In European countries, what makes a person Lord or Lady, Earl or Count, etc?

Question

How are they titled and what are they titled for?

Can a town or city have more than one Earl, Lord, etc? Do all English towns have people with titles? Small and large towns?

What do these titles do for the person? And why are they called “Duke of *the city*” instead of by their last names, it’s confusing.

Any info you may have on the above will help. Thank you.

Answer 1

These are mostly inherited ranks especially at the higher levels. Some exist for over 1000 years, but most of them are much more recent.  Originally they may have been granted their title and lands because they helped the king or queen in some major way militarily or diplomatically- -or were the illigitimate son of the king. In some countries (at least France) serving in a certain government position for 20+ years used to mean you would get a title. Later, being a successful entrepreneur might get  you the rank of a  baron or earl.  (below that is a knight, who gets called by "Sir" before his first name but is not called "Lord_____")

In medieval times, it was like a hierarchical system - so a village and surrounding lands might be controlled by a baron, with the wider area around that controlled by an earl, and the whole province controlled by a duke. Each of the lower ranks would owe allegiance to the next higher rank.

Not all towns and villages had/have someone with a title, though they often might have an untitled person who served in the same sort of role and was called the 'village squire'.

What do they do for a person? Nowadays not much.  The ranks determine order of precedence - who goes in first to dinner or in a procession etc. at important occasions. They may be a source of pride in family history etc. and they may impress some people, like perhaps they could be helpful in getting into some posh schools....                                              

A duke is called "Duke of _______" (Not just a city but a whole province or "dukedom") usually because originally their family administered and owned that area.

Check out the Sources for more info.  The specifics differ between countries, so in both Heraldica and Wikipedia you can check on the more specific articles, too.  The chart in Wikipedia of Royal and Noble Ranks will show you the order, the titles and approximate equivalences between ranks in many different European countries.

Answer 2

These titles come because their ancestors did something great, like saving a kings life, and it was to be passed on to the oldest son. If a son was not born, then it was the eldest daughter, as with Queen Elizabeth I & II

Answer 3

Lord

A Lord is a person who has power and authority. Women will usually (but not universally) take the title 'Lady' instead of Lord. Five ranks of peer exist in the UK, namely Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount, and Baron; all male peers except dukes use the style "Lord X". The title "Lord" also applies by courtesy to certain of their children.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord

Earl

An Earl (or Jarl) was an Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian title meaning "chieftain" and referring especially to chieftains set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke (hertig/hertug); in Britain, it became the equivalent of the

continental count.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl

Count

A count is a nobleman in most European countries, equivalent in rank to a British earl (whose wife is also a "countess", for lack of an Anglo-Saxon term).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count