Baron/Baroness

Count-Wannabe

The title of viscount is more of an honorary title rather than a true position of power, yet it holds a higher status than a baron. Why, you might ask? Well, first of all, let's talk about what a viscount really is. This is someone who has ownership of land (often called their viscounty, not its own province however), but not really any control of it. Why does this title even exist, then? You see, the reeve (a.k.a. tax collector and messenger for the noble in control of the province) is usually a busy person, and they might need someone else to actually run the village or hamlet in question. They will do the tax collecting while the viscount or viscountess manages the settlement, governing things such as resource collection (then the reeve will take some according to taxation), the defenses of the village (the noble usually dictates those laws anyway, so only the local militia gets to make decisions), and maintaining the buildings (the citizens usually do that themselves). This means a viscount has almost no power except for owning that land. Now, onto why they are considered important.

Role in the Hierarchy

Most small settlements just have a reeve sent from the provincial lord, or at least a chieftain, but no baron. When there is one, however, it's usually either because an adventurer came into power over it or the child of a noble decided to take this title upon themselves, effectively tearing them out from that noble house. This is because a baron is seen as not a "real" aristocrat, someone who lives in the mud and dirt along with the rest of the peasants. Their input on the status of the common folk is valuable to the nobility, even more so than any of the viscounts or counts. Even if they are perceived as simply being thanes and nothing more, they are still quite essential. Thus, they are allowed to be present at the Royal Council.