A Treatise on THE NOBILITY and Their Estates (as they pertain to the administration of the Duchy of Ravenholt) by Lord Tristan Randolph Huntington As Approved by His Grace, Sir Gerard Walters, Duke of Ravenholt.

The Duchy of Ravenholt is a strong and united land at the northern edges of the Kingdom of Evendarr, having existed now for four decades against any number of external and internal struggles. In this time, the foundations of Ravenholt nobility have been its Duke, and the four barons loyal to this station. As can be expected in a relatively young noble structure, and a frontier nobility that often sees turn over quicker than in more central, settled areas, one of the more central tenets of ducal administration has become confused, even vague, and that is in the area of the estate system. This lack of clarity exists both in which estates are parceled to which noble; what an estate is; and even possibly who receives an estate. This first is particularly true as different intermediate levels of nobility are enacted and withdrawn in the forty years of Ravenholt's existence; and as of this writing, a new county system is installed. Thus this treatise is presented to the nobility of Ravenholt, thoroughly researched and approved for the definitions given and the establishment of estate rolls for Royalty, Principality, Ducal, County, Baronial and Lordly/Knightly.

I.

Of course it is known that the Duchy of Ravenholt is a grant of land within the Principality of Northmarch, this grant given by its ruler, His Highness Prince Kevynn Blackfox (as of this writing). All of the lands within this grant are under the control of its Duke, who is charged with its security and lawful administration of the law, and given the privilege of naming nobles of his own to support this charge.

The Duke of Ravenholt has decreed that within this Duchy, anyone who is noble must hold, at the least, one estate lawfully granted unto him or her; unless a noble is granted a special dispensation by the Duke to hold title without corresponding land. Without a grant of land (in the form of at least one estate), one can not be a noble of the Duchy of Ravenholt. Not all landholders are Nobility, however. There are (rare and few) exceptions in the forms of Freeholds, chartered to Common Folk. At the time of this writing, there are no lawful Freeholds.

Within the boundaries of Ravenholt, then, all Nobility must be granted one estate at least to administer. This means we need to define the Nobility of the Duchy, especially at the first and most numerous step.

At the first step up the hierarchy of Nobility are Lords/Ladies and Knights/Dames. In Ravenholt, they each share the same first level of the Noble chain of command, and both are landed nobles of equal rank. The difference lies within martial skill. To be a Knight, a noble must be able to fight for himself in single combat and lead the troops he gathers himself on the field of war. A Lord/Lady can be a non-martial administrator that can name a champion to represent him or her in single combat, and appoints military leaders to direct forces in war. This distinction follows a Noble through his or her progression, to Baron to Count, and so on. Thus will be seen formal documents in Ravenholt listing a Noble by Knighthood or Lordship first, and then the greater noble title immediately following. An example of such can be seen in the title of this document, in reference to Duke Walters.

A Noble is thus given a grant of land to administer, and this makes the Noble a Vassal. An oath is sworn to the Noble granting the land, that all the Laws of the Nobles that reign above him will be upheld, and the Common Folk who live on the grant of land will be safe-guarded and provide useful work in return. This makes the granting Noble the Vassal's Liege. While these definitions are well-known, it is important for later discussion to have these terms included here so that they are a familiar part of the treatise.

There are those people granted special respect due to the important stations they maintain, but also remain Common Folk. Examples of these are town mayors, magistrates, heads of guilds, and so forth. It is still common and acceptable for such people to be acknowledged with an honorific Lord or Lady (NEVER Knight/Dame) appended to their station. Examples include Lord Mayor, Lady Magistrate, Lord Seneschal, and so forth. Such honorifics must precede the station, and the individual does not receive a grant of land. Anyone of such a station who attempts to have people refer to him or her with “Lord” or “Lady” without it immediately followed by their station (steward, magistrate, et al) is considered to be pretending to a Noble Title, with all the due penalties to be faced.

With a definition in place for a Noble of Ravenholt, and the explanation of Lords/Ladies and Knights/Dames, we can now define an estate, and then move into the heart of this discussion. Estates accompany villages (rarely), towns and cities, but not all settlements contain a Noble estate. An estate is a fortification (most often a heavy-walled manor house or simple motte-and-bailey fort) that manages a parcel of land typically three to five acres in size. The estate acts as source of monetary and material resources; a staging ground for mustering levies and organizing troops; and a point of retreat for surrounding people in the event of an incursion or disaster. An estate, therefore, is NOT the accompanying community or township, although it can be (and often is) an integral part. This distinction will be important.

II.

With the basic definitions for the Duchy of Ravenholt clarified above, we can now get to the heart of the matter of estates. Estates are potent centers of activity for Noble administration, but also expensive to develop to a proper level. Being a foundation of administration and defense then, it is expected for a Liege to maintain direct control of one (or more) estates within a Vassal's grant of land. Within the Duchy of Ravenholt are found a number of Royal estates administered by King Mykel and Prince Kevynn. The Duke himself keeps a number of estates within each Barony as well.

Thus we see why it is important to distinguish between the actual, built-up estate, and the community to which it is attached. A Principality estate controlled by Prince Blackfox provides His Highness with resources and a staging ground for actions he may need to take, but only to the extent of the estate's acreage; while the Duke and his Vassals are still tasked with the duty and privilege of taking care of the community and its people. Those who administer the estate will be granted due respect, of course, and can be turned to for counsel and advice; and the estate provides defense and shelter for the community, but the running of the estate remains with the Liege, while the ruling of the community remains with the Vassal.

A Baron, his estates, and his Vassals, however, deserve special attention. A Baron of Ravenholt is granted six Baronial Estates to help him manage his lands. Of these six estates, he can give away no more than half this number to create Noble Vassals. As the Duke of Ravenholt has also decreed that a Baron may create no more than two Nobles in his Court (Lord/Ladyship and Knighthood), this usually means that a Lord/Lady or Knight/Dame is granted one estate, and the Baron keeps four for him or herself. However, it is acceptable to grant a second estate to one of the Noble Court (creating a First Knight, most often, though a First Lord/Lady is equally acceptable; in either case, the title of Bannerette has been used in the past for such special Knights/Dames and Lords/Ladies, though it is infrequently heard these days), should a Baron decide.

When a Baron's Vassal is granted an estate, it is commonly accepted that the Noble will be responsible for the community in question, as well as the estate; and therefore, unlike a Liege's estate, the Baron's Vassal does administer to the daily routine of the community in question.

It is also occasionally known for a Baron to give non-Noble court members (seneschal, court healer, baronial magistrate, etc.) Stewardship of an estate; most often done as training for elevation to the Nobility. In such instances, the court member speaks with the voice of his Liege in matters of operating the estate, ensuring that it and its community are provided with guidance and direction from a person in direct contact with the Baron. This in no way establishes the court member as a Noble; he can not establish any laws or rules for the community that the Baron doesn't approve (either before or immediately after, usually dictated by the terms of the Baronial Write of Stewardship awarded); can not pass judgment (unless provided for in his writ as a magistrate) though he or she can imprison suspected law-breakers and then summon a Noble or convene an approved court; nor does the Steward control the surplus resources of the estate, but must be turned over to his Liege.

Tax collection, markets, and other resource management of an estate provides monetary perquisites to a Noble along with the other benefits to be found. For Barons and their Vassals, this dispensing of coinage is within the Baron's purview (most typically, the extra money is kept by the Vassal in question; though it is not unknown for a Baron to collect this money into a single pool for his or her own judgment on distribution). Likewise, the Duke can allow for his Vassals (those Nobles he creates to manage his own estates) to keep this surplus for themselves, or collect it as he deems necessary. Principality and Royal estates typically send this surplus to their own coffers, or the coffers of the Prince or King. This surplus money averages to a gold coin a month, but can rise and fall as economic factors rise and fall.

III.

As of the writing of this document, below is the official disbursement of estates at each of the Noble levels: Royal (as maintained by King Mykel and his representatives); Principality (as maintained by Prince Kevynn and his representatives, with some special discussion to come); Ducal; County; and then Baronial.

Notation of Keep indicates a particularly strong fortification, usually a castle (of varying size). Other estates have defensive structures more akin to fortified manor houses or simpler motte-and-bailey strongholds.

ROYAL There are four Royal estates in Ravenholt, one in each Barony. These are:
Midlothian (Capulus)
Redbrook (Cumberland)
Burnisham Falls (Eastwyck)
Copper (Westmarch)

PRINCIPALITY
The Duchy of Ravenholt has an unusual status in regard to the Princes of Evendarr. The Lawful Liege is His Highness, Sir Kevynn Blackfox, Prince of Northmarch, but the Duchy also has two others with this title. These are Prince Roderick Ravenhurst, and Princess Alexa Capulus, and while they are granted all the respect due them for their status and actions, they are also granted an estate and the right to sit in on Noble Council for Ravenholt, but no other authority not specifically granted them by their Liege.

Prince Kevynn maintains twelve total estates in the Duchy, three in each Barony. These are:
Buckingham (Capulus) Keep
Hangman's Brook (Capulus)
Tuck (Capulus)
Elvestove (Cumberland) Granted to Lord Fyren
Greytree (Cumberland)
Landsend (Cumberland)
Calvert (Eastwyck)
Giant's View (Eastwyck) Keep
Rundin (Eastwyck) Keep
Deerbrook (Westmarch)
Goodwin (Westmarch)
Mallow (Westmarch)

Princess Alexa Rhyanna Capulus and Prince Roderick Ravenhurst are each granted an estate in accordance with their Royal stations.
Byrne's Cove (Capulus) Granted to Princess Alexa
Skye (Westmarch) Keep Granted to Prince Roderick

DUCAL
Duke Walters maintains 16 estates throughout his Duchy, four in each Barony. Along with this is the long-established tradition, twenty years long now, that Ravenholt City remains separate from the four Baronies, and two Counties, and remains fully and wholly in the jurisdiction of the Duke of Ravenholt. This is to ensure that all of the Nobles of the Duke are on equal footing with each other at the appropriate ranks: Lords/Knights to each other; Baron to Baron; Count to Count.
Each Count is considered a Ducal Noble granted special title and privileges in the administration of the two new Counties of Ravenholt, and to establish this, each Count is granted two estates, one in each Barony they oversee. Other Ducal Nobles are granted one estate. These estates are:
Bodmin (Capulus)
Chichester (Capulus)
Moraven (Capulus)
Seaview (Capulus) Keep Granted to Count Gabriel

Alnwick (Cumberland)
Dragonshire (Cumberland) Keep Granted to Count Gabriel
Gadren Castle (Cumberland) Keep
Glen Farclis (Cumberland)

Blackpool (Eastwyck) Keep
Goblintooth Gap (Eastwyck) Keep
Kester (Eastwyck) Stewardship of Squire Havalok
Windholm (Eastwyck) Granted to Count Daramor

Baldor (Westmarch)
Greywatch (Westmarch) Granted to Lord Tristan
Keswick Crossing (Westmarch)
Port Rowena (Westmarch) Keep Granted to Count Daramor

BARONIAL
Below are listed the six estates that make up the foundation of the Baron's grant of land and power. By and large, these lists have remained consistent throughout the history of Duchy, with some gradual changes over the decades.

CAPULUS
Abaton
Dunharrow
Greenbriar
Ripplemeade Keep
Sercia Keep Granted to Dame Saket
Stoneholm (Baronial Capital) Keep

CUMBERLAND
Aradia (Baronial Capital) Keep Granted to Sir Antro
Deershill Knoll
Haven
Kragen's Helm Keep Granted to Sir Kade
Longhope Castle Keep Granted to Sir Antro
Valdis Keep Keep

EASTWYCK
Burton-on-the-Blood
Coombe
Goblinsbane Keep
Griswold Keep Granted to Sir Byron
Kent (Baronial Capital) Keep
Shandlin's Ferry

WESTMARCH
Darkmoor Granted to Sir Raven
Garson's Bridge Keep
Greater Bromley
Ironvale (Baronial Capital) Keep Stewardship of Vizier Torin
Kiran's Citadel Keep
Trader's Rest Granted to Dame Risa