In Medieval times the kings ruled over kingdoms and they often gave pieces of land to lower rank nobles, but how exactly were they divided? Were kingdoms divided by duchies, duchies divided by marches, marches divided by counties and counties divided by baronies (or whatever the order is)? Or could they be completely separate territories inside a kingdom without one being inside the other? I'm having a hard time visualizing this division and how things worked between those territories.
Also, is there any good book with info on this and on Medieval nobility ranks?
Thank you so much!
No. At least not in England.
The titles usually bear little relation to where the land is that peer in question owns. For instance the family seat of the Dukes of Devonshire, Chatsworth House, is in Derbyshire 220 miles away. The family seat of the Earls of Carnarvon is Highclere Castle in Berkshire (Carnarvon is in Wales!). I’m sure there was a time when the title and area of land were more closely linked but for a great chunk of English history, the title is just a title.