of a grandee of Spain Most Spanish noble titles are granted as (
Peer of the realm), many of which predate the modern Spanish monarchy. The
Kings of Spain re-established in 1520 the ancient dignity of Grande to confer as an additional rank of
honour. The
post-nominals of grandees of Spain are . The dignity of grandee () began to be assumed by
Spain's leading noblemen in the Middle Ages to distinguish them as a ('
Lord of the realm'), from lesser (), whose rank evolved into that of . It was, as
John Selden the 17th-century English jurist pointed out, not a general term denoting a
class, but "an additional individual dignity not only to all Dukes but to some Marquesses and Counts also".
Noble titles, including and above the
rank of
Count, were seldom created in heredity by the Kings of
Castile and
Aragon until the late
Middle Ages—in contrast to
France and elsewhere in Europe (where
feudalism evolved more quickly)—being largely associated with
royal officers until the 14th century. The conferral of grandeeships initially conveyed only ceremonial privileges, such as remaining covered or seated in the presence of
royalty. Over time grandees received more substantial rights: for example freedom from taxation and immunity from arrest, save at the King's command; A grandee of any noble rank is higher in
precedence than a non-grandee (apart from members of the
Spanish Royal Family), even if that non-grandee holds a
hereditary title () of a higher grade than that of the said grandee. Thus, a
baron-grandee would outrank a non-grandee
marquess, thus rendering the dignity of an
hereditary rank of precedence rather than a
title of nobility. Since 1987, children of an of
Spain are recognised as members of the Spanish royal family and are accorded the
rank and
style of a grandee by
courtesy: they do not formally hold this dignity until such time as a
title with is granted to them by the
sovereign. Some of the best known
Spanish grandees are the
dukes of Arcos,
of Alba,
of Medinaceli,
of Villahermosa,
of Osuna,
del Infantado,
of Alburquerque,
of Moctezuma,
of Frías and
of Medina-Sidonia; well-known
marquesses include those of Aguilar de Campoo, of
Astorga, of Santillana, and of ; the
counts of Benavente,
of Lerín, Olivares, Oñate, and
Lemos also hold grandeeships. Grandees and their consorts are entitled to the
honorific prefix of '
the Most Excellent Lord/Lady' or 'His/Her Most Excellency', and they can be addressed as (cousin) by the King, although this tradition is in disuse today. ==Portugal and Brazil==