British Viscount Coronet

A viscount (pronounced VY-count, IPA: /ˈvaɪkaʊnt/) is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl (in Britain) or a count (his continental equivalent). Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary (see Hereditary titles) or for a lifetime The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most Peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801 when Baron is a specific Title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin (liber Earl was the Anglo-Saxon form and jarl the Scandinavian form of a title meaning " Chieftain " and referring especially to chieftains A count is a Nobleman in European countries The word count comes from French comte, itself from Latin

Etymology

The word viscount, known to be used in English since 1387, comes from Old French visconte (modern French: vicomte), 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). Old French was the Romance Dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Medieval Latin was the form of Latin used in the Middle Ages, primarily as a medium of scholarly exchange and as the Liturgical language of the medieval The accusative case ( abbreviated ACC) of a Noun is the Grammatical case used to mark the Direct object of a Transitive Vulgar Latin (in Latin sermo vulgaris, "folk speech" is a Blanket term covering the popular Dialects and Sociolects of the Latin Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. The French Solar Energy Authority ( Commissariat à l'Energie Solaire, ComES) a public Scientific and industrial entity was set up in

As a rank in British peerage, it was first recorded in 1440, when John Beaumont, 1st Viscount Beaumont, was made one by King Henry VI. The title of Baron Beaumont is an ancient one in the Peerage of England, created in 1309 for a younger part of the de Brienne -family Henry VI (6 December 1421 &ndash 21 May 1471 was King of England 1422–1461 (though with a Regent until 1437 and then 1470–1471 and a claimant to the kingdom The word viscount corresponds in Britain to the Anglo-Saxon shire reeve (root of the non-nobiliary, royal-appointed office of Sheriff). SHERIFF is a telecom fraud detection and management system originally developed by BT and MCI. SHERIFF is a telecom fraud detection and management system originally developed by BT and MCI. Thus early viscounts were originally normally given their titles by the monarch, not hereditary; but soon they too tended to establish hereditary principalities lato sensu.

Viscounts in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth

A viscount is said to hold a "viscountship" or "viscounty", or (more as the area of his jurisdiction) a "viscountcy". The female equivalent of a viscount is a viscountess. There are approximately 270 Viscountships currently extant in the peerages of the British Isles.

• In British practice, the title of a viscount may be either a placename, or a surname, or sometimes, a combination thereof. In any event, the style of a viscount is "The Viscount [X]," or "The Viscount [X] of [Y]. A style of office, or honorific, is a term which by Tradition or Law precedes a reference to a person who holds a post or Title, or to the " He is addressed as "My Lord". Examples include: The Viscount Falmouth (placename); The Viscount Hardinge (surname); The Viscount Gage of Castle Island (surname of placename); and The Viscount Combermere of Bhurtpore (placename of placename). An exception exists for Viscounts in the peerage of Scotland, who were traditionally styled "The Viscount of [X]," as in: The Viscount of Arbuthnott (surname) – very few maintain this style, instead using the more common version "The Viscount [X]"

A British viscount is addressed in speech as Lord [X], while his wife is Lady [X], and formally styles "The Viscount [X]". The children of a viscount are known as The Honourable [Forename] [Surname]. The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable (abbreviated to " The Hon

• A specifically British custom is the use of viscount as a courtesy title for the heir of an earl or marquess. A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of Nobility used by children former wives and other close relatives of a peer. The peer's heir apparent will sometimes be referred to as a viscount, if the second most senior title held by the head of the family is a viscountcy. An heir apparent is an Heir who (short of a fundamental change in the situation cannot be displaced from inheriting the term is used in contrast to Heir presumptive For example, the eldest son of the Earl Howe is Viscount Curzon, because this is the second most senior title held by the Earl. Earl Howe is a title that has been created twice in British history for members of the Howe and Curzon-Howe family respectively Earl Howe is a title that has been created twice in British history for members of the Howe and Curzon-Howe family respectively

A more recent example of the above is with the Earl of Wessex' son, James, who is styled Viscount Severn. James Viscount Severn (James Alexander Philip Theo born 17 December 2007 is a member of the British Royal Family.

More often than not, the eldest son of a British duke enjoys the courtesy title of marquess; with exceptions such as the Dukedom of Norfolk, which does not hold the secondary title of marquess, so the heir enjoys the next title down in status, which is that of an earl. A marquess (ˈmɑrkwɪs or marquis (/mɑrˈkiː/ is a Nobleman of hereditary rank in various European monarchies and some of their colonies

• The son of a marquess or an earl can be referred to as a viscount when the title of viscount is not the second most senior if those above it share their name with the substantive title. A substantive title (or substantive peerage) is a Title of Nobility or royalty held by someone (normally by one person alone which they gained For example, the second most senior title of the Marquess of Salisbury is the Earl of Salisbury. Marquess of Salisbury is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. Earl of Salisbury is a title in the that has been created several times in British history The eldest son of the Marquess does not use the title Earl of Salisbury, but rather the next most senior title, Viscount Cranborne. Marquess of Salisbury is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. This is because peers sign their name with the name of their title only (e. g. "Salisbury") thus to prevent confusion the heir would not use the title Earl of Salisbury.

• Sometimes the son of a peer can be referred to as a viscount even when he could use a more senior courtesy title which differs in name from the substantive title. Family tradition plays a role in this. For example, the eldest son of the Marquess of Londonderry is Viscount Castlereagh, even though the Marquess is also the Earl Vane. Marquess of Londonderry (pronounced " Lun dundry" is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. Robert Stewart 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, KG, GCH, PC (18 June 1769 in Dublin &ndash 12 August 1822 at Loring Hall, Kent Marquess of Londonderry (pronounced " Lun dundry" is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. See Courtesy titles for more information. A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of Nobility used by children former wives and other close relatives of a peer.

Coronet

A viscount's coronet of rank bears 16 silver balls around the rim. Like all heraldic coronets, it is mostly worn at the coronation of a sovereign, but a viscount has the right to bear his coronet of rank on his coat of arms, above the shield.

Continental forms of the title

• The title of viscount is less common in Italy ("visconte"), though the noble Visconti family, rulers of Milan, offers an outstanding example. Visconti was the family name of two important Italian noble dynasties of the Middle Ages. In Italy, a younger member of a conte (count)'s family, assigned a fortified rocca on the outskirts of the territory, would be more likely to be "X, dei conti Y" ("X, of the counts of Y") than Viscount.
• In the former kingdom of Portugal a visconde ranks above a barão (baron) and below a conde. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. The first Portuguese viscountcy, that of D. Leonel de Lima, visconde de Vila Nova de Cerveira, dates from the reign of Afonso V. Afonso V (ɐˈfõsu in Portuguese; English Alphonzo) or Affonso (Archaic Portuguese the African ( Port A flood of viscountcies, some 86 new titles, was awarded in Portugal between 1848 and 1880 (Portuguese Wikipedia).
• In the kingdom of Spain the title was awarded from the reign of Felipe IV (1621-65; Habsburg dynasty) until 1846. Philip IV (es ''Felipe IV'' pt ''Filipe III'' ( 8 April, 1605 &ndash 17 September, 1665) was King of Spain between 1621 and
• In various languages we need to verify whether the existing title has actually been awarded there, or is just an empty rendering of foreign realities.
  • Hungarian: várgróf or vikomt and even vicomte (as in French)
  • Polish: Wicehrabia (literally vice-count)

Equivalent western titles

There are non-etymological equivalents to the title of Viscount (i. e. 'Vice-Count') in several languages including German.

However, in such case titles of the etymological Burgrave family (not in countries with a viscount-form, such as Italian burgravio alongside visconte) bearers of the title could establish themselves at the same gap, thus at generally the same level. A burgrave is a Count of a castle or fortified town The English form is derived through the French from the German Burg Graf Consequentally a Freiherr (or Baron) ranks not immediately below a Graf, but below a Burggraf.

Thus in Dutch, Burggraaf is the rank above Baron, below Graaf (i. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname e. Count) in the kingdoms of the Netherlands and of Belgium (by Belgian law, its equivalents in the other official languages are Burggraf in German and vicomte in French). The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people In Welsh the title is rendered as Isiarll. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic See also Welsh Gentry Family Seats This is an index of Welsh peers whose primary Peerage, life peerage, and baronetcy

Non-western counterparts

Like other major Western noble titles, Viscount is sometimes used to render certain titles in non-western languages with their own traditions, even though they are as a rule historically unrelated and thus hard to compare, which are considered 'equivalent' in relative rank.

This is the case with:

• the Korean jajak or Pansoh
• the Chinese Tzu or Zi (子), hereditary title of nobility of the fourth rank
• the Japanese Shishaku (子爵) or Shi, fourth and lowest but one of the five peerage ranks
• the Vietnamese Tu
• the Manchu jingkini hafan

See also

• List of British Viscountcies
• List of Viscountcies in Portugal
• Visconti, the leading noble family that became ruling dukes of Milan, apparently taking its surname from a returning crusader Ottone who was created Visconte of Milan
• Shen Kuo, a Chinese viscount

Sources and references

• EtymologyOnLine
• RoyalArk- see various non-European countries
• WorldStatesmen- see individual countries
• Burke's Peerage & Baronetage, 1956, introduction, pp cxx-cxxviii. Korean monarchy and native nobility existed in Korea until the end of the Japanese occupation. This page lists all Viscounties extant extinct dormant abeyant or forfeit in the Peerages of England, Scotland, Great Britain, This is a List of Viscountcies in Portugal: Visconde de Abrançalha Visconde de Abrigada Visconde de Agarez Visconti was the family name of two important Italian noble dynasties of the Middle Ages. Shen Kuo or Shen Kua ( (1031&ndash1095 style name Cunzhong and pseudonym Mengqi Weng, was a Polymathic Chinese