Marquis

To the top the Middle Ages, the title of marquis corresponds to a military command, on a border region (known as Marche or Marquisat ). The marquis - Markgraf as former German, of Mark , the border, and Graf , the count, - is a Count equipped with military capacities allowing him to raise the quota of the army without to have received the order of the sovereign of it. This extension of the authority comtale is justified by the fact that it is about a county located at the border of the kingdom and thus particularly exposed, and that in the event of invasion, a fast military reaction must be possible. It is also this increased authority which makes it possible to the marquis to have a hierarchical row higher than that of count, but lower than that of duke, since this one exerts, in the name of the sovereign, military authority and legal on several counties.

As from the modern period, marquis becomes a title of Noblesse classified in the hierarchy before that of Count and after that of Duc.

In Belgium, the title of marquis, like that of duke and prince, is generally not conceded by the King of the Belgians with commoners, but only with aristocrats whose family carried already such a title before the independence of Belgium (1830).

One can thus announce for France:

  • the Walk of Brittany, including/understanding the counties of Rennes, Nantes and Valves which had inter alia holders Roland, the hero of the Bataille of Roncevaux.
  • the Marquisat de Gothie vis-a-vis the Moslem Spain.
  • the marquisat of Provence
  • the marquisat of Neustrie vis-a-vis Breton and to the Norman ones the
  • the Marquis de Sade, celebrates writer who gave his name to embarrassing sexual practices.

In the Germanic countries, the equivalent title is the Margrave.

Marchionesses

Under the Old Mode, the title of marquis, stripped of his military functions, having become a title of nobility like the others, it could be allotted to women. Louis XIV and Louis XV in particular, had as a main practice to anoblir their in their decreeing the title of marchioness. Very many with Versailles, the marchionesses were the ladies of court par excellence.

One can quote most famous of them, the Marquise of Pompadour.

Hat

A " marquis" is also the name of a hat tricorn decorated with a boa feathers.

See too

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