1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of I Heart Radio, Hey 2 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:10,360 Speaker 1: brain Stuff Lauren Bolga bam here. Much of the world 3 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:13,640 Speaker 1: is fascinated by the British royals, but those of us 4 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:16,439 Speaker 1: who grew up outside of the United Kingdom may have 5 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:20,599 Speaker 1: a difficult time deciphering the Brits peerage system or system 6 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: of titles, which is a complex overlapping web of duke's, earls, barons, 7 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:30,840 Speaker 1: et cetera. Britain's peerage system, which dates to Anglo Saxon times, 8 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:36,840 Speaker 1: consists of five ranks Duke, marquess, earl, viscount and baron. 9 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:41,960 Speaker 1: Over the centuries, peerages were inherited, created or conferred by 10 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 1: the British King or Queen, originally two landowners who advised 11 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 1: him or her as a sort of royal council. The 12 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 1: older your peerage, the more status within your rank. In 13 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty eight, the government passed the Life Peerages Act, 14 00:00:57,200 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 1: which allowed for the creation of life peerages or honorary 15 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 1: titles granted by the government. Those receiving a life peerage 16 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:08,279 Speaker 1: which cannot be inherited also received the title of baron 17 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:12,960 Speaker 1: or barrenness. Under the modern monarchy, one of the biggest 18 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 1: privileges of being a peer, whether hereditary or life, is 19 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:19,200 Speaker 1: that it gives you the right to sit in Britain's 20 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 1: House of Lords, which is the upper chamber of Britain's legislature. Meanwhile, 21 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 1: elected officials make up the House of Commons, which is 22 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:30,959 Speaker 1: the government's lower chamber. During more recent times, the number 23 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:34,120 Speaker 1: of eligible peers has ranged from six hundred and fifty 24 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:37,679 Speaker 1: to more than eight hundred, mostly life peers created by 25 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: whichever government has been in power. There have been multiple 26 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:44,679 Speaker 1: movements to limit the size of this chamber without much success. 27 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: About of those sitting in the House of Lords as 28 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: were life peers. Today, there are no new hereditary peerages 29 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: being created, with one exception those the monarch creates from 30 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: members of the royal family. Here are the basics about 31 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: the five peerage ranks in order of rank. The feminine 32 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:10,120 Speaker 1: versions of titles usually designate the wife of a peer, 33 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:14,600 Speaker 1: because women are not eligible to succeed to most hereditary peerages. 34 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:19,800 Speaker 1: The highest ranking title of duke or Duchess was created 35 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: in thirteen thirty seven by King Edward the Third, who 36 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 1: conferred the title Duke of Cornwall upon his oldest son. 37 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:29,919 Speaker 1: Before thirteen thirty seven, the title of duke was used 38 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:33,440 Speaker 1: to denote someone with sovereign status, although it wasn't an 39 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: official peerage title. Princes in the Royal family typically become 40 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,680 Speaker 1: dukes shortly after coming of age or on their wedding day. 41 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: For example, Prince Andrew Queen Elizabeth the second second son 42 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:48,919 Speaker 1: was dubbed Duke of York when he married in ninety six, 43 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 1: but there are plenty of non royal dukes as well. 44 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 1: As of twenty there were twenty four. Interestingly, the business 45 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: of selecting dukedoms for the royals is a fraud process. 46 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 1: Many dukedoms are unavailable if the current dukes are still living, 47 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:08,919 Speaker 1: for one, but any open dukedom must have a clean 48 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:12,520 Speaker 1: past in order to be considered. The dukedom of Cumberland, 49 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: for example, was once held by George the second son 50 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 1: Prince William Augustus, but the prince brutally crushed a Scottish 51 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:24,280 Speaker 1: rebellion in seventeen forty five, killing thousands, and subsequently became 52 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:27,520 Speaker 1: known as the Butcher of Cumberland, so that dukedom is 53 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:32,480 Speaker 1: permanently out for the royals. The highest ranking royal dukedoms 54 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: are Lancaster, which is held by the sovereign, and Cornwall, 55 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: which is awarded to the sovereign's eldest son. Currently, Prince 56 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 1: Charles is also known as the Duke of Cornwall. Next up, 57 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: although marquess or the feminine marchioness, is the second highest 58 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:51,839 Speaker 1: peerage rank, you don't hear much about it. The term 59 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: was brought to England in five by King Richard the Second, 60 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: who learned of its usage in other countries. Richard wedged 61 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: it in above in status, which was a controversial move. 62 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 1: Today there are thirty four marquesses. Meanwhile, Earl is the 63 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 1: oldest title in the British peerage, dating back to the 64 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 1: eleventh century. Originally, an earl administered a province or a 65 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:18,279 Speaker 1: shire for the king. There are currently a hundred and 66 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:21,839 Speaker 1: ninety one earls. The title for their wives is countess, 67 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:25,480 Speaker 1: though there are currently also four countesses in their own right. 68 00:04:26,279 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 1: In a break with tradition, Elizabeth's third son, Prince Edward, 69 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,359 Speaker 1: became the Earl of Wessex on his wedding day in 70 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 1: why the lesser title Supposedly Edward is holding out for 71 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:41,200 Speaker 1: the title Duke of Edinburgh, currently held by his father, 72 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: Prince Philip, in order to carry on Philip's work after 73 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:49,720 Speaker 1: he dies. Fourth in rank is viscount or viscountess, which 74 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:52,880 Speaker 1: originally signified a deputy or lieutenant of account during the 75 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:56,279 Speaker 1: Holy Roman Empire. It entered the British peerage system in 76 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:59,479 Speaker 1: fourteen forty during the Hundred Years War, when Henry, the 77 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:02,839 Speaker 1: sixth King of both England and France bestowed the title 78 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:05,359 Speaker 1: on one John Beaumont in an effort to merge the 79 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: two countries ranks. Thus Beaumont became Viscount Beaumont in both countries. 80 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: Today there are a hundred and fifteen viscounts. The lowest 81 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: peerage rank is baron or baroness. In the thirteenth century, 82 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:24,440 Speaker 1: barons were important landholders whom the monarch occasionally summoned to 83 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:29,240 Speaker 1: attend the council or Parliament. Initially, a baron's successors weren't 84 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 1: necessarily afforded the same honors and privileges, but eventually the 85 00:05:33,279 --> 00:05:36,960 Speaker 1: rank and all its privileges were passed on. Baron is 86 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:40,240 Speaker 1: the most populous rank today, with four hundred and twenty 87 00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:45,719 Speaker 1: six hereditary barons and nine hereditary baronesses. And by the way, 88 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: all hereditary peers are formally addressed as lord or lady 89 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:53,440 Speaker 1: so and so, except for dukes or duchesses who are 90 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:56,880 Speaker 1: addressed as Your Grace, which is good to know just 91 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 1: in case you get that invite to stay at some 92 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: nobleman's country estate. Today's episode was written by Melanie rad 93 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 1: Zekie McManus and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on 94 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: this and lots of other topics that are a royal something, 95 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,280 Speaker 1: visits how stuff works dot com. The brain Stuff is 96 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:19,239 Speaker 1: production of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio, 97 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:22,159 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 98 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:23,440 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.