Baron is a rank ofnobility ortitle of honour, oftenhereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent isbaroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than alord orknight, but lower than aviscount orcount. Often, barons hold theirfief – their lands and income – directly from the monarch. Barons are less often thevassals of other nobles. In many kingdoms, they were entitled to wear a smaller form of a crown called acoronet.
The wordbaron comes from theOld Frenchbaron, from aLate Latinbarō "man; servant,soldier,mercenary" (so used inSalic law;Alemannic law hasbarus in the same sense). The scholarIsidore of Seville in the 7th century thought the word was fromGreekβᾰρῠ́ς "heavy" (because of the "heavy work" done by mercenaries), but the word is presumably ofOld Frankish origin, cognate withOld Englishbeorn meaning "warrior, nobleman".Cornutus in the first century already reports a wordbarones which he took to be of Gaulish origin. He glosses it as meaningservos militum and explains it as meaning "stupid", by reference to classical Latinbārō "simpleton, dunce";[2] because of this early reference, the word has also been suggested to derive from an otherwise unknownCeltic*bar, but theOxford English Dictionary takes this to be "a figment".[3]
After theNorman Conquest in 1066, theNorman dynasty introduced an adaptation of the Frenchfeudal system to theKingdom of England. Initially, the term "baron" on its own was not a title or rank, but the "barons of the King" were the men of the king. Previously, in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England, the king's companions held the title ofearl and inScotland, the title ofthane. All who held their feudal barony "in-chief of the king", that is with the king as his immediateoverlord, became alikebarones regis ("barons of the king"), bound to perform a stipulated annual military service and obliged to attend his council. The greatest of the nobles, especially those in theMarches, such as theEarls of Chester and theBishops of Durham, whose territories were often deemedpalatine, that is to say "worthy of a prince", might refer to their own tenants as "barons", where lesser magnates spoke simply of their "men" (homines) and lords of the manor might reference "bondmen".[5]
A lord of Parliament, also called a baron, illustrated in the manuscript "Théâtre de tous les peuples et nations de la terre avec leurs habits et ornemens divers, tant anciens que modernes, diligemment depeints au naturel". Painted byLucas d'Heere in the second half of the 16th century. Preserved in theGhent University Library.[6]The robe worn by a baron during his creation ceremony in 17th-century Britain, engraved byWenceslas Hollar.
Initially those who held land directly from the king bymilitary service, from earls downwards, all bore alike the title of baron, which was thus the factor uniting all members of the ancientbaronage as peers one of another. UnderKing Henry II, theDialogus de Scaccario already distinguished between greater barons, who heldper baroniam by knight's service, and lesser barons, who held manors. Thus in this historical sense,lords of manors are barons, orfreemen; however they are not entitled to be styled as such.John Selden writes inTitles of Honour, "The wordBaro (Latin for 'baron') hath been also so much communicated, that not only all Lords of Mannors have been from ancient time, and are at this day called sometimes Barons (as in the stile of their Court Barons, which isCuria Baronis, &c. And I have readhors de son Barony in a barr to anAvowry forhors de son fee) But also the Judges of the Exchequer have it from antient time fixed on them."[7] Within a century of theNorman Conquest of 1066, as in the case ofThomas Becket in 1164, there arose the practice of sending to each greater baron a personal summons demanding his attendance at theKing's Council, which evolved into theParliament and later into theHouse of Lords, while as was stipulated inMagna Carta of 1215, the lesser barons of eachcounty would receive a single summons as a group through thesheriff, and representatives only from their number would be elected to attend on behalf of the group.[8] These representatives developed into theknights of the shire, elected by thecounty court presided over by the sheriff, who themselves formed the precursor of theHouse of Commons. Thus appeared a definite distinction, which eventually had the effect of restricting to the greater barons alone the privileges and duties of peerage.[8]
Later, the king started to create new baronies in one of two ways: by awrit of summons directing a chosen man to attendParliament, and in an even later development byletters patent.[8] Writs of summons became the normal method in medieval times, displacing the method of feudal barony, but creation of baronies by letters patent is the sole method adopted in modern times.[8]
Since the adoption of summons by writ, baronies thus no longer relate directly to land-holding, and thus no more feudal baronies needed to be created from then on. Following theModus Tenendi Parliamenta of 1419, theTenures Abolition Act 1660, theFeudal Tenure Act 1662, and theFines and Recoveries Act 1834, titles of feudal barony became obsolete and without legal force. The Tenures Abolition Act 1660 specifically states: baronies by tenure were converted into baronies by writ. The rest ceased to exist as feudal baronies by tenure, becoming baronies in free socage, that is to say under a "free" (hereditable) contract requiring payment of monetary rents.[9]
In the 20th century, Britain introduced the concept of non-hereditarylife peers. All appointees to this distinction have (thus far) been at the rank of baron.[8] In accordance with the tradition applied to hereditary peers, they too are formally addressed in parliament by their peers as "The Noble Lord".[8]
In addition, baronies are often used by their holders as subsidiary titles, for example ascourtesy titles for the son and heir of an Earl or higher-ranked peer.[8] The Scottish baronial title tends to be used when a landed family is not in possession of any United Kingdom peerage title of higher rank, subsequently granted, or has been created a knight of the realm.
A person holding a peerage in the rank of baron is entitled to acoronet bearing six pearls around the rim, equally spaced and all of equal size and height. The rim itself is neither jeweled nor "chased" (which is the case for the coronets of peers of higher degree).
The actual coronet is worn only for the coronation of a new monarch, but a baron can bear his coronet of rank on hiscoat of arms above the shield. In heraldry, the baron's coronet is shown with four of the balls visible.
Formally, barons are styledThe Right Honourable The Lord [Barony] and barons’ wives are styledThe Right Honourable The Lady [Barony].[8][10][11] Baronesses in their own right, whether hereditary or for life, are either styledThe Right Honourable The Baroness [Barony] orThe Right Honourable The Lady [Barony], mainly based on personal preference (e.g.Lady Thatcher andBaroness Warsi, both life baronesses in their own right).[11][12][13] Less formally, one refers to or addresses a baron asLord [Barony] and his wife asLady [Barony], and baronesses in their own right asBaroness [X] orLady [X]. In direct address, barons and baronesses can also be referred to asMy Lord,Your Lordship, orYour Ladyship or My Lady. The husband of a baroness in her own right gains no title or style from his wife.
TheRight Honourable is frequently abbreviated toThe Rt Hon. orRt Hon. When referred to by the Sovereign in public instruments,The Right Honourable is changed toOur right trusty and well-beloved, withCounsellor attached if they are aPrivy Counsellor.
Children of barons and baronesses in their own right, whether hereditary or for life, have the styleThe Honourable [Forename] [Surname]. After the death of the father or mother, the child may continue to use this style.
Courtesy barons are styledLord [Barony], and their wivesLady [Barony]; the article "The" is always absent. If the courtesy baron is not a Privy Counsellor, the styleThe Right Honourable will also be absent.
It is very common for the surnames of barons and baronesses to be identical to or included in the formal title of their barony. However, when addressed as a peer, the title ofLord,Lady, orBaroness is followed by the name of his or her barony, not his personal name. This is relevant when a baron or baroness's title is completely different from his or her personal surname (e.g.William Thomson, Lord Kelvin) or includes a territorial designation in addition to his surname (e.g.Martin Rees, Lord Rees of Ludlow). This also means that including a baron or baroness's forename before his or her title is incorrect and potentially misleading. For example, "Lady Margaret Thatcher" (as opposed to "Lady Thatcher") would imply that she was the daughter of an earl, marquess, or duke, orLady of the Garter orThistle not holding a peerage rather than a baroness. Likewise, in the case of men, "LordDigby Jones" (as opposed to "Lord Jones of Birmingham") would imply that he was the younger son of a marquess or duke rather than a baron.
The United Kingdom has a policy of including titles of nobility on passports: the title is entered into the surname field and a standard observation is recorded giving the holder's full name and title. A Baron would therefore record his surname asLord [Barony], and the observation would note thatThe holder is The Right Honourable [given names] [surname] Lord [Barony]. However, if the title of an applicant's peerage is different from his surname, he can choose whether to use his surname or title in the surname field. A baroness in her own right would substitute "Baroness" for "Lord", and the wife of a Baron would similarly substitute "Lady". Titles of nobility are checked against Debrett's Peerage, Who's Who, or the London Gazette by the passport office on application.
TheCourt of the Lord Lyon will officially recognise those possessing the dignity of baron (and other titles that are but nobler titles of baron within the Baronage of Scotland lord/earl/marquis/dukesee lordships in the Baronage of Scotland) on petition who meet certain criteria,[14] and will grant them baronial arms with a helmet befitting their degree. Scottish barons rank below Lords of Parliament and while noble have the status of minor baron, being a non-Peerage rank; as such it can be transferred by either inheritance or assignation.
In showing that Scottish barons are titles of nobility, reference may be made, amongst others, to the Lyon Court in the Petition of Maclean of Ardgour for a Birthbrieve by Interlocutor dated 26 February 1943 which"Finds and Declares that the Minor Barons of Scotland are, and have both in this Nobiliary Court, and in the Court of Session, been recognised as 'titled' nobility, and that the estait of the Baronage (The Barones Minores) is of the ancient Feudal Nobility of Scotland".
Sir Thomas Innes of Learney, in hisScots Heraldry (2nd Ed., p. 88, note 1), states that "The Act 1672, cap 47, specially qualifies the degrees thus: Nobles (i.e. peers, the term being here used in a restricted seventeenth-century English sense), Barons (i.e. Lairds of baronial fiefs and their 'heirs', who, even if fiefless, are equivalent to heads of Continental baronial houses) and Gentlemen (apparently all other armigers)." Baronets and knights are evidently classed as 'Gentlemen' here and are of a lower degree than Barons.
Scottish barons were entitled to a redcap of maintenance (chapeau) turned up ermine if petitioning for a grant or matriculation of acoat of arms between the 1930s and 2004. This chapeau is identical to the red cap worn by an English baron, but without the silver balls or gilt. This is sometimes depicted in armorial paintings between the shield and the helmet. Additionally, if the baron is the head of a family, he may include a chiefly coronet which is similar to a ducal coronet, but with four strawberry leaves. Because the chapeau was a relatively recent innovation, a number of ancient arms of Scottish feudal barons do not display the chapeau. Now, Scottish barons are principally recognised by the baron's helm, which in Scotland is a steel helmet with grille of three grilles, garnished in gold. Occasionally, the great tilting-helm garnished with gold is shown, or a helmet befitting a higher rank, if held.[15]
Scottish barons style their surnames similarly to Clan Chiefs if they own the caput, with the name of their barony following their name, as inJohn Smith of Edinburgh, Baron of Edinburgh otherwiseJohn Smith, Baron of Edinburgh.[16][17][18] Most formally, and in writing, they are styled asThe Much Honoured Baron of Edinburgh. Their wives are styledLady Edinburgh, orThe Baroness of Edinburgh. The phraseLady of Edinburgh is wrong if the lady in question does not hold a Scottish barony in her own right. Orally, Scottish barons may be addressed with the name of their barony, as inEdinburgh or else asBaron without anything else following, which if present would suggest a peerage barony. Informally, when referring to a Scots baron in the third person, the nameBaron of [X] is used or simply[X].
Scottish Barons may record[surname] of [territorial designation] in the surname field of their passport, and an official observation would then note thatThe holder is [given names] [surname] Baron of [territorial designation]; applicants must provide evidence that the Lord Lyon has recognised their feudal barony, or else be included in Burke's Peerage.[19][20]
During theAncien Régime, French baronies were very much likeScottish ones. Feudal landholders who possessed abarony were entitled to style themselves as a baron (French:baron) if they werenobles; aroturier (commoner) could only be aseigneur de la baronnie (lord of the barony). French baronies could be sold freely until 1789, when the Constituent Assembly abolished feudal law. The title of baron was assumed as atitre de courtoisie by many nobles, whether members of theNobles of the Robe or cadets ofNobles of the Sword who held no title in their own right.
EmperorNapoléon (r. 1804–1815) created a new imperial nobility in whichbaron appeared from 1808 as the second-lowest title. The titles were inherited through a male-only line of descent and could not be purchased.
In 1815, KingLouis XVIII created a new peerage system and a Chamber of Peers, based on the British model. Baron-peer was the lowest title, but the heirs to pre-1789 barons could remain barons, as could the elder sons ofviscount-peers and the younger sons ofcount-peers. This peerage system was abolished in 1848.
In pre-republicanGermany all theknightly families of theHoly Roman Empire (sometimes distinguished by the prefixvon orzu) eventually were recognised as of baronial rank, althoughRitter is the literal translation for "knight", and persons who held that title enjoyed a distinct, but lower, rank in Germany's nobility than barons (Freiherren). The wife of aFreiherr (Baron) is called aFreifrau or sometimesBaronin, his daughterFreiin or sometimesBaroness.
Families which had always held this status were calledUradel ('primordial/ancient/original nobility'), and were heraldically entitled to a three-pointed coronet. Families which had beenennobled at a definite point in time (Briefadel or "nobility bypatent") had seven points on their coronet. These families held their fief invassalage from asuzerain. The holder of anallodial (i.e. suzerain-free) barony was thus called aFree Lord, orFreiherr. Subsequently, sovereigns in Germany conferred the title ofFreiherr as arank in the nobility, without implication of allodial or feudal status.
Since 1919, hereditary titles have had no legal status in Germany. In modern, republican Germany,Freiherr andBaron remain heritable only as part of the legalsurname (and may thereby be transmitted to husbands, wives and children, without implication of nobility).
In Austria, hereditary titles have been completely banned. Thus, a member of the formerly reigningHouse of Habsburg or members of the former nobility would in most cases simply be addressed asHerr/Frau (Habsburg) in an official/public context, for instance in the media. Still, in both countries, honorary styles like "His/Her (Imperial/Royal) Highness", "Serenity", etc. persist in social use as a form of courtesy.
InLuxembourg andLiechtenstein (where German is the official language), barons remain members of the recognized nobility, and the sovereigns retain authority to confer the title (morganatic cadets of the princely dynasty received the titleBaron of Lanskron, usingbothFreiherr andBaron for different members of this branch.)[21]
Generally, all legitimate males of a German baronial family inherit the titleFreiherr orBaron from birth, as all legitimate daughters inherit the title ofFreiin orBaroness. As a result, German barons have been more numerous than those of such countries whereprimogeniture with respect to title inheritance prevails (or prevailed), such as France and the United Kingdom.
In Italy,barone was the lowest rank of feudal nobility except for that ofsignore orvassallo (lord of the manor). The title of baron was most generally introduced into southern Italy (includingSicily) by the Normans during the 11th century. Whereas originally a barony might consist of two or more manors, by 1700 we see what were formerly single manors erected into baronies, counties or even marquisates. Since the early 1800s, when feudalism was abolished in the various Italian states, it has often been granted as a simple hereditary title without any territorial designation orpredicato. The untitled younger son of a baron is anobile dei baroni and in informal usage might be called a baron, while certain baronies devolve to heirs male general. Since 1948 titles of nobility have not been recognised by the Italian state. In the absence of a nobiliary or heraldic authority in Italy there are, in fact, numerous persons who claim to be barons or counts without any basis for such claims. Baron and noble (nobile) are hereditary titles and, as such, could only be created or recognised by the kings of Italy or (before 1860) the pre-unitary Italian states such as theTwo Sicilies,Tuscany,Parma orModena, or by theHoly See (Vatican) or theRepublic of San Marino. Beginning around 1800, a number ofsignori (lords of the manor) began to style themselvesbarone but in many cases this was not sanctioned legally by decree, while there was even less justification in the holder of any large (non-feudal) landed estate calling himself a baron. Nevertheless, both were common practices. In most of peninsular Italy the widespread medieval introduction of the title wasLongobardic, while inSicily andSardinia it was coeval with Norman rule some centuries later, and one referred to thebaronage when speaking of landed nobles generally. The heraldiccoronet of an Italian baron is a jewelled rim of gold surmounted by seven visiblepearls, set upon the rim directly or upon stems; alternately, the French style coronet (entwined in a string of small pearls, with or without four bigger visible pearls set upon the rim) is used.
In the medieval era, someallodial andenfeoffed lands held by nobles were created or recognized as baronies by theHoly Roman Emperors, within whose realm most of theLow Countries lay. Subsequently, theHabsburgs continued to confer the baronial title in theSouthern Netherlands, first as kings of Spain and then, again, as emperors until abolition of the Holy Roman Empire, but these had becometitular elevations rather than grants of new territory.
In theNetherlands after 1815, titles of baron authorized by previous monarchs (except those of the NapoleonicKingdom of Holland) were usually recognized by theDutch kings. But such recognition was not automatic, having to be authenticated by the Supreme Council of Nobility and then approved by the sovereign. This ceased to be possible after the Dutch constitution was revised in 1983. More thanone hundred Dutch baronial families have been recognized. The title is usually inherited by all males descendedpatrilineally from the original recipient of the title, although in a few noble familiesbaron is the title of cadet family members, while in a few others it is heritable according to primogeniture.
After itssecession in 1830, Belgium incorporated into its nobility all titles of baron borne by Belgian citizens which had been recognized by the Netherlands since 1815. In addition, its monarchs have since created or recognized other titles of baron, and the sovereign continues to exercise the prerogative to confer baronial and other titles of nobility.Baron is the third lowest title within the nobility system aboveknight (French:chevalier,Dutch:ridder) and belowviscount. There are still a number offamilies in Belgium that bear the title of baron.
Luxembourg's monarch retains the right to confer the baronial title. Two of the grand duchy's prime ministers inherited baronial titles that were used during their tenures in office,Victor de Tornaco andFélix de Blochausen.
In the beginning, Finnish nobles were all without honorific titulature, and known simply as lords. Since theMiddle Ages, each head of a noble family had been entitled to a vote in any of Finland's provincialdiets whenever held, as in the realm'sHouse of Nobility of theRiksdag of the Estates. In 1561, Sweden's KingEric XIV granted the hereditary titles ofcount andvapaaherra to some of these, but not all. Although theircadet family members were not entitled to vote or sit in theRiksdag, they were legally entitled to the same title as the head of the family, but incustomary address they becameParoni orParonitar. Theoretically, in the 16th and 17th centuries, families elevated tovapaaherra status were granted a barony infief, enjoying some rights of taxation and judicial authority. Subsequently, the "barony" was titular, usually attached to a family property, which was sometimesentailed. Their exemptions from taxes on landed properties continued into the 20th century, although in the 19th century tax reforms narrowed this privilege. Nobility creations continued until 1917, the end ofFinland's grand ducal monarchy.
Muscovite Russia had no traditional baronial titles of its own; they were introduced in earlyImperial Russia byPeter the Great. In the hierarchy of nobility introduced by Peter the Great, barons (барон) ranked above untitled nobility and below counts (граф,graf). The styles "Your Well-born" (Ваше благородие,Vashe blagorodiye) and "Master Baron" (Господин барон,Gospodin baron) were used to address a Russian baron.
There were two main groups of nobility which held the baronial title. One was theBaltic German nobility, for which Russia merely recognized their pre-existing titles; the other was new barons created by the Emperors of Russia after 1721. Like in many other countries, new baronial titles were often created by ennoblement of richbourgeoisie. The title of baron, along with the rest of the noble hierarchy, was abolished in December 1917 after theBolshevik Revolution; however, certain leaders of theWhite movement like BaronPyotr Wrangel andRoman von Ungern-Sternberg continued to use the title until the end of theRussian Civil War.
In Spain, the title followsVizconde in the noble hierarchy, and ranks aboveSeñor.Baronesa is the feminine form, for the wife of a baron or for a woman who has been granted the title in her own right. In general, titles ofbaron created before the 19th century originate from theCrown of Aragon.Barons lost territorial jurisdiction around the middle of the 19th century, and from then on the title became purely honorific. Although mostbarons have not held the rank ofgrandeza as well, the title has been conferred in conjunction with thegrandeza. The sovereign continues to grant baronial titles.
Like other major Western noble titles,baron is sometimes used to render certain titles in non-Western languages with their own traditions, even though they are necessarily historically unrelated and thus hard to compare, which are considered 'equivalent' in relative rank. This is the case with China'snanjue (nan-chueh) (Chinese:男爵), hereditary title of nobility of the fifth rank, as well as its derivatives and adaptations.
In somerepublics of continental Europe, the unofficial title of "Baron" retains a purely social prestige, with no particular politicalprivileges.[citation needed]
InArmenian, the word "Baron" should not be confused with the similar word "Paron" (Armenian: Պարոն), which is a title given to ordinary men, equivalent to 'Sir' or 'Mr'.
In the Polynesian island monarchy ofTonga, as opposed to the situation in Europe, barons are granted this imported title (in English), alongside traditional chiefly styles, and continue to hold and exercise some political power.
^Blamires, David (2009),"The Adventures of Baron Munchausen",Telling Tales: The Impact of Germany on English Children's Books 1780–1918, OBP collection, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Open Book Publishers, pp. 8–21,ISBN9781906924119,archived from the original on 17 May 2013, retrieved7 October 2020
^servos militum, qui utique stultissimi sunt, servos videlicet stultorum
^Sanders, I.J.,Feudal Military Service in England: A Study of the Constitutional and Military Powers of the 'Barones' in Medieval England, Oxford, 1956, Part I, The "Baro" and the "Baronia"
^Senior-Milne, Graham (27 June 2005)."Forms of Address".The Feudal Baronies of Scotland. Archived fromthe original on 7 December 2016. Retrieved13 March 2017.
^"Titles and Usages".The Convention of The Baronage of Scotland. Archived fromthe original on 25 February 2015. Retrieved13 March 2017.
Families that have been included inKalender öfver i Sverige lefvande ointroducerad adel (1886–1899),Sveriges ointroducerade adels kalender (1912–1944) and/orKalender över Ointroducerad adels förening (1935–)
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