What is a royal fief?

A fief (/fiːf/; Latin: feudum) was the central element of feudalism. It consisted of heritable property or rights granted by an overlord to a vassal who held it in fealty (or “in fee”) in return for a form of feudal allegiance and service, usually given by the personal ceremonies of homage and fealty.

What is the difference between a duchy and an Archduchy?

As nouns the difference between duchy and archduchy is that duchy is a dominion or region ruled by a duke or duchess while archduchy is the territority (principality) of an archduke.

What is below a duchy?

Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranked below princes of nobility and grand dukes.

What do you call a duchy?

duchy

• dukedom,
• emirate,
• principality,
• seigniory.
• (or seignory),
• sultanate.

Who ruled a fief?

Under the feudal system, a fief was a piece of land. This is short for fiefdom. Words that go along with fief are vassal and feudal lord; the lord (kind of like our landlords) owned the fief and the vassal was subject to all of his rules. If you were the lord of a fief, your tenant was your servant.

Is an archduke royalty?

“Archduke” (German: Erzherzog; Dutch: Aartshertog) is a title distinct from “Grand Duke” (French: Grand-Duc; Luxembourgish: Groussherzog; German: Großherzog; Dutch: Groothertog), a later monarchic title borne by the rulers of other European countries (for instance, Luxembourg).

What is the difference between archduke and duke?

Now, an archduke/archduchess is a member of the house of Habsburg-Lorraine who is a direct descendant of an Habsburg emperor, they are of the same social standing as a prince. A duke is a person not belonging to royalty but to the nobility (except if it’s closely related to a king), and rules a duchy.

What is below a duke?

The five ranks, in descending order, are duke, marquess, earl (see count), viscount, and baron. Until 1999, peers were entitled to sit in the House of Lords and exempted from jury duty. Titles may be hereditary or granted for life.

What is a non-royal duke of Duke’s property?

Non-royal dukedoms are associated with ducal property, but this is meant as the duke’s private property, with no other feudal privileges attached. At present all independent (i.e., sovereign) duchies have disappeared.

How did the Duke of York gain the Duchy of York?

During the Wars of the Roses, the Duke of York made a successful entry into the City of York, by merely claiming no harm and that it was his right to possess “his duchy of York”. Any and all feudal duchies that made up the patchwork of England have since been absorbed within the Royal Family.

What were the duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall?

In medieval England, duchies associated with the territories of Lancashire and Cornwall were created, with certain powers and estates of land accruing to their dukes. The Duchy of Lancaster was created in 1351 but became merged with the Crown when, in 1399, Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Lancaster, ascended the throne…

Who does the Duchy of Cornwall belong to?

Nowadays, the Duchy of Cornwall belongs to the sovereign’s heir apparent, if there is one: it reverts to the Crown in the absence of an heir apparent, and is automatically conferred to the heir apparent upon birth. These duchies today have mostly lost any non-ceremonial political role, but generate their holders’ private income.