| List of Titles in Medieval Times |
| Abbess: a nun in charge of a convent Abbot: a "chief monk" in the head of a monastery or an abbey Admiral: this was derivd from an old Saracen term "emir", meaning prince. Sometime during the late 13th century, it became used as a naval term of rank as leader for a lfeet of ships, possibly "prince of the sea" Arch-Duke: title for the dukes of Austria, Lorraine, and Brabant Arma Patrina: Latin: Squires who had either grown too old to qualify for knighthood or who had forgone the expense of knighthood but who were allowed to carry a lance and shield even though these were generally restricted by the customs of war to the chivalry. Armiger: the Norman predecesor of what came to be known as squire, young men who were in training to be knights, a term popular during the 13th century Bachelier: bachelor knight. Before a knight settled and attracted followers, they held the rank of bachelier. They might then go out at war or tourney or just adventuring, similar to the errant knight of romantic history. Also see knight banneret. Bailiff: an outsider frequently employed by a feudal lord to look after his estates. Such men collected rents, managed the production of the holdings, protecting the lord's interests on the estate in his role as freeman. Bannerette, banneret: the reank of a knight just above the bachelier, or bachelor knight. The knight banneret was a unit leader of a group larger than a lance (ten or less) Baron: after 1066, the tenants-in-chief who held their lands directly from the king. The first use of the style "baron" in an individual's name came in 1387. The Baron ranks in precedence below a count, carrying the title "your excellency" Baroness: wife of a Baron or a woman who held a barony in her own right: in literature "baroness" generally refers to a holder in her own right, while the title "lady" is reserved for Barons' wives. Baronet: a post-medieval title created by James I on May 22, 1611, ranking below a peer and above a knight Bishop: a reank in the medieval church, usually presiding over a diocese or see, bearing the title "excellency" Caballero: Spanish for knight Captal: Baron Chevalier: French for knight - literally "horseman" Compte: see Count Constable: the chief military officer of the English crown, with the Marshal as lieutenant, known respectively as the "lord high constable" and the "earl marshal" Count: female version is Countess. Inheritors of what became, during the middle ages, as the Counties. The title of count merged with the Anglo-Saxon conception of Earl, a title carrying more governing and military responsibilities. The two together merged, becoming synonymous. Earl being correct in England and Count or compte in France. Graf was the German equivalent, Jarl the Welsh. Counts rank above barons and viscounts, but below dukes, and are known by the title "excellency". This is from the Latin "comes" and denoted an administrative Noble responsible for a specified territory or "county". Counts Palatine were attached to the Royal Palace, expecially in France, and had charge of the Monarch's domestic affairs. The English equivalent of a count would be an Earl. However, an Earl's wife in England, interestingly, is a Countess. Crown Prince: their heir to the throne, ranking in precedence above all other princes in a kingdom. Dauphin: the official title of the eldest son of the king of France. Duke: the highest title of nobility in England, ranking below the prince. A duke is properly addressed as "your Grace", equivalent to the rank of archbishop in the church hierarchy. (female is Duchess) the Latin "dux" or "dux bellorum" variously translated as "war leader" or "leader of battles". This was a title given to certain kinds of senior Roman border commanders in the late period of the Empire and was specifically in use in Britain during the period when the Saxon invasions began in the mid forth century. Dukes are traditionally the highest rank of Nobility below a Prince. Earl: derived from the early Anglo-Saxon, the office of Earl was to administer a shire. Equivalent to the county on the continent. The title was the highest ranking nobility in England next to the princes, until Edward III supplanted the title by creating a duchy for his son the Black Prince in Cornwall. Emir: military commander or chieftain in a Saracen army. Emperor: title of the sovereigns of the Holy Roman Empire, adopted from the old Roman inperator, meaning the power of the sword. The title was reincarnated under Charlemagne for the use by the inheritors of his empire. In the medieval context the person who would act as emperor would be elected, uncable to use the title until they were anointed in the coronation ceremony. "The highest ranking title, that of emperor, derived from the Latin imperator, was originally a military title: the leader of a victorious army was saluted imperator by his soldiers. It was assumed by Augustus Caesar and the sovereigns of the Roman and Byzantine empires who followed him. The title recieved its moder meaning when it was conferred on Charlemgne in 800, and it was revived when Otto I was crowned in 962, Holy Roman emperor. In Russia it was used from the time of Peter I until the dissolution of imperial Russia. It has also been the equivalent of the titles of the sovereigns of China, Japan, Persia, the Ottoman Empre, Ethiopia and India. Napoleon assumed the title of emperor of the French in 1804 and Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India in 1877. Caesar, the cognomen of Julius Caesar, was adopted by Augustus in 44 BC and his successors as emperor took the name until Hadrian, who designated Caesar as the title of the heir aparent: the imperial use of Caesar was continued with the German Kaiser and the Russian Czar". Errant: a knight, usually a bachelier, who departs to seek adventure and thus earn renown and possibly riches so that he might settle, marry and earn his living. In history most errants would pursue wars or tournaments as the chief methods by which they might earn renown: in the romances such knights would battle incredible beasts, rescue ladies, and defend princes and kings, who would often return their service with largesse, bestowing upon them lands and titles. Escheator: shire officer, in England, who was responsible for the administration of land grants and feudal rights relating to land and fiefdom. Excellency, Your: honorary address for a count, earl, graf, baron, viscount or bishop. Fisher King: the keeper of the grail, the woulded king who must be asked the critical question, "What ails thee, Sire?". When Percival fails to ask this question, the grail is initially denied to him and the quest for the grail must be undertaken. Gentleman: a man who bore arms through grant or inheritance. The word derived from the "gentle" qualities that were supposed to belong to the upper class, the refined sense of nobility grown from both noble descent and education. To be "gentle" in the medieval sense meant that a man must be born to the class, he could not become "gentle" by deed. Grace, Your: formal title of address for archbishops, dukes, princes or even kings, used such as "Your Grace". Graf: German title equivalent of count. Hertzog: see Duke Jarl: Welsh equivalent for earl or count. King: crowned ruler of a territory or country called a kingdom. Derived from the German word konnen, "to be ale". Knight: the formal title of knight Knight Errant: a knight who has gone to earn renown in wars, tournaments, jousts, or through adventures encountered in wandering travels. The knight errant was largely a figure of romance, but young knights in the middle ages did have a great need for such travels, since they stood to inherit nothing if they were a younger son. These knights formed themselves inot small companies of knights who hired themselves out in wars or competed in tournaments to earn the ransoms available for captured knights. Using their winnings and their reputations, they might be able to attract the attention of a lady or of a noble lord and thus secure their future. Lady in Waiting: Ladies attendent upon a woman of nobility. Not quite servants, they were considered "noble companions" who by their status and nobility could better advise a woman of high station. Liege: a feudal lord, superior to the vassal and owner of the fief or knight's fee Liegeman: a sworn vassal who has commited himself to the homage of his liege lord, generally a military and political alliance. Maharaja: Raja, ruler or king: maharaja means "great king". Feminine version is Rani, meaning queen. It is of Hindu Origin. Marquis: (female version Marchioness) including the popular form, "Marquess" and the specifically German "Margrave" denotes a Noble who is crucial in the administration of a Kingdom. The Marquis or "marcher Lord" was of undoubted loyalty to the Sovereign and was given responsibility for protecting and improtant border area with a pottentially hostile State. Marshal: officer of the king's household, the officer in charge of horses and other animals for sport example being, the mews, hounds, and frequently the guards or archers. The marshal, ranking just under the constable, served with him in English courts of chivalry, after Edward III established the court as a formal body. Page: the youngest term of a knight's training, usually held by boys from eight to thirteen. During this time they served the household needs of their lord, serving the table, helping in the kitchen, possibly learning to read, helping their lord to dress, and other duties that taught them the value of following that is expected of a leader. Paladin: one of Charlemagne's twelve peers, and by a similar description King Arthur's knights of the Round Table. The word has been extended to be applied to any medieval champion or knight of distinctive virtue. Prince: a ruler, from the latin princeps, meaning first in rank. In general, any ruler, male or female came to be known as the "prince", the "ruler", as in Machievelli's Prince. Also a male heir in a Royal household, the "Crown" prince was the first in line to the throne. Princess: a female prince and heir to the thrown. A princess royal was the eldest daughter of a King or Queen. Pursuivant: a herald Ritter: German for "knight" Samurai: knights of feudal Japan, retainers of the daimyo. This aristocratic warrior class arose during the 12th century wars between the Taira and Minamoto clans and was consolidated in the Tokugawa period. Samurai were privileged to wear two swords, and at one time had the right to cut down any commoner who offended them. They cultivated the martial virtures, indifference to pain or death, and unfailing loyalty to their overlords, Bushido. Samurai were the dominant group in Japan, and the masterless samurai, the ronin, were a serious social problem. Scutiferi: Latin for squire in the time of Edward I Seneschal: Lord's representative in the administration of an estate, presiding at manorial courts, auditing accounts, conduct inquests, and the like. Serf: a peasant, the lowest class in the feudal system, belonging to a class who were tied to the land that they worked on behalf of the lord. They were in a very real sense owned by the lord of the manor or property, gradually becoming rising in rights and eventually synonymous to the English villein. Sergeant: a kind of infantry or light cavalry rank below that of a knight Sir: the title for a knight Sire: one title used for king, a more familiar title generally reserved for close confidants Spearmen: footsoldiers, generally not of the knightly class, armed with a pike or spear Squire: a young man in training to become a knight. During the 14th century arming squires often joined their knights in battle, a part of the knight's household unit or lance. Vassal: originally the comitatus of German relations where a man would offer his services in return for the protection of a lord. By the 12th century, these contracts had become more formalized, and a vassal generally sought to closely define the terms of vassalage and to make the relationship hereditary as a way of porviding for the offspring. During the Middle Ages a vassal was a free man who voluntarily exchanged his service, sometimes military service in exchange for protection. A vassal swore an oath of fealty to the liege lord, who swore a return oath to defend the vassal. Villein: a bondsman, a man bonded to the land that he worked. Villeins lived in villages, attached to a lord's holding, all but a slave. A lord who owned the land to which a villein was attached could do anything with him he pleased, save mutilation or killing him. Villeins had few rights, and only in rare circumstances were released from their bondage. A man was a villein if his father was a villein: only by the release of the lord could he ever be free. See Serf Viscount: the name given to officers William I chose to replace the English Sheriffs, eventually growing in stature in the peerage to follow counts and earls, superseding the rank of baron. |