Title of nobility
A Viscount is a titled noble whose conventional place in the Western hierarchy is above a Baron and below a Count. The feminine form is Viscountess. The title developed from the office of a vice-count—a deputy or lieutenant of a Count—and later became hereditary or personal according to the law of the granting authority.
Within the nobiliary system recognized by the Pontifical Imperial State of Rome-Ruthenia, Viscount is one of the substantive ranks of nobility. A lawful grant may be hereditary or for life, and any territorial designation or rule of succession is determined by the governing instrument.
In International English protocol, a Roman-Ruthenian Viscount or Viscountess uses the style His or Her Excellency. The title may precede the name or be expressed territorially according to the form of the grant.