Re: Noble titles

From: Joerg Baumgartner <joe_at_toppoint.de>
Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 00:17:10 +0000


Andrew Barton
>> ...  The Merovingian and Carolingian monarchs appointed their
>> "companions" (comites in Latin, which evolved into "counts") 
>> as royal administrators of regions under their control.

> Comes (plural comites) was already a formal rank in Imperial
> Rome (a high official in Britain was the 'Count of the Saxon
> Shore'), but it's quite possible that the Merovingians weren't
> using the term that way.

The German nobility ranks, which are mostly derived from the Franconian empire, have the title "Graf" instead of "Count". Now "Graf" is derived from Greek "graphein" (sp?), which means "to write". As far as I am concerned, the derivation from counting isn't too far-fetched.

I guess that Anglo-French titles like Vicomte/Viscount are derived from the ordinary Count, but what is the origin for Baron? The German alternative (or close approximation, I'm in no way an expert in aristocratic niceties) "Freiherr" means "free lord".

Basically, most ranks of nobility are derived from offices. A few offices have failed to become hereditary.

Now, to get this back on topic for this list, the logical source for the Orlanthi High Nobility titles would be Umath's Camp or Vingkot's range of companions, right?

This would apply to the Heortlander post-Andrinic titles as well, if I remember Peter's statement that the Heortlander titles, while similar in name and sound to Malkioni ranks (or the translations thereof into usable English), are basically Vingkotling or even older. We get Dukes, Earls, Barons and Sheriffs as carryover from earlier publications, plus a few newer introductions (like the adaptation of medieval English "Warders").

Where and how do they fit into the Vingkotling society?

What do we know about Vingkotling society, anyway?

Cheers,

Joerg

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