Terran Aristocracy

The **Terran Aristocracy**, or commonly referred to as the **Aristocrats**, **Imperial Nobility**, **Highborn**, **Blue Bloods**, **Old Money**, **Old Blood**, and simply the **Aristocracy**, is the name of both the type of governing found throughout the Terran Imperium and the social class made up of the Imperium's elite from its' numerous systems and planets that largely governs each world semi-independent of the wider Imperial government, though there are limits to how much independence these aristocrats truly have. Most aristocrats can trace their houses' creation to the days of the Great Crusade, of which were often the result of generals being given titles of nobility and power by Emperor Lelouch himself, which only strengthened once the Imperium was formalized in the decades since the Imperium creation, becoming a feudalistic governing body that runs the day to day affairs of the Imperium.

While most of the Imperial Aristocracy's nobility came from titles and powers awarded to them by the Emperor, not all of were this. Approximately ten percent of the Imperial Aristocracy can trance their noble heritage back tens of thousands of years ago, with some being former dynasties of Terra's ancient monarchial past. These older nobles, however, did not have the same status as they currently enjoy in the tens of thousands of years since the mid 20th century CE to the creation of the Imperium at the beginning of the 300th century CE, as they were just simple citizens of their respected homelands rather than an elite class of people that hold power over wider society.

For much of the Imperium's history, the Terran Aristocracy had been the primary governing body for much of the Imperium's territories, with numerous Archduchies ruling numerous planets or systems across the Imperium, with an equally innumerable amount of lower nobles serving them, and the Archduchies themselves serving the Emperor himself. This feudal-like system was created with the purpose of effective governing of each planet, as the local nobles are the best fit to govern these worlds effectively than direct governance from the Throneworld of Terra. However, this system proved to be ineffectual over time as repeated abuses from the Imperium's nobility against the non-nobles of the Imperium was a common issue facing the Imperium throughout the ten thousand years of its' existence before the restructuring of the government by Liana post Second Galactic War, as well as repeated feudal wars between these nobles often resulted in worlds devastated by internal conflicts, sparking even more desire for a reform to the Imperium's governance.

The Aristocracy continued post Second Galactic War, but not without having much of their powers limited or stripped entirely, including various measures by the newly created Imperial Parliament to limit the role the Imperium's nobility had in the Imperium's government. These reforms greatly angered numerous nobles across the Imperium who would eventually join together to try and overthrow the Imperial government in the Second Imperial Civil War, under the banner of the Terran Confederacy. However, this turned out to be the death nail to the aristocracy as a whole, as the Imperial Government had disbanded the aristocracy entirely at the end of the conflict, striping the titles, rights, and privileges away from the nobility of the Imperium, leaving only the Imperial Family with any sort of nobility left in the Imperium.

## Aristocratic Ranks and Their Powers

### Royal Family

Aside from Lelouch's branch of the family, that being the Empress-Consort Kallen, their daughter Liana, and Lelouch's full younger sister Nunnally, the House of Tudor are their own seperate branch of the Terran Aristocracy, with them all having more powers and rights then the rest of the aristocracy due entirely to their relation to the Emperor and his family. However, aside from the Archduke/Archduchess of Britannia, the exact nature, powers, and responsibilities of the Tudor house within the Imperial aristocracy is notably vague and flexable.

### Nobles

Each position within the Terran Aristocracy has a guideline for what positions hold what in terms of overall territories, what rights they have, and how much power they can exert within the wider Imperial Government, but still ultimately lay below the Imperial Royal Family, by blood or marriage. As to what these powers and positions afforded to the Nobles vary from rank to rank, not mention the state of the planet itself, as some positions are more powerful on some planets when it nominally do not hold that much power in much of the Imperium.

#### Archduke/Archduchess

The rulers of planets and the title and rank equivalent to the Republic's Governors and serve the same purpose in the Imperium's Governorship on it's millions upon millions of planets. Their often nicknamed 'kings/queens of \*name of planet\*' due to them effectively ruling over entire planets with no limits of power to speak of and the position is almost entirely hereditary; although this is not always the case but it is the norm.

#### Marquis/Marchioness

The second in line to control the planets under Archduke/Archduchess and rank equivalent to the Republic's Lieutenant Governors and serve the same purpose as well. Effectively put it, they are the 'Prince/Princesses of \*name of planet\*' due to how often these Marquess/Marchioness are filled with the children of the Archduke/Archduchess, making it equally as hereditary, but once again not always the norm.

#### Count/Countess

Title and Rank given to nobles who controls continents (Provinces) on individual planets

#### Duke/Duchess

Title and Rank given to nobles who controls single, large territories (States) on Planetary continents

#### Viscount/Viscountess

Title and Rank given to nobles who controls single, smaller territories (Counties) in Planetary States

#### Baron/Baroness

Title and Rank given to nobles who controls a single city on planets, below Viscount/Viscountess, however on less populated planets, Barons/Baronesses can hold more power then Viscount/Viscountess, Duke/Duchess and even Count/Countess.

### Commerce Baronet

Main Article: Commerce Baronet

A Noble rank entirely unique to the Terran Imperium, although not dissimilar to merchant princes of the wider galaxy, and in fact does much of the same things as the merchant princes, being both merchants and nobles, although Commerce Baronets tend to act more like business beings then nobles but still fall in the aristocracy regardless. Commerce Baronets uniquely have fleets of ships and space stations that serve as their semi-mobile fiefdoms, called simply Commerce Fiefdoms, and given the right to conduct trade with the wider galaxy on the Imperium's behalf, along with many other responsibilities and rights afforded to them by the Trade Charter that officially creates the position and fiefdom. Furthermore, the position is entirely hereditary, with the eldest child typically inheriting the position from their parents, though its' not uncommon for non-relatives to inherit the position as well, and even have commoner become a Commerce Baronet, making the position one of the few noble ranks within the Imperial Aristocracy where anyone could become a Commerce Baronet, though it is exceedingly rare for commoners to become a Commerce Baronet.

### Former Nobles Ranks and Their Powers

#### High King/Queen

former title that once used for the Nobles that governed the thirty 'commonwealths' of the Imperium for the majority of its' history with the 'Core' commonwealth directly governed by the Emperor. This position and rank was dissolved entirely in the aftermath of the Duel Conspiracy Crisis by three of these High Kings/Queens in the decades following the First Galactic War.