Britannian Nobility

Edited by Nicholas 1

The Britannian nobles have a simple agreement, the empire comes first before feuds between the nobility.

— Britannian noble

The Britannian Nobility is the ruling, military, mercantile, and intellectual class of the United States of Britannia(click for more info). They are the backbone of the Britannian society, providing it most of its mages. The Nobility all serve the Emperor of Britannia and the Empire as a whole.

Structure

The Nobility structure is based on the previous British and American incarnations as outlined by the first Emperor of Britannia, Arthur the Great. The Nobility are granted their status by the Emperor and it may be given to anyone who has done a great service for the Empire determined by the Emperor if there is an available title. The individual Upper Nobility are obligated to allow imperial taxes to collect in their lands, maintain a rentue for their size which can be used locally or abroad by the Emperor, and to maintain a representative in the Imperial Capital year-round.

Upper Nobility

All titles of the Upper Nobility are theoretically granted by the current Emperor and confirmed by lower nobles within their realm, however, in practice, many have simply become hereditary by tradition.

1. Kings/Queens - The highest title below Emperor however nearly none exist among the nobility. The oldest three titles being the kingships of England, Scotland, and Ireland which is traditionally held by the reigning Emperor.
2. Dukes/Duchess and Senators - The most powerful of the nobles, each duke rules a state of Britannia with the consent of local nobles and the people. Dukes/Duchess have a degree of influence on who holds lower titles within their domain. Dukes/Duchess may appoint members of the Imperial Senate, which are often retired dukes/duchesses. The senators are able to influence the choice of the Royal Heir, Ministers of the Emperor, and setting imperial policy.
3. Elderman and Electors - There are two special titles that ordain the leaders of various clans of nobility and are both given out by the Emperor. The title of Elderman is usually held by a duke/retired duke and is the leader of a clan and is responsible for managing its various assets and finances gathered from member taxes and investing them throughout the empire and pursuing the clan’s goals, although the eldermam is only ceremonial granted by the Emperor and instead are chosen by the Electors. The number of Electors vary and are made up mostly by the highest titled within the clan, the electors act to choose a new elderman upon death or removal by the electors and overall act as its clan's executive council. New Electors are appointed by the Emperor and the clan Elderman.
4. Earl, Count/Countess - Control an urban city and its region, they are responsible for defense and governance and are subservient to a duke.
5. Viscount/Viscountess - Oversee an urban city and are responsible for its management and answer to an Earl, Count.
6. Baron/Baroness - Manage a village or town, and answer to a local Earl or Count.

Lower Nobility

The lower nobility are those without titles and addressed as Lord/Lady. They are far larger in number and make up the majority of the Empire's soldiers, officers, bureaucrats, medical personnel, scientists, scholars, engineers, clergy, businessmen, and specialized mage positions, although many of these are held by Retainers. From an early age, a noble is trained to serve their clan and Family in whatever position they fit best. The lower nobility makes up most military soldiers and officers positions because the Britannian Military is highly mage-oriented due to its reliance on magic and thus only accepts Mages for most positions, except for some garrison units and local axially. Intellectual and business-related positions are exclusive to the lower nobility due to the nobility's greater resources, although magic is used extensively in these fields, it is not completely monopolized by the nobility.

The remaining nobles serve in jobs that can only be done by mages, such as mage artisans and craftsmen. Clergy mages are specialized in dealing with spirits, ghosts, and other supernatural entities, and thus their skills are highly sought after, Although only some serve in actual ministerial positions.

Privileges

The Nobility receives a small government pension and occasional funds from their clan-based on their status. Each noble has the right to be tried by a court made up of other nobles for most crimes except the highest crimes such as murder and treason.

Clans and families

Clans are confederations of nobles who have organized themselves together in order to better further their goals. The clans are usually based around common ancestry but, this isn’t always the case. Clans vary in size, with the smallest being one duchy and the largest being several duchies. However, they are all structured approximately the same: led by an Elderman and a Council of Electors. The clan is further subdivided into families which have several thousand members each, the head of the family(without an official title) serves in the [tooltip: A clan's general assembly is the legislative body which occasionally meets to discuss major clan business, however, the elderman and electors usually do not call it nor do they need to.[/tooltip] general assembly when its called. Each member pays into the clan’s treasury, which the clan uses to spread its influence beyond its borders and into other duchies and the empire’s colonies. Clans themselves own various corporations, land, and assets, for example the aldsworth clan owns the largest shipping company in Britannia.

Retainers

The Retainers of the nobility are commoners who have entered into generational services with a noble clan or house in exchange for benefits such as insurance, investment, and magic specific services. Many are also nobles whose descendants are former nobles who weren't mages or had left their clan. Retainers serve in positions that don't require magic and often help make up for the shortage of manpower. Some are extremely valued due to their intelligence or artistic skills and as such sponsored directly by the upper nobility. They maintain a great deal of the freedoms protected by Britannian law, and can freely break their service upon coming of age. Because Britannian culture is partly meritocratic, The Retainers are treated well, and often marry into noble families, the retainers also members of their clan, and have the privileges and obligations that come with it.

Because the Retainers are clan members, they have the same protections as the lower nobility which sets them above other commoners.The nobles thus take their obligations very seriously and treat their vassals well, enabling the vassals to have a better education and medical care than other commoners.

Britannian Knights

Britannian Knights are the best gateway to nobility for non-retaniner commoners and are titles that can be given out by the upper nobility to individuals of great martial skill, although it is not a requirement that is always followed. They were originally established to make up for any manpower shortages Britannia might face due to the nobility's initially smaller numbers. The Britannian Knights are not mages, but can use magic charms which the nobility provides them. Most of them serve in the military or law enforcement of the nobles, although some have branched out into other fields. Many knights are from families that have been knights for generations and eventually have gone on to become retainers, and then nobles themselves. Britannian Knights are largely treated as equals by the nobility, although they are not part of the nobility directly. Since the Arthurian Restoration in 2339 lower nobles and retainers often become knights to distinguish themselves from their peers

Public Conduct of Nobles

The nobles maintain that they are the most honorable and virtuous of Britannia's citizens they should be in power. The clans very much care about their reputation, as a loss of reputation can mean a loss of business and at worst, a forced abdication of some of their titles of the upper nobility and loss of favor with the Emperor. To avoid this the nobles strictly self-police their own members and practice meritocracy within their ranks to promote the best. A codified set of rules was established under Arthur for which adult nobles have to follow with the threat of loss of their nobility. Ever since the Allencourt Crises in 2292, Nobles and Retainers have lived separately from commoners and as such are not actually that public with their affairs, although these are still maintained to honor Britannia's meritocratic traditions. As such a reputation with other clans and the Emperor is more important then with the people who live in their territory.

Code of the Nobility

Upon the age of twenty-one nobles must live by a strict code which is meant to ensure a noble to be virtuous and honorable, failure to do so may result in the revocation of their status of nobility.

1. A noble must be fair and just without being corrupt; doing what is right.
2. A noble must be courageous standing up for what is right and not backing down. Courage, however, must be used with fair and just judgment otherwise, without it, courage becomes the work of the fool.
3. A noble must be benevolent, giving and helping those unfortunate, as well as showing mercy for the defenseless.
4. A noble should exercise due respect and propriety owed to another individual; never being needlessly rude or impolite.
5. A noble must be honest, never cheat, and must exercise sincerity, avoiding hypocrisy and self rightness.
6. A noble should be honorable being refined and dignified but not overly prideful and quick to anger.
7. A noble must be loyal to his lord, country, and family, except in cases where this loyalty means sacrificing another tenant of the code.
8. A noble above all should exercise temperance and self-control, being the master of his own body and mind, without the strong guidance of authority.

History

Pre Britannia

In the early twentieth century, the British government began expanding the ranks of the nobility to mages in hopes of assisting them in their growth for the benefit of the Empire. In the 1920s, the nobility was extended into the British-controlled domains of Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

By the 1960s with the Imperial Federation, the nobility were reformed to standardize them across the empire, in addition, their status would be extended to newer domains of Rhodesia and Kenya as well as the Indian princes in the hopes that it would help in keeping India within the Empire. Later reforms in the 1990s would eliminate the title of Marquess which was no longer in use.

Over in the United States, American mages had become highly influential and powerful and would establish the American Society of Nobility at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The new organization saw mages who were already politicians in many places add titles to their names, although this had no actual effect, and was mildly looked down upon by British nobility and the American public. However, American 'nobles' would increase in number and influence over the next decades until the third Yokai Invasion and the Second American Civil War(click for more info) when many would leave in exile due to the fighting and shortages of goods to the British Federation. In exile, the two groups would earn each other's respect. With Arthur's victory in the Civil War, the nobility would be formalized into American law and be officially established.

Britannia

With the establishment of Britannia, the two nobility systems would be merged into the new Britannia system, which for the most part was simply porting over the previous system. The noble clan system would be established by various nobles and would later be reluctantly endorsed and expanded by Emperor Arthur the Great. The nobility would go on to be the new ruling elite of Britannia.

Founding Date

2045 AD

Type

Court, Royal

Demonym

Noble

Parent Organization

United States of Britannia

Location

Arthunia(Formerly Washington DC)

Related Ethnicities

• @Britannian

by Mike1027