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 d ...

s (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted

noble ranks Traditional rank amongst European royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to another's grand duke ...

. Peerages include:

Australia

Australian peers Peers of the Realm have been associated with Australia since early in its history as a British settlement. Many peers served as governors of the Australian colonies ( states following Federation), and in the days when the practice of appointing ...

Belgium

Belgian nobility The Belgian nobility comprises Belgian individuals or families recognized as noble with or without a title of nobility in the Kingdom of Belgium. The Belgian constitution states that no specific privileges are attached to the nobility. History ...

Canada

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

China

Chinese nobility The nobility of China was an important feature of the traditional social structure of Ancient China and Imperial China. While the concepts of hereditary sovereign and peerage titles and noble families were featured as early as the semi-mythic ...

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 For an explanation of the French peerage, see the article Peerage of France. Note that peerages and titles were distinct, and the date given for the extinction of the peerage is not necessarily the same as that of the extinction of the title. Fo ...

* Peerage of Jerusalem

Japan

* Peerage of the Empire of Japan * House of Peers (Japan)

Portugal

Chamber of Most Worthy Peers The Chamber of Peers of Portugal, alternatively translatable as the House of Lords (disambiguation), House of Lords and formally styled the Chamber of the Most Worthy Peers of the Realm (Portuguese: ''Câmara dos Pares'' or ''Câmara dos Digníssi ...

Spain

Chamber of Peers (Spain) The House of Peers (Spanish: ''Estamento de Próceres'') was the upper house in the Spanish ''Cortes Generales, Cortes'' between 1834 and 1836. The House was created by the Spanish Royal Statute of 1834, Royal Statue of 1834 which created a bica ...

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 This is a list of present and extant viscounts in the peerage of the Kingdom of Spain hold by people with Spanish citizenship. Note that some of the titles are only used as subsidiary titles. This list does not include extinct, dormant, abeya ...

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 This is a list of the 149 present and extant ...

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 baron ...

United Kingdom

Great Britain and Ireland

Peerages in the United Kingdom The peerages in the United Kingdom are a legal system comprising both hereditary title, hereditary and life peer, lifetime titles, composed of various Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks, and forming a constituent part of the Orders ...

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 subsid ...

, 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 t ...

, 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 r ...

, 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 Union, ...

, 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 1800, Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the ...

, 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 peers, holders of Scottish and Irish peerages who represented their peer-groups in the House of Lords at Westminster ** Welsh peers and baronets, holders of various titles with a Welsh territorial connection *

List of dukedoms in the peerages of Britain and Ireland This article lists all dukedoms, extant, extinct, dormant, abeyant, or forfeit, in the peerages of England, Scotland, Great Britain, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Introduction of dukedoms into England Edward III of England created the first ...

* Jacobite Peerage, titles created following the deposition of

King James II and VII James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Gloriou ...

from the thrones of England, Ireland, and Scotland

Lists of peers

*Dukes: see ''

List of dukes in the peerages of Britain and Ireland This is a list of the 29 present dukes in the peerages of the Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland, Kingdom of Great Britain, Kingdom of Ireland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Norther ...

'' *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 King ...

'' *Earls: see ''

List of earls in the peerages of Britain and Ireland This is a list of the 190 present and extant earls in the Peerages of the England, Scotland, Great Britain, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Note that it does not include extant earldoms which have become merged (either through marriage or eleva ...

'' *Viscounts: see ''

List of viscounts in the peerages of Britain and Ireland This is a list of the 111 present and extant Viscounts in the Peerages of England, Scotland, Great Britain, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Note that it does not include extant viscountcies which have become merged (either through marriage or e ...

'' *Barons: see ''

List of barons in the peerages of Britain and Ireland This is a list of the present and extant Barons (Lords of Parliament, in Scottish terms) in the Peerages of England, Scotland, Great Britain, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Note that it does not include those extant baronies which have become ...

'' *Female peerages: see ''

List of peerages created for women This is a list of peerages created for women in the peerages of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, or the United Kingdom. It does not include peerages created for men which were later inherited by women, or life peerages created since ...

'' and ''

List of peerages inherited by women In the peerages of the British Isles, most titles have traditionally been created for men and with Remainder (law), remainder to male heirs. However, some titles are created with special remainders to allow women to inherit them. Some of the old ...