Hello,
I was reading about William Marshal then came across the notion that the earldom was created multiple times.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_of_Pembroke#The_second_creation:_Marshal_(1199)
I don't really understand this concept, and perhaps I've always misunderstood titles of nobility, and any intuitive search terms wasn't getting me anywhere.
I always thought medieval titles of nobility were == the associated land. I can understand it being created the first time, like drawing up a county or something, but I don't understand why would the same title be created TEN TIMES? Surely The land and structures are still there? And why does it need to be "created" again? I wasn't able to see any reference that it was "destroyed". If it reverted to the crown, wouldn't the crown just be the holder of the title in addition to their existing titles?
A title usually needs to be created again when the holder dies without eligible heirs. In many cases, only legitimate male heirs may inherit (sons, brothers, cousins, etc.). When there are no eligible heirs, a title reverts back to the Crown and can be given out again. A title's holder will usually have a residence or other connection to the area associated with the title, but the title is not necessarily connected to a singular castle or built structure.
In the example you provided, the title kept reverting back to the Crown because the holders kept dying without leaving behind eligible heirs. While the lands and holdings were able to be passed onto female descendants, the title itself could not be, and thus had to be recreated for the next holder (oftentimes a female heiress's husband). That is why Pembroke Castle, the title's original seat, is no longer attached to the title. It kept being inherited through the female line, eventually reverting to the Crown after all heirs were exhausted before it was eventually purchased by the Phillips family.