Baron is a specific title of nobility. The word baron comes from Spanish barón, itself from Frankish baro meaning "freeman, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman."

Western European feudal and modern titles

Britain

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. A baron may hold a barony (plural baronies), if the title relates originally to a feudal barony by tenure, although such tenure is now obsolete in England 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 I 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" (that is, 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 distinguished 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, 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.

Scotland

In Scotland, the rank of baron is a rank related to feudal nobility of Scotland and refers to a holder of a feudal barony, a feudal superiority over a proper territorial entity erected into a free barony by a Crown Charter, and not a rank of Peerage. The common Scots term for this position is Laird. The Scottish equivalent of an English baron is a Lord of Parliament.

In the twentieth century Britain introduced the concept of non-hereditary life peers. All appointees to this distinction have taken place at the rank of baron.

In addition, Baronies are often subsidiary titles, thus being used as courtesy titles by the eldest sons of earls.

Style of address

Non-Scottish barons are styled The Right Honourable The Lord [Barony]. Barons' wives are styled The Right Honourable The Lady [Barony]. Baronesses in their own right are either titled The Right Honourable The Baroness [Barony] 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 [Barony], 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 [Forename] [Surname]. After the death of the father or mother, the child may continue to use the style Honourable.

Scottish feudal barons style their surnames similarly to Clan Chiefs, with the name of their barony following their name, as in John Smith of Edinburgh. Traditionally this is extended to: John Smith of Edinburgh, Baron of Edinburgh. Their wives are styled Lady Edinburgh or Jane Smith of Edinburgh, Baroness of Edinburgh. Most formally ( and in writing) they are styled The Much Honoured John Smith of Edinburgh, Baron of Edinburgh. Verbally Scottish barons may be addressed with the name of their barony, as in Edinburgh or else as Baron without anything else following which is present would suggest a peerage barony. Informally, when referring to a Scots feudal baron in the third person, the name Laird of X is used or simply X.

Coronet

An English Peerage baron is entitled to a coronet bearing six silver balls (or pearls) 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.

Scottish feudal barons are entitled to a red cap of maintenance (chapeau) turned up ermine. The chapeau is identical to the red cap worn by an English baron, but without the silver balls or gilt. This is sometimes depicted in armorial paintings between the shield and the helmet. Additionally, if the baron is the head of a family he may include a chiefly coronet which is similar to a ducal coronet, but with four strawberry leaves.

France

During the Ancien Regime, French baronies were very much like Scottish ones. Feudal landholders were entitled to style themselves baron if they were nobles; a roturier (commoner) could only be a seigneur de la baronnie (lord of the barony). Theses baronies could be sold freely, until the abolition of feudalism in 1789. The title of baron was actually assumed by many petty nobles who did not hold baronies. Napoléon created a new empire nobility, in which baron was the second lowest title. The titles followed a male-only line of descent and could not be purchased. In 1815, King Louis XVIII created a new peerage system based on the British model. Baron-peer was the lowest title, but the heirs to pre-1789 barons could remain barons, as could the elder sons of viscount-peers and youngest sons of count-peers. This peerage was abolished in 1848, though some titles still exist today.

Germany

In pre-republican Germany all the knightly families (sometimes distinguished by the prefix "von") eventually were recognised as of baronial rank. Families which had always held this status were called Original Nobility, or Uradel, 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 (i.e. free-standing) barony was thus called a Free Lord, or Freiherr, and its various variations occupied the same rank as a foreign Baron, exclusively (as in the Holy Roman Empire) or concurrently.

Today there is no legal privilege associated with hereditary titles. The offspring of holders of original titles may choose to distinguish themselves from a later-ennobled family by abbreviating "von" as "v.", however, many baron surnames do not contain any such prefix. Generally, all male members of a baronial family inherited the title Baron equally, and were so called from birth. As a result, it was much easier to inherit a German barony than, say, a French or English one, and the title may therefore be considered to rank below even an English baronet, though higher than an armigerous esquire.

Spain

In Spain the title is immediately inferior to "Vizconde". The wife of the Baron carries the title of "Baronesa". The term Baronesa is also used for the woman that has been bestowd with the title by herself. In general the title of "Baron" previous to the XIX century correspond to the nobility originating from the "Crown of Aragon". The title lost territorial jurisdiction around the middle XIX century and from then on it is used only as an honorific title.

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.

Elsewhere

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

This is the case with China's Nan (男), hereditary title of nobility of the fifth rank (男爵), as well as its derivatives and adaptations:

• the Korean Namjak (男爵) or Chamise
• the Japanese equivalent Danshaku (男爵)
• the Vietnamese equivalent Nam tước

In some republics of continental Europe, the unofficial 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.

Fictitious barons

• Baron Marius Pontmercy, a principal character in Victor Hugo's classic novel, and also the popular musical, Les Miserables.
• Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, ruler of House Harkonnen in the Dune universe created by Frank Herbert.
• Baron von Munchhausen, hero of the fantastical book by the same title.
• Baron Hardup, in traditional pantomime, a straitened nobleman
• Baron Karza, the archenemy of the Micronauts.
• Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, archenemy of Nick Fury, agent of Shield.
• Baron Bean, a comic strip (1916-1919) drawn by George Herriman of Krazy Kat fame.
• Baron Humbert Von Gikkingen, commonly referred to as just Baron, is a character in the animated movie The Cat Returns.
• Heinz, the Baron Krauss von Espys; He is the silly witness in Joel Coen's Intolerable Cruelty (2003), played by Jonathan Hadary.
• Baron von Frankenstein, creator of Frankenstein's monster same title.
• Baron von Raschke, former professional wrestler.
• Baron Soontir Fel, TIE fighter pilot and brother-in-law of Wedge Antilles in the Star Wars continuity.
• Baron Von Trapp, a character in the musical The Sound of Music, is loosely based on Georg, Ritter von Trapp, a hereditary knight, not a baron.
• Baron Von Slagle, first leader who unified the Justinian Empire, as described in the novel Red Skies, Battle Cries by Arnold Henderson
• Baron Greenback, the enemy of Dangermouse in the British animated series Dangermouse

References

• Sanders, I. J. English Baronies: A Study of their Origin and Descent, 1086–1327. Clarendon Press, 1960.
• Heraldica
• The Royal Ark
• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.bpy:বারাও

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