Duke
ADukeis someone part ofnobility.[1]Inmonarchies,like theUK,the title has legal status, and is inherited in the male line.
The first English dukes were created byEdward IIIin 1337, when he gave his eldest son,Edward, the Black Prince,the title of Duke of Cornwall.
Dukes are formally referred to as 'The Duke of (place name)', and addressed as "Your Grace". OnStateoccasions, dukes rank below Royal Dukes, and aboveEarls.This is called theorder of precedence,because in procession to the openingParliament,or on other state occasions, they walk in order of their rank.
The office or position of a duke is called adukedom.
The wife of a duke is aDuchess.This is an honorary title, given for life to the lawfully wedded wife of a Duke. If shedivorcesand remarries a commoner, (person with no title) their children have no title. The children of a duke, on the other hand, do have honorary titles (so long as they are born in lawful wedlock). The eldest son may bear what is called a junior title which an ancestor was given before the dukedom was created. Other children would be called 'Lady' Jane (or otherChristian name) and 'Lord' James (or other Christian name). Children use the family surname, not the Dukedom.
Historically, the land that is ruled by a duke is aduchy.Theeldest sonof a duke inherits theduchywhen the duke dies. The word comes from theLatinword "dux", which means leader.
References[change|change source]
- ↑The title comes from theLatindux,which had the sense of "military commander" and was employed both by theGermanic peoplesthemselves and by theRomanhistorians to refer to the German war leaders.
