Social Classes (TCG)

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One important aspect of the feudal system is its clear and almost absolute recognition of social classes. Anyone born as a serf can expect to die as a serf. There is no provision in such a society for the advancement of individuals from a lower class into the higher classes. This is not to say that it is impossible, only that it is very difficult.
How might someone in a lower class make the jump to a higher place in society? Usually by doing a great service to one's lord or church. In some societies, in fact, any knight has the right to bestow the rank and title of knighthood on any individual who proves himself worth on the field of combat. Of course, the problem with such an approach is that it often ends up in the would-be knight's death at the hands of a better trained and better equipped warrior. As we said, it is not easy to improve your place in such a system.
In the following section, we will examine the many levels of society which characters in an AD&D® game will encounter.
==Serfs==
By the time of the middle ages, slavery had gradually fallen out of favor in feudal europe. While there are certain to be isolated pockets of slave trading in most worlds, the vast majority of a chivalric campaign world should not be a party to it. While the distinction between a serf and a slave may be obscure to many, the most important thing to understand is this: the serf had certain rights.
While he did not own the land which he worked and did not have a say in the local government he was acknowledged to own himself. Unlike more primitive societies, where members of the lower class were thought of as animals or property, the poor in a feudal society are recognized as having a right to fair and just treatment by the nobility and society in general.
Most feudal estates have laws to protect the local serf population from abuse or mistreatment-even by members of the nobility. While these laws may be more or less enforced, depending on the disposition of the local lord, the fact that they exist at all is a major turning point in cultural evolution.
==Yeomen==
Unlike the serf, who spent his days laboring on land owned by his lord, a yeoman was recognized as the owner of his own farm. As a rule, it was not a large estate, but it was enough to provide for his needs (and those of his family). If times were good, it might even provide a surplus which could be sold or bartered for a few choice items or luxuries.
In many cases, of course, a yeoman will swear loyalty to a near-by lord and pay him or her some tribute each year. This serves two purposes. Primarily, it allows the yeoman to keep on good terms with the lord and provides assurance that his land will not be taken from him. Secondly, it obligates the lord to help protect the yeoman's land in the event of a disaster or attack. In short, the gesture simply assures that the two will be "good neighbors".
==Tradesmen==
Tradesmen make up the lower I classes of a feudal town. They include the common laborers, lesser craftsmen, and small businessmen. As individuals, they hold little power. Because of their overall importance in society, however, they are treated fairly well by the lord of the manor.
As a rule, tradesmen make enough money to support themselves fairly well and to provide a comfortable home for their families. In a modern sense, they might be described as the middle class.
==Guildsmen==
In order to counter the power which a lord maintains over his holdings and make certain that he does not abuse his status, the members of many professions form guilds. In essence, they function like the thieves' guild which is so much a part of many AD&D game campaigns. Guildsmen, the leaders of such groups, have much power in a town, for they can call on workers to stop key activities or delay important projects. Likewise, they can urge increased quality or quantity in times of strife.
In addition to the important members of the various guilds, this class of citizens includes unusually gifted artisans or those
who work with precious materials (like a gem merchant). This class may be the most diverse of any because it serves as a buffer between. the nobility and the common folk. In modern terms, the guildsmen might be considered to be the upper middle class.
As a side note, some guildsmen might have more actual power in a region than the nobles they serve. Such power is probably not openly manifested, but used in subtle ways to help the friends and family of the guildsman. The most important members of this class might be considered nobles who just haven't been given a title yet.
==Chivalrics==
The lowest rank of the nobility. the chivalric class is made up of knights and barons who have been given a grant of land to administer. In some cases, they have earned the land themselves through wealth, power, or service. In others, the land may have been awarded to one of their ancestors and they have inherited the title and responsibilities which come with such an estate.
Members of this class are endowed by their own lord (usually a duke, count, or earl) with land of their own and a manor house or keep in which to dwell. In return, of course, they swear loyalty to their benefactor and vow to serve his interests in their daily lives. As such, they pay a portion of their own incomes to him as a measure of their respect and gratitude. In a time of crisis, they are expected to come promptly to the aid of their superiors.
==Nobility==
The nobility are second in status only to the royal family. In practice, they are perhaps the most powerful of the classes. Members of the nobility, most of whom bear the title of Count. Duke, Earl, or Marquis, are each entrusted with a large section of the king's land. They swear loyalty to the crown, just as the members of the chivalric class swear loyalty to them. It is their responsibility to see to it that affairs in their lands are orderly and that all taxes and revenues due to the King are colected in a timely manner.
Members of the nobility have a very close relationship with the royal family, but they can claim no direct blood ties to the throne. In the event that a great disaster were to decimate the ruling house, the successor to the throne would certainly come from this class. The means by which such an individual came to power might be very controversial and a politcal power struggle is sure to erupt whenever the throne is left uncaimed.
==Royal Family==
At the top of it all is the royal family. Members of this group can trace a direct family relationship to the ruling monarch. When the current king dies, one of them will be next on the throne. In any feudal culture, members of this class are the absolute upper crust. Everyone, even the most powerful members of the nobility, swears fealty to the royal family and to the king in particular.
In the event of a dispute between the king and a member of the nobility, either in the form of a political challenge or an outright rebellion, members of lower classes are expected to side with the king and royal family. For example, if a powerful count decides to make a grab for the throne, many of the knights and barons who serve him may well be forced to turn against him. Failure to support the king in an internal struggle can be disasterous if the king should prove to be triumphant in the dispute.
As a rule, the king will be replaced by his first born male child when he dies or steps down. If there is no such heir, then a pre-established pecking order exists to decide who has claim to throne. In the event that no clear successor exists, the nobility will step in to select which member of the royal family will become the new King. In such cases, a great deal of politi cal manipulation and deal making can be counted upon.
==The Imperial Family==
In some cases, there exists an element of society above the traditional royal family: the impeiral family. Where a king is the recognized ruler of an individual country, an emperor has united several nations under his own banner.
Empires are very rare indeed. The power required to hold one together is almost impossible for one man to attain. In most cases, an empire is formed by conquest. When one nation becomes so powerful that it can overrun a number of neighboring states, its king is elevated to the status of an emperor.
There are other ways in which an empire might be formed, but these are rare in the extreme. Several nations with the same religion might be united in a holy war which causes them to select a single individual as their leader. If things go well and the new leader has acquired the power to hold this alliance together after the war, an empire may be forged.
There will always be men who claim to rule empires which exist only in their own minds, of course. It is not uncommon for a king to refer to himself as emperor and his lands as an empire. For our purposes, however, these people are no more than kings with delusions of granduer.