Royal Guard (Northern States)

Her Northian Majesty's Guards (Rejñi̯ās Pāmā) is the royal guard of the Monarchy of the Northern States. Currently, the Guard meets its statutory strength of 4 barons, 20 gentlemen, and 120 yeomen. Established statutorily in 1349, the monarch was responsible for the recruitment and arming of a royal guard to protect his or her person; in return, the monarch could receive a sacramentalized oath of loyalty "within the confines of the laws". Though the foundational statute was altered multiple times, the Guard still exists and remains a functional unit.

History

In 1124, the Monarchy of the Northern States was established as a permanent, hereditary office by the fifth Congress of the States, held at Cleiden, and granted certain powers and duties. According to historians, the early monarchy functioned as a "trash bin" of duties that none of the states wished to discharge, and so it was an unprofitable office and so laden with expenditures and risks that none of the nobles of the land agreed to take up the "title". The Congress thus used its inherent powers to appoint a series of nobles, most of whom abdicated or absconded from the Northern States to avoid saddling their great estates with the hereditary obligations of kingship. Thus, for the first two centuries of Northian kingship, no true dynasties formed, and interregna were common. Moreover, kings were so frugal to be threatened on royal duty by common thieves, to the chagrin of the states' representatives, who chastised the king for being an international embarrassment.

During the Perpetual Congress in 1320, the states agreed to give the then King Poimonaθrō a permanent income in the form of import duties but also added new obligations, including the maintenance of a good corps of guards that must contain at least 4 barons, 20 gentlemen of rank, and 120 free men. Poimonaθrō was given until 1325 to furnish such a guard. The king is responsible for at least a helmet, chestplate, bow, and quiver of arrows replenished daily to each member of the guard, and the gentlemen are additionally entitled to a sword. The king must also provide sufficient bread and water to the guard, who will be entitled to the king's leftovers on festive days. Additionally, the royal guard cannot consist of "slaves, vagabonds (meaning those who owned no land), debtors to the king's treasury, and outlaws of any state", as it was assumed these individuals would only enlist in order to escape from punishment or seek shelter.

In 1323, before the Guard formed, the Congress further decreed that the free men of the guard shall be required to demonstrate real property worth at least 40 marks, generating an annual income no less than 1.5 marks, and has an appointed bailiff during the owner's absence, so that their properties shall not go to waste. When the Guard finally formed in 1324, their service to the king was consecrated by the priests of Cleiden at a great public ceremony. As an act of grace, the Congress decreed that during the first year of service to the king, no member of the guard would be required to pay tax on their properties; Poimonaθrō thanked the Congress for their largess.

In the middle decades of the 14th century, the standing order of the Guard became established. The barons, as men of aristocratic rank, were permitted to sit on the steps on the royal throne, while the gentlemen of the guard were permitted to enter the chamber of the royal presence. The free men, or yeomen, of the guard were confined to the outer quarters of the royal palatium. The barons were addressed by the king as "noble and honourable companions", the gentlemen as "honourable companions", and the yeomen as "men of the household".

Culture

Motto

The Guard's motto is "how heavy this honour" hrāo kə̄ āŋhmāi̯ hii̯ō. The honour spoken of is the King's royal office and dignity, which heavily burdens his guards.

See also

• Northern States