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Added two ways to get a title
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{{Useful Notes}}
{{quote|'''Hacker:''' What has Sir Arnold to fear, anyway? He's got all the honours he could want, surely.
'''Bernard:''' Well, naturally he has his 'G'.
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'''[[Blue Blood|Hereditary Peerages]]''' (all titles have female equivalents):
* Duke (Duchess): The highest title of the lot. Address as "Your Grace" when you are talking to him. Prince Philip
** Parodied by [[Mark Twain]] in the story of ''The Million Pound Banknote'' where the owner of the note becomes so famous that the Times reports his doings above those of "Any duke not royal".
** The Grace bit is mentioned in ''[[Blackadder the Third]]''. Prince George in disguise calls the Duke of Wellington 'My Lord', who then proceeds to correct him with a blow to the head.
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** Motion is hereby put that the cartoon character Bartholomew J Simpson be created baronet just so that he gets to sign his name "Sir Bart Bart."
** In [[Gilbert and Sullivan]]'s Ruddigore, the main character, "The Bad Baronet of Ruddigore," is called a "Bad Bart" by himself and others quite often.
*** This is referenced in one episode in ''[[The Simpsons (
'''Knights for Life''' (in most cases - it is possible to get stripped of a knighthood, like Anthony Blunt was when it became known he was one of the Cambridge Five group of Soviet moles or more recently Robert Mugabe for general oppressiveness)
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* OBE- Officer of the Order of the British Empire
* MBE- Member... You get the idea.
* OM- Order of Merit: For outstanding lifetime achievement. Only 24 are allowed in at any time, and the Sovereign gets to choose who gets in. Florence Nightingale was made a member at the age of 87.
* CH- Companion of Honour. For outstanding achievements in certain things. Maximum membership of the Order of the Companions of Honour is 65 at any one time, including the monarch. Sir Ian McKellen ([[The Lord of the Rings|Gandalf]]) is one.
* DSO- Distinguished Service Order. For exceptionally good commanders of the armed forces. Name a famous British general from WWII, and he was a member.
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* Order of the Indian Empire (GCIE, KCIE, CIE)- a more inclusive order for lesser Indian nobles, accomplished soldiers and colonial administrators in the Indian Empire. Created in 1878, shortly after [[Queen Victoria]] was proclaimed the Empress of India. Went dormant in 1947; the last living member was a maharaja who died in 2010.
* Order of the Crown of India (CI)- for wives of important Indian princes, viceroys, and colonial officials. Elizabeth II was made a CI in 1947, the year it went dormant; she is the last living member.
* Indian Order of Merit (IOM)- a non-knighthood award to Indian soldiers for gallantry. Originally 3 classes, the 1st class was abolished in 1911 when Indian soldiers became eligible for the Victoria Cross. A civilian
* Order of British India (OBI)- For "long, faithful and honourable service", originally to the British East India Company, then to the Indian Army. Awarded in two classes; recipients of the first class were also given the honorific ''Sarhar Bahadur'' (Hindi for "heroic leader") while 2nd class were titled ''Bahadur'' ("hero"). Retired 1947.
* Order of Burma (OB)- Instituted in 1940 for long or distinguished service or acts of heroism in the Burmese armed forces, a local equalivent to the IOM. Only awarded to 33 people before being discontinued in 1948.
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----
Foreigners can get these titles also, but they generally can't call themselves "Sir" or "Dame". Bono of [[U2]] is an example, as is Bob Geldof, while some countries specifically prohibit their citizens from accepting foreign titles of nobility.<ref>However, [[Austin Powers]] does insist on calling [[Steven Spielberg]] "Sir Stevie".</ref>
* For the rules for U.S. citizens, see [http://www.heraldica.org/topics/usa/usnob.htm
* The rules are less clear for Canadians. Although the Nickle Resolution of 1917 implies that Canadians are not allowed to ''accept'' a foreign honour that has not been approved by the Prime Minister, no Canadian citizen has ever been prevented from ''inheriting'' a Commonwealth peerage granted to an ancestor. This
▲* For the rules for U.S. citizens see http://www.heraldica.org/topics/usa/usnob.htm the basic rule is that you can accept any award or title from a foreign country as long as you're not a public employee or official at the time of the award; if you are, Congress has to consent. Also illegal if the title comes with land, money, or power.
▲* The rules are less clear for Canadians. Although the Nickle Resolution of 1917 implies that Canadians are not allowed to ''accept'' a foreign honour that has not been approved by the Prime Minister, no Canadian citizen has ever been prevented from ''inheriting'' a Commonwealth peerage granted to an ancestor. This fact is why publisher [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|Conrad Black]] had to renounce his Canadian citizenship before being granted a peerage, but publisher Ken Thomson is still a Canadian citizen - Thomson inherited his. The only old Quebec title still extant is the Barony of Longueuil, which (curiously enough) is currently held by a Scotsman whose grandmother is a cousin of the Queen.
A very common error among non-British creators involves how people with any title entitling them to use "Sir" are addressed or referred to. You only ever say "Sir [firstname surname]", or "Sir [firstname]" if you want to take up less time/space, even if you wouldn't usually be on first name terms with them. "Sir [surname]" is always wrong. For a really glaring and consistent example of how not to do it, see the Dark Horse English translations of ''[[Hellsing]]'', where Sir Integra is consistently called "Sir Hellsing" (you can handwave the gender issues).
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Another mistake is to confuse the peerage and the knighthood. A noble title gives the holder a voice in the government. Before 1999, all peers sat in the House of Lords; nowadays, all life peers and ''some'' hereditary peers do so. Either way, they have a real (if somewhat weak) voice in how the country is governed. A knight, on the other hand, gets a nice medal and the right to be called "Sir" or "Dame". This is especially glaring in shows set in the Victorian Era; at that point in time you needed to have [[Blue Blood]] in order to get into the House of Lords, but anyone - fishmonger, toilet manufacturer, tea baron - could be knighted.
As for inheritance... oy. It's easy for life peerages and knighthoods: these are never inherited. Baronetcies are equally simple - they're always passed down to the senior male descendant of the senior male line; the oldest son, the oldest son's oldest son, and so on. Run out of direct male-line male descendants and the baronetage goes extinct. The real confusion is with hereditary peerages, since how they are handed down varies depending on the royal warrant made at the time of the creation of the peerage and even on the country they were created in (Scotland was once an independent country with its own peerage rules, and yes, there are peerages dating back that long). Most English and UK peerages work like baronetcies with only male-line male descendants being able to succeed, but Scots peerages and some English/UK peerages can be inherited by daughters (or, even more confusingly, through daughters to their sons) if the current holder doesn't have any sons. Suffice to say that any writer who intends to tackle the succession of a hereditary peerage would be well-advised to get the advice of an actual expert instead of making things up as he goes along.
'''So how do you get one of these juicy little titles? Here's some tips:'''
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* Win a couple of Olympic medals.
** This seems to have crystallised over the last few years into a fixed Sliding Scale of Gold Medal-Holding Ennoblement: every member of a British Olympic squad who wins one gold can expect to receive an MBE – the lowest rank within the Order of the British Empire – in the next Honours List, while doubling up on those golds leads to an OBE, the next rank up. The rare achievement of accumulating three gold medals over an Olympic career will result in a CBE (e.g. Bradley Wiggins after Beijing '08), and the hallowed realm of four golds or more lands you a KBE (Sir Steve Redgrave - although it took until his ''fifth'' consecutive gold in 2000 before he got his knighthood - and later his erstwhile rowing partner Sir Matthew Pinsent, and most recently Sir Chris Hoy), or presumably a damehood should any female athlete ever collect four Olympic titles to convert into a DBE. Quite what equivalent quantity of World Championship athletics gold is required to achieve these ranks remains, as yet, unclear.
* Become a Nobel Prize laureate or equivalent.
* Become England soccer manager and win [[The World Cup]]. OK, that might be a hard one.
** Likewise rugby: still a challenge, but one that's actually been achieved in this editor's lifetime.
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* Become head of the Secret Intelligence Service or the Security Service.
* End up in charge of a police service.
* Be a bold explorer, or a [[Pirates Who Don't Do Anything|pirate who does do things.]] Especially if it's [[Acceptable Targets|Spaniards]] you are plundering (Sir Francis Drake for instance).
* Be a senior politician (Privy Councillor status helps). Ex-Prime Ministers customarily get the Order of the Garter, or equivalent.
* Be a renowned highbrow actor, author, musician, filmmaker or TV production person (like Sir Derek Jacobi; or more obviously Sir Laurence Olivier, later Baron Olivier of Brighton). If your work is merely popular, you'll have to settle for a OBE (like [[Russell T. Davies]]). If you're an actor who gets a knighthood or above, you don't use your new title when you're being credited in movies.
** The Ben Kingsley case was a publicity mistake.
** Judith Anderson was credited as "Dame Judith Anderson" in ''[[Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
** [[Julian Fellowes]] got a full peerage.
* Be a hugely popular and very long-lasting pop music phenomenon: Sir Cliff Richard, Sir [[
* Sell ''a lot'' of computer programs, in the case of William S. Gates III, OBE, former CEO of Microsoft.
* Give the
* Be a [[Teen Genius|Teenage Girl]] who sails around the world in a yacht. Jessica Watson won the [[Awesome Aussie|Order of Australia]] by doing this at the age of 16. She is not quite a Dame (the Order of Australia has several levels), but she is not to be sneezed at.
* Buy/own literally any amount of land in Scotland, no matter how small. By Scottish law and custom you are then a lord (or lady).
*Have an ancestor who was a rich commoner when there were [[Wars of the Roses|no nobles left alive]] to compete for disputed estates.▼
* Throw (surprisingly little) money at a micronation like the [https://sealandgov.org/ Principality of Sealand].
*Have an ancestor who was a rich Protestant commoner who could gain land when [[Henry VIII|The Abbeys came up for auction.]]▼
* Have an ancestor who
▲* Have an ancestor who was a rich commoner when there were [[Wars of the Roses|no nobles left alive]] to compete for disputed estates.
▲* Have an ancestor who was a rich Protestant commoner who could gain land when [[Henry VIII|The Abbeys came up for auction.]]
* Have an ancestor who was a successful suck-up generally - who says you have to get a noble title in a noble way?
The rules before about 1837 were somewhat different. Plausible ways in which your historical character can get one of these:
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* By sleeping with the sovereign, or by making the sovereign want to sleep with you. The first worked for both George Villiers ([[Incredibly Lame Pun|under James I]]) and his distant relative Barbara Villiers Palmer ([[Incredibly Lame Pun|under Charles II]]); the second worked for Lord Robert Dudley, who became the Earl of Leicester under (or not under) Elizabeth I.
* By being the King's drinking buddy. Charles II handed them out like candy. The Georges weren't much better, except that with George III they were more like tea-drinking buddies.
* Be eaten by a King who really likes his steak (according to an unlikely but charming legend, one King was impressed enough with his meal to dub it ''Sir'' loin).
{{noreallife|we'd be here all day. [[The Other Wiki]] does a better job of keeping track of these people, anyway.}}
{{examples}}
== Ancient
=== Oral Tradition, Myths and Legends ===
* Any number of the [[King Arthur|Knights of the Round Table]].
== Modern
=== Anime and Manga ===
* Sir Integral Fairbrook Wingates ''[[Hellsing]]''▼
=== Comic Books ===
* Not really a "person", but [[Mirror Universe|Soundwave]] was knighted for his heroic deeds in ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass]]''.▼
=== Film ===
=== Literature ===
* Jack Ryan from the [[Tom Clancy]] books.
* {{spoiler|Sir Harry Pearce}} from ''[[Spooks]]''.▼
* [[Flashman|Brigadier-General Sir Harry Paget Flashman VC KCB KCIE]].
* Commander [[James Bond]] CMG, RNVR.▼
▲* Sir Integral Fairbrook Wingates ''[[Hellsing]]''
** He is offered a knighthood at the end of the novel of ''[[The Man with the Golden Gun]]'' - he declines.▼
* [[Sherlock Holmes]] declined a knighthood after a [[Noodle Incident]], mentioned in "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs".▼
** In the BBC television adaption, Sherlock makes a comment that the government "threatened me with a knighthood. Again." after he solves a serial murder case.▼
* [[Lord Peter Wimsey]] is second son of the 15th Duke of Denver. His brother is the 16th Duke, his brother's wife is the Duchess of Denver, their son is the Viscount St George (a courtesy title), and his mother is referred to as the Dowager Duchess. Wimsey's "Lord" is properly a "style", not a title of any kind. (Word of God has it that Lord St.George joined the RAF in WWII and was killed, and that Peter became the 17th Duke; presumably his son Bredon is now the 18th Duke, although he'd be rather old.)▼
=== Live-Action TV ===
▲* {{spoiler|Sir Harry Pearce}} from ''[[Spooks]]''.
* ''[[Yes Minister]]''{{'}}s Sir Humphrey Appleby and other senior civil servants in the same setting, as discussed in the page quote.
* [[The Brigadier]] from ''[[Doctor Who]]'' and ''[[The Sarah Jane Adventures]]'' was knighted off-screen by ''Doctor Who''{{'}}s fourth series, so is now Brigadier Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart.
** The Doctor and Rose get accoladed by Victoria as "Sir Doctor of TARDIS" and "Dame Rose of the Powell Estate" in "Tooth and Claw". Then they are 'invited' to leave the country. The late owner of Torchwood House in that episode was Sir Robert MacLeish, who was the son of a knight that conspired with Prince Albert to fight the werewolf.
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** Technically, the title "Sir Doctor of TARDIS" is a misnomer because that's not how Victorian knighthoods worked. Mediaevel knighthoods would have worked like that (e.g. Sir Godfrey of Bouillon) but knighthoods (and baronetcies) then and now would be "Sir First-name Surname" (e.g. Sir Hugh Gough, later Viscount Gough). The only way that would work is if the Doctor were a Scottish baronet where their titles are "Sir First-name Surname of Place-name" (e.g. Sir Archibald Grant of Monymusk). Really he should be "Sir Doctor" as he has no apparent first name (or surname for that matter).
** Ian Chesterton is knighted Sir Ian of Jaffa in ''The Crusade''.
* [[Inspector Lynley|Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, Lord Asherton]] (he's the eighth Earl of Asherton).▼
** His wife Helen {{spoiler|was}} Helen Lynley, Lady Asherton (and can also be referred to as the Countess of Asherton).▼
* ''[[Downton Abbey]]'' is about Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham (Lord Grantham) and his family. His wife Cora is the Countess of Grantham (Lady Grantham), his mother is the Dowager Countess (also known as Lady Grantham), and his daughters are all known as 'Lady' (Lady Mary, Lady Edith, and Lady Sybil). The courtesy title that would the eldest son would hold if there was one would be Viscount Downton (Lord Downton). Several other titles also feature. The highest-ranking nobleman to appear is his Grace the Duke of Crowborough (who would never be referred to as 'Lord Crowborough'), but there is also the Marquess of Flintshire (Lord Flintshire) and his wife the Marchioness (Lady Flintshire, Lord Grantham's cousin). There are also two 'sirs': Sir Anthony Strallan (who may be a baronet and his deceased wife was Lady Strallan) and Sir Richard Carlisle (who is
=== Theatre ===
* Sir Joseph Porter KCB, First Lord of the Admiralty in [[Gilbert and Sullivan]]'s ''[[H.M.S. Pinafore]]''.
=== Video Games ===
* Lady Lara Croft, of the ''[[Tomb Raider]]'' games, a hereditary title. There was a letters column discussion in ''[[Private Eye]]'' over whether she is the Countess of Abingdon.
* Admiral Sir Geoffrey Tolwyn from ''[[Wing Commander (video game)|
▲* Commander [[James Bond]] CMG, RNVR.
* ''[[Halo
▲** He is offered a knighthood at the end of the novel of ''[[The Man with the Golden Gun]]'' - he declines.
▲* [[Sherlock Holmes]] declined a knighthood after a [[Noodle Incident]], mentioned in "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs".
=== Web Comics ===
▲** In the BBC television adaption, Sherlock makes a comment that the government "threatened me with a knighthood. Again." after he solves a serial murder case.
* [http://irregularwebcomic.net/1347.html The Honourable Sir Schliemannian Chair Professor Doctor Doctor Jones, CBE, DCM, JP, FRS] from ''[[Irregular Webcomic]]''▼
=== Web Original ===
* [[The Spiffing Brit]] has ''bought'' several [https://sealandgov.org/buy-noble-titles/ noble titles] from [[w:Principality of Sealand|the Principality of Sealand]] (which follows British usage), usually as a strange incentive for viewers to add "likes" to his videos. And as part of an early 2021 video he has [https://www.establishedtitles.com/ acquired several square feet of land in Scotland], which by Scottish law and custom actually makes him a lord.
== Analogous (not English/Scottish or British) honoured characters ==
=== Anime and Manga ===
* Most Britannians in ''[[Code Geass]]''.{{verify}}▼
=== Literature ===
* [[Honor Harrington]] got the title of Duchess to give her enough local status to attend parties on her homeworld at roughly the level that she would at an allied planet where she [[Going Native|went native]]
=== Live-Action TV ===
* Sir [[Babylon 5|G'Kar]] of a new Round Table, though the [[King Arthur]] who knighted him was [[Napoleon Delusion|not entirely kosher]].
▲* Admiral Sir [[Wing Commander (video game)|Geoffrey Tolwyn]], though the specifics aren't given.
=== [[Tabletop Games]] ===
▲* [[Lord Peter Wimsey]] is second son of the 15th Duke of Denver. His brother is the 16th Duke, his brother's wife is the Duchess of Denver, their son is the Viscount St George (a courtesy title), and his mother is referred to as the Dowager Duchess. Wimsey's "Lord" is properly a "style", not a title of any kind. (Word of God has it that Lord St.George joined the RAF in WWII and was killed, and that Peter became the 17th Duke; presumably his son Bredon is now the 18th Duke, although he'd be rather old.)
* In ''[[GURPS]] [[Traveller]]'' the volume ''Nobles'' details the system of Nobility of the Third Imperium. The titles are for the most part drawn from the British system. One quirk is that the duties are separated from the fiefdoms (a Baron is effectively hereditary mediator between a single planet and the Emperor but this fief is not his planet; in even higher grades, the fief is likely to be far away from the world where their duties take place). The fief is officially given to provide expenses for the noble life, and unofficially to provide a hostage for the Noble's behavior, and is traditionally a landed estate but may take another form. It is to be noted that there are several levels of nobility, including "honor" nobility who got it for achievement, "rank" nobility to adjust the level of precedence of Imperial military or civil servants, and "high" nobility who are actually a type of satrap or as has been said a mediator with the public of a given planet or group of planets.
▲* [[Inspector Lynley|Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, Lord Asherton]] (he's the eighth Earl of Asherton).
**As the Imperium is [[The Federation|decentralized]] and has planets who were acquired by willing annexation, conquest, colonization or some combination thereof some planets have local systems of nobility some of which existed even before the Imperium. If there is likely to be confusion between titles the adjective "parochial" is placed on (I.E. it is illegal to have a planetary ruler be an Emperor for obvious reasons but he can be a "parochial emperor").
▲** His wife Helen {{spoiler|was}} Helen Lynley, Lady Asherton (and can also be referred to as the Countess of Asherton).
▲* [[Halo|Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood]]. No specifics provided but we can assume he's the latest Viscount Hood, in which case he's following the [[wikipedia:Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood|family tradition]]
▲* [http://irregularwebcomic.net/1347.html The Honourable Sir Schliemannian Chair Professor Doctor Doctor Jones, CBE, DCM, JP, FRS] from [[Irregular Webcomic]]
▲* Sir Miles Axelrod and {{spoiler|Sir Tow Mater}} from ''[[Cars 2]]''.
▲* Most Britannians in ''[[Code Geass]]''.
▲* ''[[Downton Abbey]]'' is about Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham (Lord Grantham) and his family. His wife Cora is the Countess of Grantham (Lady Grantham), his mother is the Dowager Countess (also known as Lady Grantham), and his daughters are all known as 'Lady' (Lady Mary, Lady Edith, and Lady Sybil). The courtesy title that would the eldest son would hold if there was one would be Viscount Downton (Lord Downton). Several other titles also feature. The highest-ranking nobleman to appear is his Grace the Duke of Crowborough (who would never be referred to as 'Lord Crowborough'), but there is also the Marquess of Flintshire (Lord Flintshire) and his wife the Marchioness (Lady Flintshire, Lord Grantham's cousin). There are also two 'sirs': Sir Anthony Strallan (who may be a baronet and his deceased wife was Lady Strallan) and Sir Richard Carlisle (who is definately not a baronet; and if Lady Mary married him, she would still Lady Mary Carlisle rather than just Lady Carlisle because her already-existing courtesy title holds precedence).
▲* Not really a "person", but [[Mirror Universe|Soundwave]] was knighted for his heroic deeds in ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass]]''.
▲* [[Honor Harrington]] got the title of Duchess to give her enough local status to attend parties on her homeworld at roughly the level that she would at an allied planet where she [[Going Native|went native]] at which had a different system. She very much earned the title of Dame in battle. White Haven is her husband's estate toward the end of her career. All that is relevant as the Manticoran aristocracy resembles the British one except in the time of writing it still has political teeth (that is a noble can serve on cabinet, and resigning from the Lords to run in Commons was an interesting gambit but not a politically necessary one as it is in [[Real Life]] Britain).
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]▼
[[Category:Useful Notes/Britain]]
[[Category:Sir Index of Tropes]]
[[Category:Just for Pun]]
▲[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
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