In Chapter 16 of The Prince and the Pauper, we hear about a number of titles that were used in Tudor England. At the time, the hierarchy of society was incredibly important to how society functioned. Though these titles don’t hold quite as much weight today, they still exist. Today’s Historical Tidbit is about….
ORDER OF PRECEDENCE
Keep reading or watch the video below to learn about the historical context of this phrase!
In Chapter 16, Tom takes place in a banquet which includes many official royal individuals and traditions. Among those individuals are are many people with important titles, as seen by the quote below:
““First come Gentlemen, Barons, Earls, Knights of the Garter, all richly dressed and bareheaded; next comes the Chancellor, between two, one of which carries the royal sceptre, the other the Sword of State in a red scabbard, studded with golden fleurs-de-lis, the point upwards; next comes the King himself…”” (p. 98)
What is the structure of Tudor England.
Tudor England followed a hierarchical system. This means that it really depended on some people having a higher title, and therefore more power, than other poeple. The king was at the top of this structure. They also believed that your position in life was determined by God. Most people just accepted their position in life without question.
The levels of hiererarchy can be broken down into seven different catergories:
Some Specific Titles
- King
- Queen
- Prince/Princess
- Duke/Duchess
- Marquess
- Earl
- Baron
- Baronet
- Knight
- Chancellor (academic title)
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References
https://blog.korumlegal.com/legal-hierarchy-and-accessibility
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_precedence_in_England_and_Wales
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forms_of_address_in_the_United_Kingdom
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