What is the title?

What Is a Count? A Duke? A Baron?

These titles are often loosely called “royal,” but in most cases they are not royal titles.
They are titles of nobility, which emerged in Europe during the early and high Middle Ages as monarchies and feudal systems took shape.

Royal titles belong to the ruling dynasty itself (King, Queen, Emperor).
Noble titles belong to the aristocracy, whose members held land, military obligations, and administrative authority under a sovereign.

Below is a brief historical explanation of several key noble ranks.

Duke

The title Duke comes from the Latin word dux, meaning leader or commander.
In the late Roman Empire, a dux was a senior military officer responsible for regional defense.

During the early Middle Ages, this military role gradually transformed into a territorial lordship. A duke became the ruler of a large province or duchy, often commanding armies and exercising near-regal authority within his domain.

A well-known early example of this transition may be reflected in the legendary figure of King Arthur, who is referred to as dux bellorum (“leader of battles”) in the Historia Brittonum. This suggests a memory of late Roman military command structures evolving into early medieval rulership.

Count / Earl

The title Count originated as an administrative office under the early Frankish kings of the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties. Counts acted as royal officials responsible for justice, taxation, and military leadership in a defined territory.

After the collapse of Charlemagne’s empire, these offices became hereditary, and their holders evolved into the counts of the Middle Ages.

In England, the title of count merged with the Anglo-Saxon title Earl, which is why “Earl” is used instead of “Count” in the British peerage, though the rank itself is equivalent.

Baron

Baron is the lowest rank of the high nobility. The word derives from the Frankish term baro, meaning freeman or man.

Originally, a baron was a free warrior owing loyalty and service to a ruler. After the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, the term came to refer specifically to tenants-in-chief - landholders who held their lands directly from the king in exchange for military and political obligations.

Over time, distinctions emerged between greater and lesser nobles, leading to a formal hierarchy of titles. This process occurred first in France and Germany (c. 900-1000) and later in England. By the beginning of the High Middle Ages (around the year 1000), the core ranks of European nobility were firmly established.

Chevalier / Knight

The title Chevalier is the French term for knight and represents the lowest rank of the noble class.

The word derives from a Frankish root meaning horseman. In practical terms, a knight was a free man who could afford a horse, weapons, and armor, and who served as a mounted warrior. While not all knights were wealthy landowners, knighthood was closely associated with noble status and military service.

Summary: Noble, Not Royal

Dukes, counts, barons, and knights were not monarchs. They were part of a feudal aristocracy whose power rested on land ownership, military service, and loyalty to a sovereign.

On RoyalRank.com, we explore how these titles originated, how they functioned within medieval society, and how their meanings changed—sometimes dramatically—over the centuries.