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The countries of Europe, and many beyond, were once primarily monarchies. This meant a royal family; kings, queens, princesses, princes. But there is much more to the "royal" story than just the Windsors!
Many European countries had a peerage, in addition to a monarchy, but none were so grand nor spanned so much history with such grace and honor. The British peerage is one of the few that remains largely intact. .
The word "peerage" refers to a system of titles and dignitary honors, granted by the monarch to an individual or family. A peer, when granted his or her title, usually receives land and/or other valuables. For example, when a Duke is created, he receives a dukedom, which defines the property he owns, usually including a manor house or castle and one or several villages and towns which fall under the Duke's domain. Some titles are heritable, that is, the offspring takes on the title when the peer dies. Others are granted for the peer's lifetime only.
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