Month: June 2013

howdoesmewrite:

EMPIRE

• Emperor/Empress, Kaiser/Kaiserin, Tsar/Tsarina: rules over everyone

KINGDOM

• High King/High Queen, Maharajah, Pharaoh: rules over other kings
• King/Queen, Sultan/Sultana, Shah/Shahbanu, Raja/Rani, Rex: rules over everything (Europe) or leader of a large area or province (ancient Egypt, Persia, India)
• Crown Prince/Crown Princess, Emir/Emira, Dauphin: also called the heir apparent, next in line for the throne
• Prince/Princess: other children of the imperial or royal family

ARCHDUCHY

• Archduke/Archduchess: ruler of an archduchy

DUCHY/DUKEDOM

• Duke/Duchess: ruler of a duchy; highest rank under the royal family; While some duchies have their own lineage, members of the royal/imperial family can also be dukes (ex. Queen Elizabeth II is the Duke of Normandy)

MARQUESSATE, MARGRAVIATE, OR MARCH

• Marquess, Margrave, Marquis/Marchioness: the ruler of a marquessate, margraviate, or march

COUNTY

• Count, Earl/Countess: ruler of a county; known as an earl in England, but their wives are still countesses

VISCOUNTY

• Viscount/viscountess: ruler of a viscounty; rank below counts/earls

BARONY

• Baron/baroness: ruler of a barony

OTHER

• Baronet: British title ranking below baron and above knight
• Seigneur/Knight of the Manor: rules a small local fief
• Knight: basic rank; used to denote someone who owned land and fought on behalf of their overlord
• Baron/baroness (Scotland only): ranks below a knight and above a laird; hereditary position
• Laird (Scotland only): ranks below a Scottish baron and above an esquire; landowner’s title
• Esquire: indicates someone who attends or is apprenticed to a knight
• Gentleman: the lowest rank of gentry; owns a small manor or plot of land