A marquess (English spelling) or marquis (North American English and French spelling) is a nobleman of hereditary rank in various European monarchies and some of their colonies. The term is also used to render equivalent oriental styles as in imperial China and Japan. In the British peerage it ranks below a duke and above an earl, on the continent usually equivalent where a cognate title exists. A woman with the rank of marquess, or the wife of a marquess, is a marchioness, (IPA pronunciation: [ˌmɑ(r)ʃə'nɛs]) or marquise (North American English and the French spelling). Marquess is a German pop band established in 2006 in Hanover. ... Look up Marquis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... North American English is a collective term used for the varieties of the English language that are spoken in the United States and Canada. ... The Lords and Barons prove their Nobility by hanging their Banners and exposing their Coats-of-arms at the Windows of the Lodge of the Heralds. ... For other uses, see Peerage (disambiguation). ... This article is about the nobility title. ... For people, see Earl (given name) and Earl (surname). ... Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ...

Origin

The original title was Margrave, or rather its original in German, Markgraf, with a few equivalents in other languages in use in parts of the Holy Roman Empire (such as Markgraaf in Dutch, Margravio in Italian). The English word derives via the Middle French marquis (feminine, marquise) from Old French Marchis from Medieval Latin marca "frontier, frontier territory" - also seen in the Germanic word for 'border' (mark) - which in English became march, plural marches. The French form marquis, recorded in English since 1300, is still sometimes used (especially in Scotland), though marquess is now the preferred British usage. They were originally counts who were granted extra powers because they guarded border areas. This gave them precedence over other counts (in England, earls). This origin is still evident in the German language (Mark+graf=March+count). Margrave (Latin: marchio) is the English and French form (recorded since 1551) of the German title Markgraf (from Mark march and Graf count) and certain equivalent nobiliary (princely) titles in other languages. ... This article is about the medieval empire. ... Middle French (French: ) is a historical division of the French language which covers the period from (roughly) 1340 to 1611 [1]. It is a period of transition during which: the French language becomes clearly distinguished from the other competing Oïl languages which are sometimes subsumed within the concept of... Mark or march (or various plural forms of these words) are derived from the Frankish word marka (boundary) and refer to a border region, e. ... A count is a nobleman in most European countries, equivalent in rank to a British earl, whose wife is also still a countess (for lack of an Anglo-Saxon term). ...

In Venice, so many of the nobles in the Libro d'Oro styled themselves marchese by 1529, that when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, entered Venice that year, he lost patience with the distinctions among his recent, desultory enemies: Vos omnes marchiones appello, he announced ("I call all of you marchesi"), to the delight of a contemporary Florentine. This story was revived when Genoa joined the Kingdom of Italy in 1861: all the patricians of Genoa were declared marchesi al cognome ("marchesi by name"—"only" being implied). The Libro dOro (Italian: Golden Book) as list of the noblemen existed in many italian states and cities. ... For the Carlist claimant King Carlos V, see Infante Carlos, Count of Molina. ... Italian unification (called in Italian the Risorgimento, or Resurgence) was the political and social process that unified disparate states of the Italian peninsula into the single nation of Italy. ...

British Marquesses

Peerage of England

Unlike the continent, in England (later Britain, ultimately the UK) the monarchy is the only authority capable of awarding hereditary titles. It managed to keep a tight grip on aristocratic titles, so the ranks of the peerage still correspond fairly neatly to the wealth of those who bear titles. Thus, there are currently only 34 marquessates (see list). For other uses, see Peerage (disambiguation). ... This is a list of present Marquesses in the Peerages of England, Scotland, Great Britain, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. ...

The first marquess in England was Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, who was created Marquess of Dublin by Richard II on 1 December 1385. On 13 October 1386, the patent of this marquessate was recalled, and Robert de Vere was raised to Duke of Ireland. John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, the second legitimate son of John of Gaunt, was raised to the second marquessate as Marquess of Dorset in September 1397. In 1399, he was disgraced, and the king revoked his marquessate. The Commons petitioned Richard for his restoration but he himself objected stating "the name of marquess is a strange name in this realm". From that period the title appears to have been dormant till the reign of Henry VI, when it was revived in 1442. The only woman to be created a marchioness in her own right was Lady Anne Boleyn, who was created Marchioness of Pembroke in preparation for her marriage to Henry VIII. The investiture ceremony was held at Windsor Castle on September 1, 1532. Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford (d. ... The titles of Duke of Ireland was created in 1386 for Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, the favorite of King Richard II of England who had previously been created Marquess of Dublin. ... Richard II (January 6, 1367 – February 14, 1400) was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. ... is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1385 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1386 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... The titles of Duke of Ireland was created in 1386 for Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, the favorite of King Richard II of England who had previously been created Marquess of Dublin. ... John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset (c. ... John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (June 24, 1340 - February 3, 1399), the third surviving son of King Edward III of England, gained his name because he was born at Ghent in 1340. ... The title Marquess of Dorset has been created three times in the Peerage of England. ... Events February 10 - John Beaufort becomes Earl of Somerset. ... Events September 30 - Accession of Henry IV of England October 13 - Coronation of Henry IV of England November 1 - Accession of John VI, Duke of Brittany Births William Canynge, English merchant (approximate date; died 1474) Zara Yaqob, Emperor of Ethiopia (died 1468) Deaths January 4 - Nicolau Aymerich, Catalan theologian and... Type Lower House Speaker of the House of Commons Leader of the House of Commons Michael Martin, (Non-affiliated) since October 23, 2000 Harriet Harman, QC, (Labour) since June 28, 2007 Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Theresa May, PC, (Conservative) since December 6, 2005 Members 646 Political groups... Anne Boleyn, Queen Consort of England, 1st Marchioness of Pembroke[1] (ca. ... “Henry VIII” redirects here. ... This article is about the castle in Windsor. ... is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events May 16 - Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England. ...

Forms of address

A British marquess is formally styled "The Most Honourable The Marquess of X"^  and informally styled "Lord X', and his wife "Lady X". As with dukes, all sons bear the courtesy style "Lord Forename [Surname]" and all daughters bear the courtesy style "Lady Forename [Surname]". This courtesy style for the eldest son, however, is often trumped by a subsidiary title of his father, such as earl or viscount, which is used instead (especially for signing documents, the signature being only the name of the title, "X"). This form of signature is true for all peers, including peers by courtesy. For example, the Marquess of Salisbury would sign his name merely "Salisbury". A style of office, or honorific, is a form of address which by tradition or law precedes a reference to a person who holds a title or post, or to the office itself. ... The prefix The Most Honourable is a title of quality attached to the names of marquesses in the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Lord (disambiguation). ... A lady is a woman who is the counterpart of a lord; or, the counterpart of a gentleman. ... This article is about the nobility title. ... A courtesy title is a form of address in the British peerage system used for wives, children, and other close relatives of a peer. ... A given name specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name. ... A courtesy title is a form of address in the British peerage system used for wives, children, and other close relatives of a peer. ... For people, see Earl (given name) and Earl (surname). ... A viscount is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl (in Britain) or a count (his continental equivalent). ... The title Marquess of Salisbury is a British title of Peerage, created in 1789 for James Cecil, 7th Earl of Salisbury. ...

A marquess by courtesy, however, (which would always be the heir to a dukedom, since the courtesy title of an heir must always be at least one rank below that of the peer) does not enjoy the style of "Most Honourable", but is merely known as the "Marquess of X". The genuine marquess as a peer, however, is always the "Most Honourable the Marquess of X", to differentiate a marquess by courtesy (i.e., the heir to a dukedom) from a marquess in his own right.

Marquesal titles in other European languages

The following list may still be incomplete. Female forms follow after a slash; many languages have two words, one for the "modern" marquess and one for the original margrave. In Italy the equivalent modern rank (as opposed to margravio) is that of marchese, the wife of whom is a marchesa, a good example of how several languages adopted a new word derived from marquis for the modern style, thus distinguishing it from the old "military" margraves. Even where neither title ever was used domestically, such duplication to describe foreign titles can exist.

Germanic languages

• Danish Markis /Markise
• Dutch Markies, Markgraaf /Markiezin, Markgravin
• German Markgraf, Marquis /Markgräfin, Marquise
• Icelandic Markgreifi /Markgreifynja
• Luxemburgish Marquis /Marquise
• Norwegian (only awarded to a few Danish families) Markis /Markise
• Old English: þegn/Hlǣfdiġe
• Swedish Markis, Markgreve /Markise, Markgrevinna

Romance languages

• Latin Marchio
• Catalan Marquès /Marquesa
• French Marquis, Margrave/Marquise
• Italian Margravio, Marchese /Marchesa
• Monegasque Marchise /Marchisa
• Portuguese Margrave, Marquês /Marquesa
• Rhaeto-Romanic Marchis /Marchesa
• Romanian Marchiz /Marchiză
• Spanish Marqués /Marquesa

Slavonic and Baltic languages

• Belarusian Markiz /Markiza
• Bulgarian Markiz /Markiza
• Croatian Markiz /Markiza
• Czech Markýz /Markýza
• Latvian Marķīzs /Marķīze
• Lithuanian Markizas /Markizė
• Macedonian Markiz /Markiza
• Polish Margrabia, Markiz /Margrabina, Markiza
• Russian Markiz /Markiza
• Serbian Markiz /Markiza
• Slovak Markíz /Markíza
• Slovene Markiz /Markiza
• Ukrainian Markiz /Markiza

Other languages

• Albanian: Markiz /Markizë
• Estonian: Rajakrahv /Rajakrahvinna or simply Markii/Markiis
• Finnish: Rajakreivi /Rajakreivitär or simply Markiisi /Markiisitar
• Greek (modern): Markisios /Markisia
• Hungarian: Őrgróf (Márki) / Őrgrófnő (Márkinő) / Őrgőrófné (consort of an Őrgróf)
• Maltese: Markiż /Markiża

Outside Europe

Various European monarchies created titles of various ranks, including marquess, in chief of "titles" (estates, or simply the names of places or regions) in their colonial territories overseas, e.g., in Spanish and South America, regardless whether the ennobled families resided there.

Equivalent non-Western titles

Like other major Western noble titles, marquess or marquis is sometimes used to render certain titles in non-Western languages with their own traditions, even though they are as a rule historically unrelated and thus hard to compare, which are considered "equivalent" in relative rank.

This is the case with:

• in ancient China, 侯 (hóu) was the second of five noble ranks created by King Wu of Zou 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, Kōshaku (侯爵), a hereditary peerage (Kazoku) ran, was introduced in 1884, granting a hereditary seat in the upper house of the imperial diet just as a British peerage did (until Tony Blair's House of Lords Act 1999), with the ranks usually rendered as Baron, Viscount, Count, Marquis and Duke. The Japanese rendered these titles in Chinese (though there the titles devaluate when a new generation succeeds), though the Western titles were used in translation.
• in Korea, the seven main grades of nobility were similar to those in China, with ranks descending by one degree with each succeeding holder of the title. As in China, Champan, rendered as Marquis, was the third, only under Gun (Prince) and Kung (Duke) and above Poguk (Count), Pansoh (Viscount), Chamise (Baron) and Chusa (no Western equivalent, but somewhat similar to the British title of Baronet)
• in Vietnam's Annamite realm / empire, Hau was a senior title of hereditary nobility, equivalent to Marquis, for male members of the Imperial clan, ranking under Vuong (King), Quoc-Cong (Grand Duke), Quan-Cong (Duke) and Cong (Prince, but here under Duke, rather like a German Fürst), and above Ba (Count), Tu (Viscount), Nam (Baron) and Vinh phong (no equivalent, roughly Baronet).

China is the worlds oldest continuous major civilization, with written records dating back about 3,500 years and with 5,000 years being commonly used by Chinese as the age of their civilization. ... China is the worlds oldest continuous major civilization, with written records dating back about 3,500 years and with 5,000 years being commonly used by Chinese as the age of their civilization. ... The Meiji period ) denotes the 45-year reign of Emperor Meiji, running from 8 September 1868 (in the Gregorian calendar, 23 October 1868) to 30 July 1912. ... The kazoku (華族, lit. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency... The House of Lords Act 1999, an Act of Parliament passed by the British Parliament, was a major constitutional enactment as it reformed greatly one of the chambers of Parliament, the House of Lords (see Lords Reform). ... This article is about the Korean peninsula and civilization. ... Fürst (plural Fürsten) is a German title of nobility, usually translated into English as Prince; however this translation can be misleading, since a Fürst usually ranks below a Duke. ...

See also

• Marquise
• Marquise de Pompadour
• List of Marquesses in the British Isles
• List of Marquessates in the British Isles
• List of Marquesses in Portugal
• The Marchioness, a boat that collided on the River Thames in 1989.
• Premier Marquess, the Marquess of Winchester
• Mark (county)

A marquise is a French noblewoman ranking above a countess and below a duchess, and is usually the wife of a marquis. ... Madame de Pompadours portrait Madame de Pompadour (December 29, 1721 - April 15, 1764) was the famous mistress of King Louis XV of France. ... This is a list of present Marquesses in the Peerages of England, Scotland, Great Britain, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. ... This page lists all marquessates, extant, extinct, dormant, abeyant, or forfeit, in the peerages of England, Scotland, Great Britain, Ireland and the United Kingdom. ... This is a List of Marquesses inPortugal. ... The Marchioness disaster occurred on the River Thames on August 20, 1989, when the pleasure boat Marchioness sank after being run down by the dredger Bowbelle. ... The title Marquess of Winchester was created in 1551 in the Peerage of England, making it the oldest English (and British) Marquessate still in existence. ... Mark was a medieval territory in todays North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ...

Notes

^ Although the vast majority of marquessates are named after places, and hence their holders are known as the "Marquess of X", a very few of them are named after surnames (even if not the bearer's own), and hence their holders are known as the "Marquess X". In either case, he is still informally known as "Lord X", regardless whether there is an of in his title, and it is always safe to style him so.

Sources and references

• The Chronological Peerage of England, hereditarytitles.com as of March 2, 2003; [1]; omits Normanby, misspells Hartington as Martington, places Marquess of Lorn and Kintyre in peerage of England (Scotland is more probable).
• EtymologyOnLine
• Encyclopædia Britannica 1911: "Buckingham and Normanby, John Sheffield, 1st Duke of (1648-1721)" mentions the title Marquess of Normanby in peerage of England.
• RoyalArk on non-European dynasties, here China under the Manchu (last) Emperors, see also Glossary, and via Home look up other nations