Social Hierarchy
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The villein is released at the moment he or she makes the oath of office in the Cathedral forum. They are afforded this privilege because of the work and services they provide to the government. Some, like heralds, will even make a little bit of money from charging a fee for services they provide, like commissioning arms. | The villein is released at the moment he or she makes the oath of office in the Cathedral forum. They are afforded this privilege because of the work and services they provide to the government. Some, like heralds, will even make a little bit of money from charging a fee for services they provide, like commissioning arms. | ||
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| + | ==Gentry== | ||
| + | From Fireside Chat 1 | ||
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| + | The Gentry is the aristocracy with Lords at the highest rank. It also contains two other classifications other than the lords: knights/baronets and esquires. | ||
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| + | ===Knight=== | ||
| + | Knights hold a title of knighthood. This is earned usually by those who pursue the soldier route and who have perfected the skills of mounted melee combat, as it says in the ducal court document. A knight is privileged with the style of "Sir" or "Dame", and this sort of honor will be earned by the real PVP heroes of this guild. However, a knight is not a freeman. Sometimes a grant of a title of knighthood is merely an honor, as is the case of a knight bachelor. However, a knight bachelor is something of a free agent, and should he swear himself in fealty to a liege lord like a baron or myself, then he is no longer free, but bound back into the feudal structure. Fortunately, he is not just a villein again, but is allowed to have villeins of his own. Also, the baron or liege lord will likely also grant him some form of benefice, like a portion of land containing resources that he will be responsible to farm and provide a portion of to the baron. | ||
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| + | ===Baronet=== | ||
| + | A baronet has the same rank and style as a knight except he or she will not be skilled in heavy mounted combat. Some baronets will come from the ranks of soldiery who are heroic rangers or even magicians. However, although almost all knights will have been soldiers, some baronets will have been outstanding yeomen or merchant burgesses as well. Baronets too may become vassals of liege lords and may hold land and castles in their names just like knights. Baronets won't be able to train esquires as apprentices, however, the way knights can. | ||
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| + | ===Esquires=== | ||
| + | The last category are the esquires, the lowest rank of the gentry. The difference that makes our in game duchy different from a real feudal society is that for us, the ranks of the gentry are not closed. In real life, if you are not born into the gentry, it is very difficult to get into it. Knights would never take villeins as esquires in real life - the esquires they had were the sons of other knights and lords, which is why esquires have heraldic arms. The highest rank a commoner could usually gain in real life was that of sergeant, a mounted warrior who would ride in support of a knight. However, in the Duchy of Wessex, the classes are not locked, and advancement is limitless. Knights may select two esquires from among any of the members of the Duchy to train in the arts of chivalry, including the villeins. If you do not marry a knight, the quickest way to become a member of the gentry is to become an apprentice to one. | ||
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| + | But there is a tradeoff! Although an esquire does not have an oath of fealty to a knight, he is sworn to his service. This means that a knight will require his squires to carry things for him, to care for his horses, to upkeep his armor and weapons out of their own pockets, etc. The training a good knight deems appropriate to make a squire a worthy leader of this guild is also quite rigorous. The knight Lord Fishbarrel, for example, hired Protonix as a personal tutor who makes his esquires study and write essays about topics like Machiavelli! Esquires also are allowed to take the officer ranks in our military which are beyond footman, archer, man at arms, and sergeant. These ranks include cavalier and lieutenant. | ||
