Landed Nobility

[Niccolò Garibaldi]

Now that I've formally been granted citizenship, I'd like to perhaps join the landed nobility of the realm to contribute develop our culture. I have a knack for heraldry and so on, but I thought it best to perhaps declare this interest publicly. Mostly because I have the following questions-

Does Valencia have an established and structured peerage?
Are there specific rules of heraldry for each noble rank?
Anything else I should know about nobility in Valencia?

[The King]

Monsieur Garibaldi,

Thank you so much for posting this topic! It gives me a good excuse to talk about stuff I'm also interested in.

In the original Valencia, there was no landed nobility. Titles were granted by the King much like the current British honors system. However we were discussing a sort of landed nobility which is not feudal (as the Kingdom is a unitary state), however it would work much like the Russian noble system with landed and unlanded nobility. Valencia does have a life peerage system, however with the "new" noble system we are working on, we would get rid of Life Peerages and simply award Knighthoods in place of. If the new Nobility system is something the citizens are interested in we can work more on it, I would love your help.

The titles in Valencia are:
Prince of the Blood (Styled: His/Her Royal Highness) Reserved for blood Princes of Valencia
Prince (Styled: His/Her Highness or His/Her Serene Highness)
Duke (Styles: His/Her Grace)
Marquis (Styled: His/Her Excellency)
Count (Styled: His/Her Excellency)
Viscount (Styled: His/Her Excellency)
Baron (Styled: His/Her Excellency)

There are no specific rules per say, except in regards to the coronets that each rank wears. We are working on the coronets now, the King's, Prince of the Blood, Duke and Marquis are done. They will pretty much follow the European standard.

We are also working on the images for the heraldic achievement of the Great Officers of State which include:
Lord Chancellor
Lord Marshal
Lord Steward
Lord Chamberlain

The original Valencia only had a House of Lords, which really was expected to act as a lower house to the Privy Council, in the near future I think it would to wise to re-introduce a House of Lords or a unified Parliament consisting of hereditary nobility, appointed officials, and elected gentles.

I welcome your comments, corrections, and advice.

[Niccolò Garibaldi]

A sound system, I might say. Might I also recommend some manner of special Garter for the Great Officers with appropriate pendants affixed to them.

Now, if I understand the system of nobility you propose, it would be more akin to a system of estates rather than actual feudal realms. I actually like that idea a little more than a feudal system because it keeps things compact and more manageable. There would obviously be benefits for the nobility and the size of their estate would be capped depending on their rank. This could then be contrasted by simple personal nobility which are not given estates but rather simply just the honor of the title as a sign of respect and recognition from Your Majesty.

But what would be the difference between a noble with an estate and personal noble? Well an estate would be exactly that, everything they own is a part of their estate as a noble and is tied to their title. As such this may be passed on down the line as with traditional nobility. Personal nobility being just a fanciful title to be affixed to someone as an individual which cannot be passed on. Furthermore, though they may be wealthy and own much, the title they've been given isn't inexorably linked with their title.

[The King]

I would like to work more on this with you, though I think we should have some sort of titled nobility that is hereditary but not connected to any land, much like the current peerage system in Britain.

Would these landed nobles be able to sell that land? If so would they lose their title? I sort of like the idea of a non-landed honor system with a landed title of Seigneur de (Estate Name). For example, one could be Marquis of Garibaldi as well as Seigneur d'Hôte. One would be styled His Excellency the Marquis of Garibaldi, Seigneur d'Hôte. etc etc, so the size of the land would not equal the title.

These are just my ideas, continue to discuss this, please.

[The King]

Monsieur Garibaldi,

I'm also curious to know if you have a Coat of Arms for use here in Valencia?

[Niccolò Garibaldi]

It could be a three tiered system:

Nobles of Titled Estate: the nobles which own a hereditary estate as described.
Hereditary Nobility: Nobles without an estate tied to their titled but are hereditary.
Personal Nobility: Nobles made so by Your Majesty as recognition of their deeds and service unto you. Not hereditary.

As for the sale of land, they can do so if they wish as it is their land. If they sell it to another Noble of Titled Estate it will become a part of their estate and so on down the list. But in general it is their general property. But their estate covers everything, including their person, family and so on. Selling the land does not strip them of what is a *hereditary* title. I.e the estate is tied to the title but not the other way around. Which means they can pack up their wagon, move somewhere else and it will still be the estate of that noble. They could be virtually homeless, so long as there is a hereditary line to pass it on.

As for a coat of arms, I will make one shortly!