👉 In the context of English, "countess" is a title given to women who are married and have children. The term was introduced in the 16th century during the Middle Ages when nobility could not marry out of wedlock due to religious laws that prohibited such practices. Women with children were often considered property of their husbands, and thus, they had to be granted a title of nobility or an equivalent rank. The term "countess" was first used in the 1