Nobility of Delkora
The Delkoran nobility is a social class of the Kingdom of Delkora that historically had significant influence on Delkoran society, but has, since the adoption of parliamentary government in 1833 and later reforms, been stripped of its former political and legal privileges.
History
As the early Delkoran petty kingdoms began consolidating during the Viking Era, each came to control an increasingly larger swath of territory that proved difficult to administer unitarily and defend against incursions from neighboring kingdoms. It thus became necessary for the jarl of each kingdom to divide their land among numerous feudal lords whose primary responsibility was recruiting soldiers from among a class of peasants bound to their estates.
This system remained in place until the mid-16th Century with the reign of Astrid IV, who implemented a series of reforms centralizing bureaucratic and military administration, rendering the system obsolete.
In the early 18th Century, Edvard IV, an enlightened despot, implemented a series of land reforms that greatly expanded the class of small freehold farmers. The creation of the House of Commoners in 1732 in turn gave this growing social class an increasing degree of political influence which it used to demand redistributionist policies with respect to the landed nobility.
After the Delkoran Civil War, important reforms of the nobility were codified into the Delkoran Constitution and subsequent laws passed by the Federal Parliament. The Constitution stripped the nobility of all political power it once held, and reforms led by Liberal and National Labor chancellors in the 19th Century abolished most of the nobility's residual legal privileges, including restrictions on court testimony against nobles (1837), the right to feud (1846), and nobility requirements for certain government offices (1881).
Still, the nobility retained a handful of minor privileges well into the 20th Century, including exemptions from certain taxes and the right to an audience with the monarch, until these were ended by the government of Sofia Westergaard in 1932. As part of these reforms, Westergaard announced that the federal government would no longer issue hereditary titles of nobility.
Ennoblement
The granting of titles of nobility is formally a royal prerogative exercised by the Delkoran monarch and the jarls of the states. This prerogative is now carried out only on the advice of the federal Cabinet in the case of the national monarch, and on the advice of state governments in the case of the jarls.
Noble titles are granted by letters patent prepared by either the federal Cabinet or one of the state executive councils. A formal induction ceremony for the ennobled individual is later held. All federal titles granted since 1932 are non-heritable, although some state governments continue to issue hereditary titles on occasion.
Titles of nobility are most commonly granted for outstanding service in a particular field, such as government, scientific research, entertainment, or culture.
Ranks
Historically, there was a distinction between the land nobility (jord adel) and the titular nobility (titulær adel), with the former referring to hereditary titles of nobility conferring the right to administer a territory, while the latter historically refers to persons ennobled for service to the king or a jarl. With the abolition of the nobility's political power in 1833, the land nobility were converted into titular nobility devoid of political authority. The current ranks of the Delkoran nobility are established by the Nobility Act of 1857:
| High Nobility (Høj Adel) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Translation | Domain | ||||||
| Hertug/Hertuginde | Duke/Duchess | Hertugdømme (Duchy) | ||||||
| Markis/Markise | Marquess/Marchioness | Markisat (Marquisate) | ||||||
| Greve/Grevinde | Count/Countess | Grevskab (County) | ||||||
| Friherre | Baron/Baroness | Friherreskab (Barony) | ||||||
| Minor Nobility (Mindre Adel) | ||||||||
| Title | Translation | Domain | ||||||
| Ridder | Knight | N/A | ||||||
| Junker | Gentleman/Gentlewoman | N/A | ||||||
Modern nobility
At present, there are 475,986 individuals who hold a title of nobility in Delkora, or about 0.5% of the overall population. This includes 307,455 barons; 167,945 counts; 535 marquesses; and 51 dukes.
The modern Delkoran nobility has been relegated to a position of marginal significance, although a handful of noble families continue to hold prominent positions in business, politics, and media. Most of the large manors historically held by noble families have come to be owned by the government and are now designated as historical sites. Still, a few prominent estates continue to be privately owned. The only formal privileges still retained by the nobility are in regards to order of precedence.
Culturally, the nobility is often associated with the Conservative Party, with many prominent nobles declaring their support for the party and Conservative governments tending to issue more titles of nobility than their leftist counterparts. Since 1952, the National Labor constitution has prohibited party members from accepting titles of high nobility, with an exception made for those nominated to the Chamber of Nobles.
Support for abolishing the nobility varies across the political spectrum. Among the major political parties, the more radical factions within the Liberal Party and National Labor advocate abolition, while their respective party establishments do not regard abolition as a political priority and thus have not pursued it. Meanwhile, members of the Conservative Party tend to support the nobility, although many within the New Conservative faction favor abolition. Recent opinion polls have shown 52% of Delkorans favor abolition, while 36% oppose it, and 12% have no opinion.