Philosophers Works Traditional rank amongst European imperiality, royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
Besides grants of land, these subjects were usually given titles that implied nobility and rank, such as Duke, Earl, Baron, etc, which were passed down through the holder’s male line.
The peers held titles granted by the monarch, but did not necessarily hold any land or have any feudal obligations.
The peerage was divided into five ranks; from highest to lowest: Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount, and Baron.
The sovereign titles listed below are grouped together into categories roughly according to their degree of dignity; these being: imperial (Emperor/Empress, etc.
Additional knowledge about the territory and historic period is required to know whether the rank holder was a sovereign or non-sovereign.
In Germany, the constitution of the Weimar Republic in 1919 ceased to accord privileges to members of dynastic and noble families.
Their titles henceforth became legal parts of the family name, and traditional forms of address (e.g., "Hoheit" or "Durchlaucht") ceased to be accorded to them by governmental entities.
However, former holders of higher titles in extant monarchies retained their relative rank, i.e., a queen dowager of Belgium outranks the reigning Prince of Liechtenstein.