Velkanian nobility

The **Velkanian nobility** (Velkanian: *Nóslinfolk*) is a social class in the Velkanian Isles that has historically received preferential treatment, and has been associated with the elite and Velkanian monarchy. The nobility was first established in 1150, when certain wealthier citizens were granted tax breaks by the government if they donated supplies, such as horses, crops, and land, to the monarchy. Unlike in some other countries, the nobility of the Velkanian Isles have never received noble titles; instead, they used solely their birth names and the nobility could only be distinguished from commoners if one personally knew that they were a noble. In 2019, it was theorized that about 14,000 Velkanians were considered to be noble, about 1.3% of the country, while many more people were able to trace their ancestry to the nobility, but were not noble themselves.

For much of the initial Kingdom of the Velkanian Isles, the nobility was a dominant social class which occupied many seats in the Stádlink. The children of nobles and some nobles themselves were frequently married off as consorts for royalty. During this time, nobility was only passed on to the eldest child of a noble; this means if a noble had three children, only their eldest-born was also considered a noble, while their two younger children were commoners. This practice was discontinued by the 16th-century, and entire families began to be considered noble. Besides the initial class of nobles who were made noble in the 12th-century for their donations to the monarchy, people were made nobles until the 17th-century for a variety of reasons, most often their service to the royal family.

After the conquer of the Velkanian Isles by Forsland in the 17th-century, the political climate for nobles changed greatly. The wealth and prestige they received were greatly diminished, as Forsland did not recognize the Velkanian nobility as an actual noble class, as citizens could only be deemed nobles by the monarchy of Forsland, not the Velkanian monarchy. They began paying taxes for the first time, but still held a bit of prestige within the Velkanian Isles. Most members of the nobility were fervent supporters of Velkanian independence. After the restoration of independence in 1966, the nobility was restructured so that they no longer received preferential treatment by the government. The House of Nobles was established as an institution to organize and lobby on behalf of the Velkanian nobility; members of the nobility who wish to associate with the House of Nobles must pay an annual fee and are thus granted with tickets to numerous nobility-only events, with the royal family typically also in attendance. The House of Nobles states that 84.6% of the nobility are registered with the institution.

Today, the Velkanian nobility still is considered to be the dominant social class in the Velkanian Isles. The average salary for a noble is two-times the average for a commoner, and the nobility almost exclusively resides in either Búdarverfi or the Fjallassandur district of Naríthjábæk. Members of the nobility have often found themselves in notable careers such as politics, entertainment, and business.