Duke of Nieuwvaalia

The Duke of Nieuwvaalia is a title in the Peerage of the Terran Empire and the Peerage of the Republic, which has been created twice. The first creation conferred ducal rank to the heretofore comital House of Marten of the planet Nieuwvaalia in 2533. The dukedom carried the subsidiary titles Count of Martenstad, Viscount Vaal and Baron Brachen. The Marten dynasty had previously held the the title Margrave of Nieuwvaalia as independent allodial lords of Nieuwvaalia from 2421 to 2500, having lived on the world since its colonization in 2366 and contributed greatly towards the planet's industrial and post-industrial economic and political development. With the establishment of the Terran Empire in 2430, they were compelled to bend the knee to the Emperor. They resisted initially, but in 2500 they came to an agreement and surrendered their allodial fiefdom to the Imperial Crown. In exchange, they were granted by letters patent the Dukedom of Nieuwvaalia and conferred the hereditary governorship of the planet.
The Marten dynasty became active politically in the Inner Sphere and later in the Imperial Parliament. The Duke of Nieuwvaalia held privilege within the House of Lords, in part due to their immense fortune and power, and their agreement with the Crown. The Martens possessed vast landholdings and industrial interests, giving them financial power in politics and industry. This influence reached both its peak and its dramatic fall under Duke Cassander Marten. He used his fortune for personal indulgences to the point of illegal activity, which caused his political downfall in the 2660s when he was investigated, tried, and imprisoned. He then plotted against the Crown to carry out an aristocratic coup d'etat; however, he and several conspirators were embroiled in a violent dispute, which led to their deaths.
Afterwards, the Marten dukedom became extinct. The dukedom was revived in 2671 for the Count of Rothstein. After his death in 2686, the dukedom passed to his daughter. This second creation of the dukedom carries the same subsidiary titles as the previous dukedom. By separate grant, the Rothschild dukes also hold the titles Count of Rothstein, Baron of Rothstein, Baron of Hertford, and Baron of Waidhofen.
== Incumbents ==
=== Dukes of Nieuwvaalia, first creation ===
* Pieter, 1st Duke of Nieuwvaalia (2420-2555), incumbent 2500-2521
*son, Willem Charles, 2nd Duke (2450-2540), incumbent 2521-2540
*son, Wikus, 3rd Duke (2498-2551), incumbent 2540-2551
* son, Frederik I Hendrik, 4th Duke (2520-2577), incumbent 2555-2577
*son, Johannes Pieter, 5th Duke (2541-2600), incumbent 2577-2600
*son, Pieter Francis, 6th Duke (2562-2621), incumbent 2600-2621
*son, Frederik II Johan, 7th Duke (2590-2628), incumbent 2621-2628
* son, Johannes II Frederik, 8th Duke (2600-2647), incumbent 2628-2647
* son, Cassander, 9th Duke (2621-2668), incumbent 2647-2668
=== Dukes of Nieuwvaalia, second creation ===
* George Francis, 1st Duke of Nieuwvaalia (2605-2686), incumbent 2671-2686
* Hannah Crescentia, 2nd Duchess of Nieuwvaalia (2643-), incumbent 2686-
** Jakodi Sean, Count of Martenstad and Rothstein (2671-)