Appointed Titles
It is the way of most Kingdoms of Tyrra to give noble titles
to those who have earned them by merit. Only the Kings and Queens
have the right of passing their titles through a line-of-succession
onto their kin, and even that has not met with much success in
the human Kingdoms, with dynasties coming and going in the span
of several generations.
Merit-based titles allows nearly any member of society to achieve
the rank and privileges of a noble given that they prove themselves
to the Monarch and her vassals. One usually begins as a squire-candidate,
and then becomes a Squire to a Knight. Once a Knight proven in
service to a liege, one may be chosen to become a Baron/Baroness
by the reigning Duke/Duchess or Monarch.
Each rank bears certain responsibilities. In day-to-day matters,
a Knight or Baron oversees an estate for his liege and holds it
in trust for the Monarch. The protection, peace, and prosperity
of the estate's lands and peoples are the vassal's foremost responsibility.
Noble Responsibilities & Rights
It is because the nobility give their lives to service that all
citizens and travelers within the land are to treat the noble
with respect and obey their orders.
In order to provide better defense for the citizens, nobles are
justified in collecting taxes from those they protect. Taxes should
not be so overly burdensome as to sap the prosperity of the populace
in order to provide the nobility with unnecessarily luxuries.
A noble has the responsibility of seeing the money given to her
by the people she protects is invested in improvements that better
the citizens' lives. These improvements may be through public
buildings, roads, and structures, the maintenance of a standing
guard or army, or the patronage of festivities which lend to pride
and cohesiveness among the people the noble governs.
In seeing to the peace and prosperity of a populace, the noble
also has the responsibility to investigate, or designate an official
to investigate, any crimes committed within the borders of his
land, try the alleged offender, formulate an appropriate punishment
for the guilty, and perhaps see to the recompensance of the injured
party. Justice must be carefully balanced with mercy.
A noble is also bound to recognize the service of any vassals
who have sworn fealty to him and to support, guide, and reward
them for the assistance and acts of bravery they have performed
for the benefit of his people. The more decisive a leader a noble
can be, the greater confidence he will inspire.
The Code of Chivalry
Throughout the hundreds of years that human societies have kept
order through the feudal ways described above, a "Code of
Chivalry" has been used in many kingdoms to give concise
guidelines to the nobility on how to conduct themselves to the
benefit of the people they protect. A noble's conduct should go
above the letter of the law to be a goodly and just steward.
The Code of Chivalry of Avendale:
Thou shalt respect the weak, thou shalt constitute thyself
the defender of them.
A noble often has the privilege of resources that are vastly
superior to the individuals she protects. She is sworn to defend
against those that would threaten her people's well-being and
her land's prosperity, as her own well-being and prosperity is
dependent upon them. To become a noble is to recognize, honor,
and defend this relationship of mutual benefit.
Thou shalt love the country in which thou hast sworn fealty.
Once an Oath of Fealty is sworn, one is honorbound to place all
other interests in any other land secondary to the one a noble
now serves.
Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
This part of the Code of Chivalry speaks of the need of the noble
to be the first to face the difficulties before him with courage.
Thou shalt make war against evil without cessation.
This part of the Code is often debated. What does "without
cessation" mean? I believe it means that a noble should dedicate
herself to the elimination of anything or anyone who would threaten
her people. Even nobles do not have limitless resources and power
to invest into the "war" against evil. The wisdom in
a noble is to understand which evils can be reasonably eliminated
with a careful and planned use of force and guile, and which evils
are beyond her resources. A noble must dedicate her time and energy
to the well-being of a people. She must rest now and then to renew
her convictions and investigate the evils she can work to eliminate.
It is impossible to cure Tyrra entirely of beings who seek to
gain from and perpetuate the suffering of others, but one can
find small but significant ways to make a difference against them.
As long as a noble seeks to do what is in her power to
combat evil, then she is fulfilling this part of the Code.
Thou shalt scrupulously perform thy noble duties be they not
contrary to the laws of the land.
A noble is never to break the law in order to fulfill her responsibilities,
as she is a citizen like any another, and must be held to the
law.
Thou shalt never lie and thou shalt remain faithful to thy
word.
If one does what one says he will do, he gains the confidence
and trust of his friends, his vassals, and his people. Lying is
an act of deception and can quickly erode trust and confidence
which are so necessary to solid leadership. Many believe a noble
should not under any circumstances lie even to one's enemy.
Thou shalt be generous and thou shalt give freely to everyone.
Nobles should not horde riches which may be better served invested
in the welfare of their people. Generosity brings regard, and
to be regarded well is important to leadership. This also applies
to the generosity of one's time to listen to those who bring concerns
to her presence.
Thou shalt everywhere and always be the champions of the good
and the right against injustice and evil.
One should not turn one's back against evil just because it does
not occur in one's own lands. A noble should, whenever possible,
uphold the well-being of all peaceful peoples.
On Integrity
If there was no Code of Chivalry, and the noble had only one
sentence to guide her in her decisions, I suggest this:
Live with integrity and in service to your people.
All content of this website
is Copyright© 2002 - 2004 to Lilaiethyn. No content may be
reproduced without permission.