Western Feudalism
Feudalism in Western Sildair is practiced in Sarkara, Ronceaux, Mardoria, and Morogar, and both The Kusharan Principalities, the dwarven kingdoms of Fiormark and Duurmark, as well as Gorlmark and The Empire use very similar systems.
Sildairan feudalism is a hierarchical system, where the ruler of a country grants fiefs to his subjects, who run those fiefs independently, in return for taxes and military service. The fiefs are parcels of land, income producing industries such as a mill, and occasionally specific government positions that pay wages. The king technically owns all the land, and divides it among dukes, who in turn divide their own lands among marquesses, earls and barons. These divide their lands among knights and esquires, and thus the land is fragmented into many small provinces that each more or less govern themselves.
All fiefholders most be nobles, as the fiefs belong to a title, rather than to a specific person. Those titles are heritable, and usually patrilineal, though the individual families approach these rules slightly differently, and as long as they pay homage to their overlord, there are no laws requiring them to follow a specific system of passing on noble titles. The various noble titles rank in order such that on the battlefield those above act as superior officers of those below, but in peacetime, there are four practical tiers within the feudal structure:
The lowest tier is made up of esquires and knights, who usually rule over just one or a few farms, run by bonded peasants. They enjoy the rights and privileges of nobility, and in return must pay taxes and provide military service to their overlord. The most powerful members of the fourth tier are sheriffs: Rather than being granted land, a knight or esquire can be granted as a fief the position of sheriff, making them responsible for the internal safety of a barony, county or march, as well as tax collection. Their overlords are the third tier:
Barons, earls (counts), viscounts, and marquesses are the second lowest tier. They rule their own fief, which is usually bigger than those of their knights, and has more peasants working on it, but they also collect taxes and military service from their subjects at the lower tier. The nobles at this tier are also more likely to be part of the counsil of lords. The viscount is a noble title that, for historical reasons, is only ever the castellan of a duchy, serving the same purpose as a sheriff in the tier below. Viscount is therefore their noble title, while castellan is the position granted to them by their fief.
The dukes make up the second highest tier, and apart from ruling over their own fief, which often includes a city, they are also the overlords of several lords below them, from which they receive taxes. They are adressed as "Your grace". The dukes answer only to the king, and often have enormous influence on the politics of the kingdom.
The highest tier is the king, and there is only ever one of these. He (or she, in the case of a queen) is the only one who can confer nobility to anyone, and is the only one who can grant fiefs, as technically, he is the sole owner of all the fiefs in the kingdom. He also grants the fiefs that are governmental positions, which include the counsil of lords, the castellans and the sheriffs. The lords pay taxes to the king, and they are required to muster a certain amount of soldiers for military campaigns when the king demands it.
Social norms dictate that nobles be adressed in a certain way by those below their station. In Sarkaran, ones direct overlord may be addressed as "Sire", or "My Liege" in the case of the king. Informally, Sire, Ser or Master/Mistress is also used (by nobles and commoners alike) when addressing someone who is expected to be of a higher station, but the speaker is unsure of the correct form.
The king or queen is addressed as "Your Majesty", while their spouse and children are addressed "Your Royal Highness", and their siblings and mother are addressed as "Your Highness". They are presented by their title and firstname: a king's wife is Queen Firstname, a queen regent's husband is Prince Firstname, a regent's mother is The Queen Mother (usually without a name mentioned), and their children are Princes and Princesses.
Dukes, duchesses and their spouses are addressed as "Your Grace", and they are presented as the Duke/Duchess of Placename, where Placename is their duchy. Their siblings, children and children-in-law are addressed "My Lord/Lady" and presented as Lord/Lady Firstname of House Familyname, or Lord/Lady Titlename, where this can be their firstname, familyname, or both, depending on the context and level of formality.
Example
Nobles of the third tier and their spouses are addressed as "My Lord" or "My Lady" (or "My lady Baroness", "My lord Earl", et.c.), and they are presented as the Marquess/Earl/Baron of Placename. They may also be addressed directly as Lord/Lady Placename, and the king and dukes may simply address them as Placename. Their heir apparent is addressed "My Lord/Lady" as well, presented as Lord/Lady Firstname of House Familyname, or Lord/Lady Titlename. Their other children, siblings and children-in-law are presented as "The Honorable, Ser Titlename" or "Lady Titlename" for women.
<em>Example</em>
Knights are addressed with "Ser/Dame" or "Ser/Dame Titlename", their spouses as "Lady/Master" or "Lady/Master Titlename". Esquires are addressed "Master/Mistress", and presented as "Master/Mistress Titlename, Esquire/Esquiress".
Sildairan feudalism is a hierarchical system, where the ruler of a country grants fiefs to his subjects, who run those fiefs independently, in return for taxes and military service. The fiefs are parcels of land, income producing industries such as a mill, and occasionally specific government positions that pay wages. The king technically owns all the land, and divides it among dukes, who in turn divide their own lands among marquesses, earls and barons. These divide their lands among knights and esquires, and thus the land is fragmented into many small provinces that each more or less govern themselves.
Hierarchy:
All fiefholders most be nobles, as the fiefs belong to a title, rather than to a specific person. Those titles are heritable, and usually patrilineal, though the individual families approach these rules slightly differently, and as long as they pay homage to their overlord, there are no laws requiring them to follow a specific system of passing on noble titles. The various noble titles rank in order such that on the battlefield those above act as superior officers of those below, but in peacetime, there are four practical tiers within the feudal structure:
The lowest tier is made up of esquires and knights, who usually rule over just one or a few farms, run by bonded peasants. They enjoy the rights and privileges of nobility, and in return must pay taxes and provide military service to their overlord. The most powerful members of the fourth tier are sheriffs: Rather than being granted land, a knight or esquire can be granted as a fief the position of sheriff, making them responsible for the internal safety of a barony, county or march, as well as tax collection. Their overlords are the third tier:
Barons, earls (counts), viscounts, and marquesses are the second lowest tier. They rule their own fief, which is usually bigger than those of their knights, and has more peasants working on it, but they also collect taxes and military service from their subjects at the lower tier. The nobles at this tier are also more likely to be part of the counsil of lords. The viscount is a noble title that, for historical reasons, is only ever the castellan of a duchy, serving the same purpose as a sheriff in the tier below. Viscount is therefore their noble title, while castellan is the position granted to them by their fief.
The dukes make up the second highest tier, and apart from ruling over their own fief, which often includes a city, they are also the overlords of several lords below them, from which they receive taxes. They are adressed as "Your grace". The dukes answer only to the king, and often have enormous influence on the politics of the kingdom.
The highest tier is the king, and there is only ever one of these. He (or she, in the case of a queen) is the only one who can confer nobility to anyone, and is the only one who can grant fiefs, as technically, he is the sole owner of all the fiefs in the kingdom. He also grants the fiefs that are governmental positions, which include the counsil of lords, the castellans and the sheriffs. The lords pay taxes to the king, and they are required to muster a certain amount of soldiers for military campaigns when the king demands it.
Forms of Address:
Social norms dictate that nobles be adressed in a certain way by those below their station. In Sarkaran, ones direct overlord may be addressed as "Sire", or "My Liege" in the case of the king. Informally, Sire, Ser or Master/Mistress is also used (by nobles and commoners alike) when addressing someone who is expected to be of a higher station, but the speaker is unsure of the correct form.
The king or queen is addressed as "Your Majesty", while their spouse and children are addressed "Your Royal Highness", and their siblings and mother are addressed as "Your Highness". They are presented by their title and firstname: a king's wife is Queen Firstname, a queen regent's husband is Prince Firstname, a regent's mother is The Queen Mother (usually without a name mentioned), and their children are Princes and Princesses.
Dukes, duchesses and their spouses are addressed as "Your Grace", and they are presented as the Duke/Duchess of Placename, where Placename is their duchy. Their siblings, children and children-in-law are addressed "My Lord/Lady" and presented as Lord/Lady Firstname of House Familyname, or Lord/Lady Titlename, where this can be their firstname, familyname, or both, depending on the context and level of formality.
Example
The Duke of Bromstall is Llewelyn of House Aradin. The royal family and his fellow dukes call him "Duke" or "Bromstall". The Baron of Gantos, the Earl of Gorsdale, and the Castellan of Waybourne, his immediate vassals, call him "Sire", as do a few of the most senior servants of his household. All others, nobles and commoners alike, call him and his wife "Your Grace" and speak of him as "The Duke of Bromstall". When formally introduced by a herald, he is presented as: "His Grace, Llewelyn of House Aradin, The Duke of Bromstall". His oldest son, Evander, is sometimes called "Sire" by those that call his father the same, and called "My Lord" by everyone else bellow him, and spoken of as "Lord Evander" or "Lord Aradin". He would be heralded as "Lord Evander of House Aradin." Apart from not being addressed as "Sire", the duke's younger brother, Walton, receive the same honorifics as his nephew. The duke's daughter, Elinor, is addressed as "My Lady" and presented as "Lady Elinor of House Aradin".
Nobles of the third tier and their spouses are addressed as "My Lord" or "My Lady" (or "My lady Baroness", "My lord Earl", et.c.), and they are presented as the Marquess/Earl/Baron of Placename. They may also be addressed directly as Lord/Lady Placename, and the king and dukes may simply address them as Placename. Their heir apparent is addressed "My Lord/Lady" as well, presented as Lord/Lady Firstname of House Familyname, or Lord/Lady Titlename. Their other children, siblings and children-in-law are presented as "The Honorable, Ser Titlename" or "Lady Titlename" for women.
<em>Example</em>
The Earl of Gorsdale is Fulton of House Minear. Those above him may call him "Gorsdale", "Earl", "Fulton" or "Minear", and need not, but may, use "Lord" in front of any of those. Knights and esquires that are his vassals call him "Sire", as do a few of the most senior servants of his household. All others, nobles and commoners alike, call him "My Lord" and his wife "My Lady", and speak of him as "Lord Gorsdale". When formally introduced by a herald, he is presented as: "Lord Fulton of House Minear, The Earl of Gorsdale". His oldest son, Boswell, is sometimes called "Sire" by those that call his father the same, and called "My Lord" by everyone else bellow him, and spoken of as "Lord Boswell" or "Lord Minear". He would be heralded as "Lord Boswell of House Minear." The Earl's younger brother, Garland, is addressed as "Ser", and heralded as "The Honorable, Ser Garland of House Minear." The earl's daughter, Shannon, is addressed as "My Lady" and presented as "Lady Shannon of House Minear".
Knights are addressed with "Ser/Dame" or "Ser/Dame Titlename", their spouses as "Lady/Master" or "Lady/Master Titlename". Esquires are addressed "Master/Mistress", and presented as "Master/Mistress Titlename, Esquire/Esquiress".
Sarkaran Noble Titles:
King/Queen
Duke/Duchess
Marquess/Marchioness
Earl/Countess
Viscount/Viscountess
Baron/Baroness
Knight/Dame
Esquire/Esquiress
Ronceauxien Noble Titles:
Viceroi/Vicereine
Duc/Duchesse
Marquis/Marquise
Comte/Comtesse
Vicomte/Vicomtesse
Baron/Baronne
Chevalier/Dame
Écuyer/Écuyère
Mardorian Noble Titles:
Grossherzog/Grossherzogin
Herzog/Herzogin
Markgraf/Markgräfin
Graf/Gräfin
Vizegraf/Vizegräfin
Baron/Baronin
Ritter/Dame/
Edelmann/Edelfrau
Morogari Noble Titles:
High King/High Queen
Duke/Duchess
---
Earl/Countess
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Baron/Baroness
Knight/Dame
Esquire/Esquiress
King/Queen
Duke/Duchess
Marquess/Marchioness
Earl/Countess
Viscount/Viscountess
Baron/Baroness
Knight/Dame
Esquire/Esquiress
Ronceauxien Noble Titles:
Viceroi/Vicereine
Duc/Duchesse
Marquis/Marquise
Comte/Comtesse
Vicomte/Vicomtesse
Baron/Baronne
Chevalier/Dame
Écuyer/Écuyère
Mardorian Noble Titles:
Grossherzog/Grossherzogin
Herzog/Herzogin
Markgraf/Markgräfin
Graf/Gräfin
Vizegraf/Vizegräfin
Baron/Baronin
Ritter/Dame/
Edelmann/Edelfrau
Morogari Noble Titles:
High King/High Queen
Duke/Duchess
---
Earl/Countess
---
Baron/Baroness
Knight/Dame
Esquire/Esquiress
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