Peerage

thumb|The heraldic crown for Spanish barons

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 above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranked below grand dukes and above or below princes, depending on the country or specific title. The title comes from French duc, itself from the Latin dux, 'leader', a term used in republican Rome to refer to a military commander without an official rank, and later coming to mean the leading military commander of a province. In most countries, the word d

thumb|right|The French general Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne

A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave) and the Italian-language equivalent Marchese. 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. thumb|A portrait of William Kerr, 4th Marquess of Lothian|the 4th Marquess of Lothian, wearing his [[British Army uniform.]]

Member of the highest aristocratic social order outside the ruling dynasty of the kingdom. Notable examples are UK, France, Portugal, Spain

A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks.

courtsmanship, honary of judicial outcome

principal country residence of an upper-class family across multiple generations