Lords Temporal
Noun 1. The Secular Members of the British House of Lords: Refers specifically to the members of the British peerage (dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts, and barons) who hold their seats in the House of Lords by hereditary right or life peerage, as distinct from the spiritual lords (bishops). 2. The Lay or Non-Ecclesiastical Nobility: In a broader historical context, it can denote the secular aristocracy, as opposed to the clergy or "lords spiritual."
The term is primarily used in a formal, historical, or political context to discuss the composition of the British Parliament or to contrast secular and religious authority within a nobility. * The Lords Temporal, along with the Lords Spiritual, form the House of Lords in the British Parliament. * Historically, the power of the lords temporal grew as the influence of the church in state affairs diminished.
- The term is often capitalized ("Lords Temporal") when referring specifically to the collective body within the UK Parliament.
- It is almost exclusively used in contrast with "Lords Spiritual." For example: "The vote in the House of Lords was divided, with most Lords Temporal opposing the measure supported by the Lords Spiritual."
- Peer: A more general term for a member of the nobility, especially one who holds a hereditary or life title.
- Lay Peer: A synonymous term for a lord temporal, emphasizing their non-clerical status.
- Lord Spiritual: The counterpart term, referring to the bishops who sit in the House of Lords.
- Secular peers
- Lay lords
- The temporal peers
This is a specialized term with a very specific meaning related to British constitutional and parliamentary tradition. Its use outside this context is rare and typically historical.
- the nobility in France and the peerage in Britain