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Viscount

A viscount (/ˈvknt/ VY-kownt, for male[1]) or viscountess (/ˈvkntɪs/, for female[2]) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscountcy.

For other uses, see Viscount (disambiguation).

In the case of French viscounts, the title is sometimes left untranslated as vicomte [vi.kɔ̃t].

Etymology[edit]

The word viscount comes from Old French visconte (Modern French: vicomte), itself from Medieval Latin vicecomitem, accusative of vicecomes, from Late Latin vice- "deputy" + Latin comes (originally "companion"; later Roman imperial courtier or trusted appointee, ultimately count).[3]

Early modern and contemporary usage[edit]

Belgium[edit]

In Belgium a few families are recognised as Viscounts:

Equivalent titles[edit]

Germanic counterparts[edit]

There are non-etymological equivalents to the title of viscount (i.e., 'vice-count') in several languages, including German.


However, in such case titles of the etymological Burgrave family (not in countries with a viscount-form, such as Italian burgravio alongside visconte) bearers of the title could establish themselves at the same gap, thus at generally the same level. Consequently, a Freiherr (or Baron) ranks not immediately below a Graf, but below a Burggraf.


Thus in Dutch, Burggraaf is the rank above Baron, below Graaf (i.e., Count) in the kingdoms of the Netherlands and of Belgium (by Belgian law, its equivalents in the other official languages are Burggraf in German and vicomte in French).

Non-Western counterparts[edit]

Like other major Western noble titles, viscount is sometimes used to render certain titles in non-western languages with their own traditions. Even though they are considered 'equivalent' in relative rank, they are as a rule historically unrelated and thus hard to compare.


The Japanese cognate shishaku (shi) (Japanese: 子爵) was the fourth of the five peerage ranks established in the Meiji period (1868–1911). The Japanese system of nobility, kazoku, which existed between 1884 and 1947, was based heavily on the British peerage. At the creation of the system, viscounts were the most numerous of all the ranks, with 324 being created compared to 11 non-imperial princes or dukes, 24 marquesses, 76 counts and 74 barons, for a total of 509 peers.[15]


Other equivalent titles existed, such as:

Lists of viscountcies

List of viscountcies in the peerages of Britain and Ireland

Visconti of Milan