earl (British peerage)

E420601

An earl in the British peerage is a noble rank historically positioned below a marquess and above a viscount, broadly comparable to a continental European count.

All labels observed (2)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf hereditary title ⓘ
noble title ⓘ
peerage rank ⓘ
associatedWith hereditary privileges ⓘ
landed estates ⓘ
canBe hereditary peerage ⓘ
life peerage (in modern practice rarely styled as earl) ⓘ
category British nobility ⓘ
Titles of nobility in the United Kingdom ⓘ
ceremonialRole participation in state ceremonies ⓘ
comparableTo count (continental European nobility) ⓘ
country United Kingdom ⓘ
entails seat in the House of Lords (historically) ⓘ
etymologyFrom Old English eorl ⓘ
femaleEquivalentTitle countess ⓘ
followsInSeniority marquess ⓘ
formalTitlePrefix Earl ⓘ
The Earl of [place or family name] ⓘ
governedBy letters patent ⓘ
rules of primogeniture (for hereditary earldoms) ⓘ
grantedBy the monarch of the United Kingdom ⓘ
historicallyAssociatedWith military leadership ⓘ
regional governance ⓘ
historicallyHeldBy high-ranking nobles ⓘ
historicalOrigin Anglo-Saxon England ⓘ
language English ⓘ
mayInclude subsidiary titles ⓘ
modernStatus largely ceremonial ⓘ
partOf British peerage system ⓘ
positionInHierarchy above viscount ⓘ
below marquess ⓘ
precedesInSeniority viscount ⓘ
predecessorConcept earl in Anglo-Saxon and early Norman usage ⓘ
preNormanEquivalent ealdorman ⓘ
rankOrder duke > marquess > earl > viscount > baron ⓘ
spouseTitle countess ⓘ
styleOfAddress The Right Honourable ⓘ
titleType substantive peerage title ⓘ
traditionalContinentalEquivalent Graf (German count) ⓘ
comte (French count) ⓘ
conde (Spanish count) ⓘ
conte (Italian count) ⓘ
usedFor creation of new peerages ⓘ
usedIn Peerage of England ⓘ
Peerage of Great Britain ⓘ
Peerage of Ireland ⓘ
Peerage of Scotland ⓘ
Peerage of the United Kingdom ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Count (continental Europe) → roughlyEquivalentTo → earl (British peerage) ⓘ
Marquess of Downshire → isSuperiorTo → Earl (in British and Irish peerage hierarchy) ⓘ
linked to: earl (British peerage)