The peers held titles granted by the monarch, but did not necessarily hold any land or have any feudal obligations. In the 14th century, an English peerage began to emerge as a separate entity from the feudal system.
The monarch was the ultimate authority and was able to grant and revoke titles. Dukes were the highest rank and held the largest holdings, known as duchies. Earls were the next highest rank with larger land holdings. Barons were the lowest rank of nobility and were granted small parcels of land. Besides grants of land, these subjects were usually given titles that implied nobility and rank, such as Duke, Earl, Baron, etc, which were passed down through the holder’s male line. Under the feudal system, the monarch would grant land to the monarch’s loyal subjects in exchange for the subject’s loyalty and military service when called by the monarch.
Imperial, royal, noble, gentry and chivalric ranks in West, Central, South Asia and North Africaĭuring the Middle Ages, in England, as in most of Europe, the feudal system was the dominant social and economic system.
