Editing Baron (section)

===Low Countries===
In the medieval era, some [[allodial title|allodial]] and [[fief|enfeoffed]] lands held by nobles were created or recognized as baronies by the [[Holy Roman Emperor]]s, within whose realm most of the [[Low Countries]] lay. Subsequently, the [[House of Habsburg|Habsburgs]] continued to confer the baronial title in the [[Southern Netherlands]], first as kings of Spain and then, again, as emperors until abolition of the Holy Roman Empire, but these had become [[title|titular]] elevations rather than grants of new territory.

In the [[Netherlands]] after 1815, titles of baron authorized by previous monarchs (except those of the Napoleonic [[Kingdom of Holland]]) were usually recognized by the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] kings. But such recognition was not automatic, having to be authenticated by the Supreme Council of Nobility and then approved by the sovereign. This ceased to be possible after the Dutch constitution was revised in 1983. More than [[list of Dutch noble families#Barons/Baronesses|one hundred Dutch baronial families]] have been recognized. The title is usually inherited by all males descended [[patrilineality|patrilineally]] from the original recipient of the title, although in a few noble families {{lang|nl|baron}} is the title of cadet family members, while in a few others it is heritable according to primogeniture.

After its [[secession]] in 1830, Belgium incorporated into its nobility all titles of baron borne by Belgian citizens which had been recognized by the Netherlands since 1815. In addition, its monarchs have since created or recognized other titles of baron, and the sovereign continues to exercise the prerogative to confer baronial and other titles of nobility. ''Baron'' is the third lowest title within the nobility system above [[knight]] ({{langx|fr|chevalier}}, {{langx|nl|ridder}}) and below ''[[viscount]]''. There are still a number of [[list of noble families in Belgium#Barons|families]] in Belgium that bear the title of baron.

Luxembourg's monarch retains the right to confer the baronial title. Two of the grand duchy's prime ministers inherited baronial titles that were used during their tenures in office, [[Victor de Tornaco]] and [[Félix de Blochausen]].