Sjealandian nobility

The Sjealandian nobility is the highest social class of Sjealand, aswell as a former estate of the Royal Government. The nobility bears official recognition from the government, aswell as certain privilieges and political rights, like the right to a seat in the Landsting for the Sovereign Nobility, higher standing in the order of precedence, the right to have an official coat of arms, the right to use their title, and the right to demand an audience with the monarch. The nobility consists of the Sovereign Nobility, nobles who remain in power of official sovereign realms, like duchies and baronies, and the landed gentry, which while landowners do not maintain the right to the land. Sjealand also maintains the social class of Knights, who while above the normal population in precedence, and with the right to have a personal coat of arms, have no privilieges and have no hereditary right, their coat of arms will also revert upon their death. The nobility is further subdivided into the high nobility and the lower nobility, with the high nobility being the oldest families, descended from warriors who served the first Sjealandian Archkings, and who were raised in prominence after the introduction of the lower nobility in the 1600's. The High Nobility include the Grand Dukes, Archdukes and Dukes.

Titles

In Sjealand there are 10 different titles for the nobility, from highest to lowest they are; Grand Prince, Grand Duke, Archduke, Duke, Prince, Marcher Lord, Earl, Count, Baron and Knight. The title is hereditary and goes from the current holder to their eldest child, unless the current holder specifies another heir. However the Archking maintains the right to intervene and grant the title to another person, should the holder appoint a foreigner who does not change their nationality as heir. As a result of this Sjealand maintains a small nobility, with only 68 landed nobles and 7034 knights.

Royal Princes

The Royal Princes and Princesses (Tynic: Rigsprinser/Rigsprinsesser), officially known as Prince/Princess of the Realm maintain a position above and outside the nobility, with all the rights and privilieges of the sovereign, without the power. Princes and Princesses of Sjealand maintain their line in the succession for perpetuity, but their title is revoked after 4 generations, so that the royal family never grows too large.

Grand Prince

The 2 Grand Principalities (Tynic: Storfyrstedømmer) of Sjealand are both crownlands and thus maintains no special privilieges or rights.

Grand Duke

The 8 Grand Duchies (Tynic: Storhertugdømmer) of Sjealand are ruled by 1 Grand Duchess and 5 Grand Dukes (Tynic: Storhertug), as two of them are crownlands, ruled by the Sovereign in their position as Grand Duke/Duchess of the realm. As the highest of the Sjealandian elite their relations with the sovereign are considerable, with the wast majority of officers of the court being Grand Dukes or from their families. Moreso Grand Dukes and Archdukes are the only people amongst the nobility who maintain the right to bear a coronet and make use of an official Hird, the rest having to use normal bodyguards. All Grand Dukes maintain their residences in cities.

Archduke

The 2 Archduchies (Tynic: Ærkehertugdømmer) of Sjealand are the Archduchy of Vedde and the Archduchy of Viglen, which is a Crownland. Thus there is only one Archduke in Sjealand, who like the Grand Duke, can wear a coronot, which albeit is smaller than the Grand Ducal and can use an official Hird. The Archduke of Vedde maintains his residence in a city.

Duke

The 23 Duchies (Tynic: Hertugdømmer) are all ruled by sovereign Dukes. 18 of them live in country residences, with 5 of them living in cities.

Prince

The 7 Principalities (Tynic: Fyrstendømmer) are all ruled by a sovereign prince. All of them live on country estates.

Marcher Lord

The 3 Marches (Tynic: Marsklande) of Sjealand straddle the southern border on the Sydfjelde mountains and are heavily defended by the Sjealandian military. Marcher lords pay less taxes than their counterparts in the nobility on the condition they pay for and maintain the defences in the mountain passes and the military bases located in their realms. Most Marquesses have taken a military education, thus combining their noble position with a military position on the border. All of them live in country estates.

Earl/Count

The 13 Earldoms (Tynic: Jarldømmer) and Counties (Tynic: Grevskaber) of Sjealand are equal in status, with Earl being and older title than Count, and thus never changed. Earls and Counts mainly maintain massive farms and fishing industries, and thus exlusively live in country estates.

Baron

The 6 Baronies (Tynic: Baronier) are the lowest of the noble realms, with their Barons traditionally being the poorest of the Sjealandian nobility. They all live on and maintain country estates.

Knights

There are two types of knights (Tynic: Ridder) in Sjealand. Military and Civil knights. Military knights earn their Knighthood by graduating top of their class in their military school/officer academy or by exceptional or couragous service to the nation. They are typically valued more than Civil Knights but there are no legal differences amongst them. Civil knights are the majority of knights and earn their knighthood by winning international sports competitions for Sjealand, earning international prizes, winning the yearly Mensur Championships of the universities, performing couragous actions or by serving as a Rigsdags-president or minister.

Privilieges

• The right to maintain a hereditary coat of arms
• A seat in the Landsting
• The right to demand an audience with the Archking
• The right to bear an ancestral weapon in public
• The right to an apartment in the Asgård Palace
• Certain travel expenses paid by the state
• The right to officially have multiple wives/husbands