Peerage
From Age of Intrigue Wiki
The term Peerage refers to the collective body of English, Irish, and Scottish nobles, known as Peers of the Realm.
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Introduction
A peer of the realm is one who holds one or more (of five possible) title(s) of nobility and ownership of the estate(s) bestowed upon him or his direct ancestor by the monarch. Although other members of his family might be addressed by "Lord This" and "Lady That," none of them are peers; their titles are all courtesy titles, including his wife's, although she is, by courtesy, called a "peeress". A duke or duchess is addressed as "Your Grace" by social inferiors, and as "Duke" or "Duchess" by social equals. All other peers and peeresses are called by "Lord" or "Lady" prefixed to the title, for example, Lord Trefor or Lord Chesterford.
In the game your title will be indicated below your avatar. While a knighthood or a baronet are easy to gain for a commoner, higher rank will require extraordinary effort to gain the gratitude of King and Country. It is better to start with a title if you aim to be part of the peerage.
Ranks
There are five ranks of descending precedence within the peerage. They are, in order of precedence:
- Duke
- Marquess
- Earl
- Viscount
- Baron
Baronets and knights are not peers.
Prevalence of Ranks
Since dukes hold the highest precedence, it should make sense that dukedoms have, historically, been the rarest English/Scottish/Irish/British noble title. There have never been more than 40 non-royal dukedoms in being at any one time, and ordinarily there have been fewer than that. Barons, being the lowest rank of nobility, have usually been the most numerous of the five degrees. The next most numerous dignity has usually been that of Earl; Marquesses and Viscounts have always been comparatively less numerous, though not so rare as the dukes.
In 1675 there were only fourteen non-royal dukes, six marquesses, 156 earls, thirty-six viscounts, and 160 barons. These numbers reflect only historical numbers, however, and do not take into account the numerous original PC peers being played in the game - nor do they take into account subsidiary titles, i.e., only the highest title was counted. They do, though, include peeresses in their own right.
Rights and Precedence
Rights
Peers, by hereditary right, sit in the House of Lords. However, only peers (NOT peeresses) may sit, and then, only if they have reached the age of majority.
Nonetheless, peeresses hold all of the other privileges which attend their specific rank, although often if the peerage carries with it some special office, the office will be fulfilled by the peeress's husband. In addition, wives of peers enjoy many of the privileges of peers, including a trial in the House of Lords rather than by jury.
Only a peer may be said to hold a title "in his/her own right." All other titles are courtesy titles.
For more information, see Rights and Privileges of Peers.
Precedence
There are three types of peerages to consider when talking about peers: peers of England, Scotland, and Ireland. This makes a great difference in precedence, and in some cases, privilege. The higher the rank, the more likely it is that the peer holds several peerages, which may be distributed throughout the three peerages, depending upon their dates of creation.
For more information, see Precedence.
How Titles are Derived
This is an Opt In article.
There is always a distinction between the name of the peerage and the surname. For almost all peerages above viscounts, they are different, but of course it's very easy to get them confused, especially since there are several exceptions.
Territorial titles are derived either from the name of a county (Hertford, Sussex, Essex) or the name of a town. They are not derived from the name of a person's dwelling. See chart for further detail.
| Peerage Type | Uses "of"? | Surname? | Or Territorial? |
| Dukes | Always | None, except for three in the peerage of Scotland: the Duke of Hamilton (also the Duke of Brandon in England); the Duke of Lennox (also the Duke of Richmond in England); and the Duke of Gordon | Always (the three surnames to the left are also territorial place names.) |
| Marquesses | All, but: Marquess Camden (territorial), Marquess Douro (territorial), Marquess Wellesley (surname), Marquess Conyngham (surname), Marquess Townshend (surname) | None, but: Marquess of Cholmondeley, Marquess of Hastings, Marquess Wellesley, Marquess Conyngham, Marquess Townshend | Generally |
| Earls | Usually, but usually not with a surname | Occasionally (and usually not with "of"): Earl of Coventry, Earl of Cowper, Earl of Middlesex, Earl of Ashburnham, Earl Grosvenor, Earl Talbot, Earl Bathurst, Earl Fitzwilliam | Usually |
| Viscounts | Never, but often a territorial addition is made to the title, e.g., Viscount Leinster of Taplow | Often, e.g., Viscount Courtenay | Often, e.g., Viscount Melville |
| Barons | Never, but often a territorial addition is made to the title, e.g., Baron Holland of Foxley; | Often, but often a territorial addition is made to the title, e.g., Baron Trevor of Bromham | Often (occasionally from another source, e.g., Baron Holland of Foxley) |
