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:
“O dark dark dark. They all go into the dark,
The vacant interstellar spaces, the vacant into the vacant,
The captains, merchant bankers, eminent men of letters,
The generous patrons of art, the statesmen and the rulers,
Distinguished civil servants, chairmen of many committees,
Industrial lords and petty contractors, all go into the dark....”
—T.S. (Thomas Stearns)