Guide on Novels and Games - FANTASY - S&R - SOCIETY SECTION

The normal society in most medieval like fantasy stories have some common element but since this change based on the author is not really possible create a single list so I'll talk about arguments that I think are logic to say.

**NOBLES**

In medieval epoch there were nobles and we see them in basically all the fantasy.

An important thing that I have to say is that the main purpose of nobles is that of support the ruler of a country keeping their eyes on the portion of territory they control collecting taxes, working for prosper it and control a small army for defend the borders, I don't exclude the existence of the corrupted nobles we see in stories but in reality do that go against their own interests so in reality people like that were quite rare.

Before explain how work the territory management is better list the various noble titles, please note that if I don't have particular information to say about them there will be only the title:

* *Rulers*, I use this term for indicate who rule the country and so I refer to Kings, Queens, Emperor and Empress.
* *Prince / Princess*, this title is used for indicate the son/s and the daughter/s of the rulers, in ancient time there was a title called "Grand Prince / Grand Princess" that an author can use as a way for separate the one that will succed the throne (normally is the first born) and the other siblings.
* *Duke / Duchess*, various times I saw a ruler's brother/s or sister/s use this title so it's legit suppose that whoever don't succeed a throne can become a duke or duchess BUT in medieval periods nobles married their sons and/or daughters into other families and this worked for all of them, from rulers to low rank nobles and especially women since in certain cultures noble women were unable to inherit the title, despite this is possible that ruler's family member will take a title forming a new household instead get married in one that already exist. If a ruler don't have an heir is possible that a child from a duke branch family will be adopted or that will take the throne after the ruler's death without adoption.
* *Marquis & Margrave*, I don't have too much to say about the marquis rank but I have something for the margrave. It's a title of the holy roman empire that was give to the nobles that were in the border of the country and protect it, it said that in terms of rank it say that it is lower respect a duke but high respect count and from that the reason of me placing it here with the marquis.
* *Count & Landgrave*, while the rank of count have a position in the hierarchy the rank of Landgrave is a little different. A Landgrave was originally a title gave to counts that basically put the noble under the direct order of the ruler's family making the landgrave free from the authority of any other lord.
* *Viscount*, about the viscont I have to say that originally this title was a non-hereditary administrative or judicial position, but in fantasy stories this trait seems be removed.
* *Baron*, is basically a person who pledged his/her loyalty and service to his/her superior in return for some territory that can pass to his/her heirs.
* *Baronet & Knight*, they are the lowest ranks between nobles to the point that there is no difference between them and commoners... basically one can say that they are noble just in title and not in reality... in various stories where this titles appears other nobles treat them as lower considering nobles only people from baron onwards.

There is a title that was difficult for me to place in the hierarchy that is the title "Earl".

From what I saw in my researches, originally was the same rank of a duke during the middle ages but in the later medieval britain the title was the equivalent of a count... said this I think all of you can understand why I hadn't placed it in the ranking over here.

In all of this I think that a fedual society can be divided like this:

* The ruler that live and mainly directly control the territory where the capital is located.
* The first circle of nobles with the titles like Earl for the internal territories and Margrave for the terrirories in the borders that control big portions of the country.
* The second circle of nobles that can have various titles and control small portions of the territories that are gave to them by the margraves or earls.

Till now I said the ranks and hierarchy but how someone can become a noble? Here the answer:

* *Birth*, since most titles are hereditary the new born is a noble too, be recognized by the family is another matter.
* *Adoption*, one can become a noble once adopted into a noble family.
* *Marriage*, when a commoner marry a noble, it's difficult but if the commoner in question is someone that can give merits to the house, like is a powerfull soldier or a famous mage, than the chance of happen go up
* *Money*, rich people can "buy" a title, they can't buy an high rank one and normally are baronet or knight.
* *Merits*, the commoner show his value and it can gain a title, this can happen with the king that hear about the commoner and decide to take it
* *Reccomendation*, a noble notice a commoner and propose to make it a noble, most of the time the ex-commoner is put under the noble that made the reccomendation.
* *Nameless title*, a ruler can give to a noble a "nameless title" that are free to give them to whoever they feel they fit so, for example, a king give a "nameless marquis title" to a duke and the duke can give it to a very loyal guard or to one of his sons. Despite this the new noble need always, like any other noble, swear loyalty to the ruler.

After saw all of this is possible that someone can think that fantasy don't have "political quarrels" and maybe is possible BUT humans are naturally greedy beings and so have political factions in fantasy with nobles is something that is very possible.

**COMMONER**

This term is used for indicate all the people that are not noble.

Say what a commoner can or can't do is a little difficult because this elements change based on the choice of the author and the background of the world but let me point some of this differences:

* Normally the illiteracy rate is very high and nobles are mainly the one that are able to read, write and calculate aside clericals and merchants.
* Worlds that were advanced in the past have people that can read, write and calculate plus worlds like this tend to unite language and measurement units so all talk, write and read the same language and take measures at the same way.
* Real medieval like worlds don't have public schools or hospitals so all the knowledge is basically managed by nobles and churches.
* In real medieval worlds you can learn things paying private teachers but only if you have enough money to do so and for this reason that only rich merchants and nobles can read and write.

**ADMINISTRATION AND GOVERNMENT**

First of all we start with the classical notion... with monarchy there are nobles but this make another problem that most people probably never though... what is the difference between a kingdom and an empire... well, for make it simple an empire is a group of countries that have an emperor and/or emperess that govern over various kings and queens while a kingdom is a nation that have only a king and/or a queen.

Don't know you but to me this definition create inside my head a couple of questions:

**Q**: Can an alliance of small countries be considered an empire?

**A**: No, since the empire have a single ruler for various nations, in this case they made an alliance where each country is on its own but that is ready to help the members.

**Q**: I saw a country that was called kingdom but the ruler it's elected like is some kind of president, what's the meaning of this?

**A**: The main concept of monarchy is based on the presence of a royal or imperial family and the presence of other nobles too, if we take into consideration this and the fact that the ruler's title is "king" or "queen" mean that that country is a kingdom, at least this is my opinion.

**Q**: Let's say that there is a group of small countries that lost their royal families and the nobles decide to stay divided but in an alliance, what that will be?

**A**:I think that this is the case of a federation, in this case the concept is quite simple... there is no ruler and the nobles create a "congress" where they decide a representative that take the decision for their territory and be a member of a council where all the representative decide about things that involve all the countries of the federation... so, in the end the positions that are held in this kind of places are the nobles ranks and the title of the representative that can be anything.

A variation of this is that each member of the federation have a royal family BUT they still form a congress with no real ruler.

**Q**: It's possible for a religious figure, like the head of a religion, rule a country instead of a royal or imperial family?

**A**: Yes, I personally saw a couple of works where a "Pope" or a similar titled man/woman rule over a nation that sometimes is named "Holy Nation X" or similar, their government is basically the highest positions that in a congress take the decision, when a "pope" die they just elect another one that will take that position.

So, in the end for what concern government we can summarize this:

* Kingdom, single country with a single ruler.
* Empire, Various countries where each one have a ruler but they take order from the Emperor
* Holy Nation, the high members of a religion manage the country and there is no
* Federation / Alliance, various countries with the rulers that join in a congress and decide for all of them.

In all of this the classical medieval fantasy have some central organization problems and this give to the authors some "holes" that they can use.

* *Absence of Records*, villages don't take note of who born, when and the parents of such child. In some cases is possible that a local church record it but is not sure.
* *Tax collection*, when there weren't money, taxes where payed using food or materials like minerals. They were collected by the village's chief and then gave to the tax collector, in this case the opening come from the fact that without records it is not possible say if the taxes are payed the right ammount plus for a chief was easy to say that there were a pour harvest while keeping for himself or the village more products.
* *Identity Issues*, anyone can say to have a name and come from a specific place but since there were nothing for prove that the only thing one can do is take as true what is said, for example my name is Joshua and I'm born in village X but than I go to the capital and say that I'm born in city Y of the kingdom Z and my name is Lucas, as you can see from this example since there are no proof for demostrate what I said the only thing one can do is take as true my words. In a way can be good since this way is possible give a chance of new life for people that may be persecuted for whatever reason.
* *Staff*, in fantasy, most of the time, only nobles cover government's positions and various time the thing is hereditary so if a position is covered by someone that is not able to the work than problems will come, in situation like this normally or the noble cover its mistakes or the ruler give the position to someone else.
* *Partial Covering*, institutions and administrations cover only a limited number of places, with this I don't mean that small places are left on their own but that the physical presence is limited to certain places like big cities and commerical cities, for example if a small village need a judge then it's need to call one, then wait its arrive or move the ones involved to where the judge is, most of the time is the second option.