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A '''viscount''' (feminine: ''viscountess'') is a noble | A '''viscount''' (feminine: '''viscountess''') is a noble peer ranking below a [[count]] and above a [[baron]]. It was one of the least-awarded titles in the [[Peerage of Westarctica]] until 2018, when it exploded in popularity. | ||
==Etymology== | ==Etymology== | ||
The word viscount comes from Old French ''visconte'', itself from Medieval Latin ''vicecomitem'', accusative of vicecomes, from Late Latin ''vice''- "deputy" + Latin ''comes'' (originally "companion"; later Roman imperial courtier or trusted appointee, ultimately count). | The word viscount comes from Old French ''visconte'', itself from Medieval Latin ''vicecomitem'', accusative of vicecomes, from Late Latin ''vice''- "deputy" + Latin ''comes'' (originally "companion"; later Roman imperial courtier or trusted appointee, ultimately count). | ||
==Origins of the title== | |||
The title was in use in Normandy by at least the early 11th century. Similar to the Carolingian use of the title, the Norman viscounts were local administrators, working on behalf of the Duke. Their role was to administer justice and to collect taxes and revenues, often being castellan of the local castle. Under the Normans, the position developed into a hereditary one, an example of such being the viscounts in Bessin. The viscount was eventually replaced by bailiffs, and provosts. | |||
As a rank in British peerage, it was first recorded in 1440, when John Beaumont was created Viscount Beaumont by King Henry VI. The word viscount corresponds in the UK to the Anglo-Saxon shire reeve (root of the non-nobiliary, royal-appointed office of sheriff). Thus early viscounts were originally normally given their titles by the monarch, not hereditarily; but soon they too tended to establish hereditary principalities in the wider sense. | |||
==History of the title in Westarctica== | ==History of the title in Westarctica== | ||
[[File:Viscount_of_Whitmore1.jpg|thumb|300px|The Viscount of Whitmore upon receiving his title in 2001]] | |||
From 2001-2004, during the time Westarctica was known as the [[Achaean Territory of Antarctica]], no viscounts were created. Although the title was authorized under Article 34 of the [[Achaean Royal Charter]], the article only permitted the title to be bestowed upon the child of an | From 2001 - 2004, during the time Westarctica was known as the [[Achaean Territory of Antarctica]], no viscounts were created. Although the title was authorized under Article 34 of the [[Achaean Royal Charter]], the article only permitted the title to be bestowed upon the child of an Earl or Countess. Curiously, the law also described the land ruled by a viscount as a "vichy" and that it should be comprised of two or more baronies combined. | ||
In June 2004, when the Achaean Territory transitioned to the [[Westarctica|Grand Duchy of Westarctica]], [[Grand Duke Travis]] altered all existing peerage titles, lowering them in [[Order of Precedence in Westarctica|precedence]]. The first viscount created at this time was the [[Viscount of Whitmore]], who had originally been granted the title Duke of Whitmore, a title derived both from his name and from the [[Whitmore Mountains]]. Shortly after, on 26 June 2004, Emilio Garcia was granted the title [[Viscount of Siple]], and given autonomous control over [[Siple Island]]. This title was later [[mediatization|mediatized]] and placed under the authority of the [[Grand Duke Niels of Flandrensis|Prince of Siple]]. | In June 2004, when the Achaean Territory transitioned to the [[Westarctica|Grand Duchy of Westarctica]], [[Grand Duke Travis]] altered all existing peerage titles, lowering them in [[Order of Precedence in Westarctica|precedence]]. The first viscount created at this time was the [[Viscount of Whitmore]], who had originally been granted the title Duke of Whitmore, a title derived both from his name and from the [[Whitmore Mountains]]. Shortly after, on 26 June 2004, Emilio Garcia was granted the title [[Viscount of Siple]], and given autonomous control over [[Siple Island]]. This title was later [[mediatization|mediatized]] and placed under the authority of the [[Grand Duke Niels of Flandrensis|Prince of Siple]]. | ||