Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of I Heart Radio, Hey
Speaker 1: brain Stuff Lauren Bolga bam here. Much of the world
Speaker 1: is fascinated by the British royals, but those of us
Speaker 1: who grew up outside of the United Kingdom may have
Speaker 1: a difficult time deciphering the Brits peerage system or system
Speaker 1: of titles, which is a complex overlapping web of duke's, earls, barons,
Speaker 1: et cetera. Britain's peerage system, which dates to Anglo Saxon times,
Speaker 1: consists of five ranks Duke, marquess, earl, viscount and baron.
Speaker 1: Over the centuries, peerages were inherited, created or conferred by
Speaker 1: the British King or Queen, originally two landowners who advised
Speaker 1: him or her as a sort of royal council. The
Speaker 1: older your peerage, the more status within your rank. In
Speaker 1: nineteen fifty eight, the government passed the Life Peerages Act,
Speaker 1: which allowed for the creation of life peerages or honorary
Speaker 1: titles granted by the government. Those receiving a life peerage
Speaker 1: which cannot be inherited also received the title of baron
Speaker 1: or barrenness. Under the modern monarchy, one of the biggest
Speaker 1: privileges of being a peer, whether hereditary or life, is
Speaker 1: that it gives you the right to sit in Britain's
Speaker 1: House of Lords, which is the upper chamber of Britain's legislature. Meanwhile,
Speaker 1: elected officials make up the House of Commons, which is
Speaker 1: the government's lower chamber. During more recent times, the number
Speaker 1: of eligible peers has ranged from six hundred and fifty
Speaker 1: to more than eight hundred, mostly life peers created by
Speaker 1: whichever government has been in power. There have been multiple
Speaker 1: movements to limit the size of this chamber without much success.
Speaker 1: About of those sitting in the House of Lords as
Speaker 1: were life peers. Today, there are no new hereditary peerages
Speaker 1: being created, with one exception those the monarch creates from
Speaker 1: members of the royal family. Here are the basics about
Speaker 1: the five peerage ranks in order of rank. The feminine
Speaker 1: versions of titles usually designate the wife of a peer,
Speaker 1: because women are not eligible to succeed to most hereditary peerages.
Speaker 1: The highest ranking title of duke or Duchess was created
Speaker 1: in thirteen thirty seven by King Edward the Third, who
Speaker 1: conferred the title Duke of Cornwall upon his oldest son.
Speaker 1: Before thirteen thirty seven, the title of duke was used
Speaker 1: to denote someone with sovereign status, although it wasn't an
Speaker 1: official peerage title. Princes in the Royal family typically become
Speaker 1: dukes shortly after coming of age or on their wedding day.
Speaker 1: For example, Prince Andrew Queen Elizabeth the second second son
Speaker 1: was dubbed Duke of York when he married in ninety six,
Speaker 1: but there are plenty of non royal dukes as well.
Speaker 1: As of twenty there were twenty four. Interestingly, the business
Speaker 1: of selecting dukedoms for the royals is a fraud process.
Speaker 1: Many dukedoms are unavailable if the current dukes are still living,
Speaker 1: for one, but any open dukedom must have a clean
Speaker 1: past in order to be considered. The dukedom of Cumberland,
Speaker 1: for example, was once held by George the second son
Speaker 1: Prince William Augustus, but the prince brutally crushed a Scottish
Speaker 1: rebellion in seventeen forty five, killing thousands, and subsequently became
Speaker 1: known as the Butcher of Cumberland, so that dukedom is
Speaker 1: permanently out for the royals. The highest ranking royal dukedoms
Speaker 1: are Lancaster, which is held by the sovereign, and Cornwall,
Speaker 1: which is awarded to the sovereign's eldest son. Currently, Prince
Speaker 1: Charles is also known as the Duke of Cornwall. Next up,
Speaker 1: although marquess or the feminine marchioness, is the second highest
Speaker 1: peerage rank, you don't hear much about it. The term
Speaker 1: was brought to England in five by King Richard the Second,
Speaker 1: who learned of its usage in other countries. Richard wedged
Speaker 1: it in above in status, which was a controversial move.
Speaker 1: Today there are thirty four marquesses. Meanwhile, Earl is the
Speaker 1: oldest title in the British peerage, dating back to the
Speaker 1: eleventh century. Originally, an earl administered a province or a
Speaker 1: shire for the king. There are currently a hundred and
Speaker 1: ninety one earls. The title for their wives is countess,
Speaker 1: though there are currently also four countesses in their own right.
Speaker 1: In a break with tradition, Elizabeth's third son, Prince Edward,
Speaker 1: became the Earl of Wessex on his wedding day in
Speaker 1: why the lesser title Supposedly Edward is holding out for
Speaker 1: the title Duke of Edinburgh, currently held by his father,
Speaker 1: Prince Philip, in order to carry on Philip's work after
Speaker 1: he dies. Fourth in rank is viscount or viscountess, which
Speaker 1: originally signified a deputy or lieutenant of account during the
Speaker 1: Holy Roman Empire. It entered the British peerage system in
Speaker 1: fourteen forty during the Hundred Years War, when Henry, the
Speaker 1: sixth King of both England and France bestowed the title
Speaker 1: on one John Beaumont in an effort to merge the
Speaker 1: two countries ranks. Thus Beaumont became Viscount Beaumont in both countries.
Speaker 1: Today there are a hundred and fifteen viscounts. The lowest
Speaker 1: peerage rank is baron or baroness. In the thirteenth century,
Speaker 1: barons were important landholders whom the monarch occasionally summoned to
Speaker 1: attend the council or Parliament. Initially, a baron's successors weren't
Speaker 1: necessarily afforded the same honors and privileges, but eventually the
Speaker 1: rank and all its privileges were passed on. Baron is
Speaker 1: the most populous rank today, with four hundred and twenty
Speaker 1: six hereditary barons and nine hereditary baronesses. And by the way,
Speaker 1: all hereditary peers are formally addressed as lord or lady
Speaker 1: so and so, except for dukes or duchesses who are
Speaker 1: addressed as Your Grace, which is good to know just
Speaker 1: in case you get that invite to stay at some
Speaker 1: nobleman's country estate. Today's episode was written by Melanie rad
Speaker 1: Zekie McManus and produced by Tyler Clang. For more on
Speaker 1: this and lots of other topics that are a royal something,
Speaker 1: visits how stuff works dot com. The brain Stuff is
Speaker 1: production of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio,
Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.