What is the difference between an Earl, a Marquis, and an Earl, Dame and a Lady?

This is a history Project. Please if there are any Any English Citizens who could help me with this, I would be much obliged!|||Duke/Duchess


Marquess/Marchioness


Earl (Count)/Countess


Viscount/Viscountess


Baron/Baroness


Knight/Dame





The title "Lady" is applied to any female of noble birth, regardless of the rank of the title. She is introduced as the D/M/C/V/B So-and-so, but addressed as Lady So-and-so or "my lady." "So-and-so" may be her given name (informal/familiar would be her first name, formal/unfamiliar would be her last name) or her estate, but usually using the name of the estate is for males...the D/M/E (C)/V/B of Whatever. Daughters are also titled, sometimes equal to the rank of her mother, sometimes one rank lower, usually simply Lady until she inherits (rare) or marries. A female with a knighthood is addressed as Dame, not Lady, but a male with a knighthood is addressed as Sir.





Usually, it's a matter of money and holdings that determines the worth of the title. These are usually granted by royalty in gratitude for a deed to the Crown.|||I'm not from Britain, but I'll try to help.





"Dame" is a title corresponding to knighthood--as in Sir Elton John and Dame Agatha Christie. These are honorary titles, given in recognition of achievement in some field. "Lady" is usually held by the wife of a knight or member of the lesser nobility, and by daughters of the higher ranking nobles.





An earl is of the nobility, and the title is usually inherited by the firstborn son. An earl's wife is a countess, and I think his daughters are styled "Lady So-and-So" and the family surname.





A marquis is a title that was created in the late Middle Ages, and is superior to an earl but inferior to a duke. The wife of a marquis is a marchioness.





Dukes are at the top of the noble hierarchy, and were at one time normally members of the royal family. A duke's wife is a duchess.





The titles of marquis and duke are also hereditary.|||An Earl or Jarl was an Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian title, meaning "chieftain" and it referred especially to chieftains set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages, whereas, in Britain, it became synonymous with the continental count.





Today, an earl is a member of the British peerage and ranks below a Marquess and above a Viscount. Since there is no feminine form of Earl, the wife of an Earl bears the rank of Countess (the continental equivalent).


a lady can be the daughter of a marquiss


but check out the site below it carries most of the information you require in some depth and a dame is also created by the queen for services ot the country such as acting e.g. dame judi dench, or singing dame kiri tikanawa