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en.m.wikipedia.org
Earl (
/ɜːrl/)
[1] is a rank of the nobility in Britain. The title originates in the Old English word
eorl, meaning "a man of noble birth or rank".
[2] The word is cognate with the
Scandinavian form
jarl, and meant "
chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the
Middle Ages and was replaced by
duke (
hertig/
hertug/
hertog). After the
Norman Conquest, it became the equivalent of the continental
count (in England in the earlier period, it was more akin to a
duke; in Scotland it assimilated the concept of
mormaer). However, earlier in Scandinavia,
jarl could also mean a sovereign
prince.[
citation needed] For example, the rulers of several of the
petty kingdoms of Norway had the title of
jarl and in many cases they had no less power than their neighbours who had the title of king. Alternative names for the rank equivalent to "earl" or "count" in the nobility structure are used in other countries, such as the
hakushaku (伯爵 or はくしゃく) of the post-restoration
Japanese Imperial era.
In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the
peerage, ranking below a
marquess and above a
viscount.
[3] A feminine form of
earl never developed; instead,
countess is used.