Marcher Lords
A Marcher Lord was a strong and trusted noble appointed by the King of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales.
A Marcher Lord is the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman empire) or a marquis (in France). In this context the word march means a border region or frontier, and is cognate with the verb "to march," both ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *mereg-, "edge" or "boundary".
The greatest Marcher Lords included the earls of Chester, Gloucester, Hereford, Pembroke and Shrewsbury (see also English Earls of March).
Read more about Marcher Lords: County Palatine, Formation of The Welsh March, Marcher Powers, Intermarriage With The Welsh, End of Marcher Powers, Later Claims, See Also
Famous quotes containing the word lords:
“[I]n Great-Britain it is said that their constitution relies on the house of commons for honesty, and the lords for wisdom; which would be a rational reliance if honesty were to be bought with money, and if wisdom were hereditary.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)