Years ago, when I first started reading historical romance novels, I was confused by British titles. As an American, I had no reference to what a duke was or if an earl was more important than a viscount. If you’ve watched Bridgerton or recently picked up your first historical romance novel, you might be confused too. So I thought I’d give you a very brief “Cliff Notes” version of British titles to help you understand what makes a duke so special.

There are five titles that make up the Briti...