The Ranking of Hierarchy of the Peerage of Evendarr
By Idrahil Aelenros Aerandir, Count of Araman
Duchy Tyrangel, Westhaven
The following is a ranking of Nobility and Hierarchy of Orders and Knighthoods in the Kingdom of Evendarr.
Ranks of Nobility are all considered to be an extension of their superior Rank all the way up to the King who is the Origin of all Noble authority in the Kingdom. All Nobility from Squires to the Crowned Princes swear fealty to the King and Crown above all other Lieges and Lands. Thus the entirety of the Peerage are technically Nobles of the King/Kingdom first, then their respective Principalities, Dukedoms, Counties and Baronies. All Nobility is thus tied to each other for support and acknowledgement of that authority.
It is for these reasons that a Nobles authority is considered absolute and universal throughout the Kingdom. It should be said here Noble authority must always be tempered with a deep abiding respect of both their superiors and subordinates without respect Noble authority and power can be corrupted into tyranny.
Upper Nobility
- King/Queen
- Crown Prince/Crown Princess
- Prince/Princess
- Duke/Duchess
- Count/Countess
- Viscount/Viscountess
- Baron/Baroness
These are the "Named" Ranks of Nobility and are considered the Upper Nobility. They are the only Nobility who may grant or bestow Nobility on others with the exception of Viscount/Viscountess. These Noble Ranks are considered to be in line of succession to the crown and are the Skeleton of the Peerage.
Of Notable exceptions are the Ranks of Viscount/Viscountess and Baron/Baroness for differing reasons which I will describe here.
Viscount/Viscountess is typically a Title of Honor or inherited Title and thus is not a Title which grants powers to name a Court. Many who bear this Title gained it through great deeds or marriage into higher ranks of Nobility. They do often take squires but may only with permission of their Liege may one name Knights. Even then they would be usually considered as a Noble of that Liege?s Court rather than on the Court of the Viscount/Viscountess.
Baron/Baroness is a rank which is sometimes set apart from the other Nobility in various parts of the Kingdom. Barons/Baronesses are either considered the Highest Rank of Knighthood or the Lowest Rank of Upper Nobility depending on where you come from. Furthermore Many Barons/Baronesses who were first Knights may retain the Title "Sir Baron" or "Dame Baroness" to denote their Knighthood. Other Barons/Baronesses who may not have been Knights will use the Title "Lord Baron" or "Lady Baroness" to denote their Lordship (this case is used for both genders as in Knighthood)
Another Title which is customarily added the Rank of Baron is that of a Ducal Baron. This is similar to the Title of Marquis, March-Lord, or Earl in other parts of Avalon. A Ducal Baron is the Baron/Baroness who rules over the particular Barony in which a Duchy Seat or Capitol is located. It is considered to be an additional honor bestowed on the Baron/Baroness to rule such an important part of the Duchy. The Title of Ducal baron is not considered of higher Rank than any other Baron/Baroness.
Knighthood and Lordship
As has been written in The Society and Customs of the Rulers of the Kingdom of Evendarr Knights/Dames and Lords/Ladies may or may not be considered of equal Rank based on local custom.
They will be of differing stature based on the rank of Court they serve, for it is the Court that is the origin of their title.
For example:
A Baronial Knight is of lower stature than a County Knight who is of lower stature than a Duchy Knight and so on. Lords and Ladies follow suit regardless of their relation to Knights/Dames.
- Kingdom Knights (Orchestra)
- Kingdom Knights (Crown)
- Kingdom Knights (other)
- Principality Knights
- Duchy Knights
- County Knights
- Baronial Knights
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- Kingdom Lords/Ladies
- Principality Lords/Ladies
- Duchy Lords/Ladies
- County Lords/Ladies
- Baronial Lords/Ladies
- Honorary Lords/Ladies
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Within these two divisions of Nobility there are a number of Local Titles which denote specific duties of the Noble. The most common of which is Seneschal, this can be applied to either divisions and generally has the same powers throughout the Kingdom. Some other common Local Titles include Lord/Lady Magus, Knight Champion, Knight Bannerette, Knight Baronet, Lord /Lady Extern/Intern.
Honorary Knighthoods and Lordships
These are a large and varied division of Nobility. Like Local Titles in many ways, there are almost as many different titles as there are people who have them.
Many are from foreign Lands and as such do deserve respect but do not have any power in our Kingdom. Ambassadors are quite common among this division of the Peerage.
One common Honorary Lordship which typically does have the authority of other Nobles is that of Lord or Lady Magistrate, though their duties normally apply to commoners rather than other Nobles.
Knightly Orders exist in nearly every part of Avalon. Though they too are quite different in their appearances and methods, nearly all share a number of common beliefs and customs. In most Duchies they are locally recognized as Honorary Nobility and are addressed as "Sir" or "Dame". They may or may not have any additional powers or authority depending on their status as an individual and the local Liege-Lord.
In all cases it is required now in the Kingdom of Evendarr that every member of the Peerage in every part of the Realm must have a "Writ of Nobility" to receive the benefits of their Title. In cases where they are not known to the local Nobility they may be accused of Impersonating a Noble or worse if they cannot produce evidence to the contrary.
The Code of Chivalry and The Oath of Nobility
The Code of Chivalry
- Thou shalt respect the weak and constitute thyself the defender of them
- Thou shalt love the country to which thou hast sworn featly
- Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy
- Thou shalt make war against evil without cessation
- Thou shalt scrupulously perform thy Noble duties be they not contrary to the Laws of the Land.
- Thou shalt never lie and Thou shalt remain faithful to thy word
- Thou shalt be generous and thou shalt give freely to everyone
- Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the good and the right against injustice and evil
- Thou shalt be courteous
- Thou shalt be humble
The Oath of Nobility
- I shall remain true to my King, the Crown, and the Noble Peerage.
- I shall uphold the Laws of this Land for the good of all in the name of my King and my Country.
- I shall defend and protect my King and my Country from all enemies within or without who would do them harm.
- I shall honor the duties given to me by my King and those with station above mine and perform those duties to the best of my abilities and in a manner behooving my station.
- I shall be true to my duties towards those Lands and People given to my charge and discharge my duties toward them to the fullest extent.
- I shall treat equally and without bias in all judgments and dealings with all citizens of this Kingdom.
- I shall honor the trusts given to me and hold in trust my right to withhold information that would be injurious to others if divulged unnecessarily.
These two Oaths are the basis for the entire Peerage of Evendarr. Both have very long histories in our Kingdom. Most of their Tenets are the same and require the same commitments from those who follow them. The difference is in the division of Nobility. Some of the Tenets of The Code of Chivalry are based in Knightly custom and reiterate what is required of their station. On the other hand those Nobles who are not Knights/ Dames cannot always uphold certain aspects of Knighthood like defending oneself in Honor Combat or they may be of other classes or professions thus they follow The Oath of Nobility. I would like to note here that even as recently as 10 years ago The Oath of Nobility was known throughout the Kingdom but fell into disuse in many parts of Evendarr. The Oath of Nobility was reintroduced a few years ago and has been officially adopted by the Kingdom of Evendarr.
~~This is the final draft which was sent to the Royal Court of Evendarr for approval and inclusion in the forth coming work The Peerage of Evendarr 