A marquess (; ) is a
nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European
peerage
A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks.
Peerages include:
A ...
s and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is
Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the
wife (or widow) of a marquess is a marchioness () or marquise (). These titles are also used to translate equivalent Asian styles, as in
Imperial China
The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...
and
Imperial Japan
The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...
.
Etymology
The word ''marquess'' entered the English language from the
Old French
Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th [2-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...
("ruler of a border area") in the late 13th or early 14th century. The French word was derived from ("frontier"), itself descended from the Middle Latin ("frontier"), from which the modern English word ''March (territory), march'' also descends. The distinction between governors of frontier territories and interior territories was made as early as the founding of the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
when some provinces were set aside for administration by the senate and more unpacified or vulnerable provinces were administered by the emperor. The titles "
duke" and "
count" were similarly distinguished as ranks in the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
, with (literally, "leader") being used for a provincial military governor and the rank of (literally "companion", that is, of the Emperor) given to the leader of an active army along the frontier.
Belgium
The title of marquess in Belgium predates the French Revolution and still exists today. See and .
Spain
In Spain, the rank of Marquess/Marchioness (/) still exists. One hundred forty-two of them are Spanish
grandees. Normally a is addressed as "
The Most Illustrious Lord" (), or if he/she is a grandee as "
The Most Excellent Lord" (). Examples include the
Marquess of Carpio,
Grandee of Spain.
United Kingdom
In Great Britain and historically in Ireland, a marquess ranks below a
duke and above an
earl
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...
. A woman with the rank of a marquess, or the wife of a marquess, is a marchioness . The dignity, rank, or position of the title is a marquisate or marquessate.
The
honorific
An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an Honorary title (academic), h ...
prefix "
The Most Honourable
The honorific prefix "The Most Honourable" is a form of address that is used in several countries. In the United Kingdom, it precedes the name of a marquess or marchioness.
Overview
In Jamaica, Governor-General of Jamaica, Governors-General of J ...
" precedes the name of a marquess or marchioness of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
In
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
, and historically in
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, the spelling of this title is marquess. In Scotland, the French spelling marquis is sometimes used.

The theoretical distinction between a marquess and other titles has, since the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
, faded into obscurity. In times past, the distinction between a
count and a marquess was that the land of a marquess, called a
march
March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 2 ...
, was on the border of the country, while a count's land, called a
county, often was not. As a result of this, a marquess was trusted to defend and fortify against potentially hostile neighbours and was thus more important and ranked higher than a count. The title is ranked below that of a
duke, which was often largely restricted to the royal family.
The rank of marquess was a relatively late introduction to the British peerage: no
marcher lords had the rank of marquess, though some were
earl
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...
s. On the evening of the
Coronation of Queen Victoria
The coronation of Queen Victoria, Victoria as queen of the United Kingdom took place on Thursday, 28 June 1838, just over a year after she succeeded to the throne of the United Kingdom at the age of 18. The ceremony was held in Westminster Abbey ...
in 1838, the Prime Minister
Lord Melbourne explained to her why (from her journals):
I spoke to ord Melbourneabout the numbers of Peers present at the Coronation, & he said it was quite unprecedented. I observed that there were very few Viscounts, to which he replied "There are very few Viscount
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty.
In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...
s," that they were an old sort of title & not really English; that they came from Vice-Comites; that Dukes & Barons were the only real English titles; – that Marquises were likewise not English, & that people were mere made Marquises, when it was not wished that they should be made Dukes.
Analogous non-Western titles

Like other major Western noble titles, marquess (or marquis) is sometimes used to translate certain titles from non-Western languages with their own traditions, even though they are, as a rule, historically unrelated and thus hard to compare. However, they are considered "equivalent" in relative rank.
This is the case with:
* In
ancient China
The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...
, 侯 (''hóu'') a
noble rank created by
King Wu of Zhou for rulers of newly conquered regions, and is generally translated as marquess or marquis. In
imperial China
The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...
, 侯 (''hóu'') is generally, but not always, a middle-to-high ranking hereditary nobility title. Its exact rank varies greatly from dynasty to dynasty, and even within a dynasty. It is often created with different sub-ranks, with (''liè hóu'',
Ranged Marquis) generally the highest.
* In
Meiji Japan, 侯爵 (''kōshaku''), a hereditary peerage (''
kazoku'') rank, was introduced in 1884, granting a hereditary seat in the upper house of the imperial diet just as a British peerage did (until the
House of Lords Act 1999), with the ranks usually rendered as baron, viscount, count, marquis and duke/prince.
* In
Korea
Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
, the title of 현후 (縣侯; ''hyeonhu''), the meaning of which is "marquess of district", existed for the hereditary nobility in the
Goryeo dynasty. It was equivalent to the upper fifth rank of nine bureaucratic orders, and was in the third rank of six nobility orders. The title of Buwongun, could be received only Father in law of King or The Vassals who dedicate Notably to create New kingdom is also same as Marquess. In the
Joseon dynasty, there was no title equivalent to marquess.
* In
Maritime Southeast Asia
Maritime Southeast Asia comprises the Southeast Asian countries of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and East Timor.
The terms Island Southeast Asia and Insular Southeast Asia are sometimes given the same meaning as ...
, ''
temenggong'' (or ''tumenggung'') is a title used by Islamic dynasties such as
Mataram Sultanate and
Johor
Johor, also spelled Johore,'' is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore ...
to designate a noble ruled over a frontier area or district, or to a chief of public security. Tumenggung ranks below
Bendahara or vizier.
* In
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
, ''hầu'' () was a senior title of hereditary nobility, equivalent to marquis, for male members of the imperial clan, ranking under ''hoàng đế'' (皇帝)(emperor), ''vương'' (王)(king/prince), ''quốc công'' (國公)(grand duke/duke of the nation), ''quận công'' (郡公)(provincial duke) and ''công'' (公)(duke, rather like a German
Fürst), and above ''bá'' (伯)(count), ''tử'' (子)(viscount) and ''nam'' (男)(baron).
In fiction
Marquesses and marchionesses have occasionally appeared in works of fiction.
See also
*
Mark (county)
*
Marquesses in the United Kingdom
*
List of marquesses in the peerages of Britain and Ireland
*
List of marquessates in the peerages of Britain and Ireland
*
List of marquesses in Italy
*
List of marquises in Norway
*
List of marquises in Portugal
*
Exarch
Notes
References
The Chronological Peerage of England, hereditarytitles.com as of 2 March 2003 omits Normanby, misspells Hartington as Martington, places Marquess of Lorn and Kintyre in the peerage of England (Scotland is more probable).
EtymologyOnLine* — "and in 1694 was made marquess of Normanby"
External links
*
*{{cite EB1911 , wstitle=Marquess , volume=17 , page=751 , short=x
Noble titles
Peerage
Men's social titles
de:Markgraf