Earl (Abron)
In Abron, an earl (fem. earle) is a middle-ranking member of the noble class who is the head of a lesser hold. Some earls serve as the uppermost administrators of the kingdom's cities, and all of Abron's earls are members of the privy council.
Requirements
The title of Earl is a hereditary title in Abron, with inheritance determined by absolute primogeniture. An earl's title is passed to his eldest legitimate child, regardless of sex. If the earl dies or abdicates without issue, the title passes to his closest living relative: spouse if married, sibling if not. The king or duke may also create new lesser holds and invest new earls as the lords of those holds.
Appointment
The heir apparent inherits the title and responsibilities of an earl immediately upon the reigning earl's death or abdication. Although the role is passed immediately to the successor, the heir's ascension is solemnized in a formal ceremony in the royal palace in Briathelond wherein he swears fealty, first to the king, then to the reigning duke of his respective Great Hold, and also pledges to faithfully discharge his duty to govern his hold honorably in the king's name.
Duties
An earl's first duty is to serve the king, in whatever capacity the king may demand. Primarily, however, an earl is lord of the lesser hold. His duty is to the land and its people. The strength of the Great Hold is built upon the prosperity of its lesser holds, so in many ways, the prosperity of the kingdom itself is built upon the success of the earls. It is the earl's duty to ensure that his people are provided for and have what they need to thrive.
Responsibilities
The earl of a lesser hold has many responsibilities, and most of them fall under the umbrella of governing the hold. While a thane is the administrator of a settlement or a manor within the hold, the earl is responsible for providing the thanes of their hold with the resources to govern, including gold, soldiers, and material resources. While the right to appoint thanes is considered a royal prerogative of the king, that prerogative is typically delegated to the earls, as they have the most direct control over much of the kingdom's land. The earl also divides the arable land of the hold into tracts, known as shires. For each shire, the earl may entrust the local thane with its management, or he may give the land in trust to a commoner - known as a cotter - to work the land for the hold. The earl of a lesser hold collects the appropriate taxes from all of its shires and settlements, maintains the hold's land registries, and ensures that the king's writ is enforced throughout the hold. Earls are also members of the privy council and therefore important advisors to the king.
Benefits
An earl carries a title of considerable political privilege. Not only are earls entitled to sit on the king's privy council, they also attend the court of the duke of their Great Hold. An earl is entitled to a third of the hold's revenue raised from matters of justice (known as the "third copper"), and he is also entitled to the third copper from all taxes collected in the king's name. An earl may also appoint huscarles to protect his person and property, but in addition to huscarles, an earl (unlike lesser nobles) is permitted to hire personal armsmen (known as lithsmen) independently of the King's Guard (outfitted with livery bearing the earl's sigil rather than the king's). The earl of each lesser hold also has an estate - known as a demesne - consisting of the hold's manor house and land for the earl's personal use.
Accoutrements & Equipment
As a hereditary noble, an earl bears the trappings of his rank: a signet ring and seal both bearing his sigil, an earl's coronet, and a surcoat with his achievement of arms emblazoned on it (known as a coat of arms). His family shield is displayed in a prominent place in the manor, along with his sword and scepter.
Grounds for Removal/Dismissal
An earl's position is hereditary and passes from generation to generation. As such, an earl cannot be "removed" from his position as such; an earl may be executed for high treason, which has the effect of removing him, but even then, he dies an earl, and the title passes to his next legitimate successor. An earl may willingly renounce his title by abdicating, in which case the title is passed to his closest living heir.
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