The Feudal System
Control of the lands is derived through the feudal government system, this means that the King hands out control of regions of the lands to nobles who have pleased him, and they in turn subdivide their lands further by appointing subordinate rulers in conjunction with the King. The growth of commerce and city-based businesses across the lands has led to a breakdown of feudal farming and regular peasantry, yet there are still many small holding farmers who provide the food and other naturally-acquired goods for the growing markets of the main cities of the lands.
All Peerages are supposedly handed out by the monarch, but in practice, those ranks below Earl/Count are handled locally 'in the name of the King', usually with no intervention from the crown. Those titles above this rank may be given or taken freely by the monarch – although the crown relies on stability in the feudal ranks, and prefers not to make lots of changes in the lineage of the lords, otherwise anarchy can ensue.
Feudal Titles
The feudal ranks used in human political circles are consistent over the whole of Arthea, although there are naming differences in some places. Some positions are hereditary, while others are handed out as gifts of the monarchy, or by other high ranking peers in the name of the monarch.
The ranks are as follows; the female titles are normally bestowed automatically on the spouse of the main titleholder, but frequently women are appointed into positions on their own merit. Each rank determines the size of the land under its control, and management of that land is typically delegated to lower ranked nobles.
King/Queen. Ruler of the entire nation. Normally the title of 'Emperor' would have outranked this title, but the precedent in Arthea is for the King of Arthea to outrank the Emperor of The Carrodian Empire. This precedent was set when Ticetia and Caldonacia were not brought into the Empire in 1341, but instead the Kingdom of Arthea was created, which included the Empire.
Prince/Princess. A controller of a Principality, which typically consists of several Dukedoms. For Arthea, this is complex1. The title can be either an appointment by the King, or, in the case of Antaurus and Ticetia, royal and hereditary2.
Duke/Duchess. Controls several counties of a principality. Usually the Duke answers directly to the King, not to a prince. Each principality is split into four or more duchies in this manner.
Marquis/Marquess. The Marquis is ruler of one of the larger counties in the lands; other county rulers are Earls, who supposedly look after smaller counties. The split between counties is arbitrary in some cases, however. When the monarchy changed in 1384, many of the newly appointed peers were granted their position based on their performance during the civil war and for the perceived importance of the lands that went with the position, rather than the size or population of the areas involved.
Earl/Countess (in the North) or Count/Countess (in the former Empire). Controls a smaller county in a duchy, see Marquis, above.
Viscount/Viscountess (in Ticetia and the former Empire) or Reeve (in parts of Caldonacia). Usually granted the control of one of the city regions of a county. Most counties contain three or four such cities, but there is commonly no Viscountcy for the county city, unless the Earl or Marquis has made a special appointment.
Baron/Baroness. Typically, controls a feudal district, normally outside a city, and reporting to the Viscount or Earl/Marquis in control of that closest city. Occasionally the title is handed out with no lands as a reward for heroic service or as a favour.
Knight. Not strictly a feudal control rank as it carries no lands, but this position of competence puts the holder above the common people in the feudal structure. Knights are typically appointed by Marquises or Earls, or by the Duke or even (occasionally) by the King. The rank of Knight confers military control responsibility, this means that if an army were needed, and were to be raised from the people, the Knights would be expected to marshal the ranks of the peasants.
Freeman or Esquire. Usually the title of Esquire has a military purpose marking an assistant to a Knight, while a Freeman is a civilian role with duties for a district of a town or city, or a subdivision within a barony. Administration reporting is often to a baron or (occasionally) to a Viscount. Sometimes the title is handed out as a reward for heroic deeds. Both the civil and military versions of this rank are considered equal in status.
Yeoman or Page. Yeomen are civil officers, often tied to a barony or an assistant to a Freeman. Similarly, a Page (typically a young soldier trainee) is an assistant to an Esquire. Throughout Arthea, many of the leaders of the Militia are given the title Yeoman.
Servant. A title that marks a commoner as in service to their feudal master. While granting limited privilege, it is regularly the first foot onto the social ladder for most ordinary folk. It is also a title that is granted temporarily to those commoners while they serve their feudal lords in place of taxation.
Commoner. Virtually everyone else, even the serfs who have inherited farm holdings.
Bondsman. A now defunct title in the south, there are still a few Bondsmen in the north. This used to be a title bestowed on slaves that had been granted their freedom, or on Commoners who had committed crimes or run up debts, which meant they were stripped of status. With the demise of slavery, and the rise of swift justice under the King's Guard, this title has become unnecessary.
Slave. This title is no longer used. While slavery isn't actually illegal in Arthea, the enslavement of any subject or citizen of Arthea is a crime. It is not believed to exist in any part of the lands, even where other races or any of the people who were not born in the established Arthean Kingdoms live.
While the ranks of Knight and lower are not formally part of the feudal nobility, they are included as this shows the social order from the lowest ranked to the highest. Ranks of Baron and below are not considered Peers of the Realm.
The political divisions of Arthea were reviewed in 1344 following Unification. In 1346, the king abolished the two kingdoms and the empire, establishing Arthea in their place; the two nations of the north and the six of the south then became principalities under the crown. In 1412 the Prince of Caldonacia, the Prince of Jorlinum, the Prince of Cerlain, the Prince of Tholain, and the Prince of Hebria are all appointed positions, not hereditary. Ticetia was established as the title for the heir to the throne by King Siegfried, who handed the title to his son James, setting the precedent. The positions have some control, but real executive power is wielded by the dukes. King James is expected to appoint someone to fill the vacant role of Prince of Limia as a reward for some great deed. The only exception among the princes is the seat of the Prince of Antaurus, which is held in honour for the heir of the house of Antaurus who lead The Antaurus Empire for many generations. (1)
While the seat of the Prince of Antaurus is occupied by Julian Antaurus, who is the current head of this most noble family, his lineage as heir to the Empire is not accepted by scholars. The true heir to the Imperial crown is lost. (2)