British history? What is the difference between dukes and earls and other aristocratic names?

Question

I'm reading a lot about queens and kings (i'm in the US.) and am puzzled by all the titles in the country and the royal courts . What are the ranks of these people in order of prestige? What about sirs? Are they just common people?

Thank you for answering this question.

Answer 1

A duke is higher than the Earl

Here's the order of rank in British peerage. These are hereditary and can be passed on according to male-preference primogeniture laws (meaning the eldest son gets the title upon the title holder's death).

King

Duke

Marquess

Earl- counterpart is Count in the European continent

Viscount

Baron - N.B. some barons could be life peerages

Sirs and Ladies are Knights. Knights and sometimes the title of baron are awarded by the monarch to people who have a lot of contributions for the prestige of the kingdom such as in the arts and sciences. They are considered life peerages and cannot be passed on to a child. These are usually awarded to commoners because a heriditary titled individual was always considered of higher rank than a person with a life peerage.