peerage of the Kingdom of Spain. The oldest six titles – created between 1380 and 1476 – were Duke of Medina Sidonia (1380), Duke of Alburquerque (1464), Duke of ...

* List of viscounts in the peerage of Spain *

List of barons in the peerage of Spain This is a list of the 168 present and extant barons in the peerage of the Kingdom of Spain. Barons in the peerage of Spain See also * Spanish nobility * List of dukes in the peerage of Spain * List of viscounts in the peerage of Spain * L ...

List of lords in the peerage of Spain This is a list of the present and extant lords in the peerage of the Kingdom of Spain. Lords in the peerage of Spain See also *Spanish nobility *List of dukes in the peerage of Spain *List of viscounts in the peerage of Spain *List of barons ...

United Kingdom

Great Britain and Ireland

Peerages in the United Kingdom The peerages in the United Kingdom are a legal system comprising both hereditary and lifetime titles, composed of various noble ranks, and forming a constituent part of the British honours system. The term '' peerage'' can be used both coll ...

Hereditary peer The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of September 2022, there are 807 hereditary peers: 29 dukes (including five royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 190 earls, 111 viscounts, and 443 barons (disregarding subsidi ...

, holders of titles which can be inherited by an heir **

Life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

, members of the peerage of the United Kingdom whose titles cannot be inherited **

Peerage of England The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain. There are five peerages in th ...

, holders of English titles created before 1707 **

Peerage of Great Britain The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Acts of Union 1800. It replaced the Peerage of England and the Peerage of Scotland, but was itself re ...

, holders of titles created in the Kingdom of Great Britain between 1707 and 1800 **

Peerage of Ireland The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisi ...

, holders of Irish titles created by the Crown before 1920, until 1801 carrying a seat in the Irish House of Lords, some of whom later sat in the House of Lords at Westminster **

Peerage of Scotland The Peerage of Scotland ( gd, Moraireachd na h-Alba, sco, Peerage o Scotland) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scots before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Unio ...

, holders of Scottish titles created before 1707, some of whom later sat in the House of Lords, all of them having a seat there from 1964 to 1999 **

Peerage of the United Kingdom The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great ...

, holders of most titles created since 1801 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (renamed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland after 1921) **

Representative peer In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords. Until 1999, all members of the Peerage of England held the right t ...

s, holders of Scottish and Irish peerages who represented their peer-groups in the House of Lords at Westminster **

Welsh peers and baronets This is an index of Welsh peers and baronets whose primary peerage, life peerage, and baronetcy titles include a Welsh place-name origin or its territorial qualification is within the historic counties of Wales. Welsh-titled peers derive t ...

, holders of various titles with a Welsh territorial connection * List of dukedoms in the peerages of Britain and Ireland * Jacobite Peerage, titles created following the deposition of King James II and VII from the thrones of England, Ireland, and Scotland

Lists of peers

*Dukes: see '' List of dukes in the peerages of Britain and Ireland'' *Marquesses: see ''

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 Kin ...

'' *Earls: see '' List of earls in the peerages of Britain and Ireland'' *Viscounts: see '' List of viscounts in the peerages of Britain and Ireland'' *Barons: see '' List of barons in the peerages of Britain and Ireland'' *Female peerages: see '' List of peerages created for women'' and '' List of peerages inherited by women''