Grand Jarldoms of Balthas

Structure

Social Class

Balthan socieity is divided into two broad social classes: thralls and hithin; the former are essentially indentured peasants and workers, with few rights and freedoms, whilst the latter make up the military ruling classes of the Jarldoms. A third category, the Jarls and Thanes, are the elected leaders of the hithin. Approximately nine tenths of the rural population of Balthas are thralls.
Thralls are considered to be the property of the hithin that control an area; whilst they are entitled to own property of their own, they are legally subserviant and are obligated to labour for their overlords or pay a form of taxation. Such taxes are usually equivalent to around a quarter to a third of the thrall's produce or income, though they are essentially arbitrary in nature and can be much higher.
A thrall can become a hithin in one of two ways - by the declaration of a jarl, or by their own declaration; this latter method traditionally involves the thrall arming themself with whatever weapons and armour they can acquire, and renouncing their overlord three times in the centre of their village. A declaration of this sort rarely goes unchallenged unless the thrall has the backing of their local hithin; anyone who declares themselves free in this manner might find themselves challenged under the Appeal of the Sword, and those who lose will likely find themselves enslaved once more if they are not killed.
There are several specific groups of people who are automatically considered to have the status of hithin regardless of all considerations: those who own property in Rostog or Vaagesstad; and those of the Enclave of Athelis.
A hithin appointed by a Jarl or Thane to be the commander of a warband is given the title of haugreve.

The Althing

The Althing is an ancient parliamentary system, established some time after the death of Baltha Sturmdottir, which was reestablished in 1164AK following the Vaagesstad Rebellion. In modern times it meets twice a year in the hills near Vaagesstad where the Heirs of Baltha first met in secret, under the spring and autumn equinoxes, to hear petitions, rule on disputes, and officially recognise clans as beholden to them. The Althing does not concern itself with matters internal to any of the clans, as their Jarls having absolute sovereignty over such things; but rather with mediation between clans should they not be able to settle their own disputes, and with matters that concern the nation as a whole. The Althing also has the power to elect a Grand Jarl; traditionally this occurred only in times of war, but since the reestablishment of Balthas in 1164AK the position has stood constantly, and many suspect will continue to exist whilst the peace with Aldernord remains fragile.
The Althing is chaired by a Lawspeaker, who is by tradition the oldest Jarl present at the autumnal session, and the youngest in the spring; the chair is barred from voting in their own right except in the case of a tie, but has the power to censure any Jarl or petitioner who they feel is being disruptive to the proceedings. Whilst there is no requirement for the Jarl to be present in person, this is considered the norm: a Jarl may send a representative, but they are prohibited from speaking at the Althing unless sponsored by another Jarl, and can only vote on matters which their Jarl has provided written instruction - these are passed to the chair of the Althing, who authorises a vote in proxy based on these instructions. For a petition to be brought to the Althing it must be sponsored by a Jarl; a ruling is made by a majority vote from those present, and is considered binding on all who attend.
Whilst not Jarldoms in the usual sense, the Stadtholders of Rostog and Vaagesstad, and the elves of the Enclave of Athelis are permitted to send representatives to the Althing, who are accorded the status of Jarls. The guildenstadts typically send one representative each, chosen from their Stadholder councils by the drawing of lots; the Enclave often declines to send an emissary, save for when matters of the greatest importance must be discussed - in such cases, the emissary is chosen by consensus of the two raths, Lith Tarsen traditionally providing emissaries for the spring Althing, and Lith Neygil for the autumn.
For a Jarl to breach a ruling passed down by the Althing is the most serious of crimes, for it results in the recognition of their clan's sovereign territory becoming forfeit, in effect placing them and their lands outside the law. Consequently, Jarls who do breach the edicts of the Althing rarely remain Jarls for long afterwards.

The Lesser and Greater Clans

There are several requirements for a clan to be recognised:

1. To possess at least a modest amount of territory
2. To have the ability to defend that territory against their foes
3. To send a representative to the Althing twice each year
4. To agree to be bound by the decisions of the Althing.

It is the second of these which tends to pose the greatest complexity; whilst the only strict requirement is for the Althing to accept a clan's claim that this is the case, proving it can be difficult. The traditional way involved a mock battle weapons between a force consisting of a single champion drawn from each recognised clan, and an equal number provided by the clan that would be recognised as their peer. Victory was not necessarily required - provided the newcomers were able to field the warriors needed and put up a good fight, it was rare for the Althing to withhold its approval.
Since the refounding of the Grand Jarldoms by the Heirs of Baltha, there has been a trend towards relatively greater consolidation of power into fewer, more powerful clans. This has led to a distinction been drawn between Lesser and Greater Clans: this is, in essence, a feudal arrangement: a Greater Clan holds ultimate sovereignty over a territory, with the Lesser Clans acting as vassals.
As of 1344, there are twelve Great Clans: Berghaller, Ericsdottir, Hemskaber, Hexvarg, Kriggenbrand, Massensor, Mordentroll, Svardaska, Skadablod, Vattenkrig, Vaudimma, and Vildstrom.
Lesser clans, including those such as Clan Haraldsson and Clan Trollbane, exist as vassals of the greater clans. Some are themselves previously powerful clans that have fallen on hard times and been forced to pledge themselves to another Jarl, whereas others consist of smaller bands of warriors who have affiliated with one of the larger clans but retain a degre of independence. The details of the relationships between the vassal clans and their overlords vary significantly from case to case. The leaders of the lesser clans are generally titled Thanes, and a powerful Thane is little different from a weaker Jarl; the only relevant legal difference is that whilst a Thane can attend the Althing, they have no inherent right to speak or vote on any matter.
Two other territories are considered Jarldoms, though not in the usual sense, and neither is controlled by a particular clan. The first are the Guildenstadts of Rostog and Vaagesstad, rich and influential cities ruled by an elected council of Stadtholders; the second is the Enclave of Athelis, an ancient forest containing the two elven raths of Lith Tarsen and Lith Neygil, which is considered an autonomous territory in its own right.
Conflicts between clans are common, and the attitude that nothing is owned unless it can be defended means that territorial disputes are rife. Traditionally these are settled through a form of ritualised raiding, in which in the dark of the new moon a group of raiders from one clan seek to move the boundary markers of another clan's land in their favour; raiders caught in the act may be driven off or seized by the defenders, who might then ransom them back to their clan of origin. When such things escalate beyond minor skirmishes, the Jarls may appeal to the Althing for judgement - though in practice this is relatively uncommon.

Laws

The Grand Jarldoms do not have a strongly codified body of law seperate from the customary legal traditions of the Balthan people.
There are commonly two methods considered valid for the resolution of a dispute, known as Appeal to the Sword and Appeal to the Song. The former is an ancient form of judicial combat, said to ultimately derive from Volsangan customs, from which the Alderni tradition of Justification by Arms would later develop; it consists of a ritualised duel to death or forfeiture, traditionally fought unarmoured and with each combatant armed with a single sword and a wooden shield. The loser of such a duel, if they survive, is considered to forfeit all legal rights and property, submitting to indenture as the victor's thrall should it be demanded. One who is challenged to such a duel and refuses is considered to have forfeited, and can be robbed, killed, or enslaved by the victor at any later point in time without further recourse to the law.
The second form of customary justice is known as the Appeal to the Song, and it is from this tradition that the functioning of the Althing ultimately derives. It is thought that the Appeal to the Song derived not from the Volsangan traditions that Baltha Sturmdottir brought with her, but from gradual cultural integration with the diasporadic Tevashi and the Rathi elves. It takes the form of a ritualised legal argument between the two parties or bards working on their behalf, which takes place before an assembly of the hithin; the desired outcomes of the two parties are negotiated beforehand, and victory is decided by the general acclaim of the hithin. It is common for the eloquence of the bard to be considered to have equal weight to the facts of the case and the legal precedents that are cited.

Founding Date

1164

Type

Geopolitical, State

Alternative Names

Balthas, Archduchy of Alumark-Kjelslund

Demonym

Balthan

Leader Title

Grand Jarl of Balthas

Head of Government

Harald Kythossen

Government System

Stratocracy

Power Structure

Confederation

Economic System

Traditional

Currency

100 copper pfennigs = 10 silver shillings = 1 golden mark

Legislative Body

The Althing

Judicial Body

The Althing

Controlled Territories

• Rostog
• Vaagesstad

Neighboring Nations

• Aldernord
• Chesk Confederacy
• Corlindale
• Duchy of Przekia
• Khut Helev
• Khut Malal
• Restored States of Tzim Tevash