Is there a word to describe the ‘reign’ of an earl or other member of the nobility?

The period of rule of a monarch is known as a reign.

I have been trying to find the equivalent word for an earl (or other member of the nobility) to describe the period during which he held this title and was in charge of his landed estates. It would be used as follows:

During the [insert word] of the second earl, many improvements were made on the estate.

So far I have been unsuccessful in coming up with a word – is there an equivalent?

Solution 1:

Consider tenure.

From Merriam–Webster (boldface mine):

the act, right, manner, or term of holding something (as a landed property, a position, or an office);

From Wiktionary (boldface mine):

1. A status of possessing a thing or an office; an incumbency.
2. A period of time during which something is possessed.
3. A status of having a permanent post with enhanced job security within an academic institution.
4. A right to hold land under the feudal system.

I am not sure whether the last one (feudal land tenure) is what you want to express or conflicts with it. In the latter case, the term tenure may be bad due to being easily confusable.

Some examples of tenure being used in the requested sense:

Harold was probably first associated with Eadgifu during his tenure as earl of East Anglia. [source]

During his 30 year tenure as Earl of Chester, Hugh was thought to be in almost constant conflict […] [source]

Sigurd's tenure as earl was apparently free of the kin-strife that beset some other incumbents of this title […] [source]

Solution 2:

One of the primary functions of the nobility was to manage the estates (property) granted by the monarchy. A noble was charged (entrusted) by the monarchy to hold the estates and keep them in good condition. The word for this is stewardship.

From Merriam-Webster

1: the office, duties, and obligations of a steward

2: the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially : the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care

From dictionary.com

1. the position and duties of a steward, a person who acts as the surrogate of another or others, especially by managing property, financial affairs, an estate, etc.
2. the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving.

Solution 3:

For the quoted phrase,

During the [insert word] of the second earl, many improvements were made on the estate.

I'd expect to hear time, possibly term, or perhaps "Under the management of the second earl" (or "Under the supervision" ... or change the whole sentence to use the active voice instead of the passive, e.g. "The second earl made many improvements").

I think these (time and term) are relatively common words, compared to e.g. 'tenure'.

Of the two I'd personally prefer to say time to imply "active lifetime", rather than term which implies "finite time with an end".

I find "tenure" rather feudal: to my understanding that word emphasizes the fact that the earl holds his lands, and probably owes fealty to sovereign ... which (consideration) I find a distraction and not directly relevant to the improvements on the estate.