Baron is a specific title of nobility or a more generic feudal qualification. The word baron comes from French baron, itself from Frankish baro meaning "freeman, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman." Ultimately it seems to mean a burden bearer.

Western European feudal and modern titles

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The British Isles

In the British peerage system, barons rank below viscounts, being the lowest rank in the peerage. A female of baronial rank has the honorific baroness. The order of precedence accorded peerage baronies (i.e. those by writ or patent) does not apply to the case of a Prescriptive Barony.

A baron may hold a barony (plural baronies), if the title relates originally to a Feudal Barony by tenure, or Prescriptive Barony, although such tenure is now obsolete in England and Ireland and any such titles are now held in gross, if they survive at all, as very few do, sometimes along with some vestigial manorial rights, or by grand serjeanty.

William the Conqueror introduced "baron" as a rank into England to distinguish the men who had pledged their loyalty to him (see Feudalism). Previously, in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England, the king's companions held the title of earls and in Scotland, the title of thane. All who held their barony "in chief of the king" (i.e. directly from William and his successors) became alike barones regis (barons of the king), bound to perform a stipulated service, and welcome to attend his council. Before long, the greatest of the nobles, especially in the marches, such as the Earls of Chester or the Bishops of Durham, might refer to their own tenants as "barons", where lesser magnates spoke simply of their "men" (homines).

Initially those who held land direct of the crown by military service, from earls downwards, all alike bore the title of baron, but under Henry II, the Dialogus de Scaccario already distinguishes greater (who held in baroniam by knights' service) or lesser baronies (generally smaller single manors). Within a century of the Norman Conquest, as in Thomas Becket's case (1164), there arose the practice of sending to each greater baron a special summons to the council that evolved into the House of Lords, while the lesser barons, Magna Carta (1215) stipulated, would receive summons only in general, through the sheriffs. Thus appeared a definite distinction, which eventually had the effect of restricting to the greater barons the rights and privileges of peerage.

Later, the Sovereign could create a new barony in one of two ways: by a writ of summons directing someone to Parliament, or by letters patent. Writs of summons featured in medieval times, but creation by letters patent has become the norm. Baronies thus no longer directly relate to land ownership, except in so far as a small number of vestigial "Baron" titles survive in Ireland as incorporeal hereditaments held in gross as personal rights, following the Modus Tenendi Parliamenta (1419), the Feudal Tenure Act (1662), and the Fines and Recoveries Act (1834) which enabled such titles to be dis-entailed.

In Scotland, the rank of baron refers to the holder of a feudal barony, a minor relic of feudal land-ownership, and not a rank of Peerage or nobility. The Scottish equivalent of an English baron is a Lord of Parliament.

In the late twentieth century Britain introduced the concept of non-hereditary life peers. All appointees to this distinction have taken place at the rank of baron, though in principle nothing prevents the creation of a life peerage of higher rank. Baronies are often subsidiary titles, thus being used as courtesy titles by eldest sons.

Style of address

Non-Scottish barons are styled The Right Honourable The Lord Barons' wives are styled The Right Honourable The Lady ^*" target="_blank" >or The Right Honourable The Lady [Barony, mainly based on personal preference (for an example of the former, see Margaret Thatcher). Right Honourable is frequently abbreviated to Rt Hon. When referred to by the Sovereign in public instruments, The Right Honourable is changed to Our right trusty and well-beloved, with counsellor attached if they are a Privy Counsellor.

Courtesy barons are styled simply Lord and their wives are Lady [Barony. The style of Right Honourable is not used for them.

Normally one refers to or addresses Baron X as Lord X and his wife as Lady X. In the case of women who hold baronies in their own right, they can be referred to as Baroness X as well as Lady X. In direct address, they can also be referred to as My Lord or My Lady. The husband of a Baroness in her own right does not receive a style. Children of Barons and Baronesses in their own right, whether hereditary or for life, have the style The Honourable [Surname. After the death of the father or mother, the child may continue to use the style Honourable.

Scottish feudal barons are styled as Clan Chiefs or Lairds, with the name of their barony following their name, as in John Smith of Edinburgh. Their wives are styled Mrs Smith of Edinburgh.

Coronet

An English Peerage baron is entitled to a coronet bearing 6 silver balls around the rim. The actual coronet is only worn on certain ceremonial occasions, but a baron can bear his coronet of rank on his coat of arms above the shield.

Germany

In Germany all the knightly families (distinguished by the prefix "von") eventually were recognised as of baronial rank. Families which had always held this status were called Uradel or Original Nobility, and were heraldically entitled to a seven pointed coronet. Families which had been ennobled at a definite point in time had only five points on their coronet. These families held their titles from their lord. The holder of an allodial (ie free-standing) barony was thus called a Free Lord, Freiherr and its various variations occupy the same rank as a foreign Baron, exclusively (as in the Holy Roman Empire) or concurrently.

The non-allodial barony, whether original or created, is of small value because it descends to all sons and daughters of the male line. The holders of original titles distinguish themselves from the newcomers by abbreviating "von" as "v."

In other languages

The title was quite common in most European countries, in various languages (whether Germanic, Romance, Slavonic or other), often in a slightly modified form. The following list includes the male and female forms and (sometimes) the territorial domain. Notice, especially for the 'alternative' Freiherr-type titles, that the existence of a word does not always imply an actual domestic use: it is often a mere rendering of foreign realities.

Language	Male singular	Female singular	Domain
English	Baron	Baroness	Barony
Albanian	Baron	Baroneshë
Arabic	بارون	بارونه
Belorussian	Baron	Baronesa
Bulgarian	Baron	Baronesa
Catalan	Baró	Baronessa
Croatian	Barun	Barunica
Czech	Baron	Baronka, Baronesa
Danish	Baron	Baronesse
Dutch	Baron, Vrijheer	Barones	Baronie
Estonian	Parun	Paruniproua, Paruness
Finnish	Paroni, Vapaaherra	Paronitar, Vapaaherratar	Vapaaherrakunta or simply Läänitys (for Western European ones: paronikunta)
French	Baron	Baronnesse	Baronie
Galician	Barón	Baronesa	Baronía
German	Baron, Freiherr	Baronin, Baronesse, Freifrau, Freiin
Greek	Baronos	Baroni
Hebrew	Baron (ברון)	Baronit (ברונית)
Hungarian	Báró, Főúr	Bárónő	Báróság
Icelandic	Barón, Fríherra	Barónessa
Irish	Barún	Banbharún
Italian	Barone	Baronessa
Latin	Baro	Baronissa	Baronatus
Latvian	Barons	Baronese
Lithuanian	Baronas	Baroniene
Luxemburgish	Baroun	Barounin, Baronesse
Macedonian	Baron	Baronesa
Maltese	Baruni	Barunessa	Barunijja / Barunat
Monegasque	Barun	Barunessa
Norwegian	Baron, Friherre	Baronesse	Baroni
Polish	Baron	Baronowa, Baronówna	Baronia;
Portuguese	Barão	Baronesa	Baronato
Rhaeto-Romanic	Barun	Barunessa
Romanian	Baron	Baroneasă
Russian	Baron	Baronessa
Serbian	Baron	Baronica	Baronija
Slovak	Barón	Barónka
Slovene	Baron	Baronica
Spanish	Barón	Baronesa
Swedish	Baron, Friherre	Baronessa, Friherrinna	Friherrskap
Turkish	Baron	Barones
Ukrainian	Baron	Baronka	Baronesa

Elsewhere

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In some republics of continental Europe, the title of "Baron" retains a purely social prestige, with no particular political privileges.

In the Polynesian island monarchy of Tonga, as opposed to the situation in Europe, barons are granted this imported title (in English), alongside traditional chiefly styles, and continue to hold and exercise some political power.

Furthermore it is customary in Western languages to use the word Baron to render somewhat 'equivalent' ranks in non-related aristocratic hierarchies in exotic cultures.

Sources and references

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• Sanders, I. J. English Baronies: A Study of their Origin and Descent, 1086–1327. Clarendon Press, 1960.
• Heraldica.org
• RoyalArk

Noble titles | Peerage | Baronies

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