# Marquess > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Marquess > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Marquess.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquess > Source revision: 1350545293 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Hereditary rank in various European peerages Several terms redirect here. For other uses, see [Marchesa (disambiguation)](/source/Marchesa_(disambiguation)), [Marchese (disambiguation)](/source/Marchese_(disambiguation)), [Marchioness (disambiguation)](/source/Marchioness_(disambiguation)), [Marquis (disambiguation)](/source/Marquis_(disambiguation)), [Marquise (disambiguation)](/source/Marquise_(disambiguation)), [Marquesa (disambiguation)](/source/Marquesa_(disambiguation)), and [Marquess (disambiguation)](/source/Marquess_(disambiguation)). Part of a series on Imperial, royal, noble, gentry and chivalric ranks in Europe Emperor, Empress dowager High king, High queen Great king, Great queen King consort dowager Queen regnant consort dowager mother Archduke, Archduchess Grand duke, Grand duchess Grand prince, Grand princess Prince consort Princess consort Duke, Duchess Knyaz, Knyaginya Fürst, Fürstin Herzog Jarl Prince-elector, Princess-elector Heir apparent presumptive Voivode Count palatine Marquess, Marchioness Margrave, Margravine Marcher lord Landgrave Boyar Count, Countess Earl Mormaer Ealdorman Viscount, Viscountess Castellan Burgrave, Burgravine Captal Vidame Starosta Baron, Baroness Lord of Parliament Lord paramount Overlord Tenant in chief Territorial lord Liege lord Mesne lord Lendmann Nobile Edler Primor Fidalgo Baronet, Baronetess Vavasour Imperial knight Knight/Chevalier Ritter Seigneur Knight bachelor Thane Druzhinnik Lord of the manor Vogt Esquire Gentleman, Gentlewoman Franklin Yeoman Man at arms Edelfrei Ministerialis v t e A **marquess** ([UK](/source/British_English): [/ˈmɑːrkwɪs/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English);[1] [French](/source/French_language): ***marquis*** [\[maʁki\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/French))[2][a] is a [nobleman](/source/Nobility) of high hereditary rank in various European [peerages](/source/Peerage) and in those of some of their former [colonies](/source/Colony). The German-language equivalent is *[Markgraf](/source/Markgraf)* (margrave) and the Italian-language equivalent *Marchese*. A woman with the rank of a marquess or the [wife](/source/Wife) (or widow) of a marquess is a **marchioness** ([/ˈmɑːrʃənɛs/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English)[3]) or **marquise** (French: [\[maʁkiz\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/French) [ⓘ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LL-Q150_(fra)-Poslovitch-marquise.wav)). These titles are also used to translate equivalent Asian styles, as in [Imperial China](/source/History_of_China#Imperial_China) and [Imperial Japan](/source/Imperial_Japan). 1751 portrait of [William Kerr, 4th Marquess of Lothian](/source/William_Kerr%2C_4th_Marquess_of_Lothian) ## Etymology The word *marquess* entered the English language from the [Old French](/source/Old_French) *marchis* ("ruler of a border area") in the late 13th or early 14th century. The French word was derived from *marche* ("frontier"), itself descended from the [Middle Latin](/source/Middle_Latin) *marca* ("frontier"), from which the modern English word *[march](/source/March_(territory))* also descends. The distinction between governors of frontier territories and interior territories was made as early as the founding of the [Roman Empire](/source/Roman_Empire) when some provinces were set aside for administration by the senate and more unpacified or vulnerable provinces were administered by the emperor. The titles "[duke](/source/Duke)" and "[count](/source/Count)" were similarly distinguished as ranks in the [Byzantine Empire](/source/Byzantine_Empire), with *dux* (literally, "leader") being used for a provincial military governor and the rank of *comes* (literally "companion", that is, of the Emperor) given to the leader of an active army along the frontier. ## Belgium The title of marquess in Belgium predates the [French Revolution](/source/French_Revolution) and still exists today. See [Belgian nobility § Marquesses in the Belgian nobility](/source/Belgian_nobility#Marquesses_in_the_Belgian_nobility) and [List of noble families in Belgium § Marquesses](/source/List_of_noble_families_in_Belgium#Marquesses). ## Spain In Spain, the rank of Marquess/Marchioness (*Marqués*/*Marquesa*) still exists. One hundred and forty-two of them are Spanish [grandees](/source/Grandee). Normally a *marqués* is addressed as "[The Most Illustrious](/source/The_Most_Illustrious) Lord" (*Ilustrísimo Señor*), or if he/she is a grandee as "[The Most Excellent](/source/The_Most_Excellent) Lord" (*Excelentísimo Señor*). Examples include the [Marquess of Carpio](/source/Marquess_of_Carpio), [Grandee of Spain](/source/Grandee_of_Spain). ## United Kingdom Part of a series on Peerages in the United Kingdom Ranks Duke / Duchess Marquess / Marchioness Earl / Countess Viscount / Viscountess Baron / Baroness (in Scotland, titled Lord / Lady of Parliament) Types Hereditary Life Representative Divisions England Scotland Great Britain Ireland United Kingdom Topics Nobility History Privileges Robes Courtesy titles (list) Forms of address Family seat Territorial designation Related Peerages Welsh Jacobite Australia Canada India House of Lords Politics portal United Kingdom portal v t e Main article: [Marquesses in the United Kingdom](/source/Marquesses_in_the_United_Kingdom) In Great Britain, and historically in Ireland, a marquess ranks below a [duke](/source/Duke) and above an [earl](/source/Earl). A woman with the rank of a marquess, or the wife of a marquess, is a **marchioness** [/ˌmɑːrʃəˈnɛs/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English).[4] The dignity, rank, or position of the title is a marquisate or marquessate. The [honorific](/source/Honorific) prefix "[The Most Honourable](/source/The_Most_Honourable)" precedes the name of a marquess or marchioness of the [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom).[5] In [Great Britain](/source/Great_Britain), and historically in [Ireland](/source/Ireland), the spelling of this title is **marquess**. In Scotland, the French spelling **marquis** is sometimes used. The [coronet](/source/Coronet) for a marquess in the British realms The theoretical distinction between a marquess and other titles has, since the [Middle Ages](/source/Middle_Ages), faded into obscurity. In times past, the distinction between a [count](/source/Count) and a marquess was that the land of a marquess, called a [march](/source/March_(territory)), was on the border of the country, while a count's land, called a [county](/source/County), often was not. As a result of this, a marquess was trusted to defend and fortify against potentially hostile neighbours and was thus more important and ranked higher than a count. The title is ranked below that of a [duke](/source/Duke), which was often largely restricted to the royal family. The rank of marquess was a relatively late introduction to the British peerage: no [marcher lords](/source/Marcher_lord) had the rank of marquess, though some were [earls](/source/Earl). On the evening of the [Coronation of Queen Victoria](/source/Coronation_of_Queen_Victoria) in 1838, the Prime Minister [Lord Melbourne](/source/Lord_Melbourne) explained to her why (from her journals): I spoke to [Lord Melbourne] about the numbers of Peers present at the Coronation, & he said it was quite unprecedented. I observed that there were very few Viscounts, to which he replied "There are very few [Viscounts](/source/Viscount)," that they were an old sort of title & not really English; that they came from Vice-Comites; that Dukes & Barons were the only real English titles; – that Marquises were likewise not English, & that people were mere made Marquises, when it was not wished that they should be made Dukes.[6] ## Analogous non-Western titles The [Marquess of Trazegnies](/source/Marquess_of_Trazegnies_d'Ittre) Like other major Western noble titles, marquess (or marquis) is sometimes used to translate certain titles from non-Western languages with their own traditions, even though they are, as a rule, historically unrelated and thus hard to compare. However, they are considered "equivalent" in relative rank. This is the case with: - In [ancient China](/source/History_of_China#Ancient_China), 侯 (*hóu*) a [noble rank](/source/Zhou_dynasty_nobility) created by [King Wu of Zhou](/source/King_Wu_of_Zhou) for rulers of newly conquered regions, and is generally translated as marquess or marquis.[7] In [imperial China](/source/Imperial_era_of_Chinese_history), 侯 (*hóu*) is generally, but not always, a middle-to-high ranking hereditary nobility title. Its exact rank varies greatly from dynasty to dynasty, and even within a dynasty. It is often created with different sub-ranks, with 列侯 (*liè hóu*, [Ranged Marquis](/source/Ranged_Marquis)) generally the highest.[8] - In [Meiji Japan](/source/Meiji_Japan), 侯爵 (*kōshaku*), a hereditary peerage (*[kazoku](/source/Kazoku)*) rank, was introduced in 1884, granting a hereditary seat in the upper house of the imperial diet just as a British peerage did (until the [House of Lords Act 1999](/source/House_of_Lords_Act_1999)), with the ranks usually rendered as baron, viscount, count, marquis and duke/prince.[9] - In [Korea](/source/Korea), the title of 현후 (縣侯; *hyeonhu*), the meaning of which is "marquess of district", existed for the hereditary nobility in the [Goryeo dynasty](/source/Goryeo). It was equivalent to the upper fifth rank of nine bureaucratic orders, and was in the third rank of six nobility orders. In the [Joseon dynasty](/source/Joseon), there was no title equivalent to marquess. - In [Maritime Southeast Asia](/source/Maritime_Southeast_Asia), *[temenggong](/source/Temenggong)* (or *tumenggung*) is a title used by Islamic dynasties such as [Mataram Sultanate](/source/Mataram_Sultanate) and [Johor](/source/Johor) to designate a noble ruled over a frontier area or district, or to a chief of public security. Tumenggung ranks below [Bendahara](/source/Bendahara) or vizier. - In [Vietnam](/source/Vietnam), *hầu* ([侯](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%BE%AF)) was a senior title of hereditary nobility, equivalent to marquis, for male members of the imperial clan, ranking under *hoàng đế* (皇帝; emperor), *vương* (王; king/prince), *quốc công* (國公; grand duke/duke of the nation), *quận công* (郡公; provincial duke) and *công* (公; duke, rather like a German [Fürst](/source/F%C3%BCrst)), and above *bá* (伯; count), *tử* (子; viscount) and *nam* (男; baron). ## In fiction See also: [List of fictional nobility § Marquesses and marchionesses](/source/List_of_fictional_nobility#Marquesses_and_marchionesses) Marquesses and marchionesses have occasionally appeared in works of fiction. ## See also - [Mark (county)](/source/County_of_Mark) - [Marquesses in the United Kingdom](/source/Marquesses_in_the_United_Kingdom) - [List of marquesses in the peerages of Britain and Ireland](/source/List_of_marquesses_in_the_peerages_of_Britain_and_Ireland) - [List of marquessates in the peerages of Britain and Ireland](/source/List_of_marquessates_in_the_peerages_of_Britain_and_Ireland) - [List of French marquesses](/source/List_of_French_marquesses) - [List of marquesses in Italy](/source/List_of_marquesses_in_Italy) - [List of marquises in Norway](/source/List_of_marquises_in_Norway) - [List of marquises in Portugal](/source/List_of_marquises_in_Portugal) - [Exarch](/source/Exarch) ## Notes 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Italian](/source/Italian_language): *marchese*, [Spanish](/source/Spanish_language): *marqués*, [Portuguese](/source/Portuguese_language): *marquês*. ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["English: Marquis"](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/marquis). [Collins Dictionary](/source/Collins_Dictionary). n.d. Retrieved 22 September 2014. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["French: Marquis"](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/french-english/marquis). [Collins Dictionary](/source/Collins_Dictionary). n.d. Retrieved 22 September 2014. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Marchioness definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary"](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/marchioness). *www.collinsdictionary.com*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210430025622/https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/marchioness) from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2024. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Marchioness"](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/marchioness?showCookiePolicy=true). [Collins Dictionary](/source/Collins_Dictionary). n.d. Retrieved 22 September 2014. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Debrett's_6-0)** ["Marquess and Marchioness"](https://web.archive.org/web/20141110144107/http://www.debretts.com/forms-address/titles/marquess-and-marchioness). Debrett's. n.d. Archived from [the original](http://www.debretts.com/forms-address/titles/marquess-and-marchioness) on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** *Queen Victoria's Journals*, Thursday 28th June 1838, Buckingham Palace, Princess Beatrice's copies, Volume:4 (1st June 1838–1st October 1838) p. 84, [online](http://www.queenvictoriasjournals.org/search/displayItemFromId.do?FormatType=fulltextimgsrc&QueryType=articles&ItemID=qvj02134&volumeType=PSBEA#zoomHolder), accessed May 25, 2013 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Pines, Yuri (2020). "Names and Titles in Eastern Zhou Texts". *T'oung Pao*. **106** (5–6). Leiden: Brill: 715. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1163/15685322-10656P06](https://doi.org/10.1163%2F15685322-10656P06). Li Feng (2008). "Transmitting Antiquity: The Origin and Paradigmization of the "Five Ranks"". In Kuhn, Dieter; Stahl, Helga (eds.). *Perceptions of Antiquity in Chinese Civilization*. Würzberg: Würzburger Sinologische Schriften. p. 112. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** You Jia (尤佳) (2015). *Dong Han Liehou juewei zhidu* 东汉列侯爵位制度. Kunming: 云南大学出版社. pp. 47–48, 52, 73. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Lebra, Takie Sugiyama (1993). *Above the Clouds: Status Culture of the Modern Japanese Nobility*. CA, US: University of California Press. p. 51. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780520911796](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780520911796). ## Sources - [The Chronological Peerage of England, hereditarytitles.com as of 2 March 2003](https://web.archive.org/web/20030201155716/http://hereditarytitles.com/Page70.htm); omits Normanby, misspells Hartington as Martington, places Marquess of Lorn and Kintyre in the peerage of England (Scotland is more probable). - [EtymologyOnLine](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=marquis&searchmode=none) - [Chisholm, Hugh](/source/Hugh_Chisholm), ed. (1911). ["Buckingham and Normanby, John Sheffield, 1st Duke of"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Buckingham_and_Normanby,_John_Sheffield,_1st_Duke_of). *[Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition)*. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 727–728. — "and in 1694 was made marquess of Normanby" ## External links - Media related to [Marquesses](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Marquesses) at Wikimedia Commons - ["Marquess"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Marquess). *[Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition)*. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 751. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Marquess](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquess) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquess?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.