1,373
edits
Difference between revisions of "Viscount"
IPA et al.
m (changed capitalization for Westarctican use of the title.) |
(IPA et al.) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
'''Viscount''' (/ˈvaɪkaʊnt/, 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). | ||
== | ==European 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 title "viscount" 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 a duke. Their duty 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. "Viscount" was eventually replaced by "bailiff" and "provost". | ||
As a rank in British peerage, | As a rank in British peerage, viscount 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== | ||