In France from the Middle Ages to 1871, there was a single system according to which the feudal lords were divided into several categories. Noble titles and their hierarchy are of great interest today. And this is not surprising, since the representatives of the aristocracy and their offspring are constantly the object of close attention of the press along with the stars of show business and well-known politicians.
Hierarchy
The head of the medieval French state was the king. At the next step of the hierarchical ladder stood the overlords - dukes and large counts, who were the supreme rulers of a particular area. Moreover, their power on the lands was almost equal to the royal. Next came the owners of the domains, beneficiaries or allotments that were issued for the service, and fies granted for the service and transmitted by inheritance. These nobles had various titles. It is interesting that any feudal lord could be both a suzerain and a domain owner and beneficiary at the same time.
Le Roi (king)
As already mentioned, this is the highest noble title of medieval France. In different periods its owners were endowed with more or less power. The highest power of the French kings possessed in the era of absolutism, especially during the reign of Louis the Fourteenth.
Le Duce (Duke)
This is the highest non-crowned title in the French kingdom, which was translated into Russian as "duke". It is believed that he originally designated the leader of the tribe and arose during the Carolingian era, when the French, Italians and Germans were subjects of the same king. During the formation and expansion of the Frankish state, the German dukes became officials of the king, they were subordinate to the counts - the rulers of certain regions.
Le Marquis (Marquises)
These noble titles in France arose under Charlemagne. Their name comes from the name of the border administrative unit - brand. This is due to the fact that the Marquis was the royal governor in the area.
Le Comte (Count)
This was the name of the royal servant who had the authority to govern a certain territory and exercise the functions of the judiciary. He was next after the marquis in the hierarchy of noble titles and almost single-handedly, with the exception of only a few issues, ruled his county. By the way, from the word comte came the name "Komtur", denoting a position in the spiritual and chivalric orders.
Le Vicomte (Viscount)
Noble titles in France were inherited. In different epochs, different rules acted for this. For example, the title of viscount, who in the early period designated the deputy count, was later worn by the younger male heirs of the marquises and counts, as well as their descendants.
Le Baron
Noble titles in France were quite numerous. Their hierarchy included the level of the baron. So-called feudal lords who have their own domain, who, being vassals of the king themselves, were themselves sovereigns of their own subjects. In France, this title was one of the few.
Le Chevalier (Chevalier)
Representatives of this estate who did not have their own domains also had noble titles in France. It was they who joined the army and made up most of the chivalry. The word "Chevalier" itself means a heavily armed rider. In Western Europe , knighting initially meant taking into military service to his overlord. For loyalty, the Chevaliers received from the master a hereditary fief and a lifetime benefit.
Monsieur de
The junior noble title in France of the old order is equier. They designated a squire, and in literal translation it meant "clothing." In addition, the so-called independent independent noble children who did not have the opportunity to uniform and equip themselves on their own were called so. Serving as a squire was the only opportunity for a Chevalier to gain the right to own a fief or beneficiary. However, part of the squires for one reason or another did not achieve the desired and remained just Monsieur de (name). Over time, this estate merged with the Chevalier.
Title Inheritance
In France, in the Middle Ages , birthright was at the forefront. This meant that the title was inherited by the eldest son of its owner. At the same time, daughters born before the appearance of the boy in the family were deprived of this right.
While the father was alive, the son received the so-called courtesy title lower in rank than that of the parent. For example, the duke's heir became the Marquis. At the same time, when the position of a particular nobleman in the hierarchy of the French aristocracy was considered, the title of father was taken as the basis for determining his place. In other words, the Count, who is the son of the Duke, was superior to his “colleague,” whose father was the Marquis.
Usually, the higher aristocracy had several titles that remained in the family, so sometimes their offspring had to change them with the death of older relatives. For example, if after the death of his grandfather, his son became a duke, then his grandson took his count's place.
Women's titles
The noble title in France and England was usually passed along the male line. As for women, that they became their owners in two ways. The first option is marriage, and the second is receipt from the father. In the latter case, again, it was a title of courtesy, which did not give the lady any privileges. Another thing is when a woman became, for example, a duchess as a result of marriage to the duke. This meant that she was at the same level of the hierarchy as her husband, and bypassed everyone, including the male representatives, who followed him. In addition, for example, of the two marquises below was the one whose husband had the title of courtesy, and did not inherit it after the death of the parent.
At the same time, the Salic law of succession was in force in France, according to which women could not unconditionally inherit family titles, i.e. the duke's daughter did not become a duchess, even if the father did not have male heirs.
The most famous aristocratic houses of France
The clan has been known since the 10th century and gave France 6 connable, 12 marshals, a cardinal, several admirals, as well as masters of various noble orders and numerous famous statesmen.
The first in the family to receive the ducal title in 1551 was Ann de Montmorency.
This house reached the top of the hierarchical ladder, becoming royal in Navarre. In addition, one of his representatives (John d'Albre) married the Duke of Wendom. In this marriage, the future king was born, first of Navarre, and then of France, Henry the Fourth.
The county with this name in the Middle Ages has repeatedly become a bone of contention. In addition, it was one of the few whose inheritance was contrary to salic law. The county later became part of Burgundy. In 1482, the title with the lands passed to the Habsburgs. However, already in 1659 it returned to the French protectorate and became a nominal county. At the same time, its owners received the title of peer of France, and later one of the representatives of this kind became King of France Charles Ninth.
This junior branch of the royal dynasty of France played an important role in the public and political life of the kingdom until their disappearance in 1830. Throughout its history, this genus has repeatedly claimed the throne and participated in various conspiracies.
The genus is known for having spread its influence far beyond France. Its representatives from the 12th century as a result of dynastic marriages became rulers of Cyprus and Jerusalem, and in the 13th century they became kings of the Cilician Armenian kingdom and the Principality of Antioch. Thanks to them, the hierarchy of noble titles of France partially passed to these states.
Representatives of the clan were the kings of Naples and one of the branches of the ancient Capetian dynasty. In 1328, their representative Philip Six entered the throne of France. He did not inherit it, but because of the absence of male heirs from his cousin - the king of France. The dynasty ruled for more than 2 centuries, until the throne passed to Henry the Fourth.
Now you know how many steps of the hierarchical ladder the ordinary aristocrat separated from the one who held the highest noble title of France, England or other West European states. Today, many of their offspring, who inherited only a big name, live like ordinary people and only rarely remember their ancestors who transmitted blue blood to them.