British versus Continental Nobility

Are all European nobility the same? Is a British Earl the same as a German or French Count? The titles are roughly equivalent, but the primary difference is that titles of nobility and "Peerage" in the United Kingdom are conferred upon individuals by the Sovereign. In Continental Europe, entire families are ennobled, as my ancestral family members were over 500 years ago. The title Count is inherited and the equivelant of "peerage" is assumed and automatic.

In the United Kingdom, one may have an inherited title, such as Baron or Earl, but the title brings little other than some prestige and being able to call oneself "Lord" or "Lady". The real power comes from Peerage, that is the ability to sit in the House of Lords and be considered equal to other Lords of Peerage, noble title or no. Also, only the Queen herself may confer such an honor. This is somewhat of a break from feudalism since all Peers and Lords owe fealty to HRH Queen Elizabeth II.

In Contintental Europe, higher nobility have traditionally been able to create lesser nobility (within limits, depending on the kingdom or empire). A continental Count would've been able to ennoble a commoner with knighthood or perhaps even the title of Baron. They could even raise the rank of a knight to Baron or Baron to Viscount or somewhere in between with the vast amount of titles and hierarchies in medieval Europe (especially in the Holy Roman Empire).

What this meant is that the new lesser noble was a vassal of the higher noble that ennobled them rather than directly to the king or emperor. Of course, that isn't to say that loyalty wasn't ultimately to the king or emperor, but more immediately it was to the granting higher noble. This meant, for example, that the Holy Roman Emperor was relatively weak when compared to the King of England.

Arguably, the nobility had a more powerful presence and were in greater number than their British counterparts, but you saw far more wars between the nobility in continental Europe than the more uniting British system of nobility.