The wife of a marquess is called a marchioness. A marchioness is known as a noblewoman ranking above a countess and below a duchess. She is also called a marquise.

Since she was the wife of a marquess, her rank was equal to a baroness.

There is a very good book titled "The Making Of A Marchioness" by Frances Hodgson Burnett that is a delightful read. It was published in 1901 in England.

She had written Little Lord Fauntleroy fifteen years before and would write The Secret Garden in ten years time; it is these two books for which she is best known. Yet Marchioness was considered 'the best novel Mrs Hodgson Burnett wrote' by Marghanita Laski and is taught on a university course in America together with novels such as Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre and Daisy Miller.

The main charater of this book is Emily Fox-Seton. She was a well-bred woman who made a living as a general dogsbody for rich, upper-class people with less breeding and good taste than herself. The novel was originally published in two parts. The first part was quite short, almost a novella, and ends with Emily marrying a rather dull marquess after a country house party in which her qualities of good humour,good taste and sympathy are shown to best advantage. The second part, which explores Emily's life after her marriage, has a decidedly different tone-almost melodramatic. Emily's joy in her good fortune leads her to try to help her husband's cousin and heir, Alec Osborn. Osborn is the villain of the piece, and when the Marquis goes off to India for a long period, Alec begins to plot his revenge for being excluded from the succession to the estate. The plot includes mysterious accidents narrowly averted and Alec's wife's mysterious Indian ayah gliding around the estate looking sinister. The claustrophobic atmosphere of suspicion is beautifully conveyed. I enjoyed all this while thinking it was quite a contrast to the almost Edith Wharton-like observations of society life in Part 1. The ending is very moving, and thoroughly satisfying. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoyed Hodgson Burnett's fiction for children. It has the same unsentimental flavour that made the Secret Garden a classic. (More reviews at Amazon.com)

You can grab a copy of this fantastic book HERE at Amazon.com

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In summary...what is the wife of a marquess called? Her title is a marchioness. We certainly hope this information was helpful to everyone.