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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tonguez" data-source="post: 3671310" data-attributes="member: 1125">This isn't so easy to answer as it depends on a lot of different factors with the two primary factors being  Wealth Genration (Land holdings = the amount of revenue a Noble can generate) and Military Duty (ie capacity to Defend said Landholdings). In less developed socieites land holdings were small and the Lords territopry might only be a village and surrounding forest. In more developed areas with better food production the Land holding might also be larger. Intermarriage and multiple also makes the whole system very convoluted so a single person might be an Earl, a Viscount and a Duke depending on the lands they hold or have inheritedAnywayDukes hold title in their own right and as they were primarily Military Commanders they have the right to raise an army. The title is second to the royalty (and in most cases Duke is a royal title). Marquis is a count in a less stable border region (Marches) and thus had the right to raise an army to defend itCounts were generally administrators of more settled 'countys' and were often orginally granted lands by the Monarch and owed loyalty to him. Barons the word just means warrior and was any one granted manorial lands by the Monarch (or even a Duke) to whom they held a duty of serviceIn the UK there are currently only 5 Duke titles (with Lancaster being held by the reigning monarch)</blockquote>