Earls were governors or viceroys, ruling in the king's name, keeping the peace, dispensing justice, and raising armies. Like the earlier ealdormen, they received the third penny from their jurisdictions. Earls ranked above thegns in precedence and were the chief counselors in the witan (king's council). [19] The office of earl was not hereditary.

Earl is the oldest title and rank of English nobles, and it was also the highest, until 1337, when Edward the Black Prince was created duke of Cornwall by Edward III. It now stands third in precedence, between marquess (1385) and viscount (1440). The five ranks of British nobility, in descending order, are duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron.

The meaning of EARL is a member of the British peerage ranking below a marquess and above a viscount.

Earl is the oldest title in the British peerage, dating back to the 11th century. Originally an earl administered a province or a "shire" for the king. There are currently 191 earls and four countesses in their own right. In a break with tradition, Elizabeth's third son, Prince Edward, became Earl of Wessex on his wedding day in 1999.

EARL definition: 1. (the title of) a British man of high social rank, between a marquis and a viscount: 2. (the…. Learn more.

Known as the peerage system, this noble hierarchy consists of five ranks today: duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron. The title of earl — the oldest in the peerage system — dates back to the end of the early medieval period, during the reign of King Canute (or Cnut) in the 11th century.

When a duke or a marquess has an earldom as his second title, this is ‘by courtesy’ given to his eldest son: thus the heir of the Duke of Northumberland is Earl Percy while that of the Marquess of Winchester is the Earl of Wiltshire.

An Earl (or Jarl) was a title for nobility used by Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavians. It originally meant "chieftain" and it referred especially to chieftains set to rule a territory in a king's stead.

Apr 2, 2024 · Jarl, originating from Norse and Viking societies, denoted a high-ranking nobleman, often ruling over territories with considerable autonomy, whereas Earl, a title found within the British peerage system, signifies a rank of nobility below Marquess and above Viscount.

Historically, an earl was the ruler of a county or earldom, but the title is now primarily ceremonial. In the U.K., there are currently around 190 earls. The Earl of Wessex is the highest-ranking earl in the peerage system. He’s also second in line to the British throne.