Peerage of Themiclesia
The Peerage of Themiclesia or Baronage of Themiclesia is a system for organizing titles of nobility in Themiclesia. While the defining characteristic of a peer is participation in the House of Lords, most peers are not entitled to a seat. The Themiclesian nobility encompasses a broader set of titles of which the peerage is a subset.
Name and divisions
It has been remarked that the words "peerage" (邦君) and "baronage" (諸侯) must be dealt with separately in the historical context. While barons were created by the monarch as military or economic vassals, the patriarchs during the Hexarchy and early dynastic periods were semi-independent rulers, with a much broader ambit, with no subservience to the monarch. "The patriarchy is the monarch's passive acquiescence of their independent authority; the patriarchs are junior allies more than vassals," according to historian A. Gro. With the expansion of royal authority, patriarchs gradually undertook more fiscal obligations to the crown. The patriarchs were much more powerful than barons, and the latter were often levied by the king to pressure the former.
While it is common to refer to all higher Themiclesian noblemen as part of the Peerage of Themiclesia, this is an informal categorization of several legally-distinct sections of nobles, with differing entitlements. The Home Peerage consists of most peers, subject to some debate as to its definition and limits; all Home peers except baronets possess an automatic seat in the House of Lords of the Parliament of Kien-k'ang. The autonomous states Estoria, Heraclea, and Thurmia each have their own peerages, and members of these peerages are entitled to a seat in the upper houses of those states respectively, but not in the upper house of Kien-k'ang. The hereditary rulers of autonomous minorities are considered princes in their own right and not part of the peerages, unless given a title that way. Historically, Themiclesia granted honourary titles to other leaders within its sphere of influence; these titles are called the Imperial Peerage, of which only a few titles survive.
Home Peerage
Depending on the authority, there are either three or four ranks in the Home Peerage: from junior to senior baronets, barons, and chief barons, while patriarchs may or may not be considered Home peers. Writers who support a three-rank system believe that the definition of the word peerage means vassals to the Sovereign under his title as Patriarch of Tsjinh, so other patriarchs and their peers must be considered separate peerages. Those who support a four-rank system believe that there is only one peerage in Themiclesia-proper, centred upon the Emepror, and the patriarchs are considered vassals to him under the imperial title rather than as Patriarch of Tsjinh; thus, the peerages of Estoria and Heraclea are explicitly excluded from the Home Peerage, but everything else created after 543 is within it.
Baronets
Baronets (倫侯, run-go) occupy the lowest rank in the peerage. Etymologically, the word run means "rank, parity", meaning the baronet enjoyed the rank of a baron but did not the substance of a title—a fief. Nevertheless, there exist baronets who have actual fiefs, granted by royal favour. Baronets without fiefs are also called "exchequer barons" (內侯, nubh-go), meaning that their titles were in "virtual baronies", imaginary places that actually drew on the exchequer.
Amongst baronets, relative position is determined by the size of the real or virtual barony, revenues wherefrom standing in lieu of a geographic fief. There is no minimum or maximum number of households, though the smallest ever was 50, and the largest, 5,000. These were not real households, but the average household in terms of revenue, i.e. a baronet of 50 households would receive the revenues from 50 average households. The entitlement was determined by the crown before the Peerage Act of 1847; this law provided an initial entitlement of 300 households, reduced by 50 for each succession, though not to decrease beyond 50. Holders of the title were called kljur (君) and had a monicker attached before it, if absent a real fief. In Tyrannian this is rendered as "Lord X", where X is the monicker of the peer.
Customarily, any civil servant who achieved Second Class in the civil service would be made a baronet. The title was inheritable, and the number of baroents grew during the long life of the current dynasty. The income provided by title was modest by aristocratic standards—an entitlement of 50 households enabled one to live a comfortable life, maintain a respectable residence, and retain a handful of servants, but not much else, and entitlements over 300 households were uncommon. The true privilege of the title came in positioning one's children in the civil service; the holder of the title could report to the Marshal of Peers (主爵中尉, tjo′-tsjakw-trjung-′judh) upon attaining the age of 30 for his initial appointment. While this entry was deemed less seemly than civic election by the gentry, it nevertheless produced a large quantity of successful administrators and politicians.
Barons
Barons (徹侯, r′jêt-go) rank higher than baronets and receive a symbolic fief. The word r′jêt means "to separate", meaning that the holder had a fief that was "separate" from royal power.
Barons originally took income from a geographical area. Unlike Casaterran counterparts, Themiclesian barons did not have manorial power over their baronies. Only the taxation revenues from the fief belonged to the barons, who was not permitted to interfere in its administration. Thus, they did not always lived at their fiefs and instead had the opportunity to participate in government. The size of the barony was decided by the crown until the Peerage Act of 1847. While they ranked higher than baronets, their income was not necessarily greater. The smallest fief granted was the Nuk Hamlet in Kien-k'ang, which had only four houses on it, and largest fief granted in the modern period was Sngrak-lang County, which counted 13,220 households in its 1708 census.
Baronets who render some significant service to the state could be expected to be promoted to baron; military accomplishments motivated the majority of promotions. Generals were invariably made baronets upon commission, as this invested him in the survival of Themiclesia. The prime minister was either a baron or made one as soon as he was appointed. Cabinet ministers who have performed well could also be made an baron at the end of their tenures. When an emperor married, the empress' father would often be made baron, and her brothers baronets.
Like baronetcies, baronies can also be inherited and carried the same appointment privileges. Under the Peerage Act of 1847, which was passed in view of increasing government revenues, barons were granted the public land in their fiefs, which they would be responsible for running successfully.
Chief barons
The rank of chief baron (孟侯, mrangh-go) developed from the practice for the highest-ranking nobles to establish his middling child as an relatively powerful baron both to placate and to police his other barons, because this meant he was not dependent solely upon his barons for military defence and actively contributed to it. Subsequently, chief barons became heritable titles in some contexts and ranked above ordinary barons.
Patriarchs
Patriarchs (伯, brak) are powerful nobles of high rank, who formerly possessed palatine powers and could create barons and baronets as vassals to himself. In canonical historiography, patriarchs are deemed junior kings, sovereigns in their own right but in a permanent alliance with the emperor, rather than vassals or servants to him. In fact, the Emepror's main substantive title was the Patriarch of Tsjinh, while "Emperor" was a style assumed after the restoration of the Menghean monarchy; only during the subsequent dynasties did the title of "Emperor" acquire more significance, mainly through conquest.
While baronets, barons, and chief barons are also nobles and can exercise great power, their "proper" relationship with patriarchs, according to legalistic authors, is one between subject (臣) and ruler (君). Due to this understanding, many writers treated patriarchs and barons as two entirely different classes of nobles, though differences between them gradually blurred. Many of the prerogatives of patriarchs appear to have arisen out of a desire to emphasize their superiority to barons when imperial power grew at patriarchs' expense. There are currently four patriarchs in Themiclesia, accounting for less than 0.25% of titles in the Themiclesian peerages.
Regional Peerages
Currently, the autonomous states of Estoria, Heraclea, and Thurmia each possess their own peerages. All three peerages consist of only baronets and barons.
Imperial Peerage
The Imperial Peerage, as defined by the Parliament of Kien-k'ang, consists of all barons whose baronies were not cismarine—"this side of the [Meh] sea" from Themiclesia's position. The Imperial Peerage excludes the patriarchies and principalities recognized under the Great Treaties of 792 and 802 that established Themiclesian rule over the Subcontinent, because these nobles submitted to Themiclesian power but were recognized to rule in their own right, rather than through a title held from the Themiclesian crown. The Imperial Peerage contains titles created on the Meh coast of Nukkumaa, in Agaulon, Camia, Solevant, and Norfeld, Maverica; however, at various times, title-holders either naturalized to these nationalities or resettled in Themiclesia. Themiclesian laws continue to recognize the validity of these titles as heritable styles, but their holders are not entitled to a seat in the House of Lords unless given explicit permission by the Emperor.
House of Lords
In the tulmult leading up to the Reform Bill of 1844, which established the House of Lords, Conservative magnates sought to retain a check on the legislative process as considerable portions of their supporters defected to the Reformist movement. In 1844, there were 189 barons and 578 baronets, who together would be too many to form a legislative chamber, and thus only barons received an automatic seat. Originally, it was proposed that baronets could hold elections amongst themselves, but the distribution of seats between the two ranks was contentious. Additionally, many baronets did not wish to be excluded from the new House of Commons, and they correctly predicted that their titles were great advantages in elections for at least a few decades since 1845.
In the seniority-based seating plan of the House of Lords, principally used during state openings and prorogations of parliament, patriarchs are entitled to a canopied seat next to the royal canopy throne, together facing east, due to symbolic status as the emperor's social equals. Otherwise, all chief barons and barons sat in benches flanking the throne. In actual debates, patriarchs rarely sit next to the throne, as the canopies made them "difficult to hear and cause all barons to turn to look at them in a rather awkward way." Rather, they usually took a seat in the benches.
Reforms
Abolition of fiefs
The most important of peerage reform laws in the 19th century is the Peerage Act of 1847, passed by the inaugural Liberal government. Formerly, each oridnary peer would have enjoyed a heritable fief, taxes whence becoming their income. Through the period of consolidation in the 9th century, peers' income was decreased to half then to an eighth of revenues, higher entitlements possible from royal grace.
Liberal thinkers in the 19th century believed this was a form of feudalism that, amongst other ill effects, reflected poorly on the country; moreover, in the 18th century, many peers used this automatic source of income to bribe civil servants and interfered in commerce. On a platform guaranteeing their income, a portion of the commons and crown lands in each fief was granted to replace his share in the local revenue. On the one hand, peers were enthusiastic to receive a parcel of land that they could privately run, rather than passively receiving revenues; on the other, this allowed for a saving in appointing household officials to peers, which was a façade of feudal tenure. New peers would receive public lands until the Peerage Act of 1874, by which point commons have largely disappeared: it was the dogma of the Liberals that the state had no interest in land, which should be given to potential entrepreneures.
Previously, a fief would also be renamed from a county or (in rarer cases) prefecture to state (邦, prong) to reflect its nominal status as alienated land. By the Act of 1847, their land would remain counties and prefectures. However, existing places called "states" retained this designation, though their administration is in all wise similar to counties or prefectures. Note that a peer's prong is not to be conflated with the palatine states or ethnic states in the east.
Personal rights
By tradition, a peer may not be arrested or tried without the assent of the monarch. He usually decided this with the advice of the Marshal of Peers. Additionally, assault or libel against peers was severely punished, as offences against social order. By the House of Lords Act of 1844, the power to arrest, detain, and try peers was vested in the House of Lords exclusively. The Penal Code of 1853, which abolished capital punishment, ended public prosecution of those who offended peers, though they still retained the right to launch private prosecutions. The Judicial Privilege Act of 1875 mandated peers to allow recovery of damages when sued by a commoner, though he may not be called as a witness or arrested for trial.
After the establishment of the House of Lords, peers obtained additional protection when Parliament was sitting. This was modelled on Casaterran parliamentary prerogatives against executive interferece and was separate from traditional immunities.
In the Civil and Military Service Segregation Act of 1915, peers and their families lost the privilege to obtain positions in the civil service. Since the Act also created the Consolidated Army, the sale of commissions was also terminated. While the law was momentous in its wording, its effects had been emergent for several decades.
Trial and degradation
While peers and princes may only be tried by the House of Lords after its establishment in 1845, peers have been deprived of their titles for crimes for many centuries. Generally, it is held that a peer must be clear of all criminal activity, and conviction of any crime was sufficient to deprive his title. The same can occur for princes, though their punishment was usually degradation to a peer for the first offence. In periods when governments sought income, even domestic scandals and other minor excuses were used to deprive titles. The average title in Themiclesia lasts around three to four generations before it is deprived for whatever reason. As princes and peers led households of considerable size, it was comparatively easy for them to be implicated in a crime, which need be committed by themselves personnally; their titles may be cancelled as long as they were involved in some way or failed to report it.
Forms of address
Attire
Headdress
The traditional headdress of Themiclesian aristocrats is no longer regularly worn except in certain ceremonies at court, principally coronations and royal funerals. Headdresses were worn in state openings and prorogations of Parliament up to the start of the PSW.
The headdress of the peerage, similar in style to those of senior civil servants, consists of a coif, a fillet, and a coronet. The coif is fabric and was formerly secured to the head by strings tied onto the wearer's hair bun, but as this hairstyle went out of fashion in favour of Western styles in the 1780–1820s, it is now tied to the head by straps under the chin. Over the coif is worn a wooden fillet covered with silk; the design on the fillet is unregulated, and wearers can generally use any design seen fit, with some limits. A crimson fillet is worn by the sovereign, and a black fillet generally represents legal professionals or professors; white and black embroidery represents mourning attire.
The coronet consists of two separable parts: a circlet forms the base of the coronet and holds the arches under tension. A circadia emblem was added before the arches, originally as a special honour, but it has subsequently expanded to be generally used. The circlet and arches are regulated as follows:
| Circlet | Arches | Circadia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor | Gold with rubies, saphhires, and emeralds | 3 gold arches | Gold and turquoise |
| Patriarch/Palatine | Gold with rubies and sapphires | 3 gold arches | Gold and turquoise |
| Chief Baron | Gold with rubies | 3 gold arches | Gold |
| Baron | Gold with rubies | 3 gold arches | Gold |
| Baronet | Gold with rubies | 3 gold arches | Gold |
Clothing
While the Themiclesian court never adopted true uniforms like the Menghean court has, there exist certain regulations that regulate what each class of peers may wear. Traditionally, the quantity of fabrics used in court robes indicated relative seniority. The emperor, patriarchs, and princes palatine were supposed to wear court robes made from eight fathoms of fabric, though this was not often reflected in the final tailored product due to the inherent difficulty in using all of the alloted fabric. Chief barons, barons, and baronets were entitled to seven fathoms and two feet. Lesser nobles such as counsels and principals used six fathoms and five fathoms and two feet respectively. All these robes were cut to form long trains that would have made daily wear impractical.
White robes were associated with funerals, and black robes with the legal profession.
Major elevations to peerage
There have been two elevations en masse to the peerage in the 20th century, in consequence of major events.
March Peerage
The March Peerage occurred on Mar. 10, 1936 to overcome the House of Lords' opposition to conscription, which the Government deemed necessary to fend off an impending invasion by Menghe but the Conservatives of the upper house believed was better addressed by diplomacy. 30 peers were created overnight, on March 10, from former Liberal MPs while Parliament was in session, and took their seats the following day. The Conservatives in the House of Commons neither supported nor opposed their party members in the other house, as the Commons Conservatives leader had reached a resolution with the Liberals to form a national-unity government in the lower house.
Victory Peerage
The Victory Peerage occurred on Jul. 1, 1952 for Themiclesia's wartime leaders in the Ministry or the Civil Service, on the eve of the 1952 general election, which the Conservatives were clearly losing. 21 peers were created on that day, as follows:
- Lram Long, Prime Minister, created the Lord of Ghor-ljang
- Brok-sui Tin, Foreign Secretary, created the Lord of Sarh
- Lord L′a′, Home Secretary, created the Lord of Sak-brjanh
- Lord Man, Secretary of State for Transport, created the Lord of Rui-rjum
- Nar Tok, Secretary of State for War, created the Lord of Brit-bong
- Pei-hi Ron, Secretary of State for Air, created the Lord of Tor-ngwadh
- Lord Kugh, Secretary to the Cabinet (civil servant), created the Lord of Grêgh
- Ham-lu Tip, Secretary to the Cabinet (civil servant), created the Lord of Bjonh
Notes