Baronet

The title of Baronet, being an Illuskan title, is a title that denotes landownership - in theory, anyone who actually owns land in any quantity can style themselves as a Baronet in most of Faerun, but landownership is surprisingly rare - most people hold hereditary leases or only possess hereditary usage rights to land, or even hold land in Fief rather than actually own it. The title is also often referred to as a "Land Lord", because in theory, any amount of Land owned makes an individual a Baronet, but most courts will not recognize a person as such unless they own lands that hold a certain value, importance, tradition or aesthetics to them. In some places, to be considered a Baronet, one must have served the local liege (or his betters) in some way, as a warrior being the most common - in fact, Baronets are often considered to be "Landed Knights". When a person doesn't qualify for the honorific of being styled as a Baronet, but still owns land, they are thusly called "Land Lords" and will still be allowed to style themselves as "Lord" when in reference to those who might dwell on their lands, or when addressed by their peers and often, official documents from the liege of a landowner would style them as "My Lord" and "Lord X" (where X is their last name), but in person, they would likely not be addressed with such courtesy, unless they actually were locally recognized as Baronets.

Recognition

To be recognized as a Baronet, one must simply have a letter or some such that proves that a relevant superior did recognize the this style of address. For instance, if a Land Lord received a letter from the County of the County that he dwelt within that styled him as the "Baronet", then this would be sufficient that the Land Lord could begin styling himself in such a manner, and even go to the local scribe and bring a credible witness and have a formal declaration drafted which certifies the recognition. The current holder of the title who recognized the title as being such could still challenge this, but it would be considered a faux pas to do so.

Title Type

The Title of Baronet is the lowest Freeholder Title - Freeholders, unlike Governors, own their land. That doesn't mean that they are sovereign over their lands, but it does mean that the land is theirs and doesn't belong to the nation they are part of, but to themselves. It can be sold, traded, lost in war or even gambled away, and theoretically, any taxation or obligations held against the land is subject to change and individual negotiation between landowner and the nearest liege lord - self-ownership doesn't mean that the individuals in question are not necessarily sworn in fealty to someone else, but it does mean that their land is not a fiefdom.

Affiliated Class

Baronets are the very definition of High Gentry, being the primary source of other Gentry, deriving this status from their Baronet relatives. The relatives of a Baronet (excepting their spouse, lineal ancestors and heir apparent) are considered Low Gentry.

Baronetcies

A Baronetcy is the tract land affiliated with the title of Baronet, being any amount of land - though landownership in a medievalesque society functions a bit differently than one might expect, and there's rarely any extremely strict measurements associated with landownership - it's generally assumed that a person who owns land in a general area owns all the land until you eventually reach someone else's land or until you get too far for them to reasonably claim ownership. Baronets commonly actively tend somewhere between 500 acres and 1500 acres.

Typical Holdings

A Baronet commonly owns a country estate which could range in size from being a completely basic free-standing farm to a sprawling estate. Even a free-standing farm commonly has at least a dozen serfs that work there, but over time, baronet country estates occasionally grow into small hamlets or even villages. The serfs dwelling around a country estate typically life in modest cottages. Most baronets also own a town-house in the closest city or town, found inside the outer bailey or equivalent, but often away from the commoner's districts. Most Baronets own some arms and armor, and most own several horses, and they frequently maintain their own security force.

Life Style

Most Baronets dwell in a town or city where they make a living running some sort of business and attending court. They often appoint a relative to be the Steward of their country estate, and another relative to be the Major Domo in their Town House, and so they basically drift between their residences as the seasons pass - this is true for most baronets.

Type

Nobility, Hereditary

Alternative Naming

Land Lord, Landed Knight, Manor Lord