Difference between revisions of "Hârn HârnWorld Government"

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Government

Feudalism

The prevailing form of government in civilized Hârn is feudalism. All land is owned by the king, who then grants fiefs to trusted magnates to provide for local government and defense. Such grants are inheritable although the monarch may revoke them for treason or rebellion. To help them govern and meet their obligations to the crown, the great nobles grant portions of their fiefs to lesser nobles, a process known as subinfeudation.

Feudal Nobility

The distinction between noble and common blood is the most significant in Hârnic society. The exclusive rights and privileges of the nobility include the right to bear heraldic arms and chivalric weapons, ride warhorses, organize military forces, hold fortifications, and dispense justice at feudal courts. Any commoner who trespasses on these rights can expect swift and harsh punishment. The ranks of feudal nobility on Hârn are as follows.

Earl

The highest feudal noble (on Hârn). An earl’s seat will usually be a castle, sometimes a keep, and he will (typically) owe the king the military services of 60–120 knights, varying with the size of his holding. Roughly 80% of the earldom will be subinfeudated to vassal barons and knights. The rest will be held directly by the earl and managed by appointed constables or bailiffs.

Baron

The word baron is a generic term on Hârn for any major land-holding noble with less status than an earl. A barony usually contains a keep and 10–30 manors. In smaller kingdoms, notably Chybisa, a baron may not hold a keep. Regardless of the size of a barony, a few manors will be held directly by the baron and managed by his bailiffs but most will be held by vassal knights. Some barons are vassals of an earl and some are tenants-inchief, holding directly from the king.

Manorial Lord

A knight who holds a manorial fief, usually from a baron or earl. Such fiefs are given in exchange for the military services of a mounted knight, hence most holders are knights. By custom, the amount of land deemed necessary to support a knight (from revenues) is between 1,200 and 1,800 acres. A grant of this size is called a knight’s fee.

Knighthood

Knighthood is not a feudal title. All barons and earls, and even the king, are knights. Anyone may theoretically be knighted, most often for exemplary military service to the crown. Knighthood is non-hereditary but most knights are born to the station. The training for knighthood (apprentice knights are called squires) is undertaken when the young son of a knight is invited to foster at the household of another knight. Boys begin training at 12 to learn the knightly virtues: skill at arms, heraldry, and horsemanship. If all goes well, the squire can expect to be knighted around the age of 21.

Knights Bachelor

The number of knights on Hârn far exceeds the number that can be granted fiefs. While some knights will inherit or marry into land, most are landless Knights Bachelor. A few will realize their burning ambition of obtaining a fief but most spend their lives as the retainers of great nobles, within the ranks of fighting orders, or (gods forbid) adventuring.

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Feudal Obligations

When a noble accepts a fief, he owes fealty to and becomes a vassal of the person (liege) who bestowed it. A vassal is expected to give absolute loyalty to his liege. There is great variety in the contract arrangements between lord and vassal (many are unique), but some generalities may be made concerning their mutual obligations.

All feudal lords are responsible for the administration of justice within their own fiefs. They are also obliged to protect their law-abiding tenants from outside interference. In return for providing basic security, a liege is entitled to some specified military and/or feudal service. He also has the right to collect various traditional taxes including merchet (marriage tax), heriot (death tax), and aids (incidental levies) to finance the knighting of his eldest son and the dowry of his eldest daughter, and to ransom his person from enemies. The crown may levy special aids, such as to finance a war or build royal castles.

Royal Government

Although feudalism implies decentralization of royal government, few Hârnic kings rely entirely on feudal magnates to provide government of the realm. For one thing, the conduct of foreign affairs is an exclusive royal privilege. Secondly, with regard to domestic affairs, feudal nobles tend to place their own interests above those of the crown. To help them govern, Hârnic monarchs have created royal bureaucracies and divided their realms into a system of royal shires.

The Royal Bureaucracy

There are four basic departments in royal government: Chamber, Chancery, Exchequer, and Constabulary. The monarch appoints the officers in charge of each department; this is often an exercise in nepotism. There is a great deal of bribery and intrigue to obtain positions in the royal service, even though there is little tenure. When someone loses favor, his appointees (mostly relatives) may also be purged. The appeal in such a job is really the exercise of power and prestige.

The Chamber

Run by the Royal Chamberlain, this department is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the royal household. The Chamberlain wields immense power due to his overall familiarity with royal affairs and his right to control access to the monarch.

The Chancery

The Lord Chancellor is responsible for the general government and judiciary of the kingdom as a whole. He presides over the chancery court, the highest court below that of the king.

The Exchequer

The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the chief financial officer of the realm. His responsibilities include the collection of royal revenues (through the sheriffs) from the provinces and towns. He also controls the minting of coins and advises the king on budgetary matters.

The Constabulary

The Lord Constable is the kingdom’s chief military officer. Some kingdoms call this official Lord Warden or Lord High Sheriff. He is generally the constable of the royal seat and oversees all other royal constables, sheriffs of the realm, etc. His department, more than any other, interacts with the other three, financial matters being referred to the Exchequer, judicial matters to the Chancery, and so on. In the king’s absence or death, this powerful individual may function, effectively, as "deputy king."

Royal Shires

Except for Chybisa, all feudal kingdoms on Hârn are divided into judicial provinces called shires, which are subdivided into hundreds. By design, the boundaries of shires and hundreds often cut through the holdings of great nobles, which creates some interesting judicial problems. The chief royal officer of a shire is called a Sheriff (shire-reeve); that of a hundred is termed the Bailiff of the Hundred.

Sheriffs

Appointed by the crown, sheriffs are responsible for administering royal justice and collecting all royal revenues within their shires. The sheriff presides at the royal courts (open only to freemen) held in the shire moots at regular intervals and may initiate prosecution of those who offend the King’s Law. Most shires are "farmed" by the crown; annual taxes and other revenues in the shire are estimated by the Exchequer and paid by the sheriff in advance. He may then collect all royal revenues for himself; he is always vigilant because he may keep any "profit" for himself. Sheriffs command a royal keep or castle plus a company or two of mercenaries. In terms of power and influence, sheriffs are the equal of earls although the office and its privileges are not hereditary.

Royal Forests

Some hundreds are designated "royal forests" and are administered under Forest Law and theoretically reserved to the king for hunting. "Forest" is a legal term that has nothing to do with trees, although most such areas are wooded. Forest law prohibits any activity harmful to most wildlife and is unpopular with those who live under it. Poaching is probably the most common crime on Hârn. It is particularly dangerous in royal forests, which are policed by royal foresters who are apt to be harsh in their judgments. A first offender might be beaten and fined. A repeat offender may be branded or summarily hanged.

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