▁abol ition ▁of ▁fe ud al ism : ▁pe ers ▁were ▁nominated ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁tax able ▁in comes ▁of ▁their ▁formerly - fe ud al ▁est ates . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁Holy ▁Roman ▁Empire , ▁instead ▁of ▁an ▁exclusive ▁arist ocr atic ▁assembly , ▁the ▁legisl ative ▁body ▁was ▁the ▁Imperial ▁Diet , ▁membership ▁of ▁which , ▁expressed ▁by ▁the ▁title ▁Prince ▁of ▁the ▁Holy ▁Roman ▁Empire , ▁was ▁granted ▁to ▁al lied ▁pr inc ely ▁families ▁( and ▁various ▁minor ▁ones ), ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁to ▁Prin ces ▁of ▁the ▁Church ▁( parallel ▁to ▁the ▁L ords ▁Spirit ual ) ▁and ▁in ▁some ▁cases ▁was ▁restricted ▁to ▁a ▁collect ive ▁' cur iate ' ▁vote ▁in ▁a ▁' ben ch ', ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁Graf en bank . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁medieval ▁Irish ▁nob ility , ▁G ael ic ▁nobles ▁were ▁those ▁presented ▁with ▁the ▁White ▁W and ▁or ▁sl at ▁in ▁a ▁formal ▁ceremony , ▁and ▁presented ▁it ▁by ▁another ▁noble . ▁It ▁was ▁the ▁primary ▁symbol ▁of ▁lord ship ▁and ▁effectively ▁reserved ▁only ▁for ▁the ▁three ▁t iers ▁of ▁k ings ▁( pro vin cial , ▁regional , ▁local ) ▁and ▁for ▁those ▁pr inc ely ▁and ▁com ital ▁families ▁desc ending ▁from ▁them ▁in ▁control ▁of ▁significant ▁territ ories . ▁The ▁total ▁number ▁was ▁between ▁ 1 0 0 ▁and ▁ 1 5 0 ▁at ▁any ▁time . ▁ ▁See ▁also ▁▁▁ ▁List ▁of ▁cour tes y ▁titles ▁in ▁the ▁peer ages ▁of ▁Britain ▁and ▁Ireland ▁ ▁Arist