Earls were governors or viceroys, ruling in the king's name, keeping the peace, dispensing justice, and raising armies. Like the earlier ealdormen, they received the third penny from their jurisdictions. Earls ranked above thegns in precedence and were the chief counselors in the witan (king's council). [19] The office of earl was not hereditary.

Earl is the oldest title and rank of English nobles, and it was also the highest, until 1337, when Edward the Black Prince was created duke of Cornwall by Edward III. It now stands third in precedence, between marquess (1385) and viscount (1440). The five ranks of British nobility, in descending order, are duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron.

Earl is the oldest title in the British peerage, dating back to the 11th century. Originally an earl administered a province or a "shire" for the king. There are currently 191 earls and four countesses in their own right. In a break with tradition, Elizabeth's third son, Prince Edward, became Earl of Wessex on his wedding day in 1999. Why the ...

The meaning of EARL is a member of the British peerage ranking below a marquess and above a viscount.

EARL definition: 1. (the title of) a British man of high social rank, between a marquis and a viscount: 2. (the…. Learn more.

Historically, an earl was the ruler of a county or earldom, but the title is now primarily ceremonial. In the U.K., there are currently around 190 earls. The Earl of Wessex is the highest-ranking earl in the peerage system. He’s also second in line to the British throne.

The Earl, also known as the Count, is the third most powerful among the nobility ranks. The rank of the Earl was lower than that of the Duke or the Marquess, but he could exert power over the Viscounts and Barons.

EARL definition: (in the British Isles ) a nobleman ranking below a marquess and above a viscount | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples

There are eight meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun earl, four of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

Known as the peerage system, this noble hierarchy consists of five ranks today: duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron. The title of earl — the oldest in the peerage system — dates back to the end of the early medieval period, during the reign of King Canute (or Cnut) in the 11th century.