Titles: Baron

From: (wrong string) ä <ileskela_at_hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 14:18:29 +0000


>>but what is the origin for Baron?

I've read somewhere that "baron" was originally a celtic (gallic) word for "man". After the Roman conquest the meaning of the word went through two developements:

  1. The Romans used the word to describe the local, conquered people, which led to the meaning of "simpleton", someone not living in the proper (=Roman) way.
  2. The Gallians continued to use the word for man, even if the latin homo (french homme) was soon used, too. The Germans (Franks), who eventually adopted the local gallic latin with gallic words and meanings, also adopted the word "baron" with the rough meaning of "able/trusted man".

According to this, the old german "baro" has nothing to do with the title "baron". This title was introduced into the vocabulary describing nobles in France (and in norman England), and I'm not at all shure if it was used in German-speaking regions before the late middle-ages, then obviously borrowed from French. The old german and old english terms for nobility do not have the word "baron".

I can't remember the source for this all, though.

-ILE



MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus

--__--__--

Powered by hypermail