Fief

The Peerage largely describes the different groups and classes of nobility.

The meaning of Nobility
Nobility in the medieval sense, could mean many things. Some literally believed that their bloodline was somehow superior, and that they were born to lead, but for the most part, nobility just meant "important", but more importantly, socially and officially recognized as such. When referring to nobility, people often specifically refer to the Hereditary Landed Titular Nobility, but there are many other kinds of nobles, and this article refers to all of them. Another common misconception, is that the immediate family of a noblemen are also nobles - this is technically untrue, only one member of the family commonly holds the actual title, the rest belong to the gentry.

The Groups of Nobility
The different groups of nobles differ slightly from the different classes of nobles. The groups are the greater division of the field, with the classes pertaining more to specific obligations and duties.

Gentry
Not actually part of the peerage, they deserve mention here. The Gentry are those who are relatives (however distant) of nobility, but do not have any particular status themselves.

Squires
Full-time Professional Soldiers, recruited from the ranks of the Gentry and outfitted by their own families, they have higher immediate status because of their military function and service. Squires are stray dangerously close to being considered nobility by the general populace, though are still technically only Gentry.

Knights
Knights are military people who are rewarded, or enticed to further service, by raising them into nobility, making them ideal military leaders or blindly loyal elite soldiers, as well as being ideally suited to hold certain offices due to their martial backgrounds. In very some cases, Knighthoods can be inherited.

Officials
Officials are known as the "Nobles of the Bell", holding specific offices that grant them enough power and influence to be considered as nobility formally. That said, most officials have some sort of other status as well.

Governors
Essentially mayors who rule settlements on behalf of the actual lords, governors were also commonly officials of some sort simultaneously.

Baronets
Manorial Lords, who owned most of the land within a parish and came in different variants, but all lorded over the serfs and tenants who tended the land. Styled as "Sir", as if they were Knights, though only some Baronets had that honor.

Counts
Counts were rulers of Counties, and came in multiple variants, depending on their situations and the which greater domains the respective counties were part of.

Viceroys
Referred to exclusively as "Dukes" in the earlier periods, have powers similar to those of the ruler they serve under, which can mean quite a lot, or virtually none. Viceroys, similar to proper royalty, extend their stats to their immediate family.

Free-Holders
Free-Holders, interchangeably referred to as "barons", are sovereign rulers of their own land, but are culturally beholden to a King and perhaps also a Duke.

Royalty
Royalty denotes descendants of a royal bloodline, and of course the current monarch. Monarchs were not sovereign rulers during most of the medieval, but rather served as cultural leaders, mediators and spokesperson for a larger group of loosely affiliated rulers sharing a cultural heritage.

Classes of Nobility
There are different Classes of Nobility as well, denoting more the function of a nobleman, and the reason for their importance. Note that a person can belong to multiple groups and classes of nobility, all at the same time.

Nobles of the Sword
Knights, essentially, being military leaders or serving some sort of martial office. Nobles of the Sword, while often admired by the commoners as well as being in direct control of military forces, are ultimately very low on the totem pole in the grand scheme of nobility, and can easily be replaced. Their titles and offices are rarely hereditary.

Nobles of the Bell
Public Servants who govern in some capacity, usually by holding an administrative office, or by acting as governor for a settlement. Offices are rarely hereditary, but positions as governor often are.

Nobles of the Robe
Legalists and decision makers, Nobles of the Robe are usually educated, but of primary importance is that they are experienced courtiers. It is extremely common for Nobles of the Robe to rise quite high, and they rarely have such a class as their exclusive class of nobility, as they are often selected from loyal estates.

Nobles of the Scroll
Those with special education automatically obtain status of nobility. Few realize this, and many do not regard those who have special education as nobles, but they are in fact nobility by merit simply of having completed a scholarly education higher than that of a local settlement's general schooling. Ideally suited for various offices, such individuals are typically found as advisors in a court, and because education is expensive and suited only for those who have been brought up in a fostering environment that lays the groundwork for further education, most Nobles of the Scroll are selected from loyal estates, their education paid for by their family or their employer, with the intent to place them in office later.

Nobles of the Cloth
Anyone who is an ordained and sworn member of organized religion, is actually a Noble of the Cloth. In itself, this was somewhat insignificant, as the vast majority of Nobles of the Cloth were monks and nuns, who stood outside of general society, but higher ranking members of the religious organizations were also members of other noble-classes.

Nobles of Descent
Nobles of Descent were those who inherited status of nobility by some means other than the above. Simply by inheriting land or being a descendant of a certain person could be enough. Whether or not such inherited status came with any obligations or not often depended on which other Classes the noble also fell under, or which group they belonged to.

Fiefdoms & Offices
A fief was a responsibility given in ownership and trust, to an individual by another individual, or alternatively, it was a responsibility held in trust, but already owned by those held in fief. There are many different kinds of fiefs, many of which come in variations.
 * Note: Because Offices are very similar in nature to fiefs, they are also included here.

Offices
Offices were only quasi-fiefdoms, and the technical terminology for a an Official is not a vassal, but a Courtier.

Governors
Governors were given charge over a holding of some sort, be it a settlement or even a barren patch of land in theory. They were to oversee this, but were not holding this land in fief, rather merely employed to govern it.

Bann
A a Bann was the governor of a Bannorn, which was a single fortification that did not have any significant lands with it, being typically a fortification in a township, and not in a parish. In the Imperial Era, those officers who had disgraced themselves or offended their superiors were often "banished" to a "bannorn", and became "banns" (banished people). They had permanent orders to guard these remote and often pointless forgotten garisons, and were usually given a garrison of older injured and crippled soldiers, who viewed it as a place to count down the days to their retirement, and these orders usually lasted until their contracts expired.

Ealdor
Apart from a Bailey, every settlement with more than three families in it, was generally made to appoint an Ealdor - that is an Ealdorman or Ealdorwoman. This was a hereditary title, and the appointed was often a relative of the closest overlord, or offered a marriage of alliance, but an Ealdor was not

Arling
An Arl rules over a proper village or even a town or city, usually in place of someone else, who technically owns the settlement. This is a necessary position, because the rulers of various estates are often forced to appear in the local courts and travel great distances as well as fulfill certain other obligations.

Palatine
A Count instead of a Count, a Palatine is assigned as regent for a County, usually temporarily. The Palatine takes control of all fortifications, military and all feudal duties and obligations and vassals, but does not generate a profit from this, but is instead paid a salary for his duties. Profit made by the County still goes to the actual County treasury, to be used by the Count-Proper, when one is again at the helm.

Knightly Functions
Known as the Nobles of the Sword, these titles are not hereditary but still quite important. Sheriff, Bailiff and many other such titles exist among these ranks, and fulfill important roles.

Baronets
With the exception of an Abbot/Abbess, all Manorial Lords were Baronets.
 * Note: It is fairly common to refer to a Manor Lord (a specific type of Baronet) as a Baronet, and to refer to the other types of Baronets as what their specific titles are.

Manor Lord
Manor Lords were simply people who owned the majority of land in a Parish. These Baronets were not necessarily Knights, and had no military obligations, merely a harsh, but static tax obligation, prompting them to try to turn a significant profit on their lands. Their lands were often the most fertile and arable in the Shire, or alternatively strategically positioned for placements of inns, quarries, mills, logging camps, mines or other businesses that were very location dependent. It is fairly common to refer to a Manor Lord as a Baronet, and to refer to the other types of Baronets as what their specific titles are.

Banneret
A Banneret was a Baronet who was also a Hereditary Landed Knight, and who's feudal obligation, in lieu of paying taxes, was mantled on maintaining a fighting force, consisting of both reservists and standing men-at-arms. Most of a Banneret's men were militia soldiers, who were reservists, and were only available to defend their own lands, and the domain they lived in (for instance, the County). The Banneret was obligated to ensure that these men were trained and outfitted to fight, but also that he maintained a Banner of standing men-at-arms, who were at the total disposal of the liege-lord, and that he, or someone from his family, was at the ready to lead them.

Abbot/Abbess
If a Parish belonged to a faction in organized religion, then it was called an abbey and an abbot or abbess was in charge of the lands, and the local temple was a monastery. People still lived on these lands, and not much differed, except the church charged the taxes and charged 10%, which, while a bit high, was a static tax that did not change, which was attractive to peasants, especially because abbeys were commonly very safe lands and extremely fertile and arable, meaning that 10%, while a lot, left most with plenty to turn a profit on. While the land on abbey grounds was also rented out, the tenants were not held in serfdom and were free to leave, and would only be pressed into militia duty to defend the settlement, and had no other military obligations.

Castellan
The Castellan was the grandest of the Manorial Lords, owning a fortification within their Parish. They differed from Banns, because they owned their fortification and a whole Parish surrounding it. They were Hereditary Landed Knights, and like Bannerets, they were required to maintain a militia and did not pay taxes. Unlike Bannerets, they were not required to send men at their liege-lord's disposal, but instead, their obligation was to maintain a suitable garrison and to maintain the upkeep on their fortification (often a mere tower-house). They did have an obligation to protect the lands they were a part of, however, similarly to the Banneret.

Counts
A Count was the feudal-holder of a County, which could consist of any given number of shires, though not a whole Duchy and at least one whole shire. It was rare for a county to consist of more than a single shire, but in the case of some underdeveloped shires being adjacent, it was not desired to create a whole other County. Counties are essentially local governments, and while someone is in charge of every Parish, it would be anarchy if neighbors living a mere hour away from each other, were living in total autonomy, and so Counties are responsible for holding Court, and all the vassals (the fief-holders) in the County are required to attend the court, and abide by the Court's decisions.
 * Note: All County-Leaders could be called "Counts", Grafs, Graves or Compts.

Earl
An Earl is the most basic form of County Leader. Being a nobleman and the hereditary title-holder who inherits the responsibility of being the Earl, with their primary jobs being tax-collection and law-enforcement. Earls did not have to be Knights, nor did they have to have an education. An Earls primary military obligation was to the people in his County, and any soldiers and Earl could raise, apart from the Reeves who kept the peace and his own Squires, was determined by the amount of Landed Knights that dwelled on his land.

Viscount
A Viscount was a Count who could exist in the feudal hierarchy under another Count, which meant that it was unheard of for a Viscount's County to consists of more than a single Shire. In certain cases, this meant that the Viscount did not truly have the same feudal obligations that the Count he served under had, but this was not a rule nor a requirement. Viscounts often existed on the basis of a Count having dominion over several less-developed Shires, and wishing to appoint a relative, friend or deserving person a significant quantity of land. A Viscount didn't necessarily have the right to maintain anything more than employed guards.

Marquis
A Marquis was a Count who ruled a County that was either on the Borders of the Kingdom, or was in a Frontier. These were referred to as Marks or Marches. A Marquis was much more likely to have subordinate Viscounts than an Earl was. Unlike the other Counts, the Marquis had significant military obligations, including the right to maintain a standing army and did not pay taxes. The Marquis could also conscript anyone living on his lands.

Bishop
A County that belonged to the Church was called a Diocese, and a Bishop ruled over it from an Abbey that did not feature a monastery, but instead a Bishop's palace, but functionally worked the same way as a regular Abbey. Obviously, in the Source Lands Setting, Bishops do not exist, and are functionally replaced by various other titles. Not all Dioceses were actually functional counties. Generally, only the Arch Bishop ruled an actual county, and the remaining dioceses were just districts of the respective organized religion.

Free-Holders
Free-Holders are directly subordinate to either a Monarch or a Viceroy, and even then, typically only through tradition - not by any oath.

Baron
A Baron is a Free-Holder who controls at least one County, but less than a Duchy. The first Barons were Landed Knights, which is why Baronets are called as they are (meaning "lesser baron", as the baron clearly owns more land than the Baronet), and by traditions, barons almost unanimously continue a martial tradition of Knighthood, requiring the heir apparent to complete some sort of trial of knighthood to be eligible to inherit.

Viceroys
Viceroys are sub-kings who rule smaller, or at least separate territories from that of their parent Kingdoms, often determined by natural geographical dividers and often also sub-cultural and sub-ethnic dividers - though in later times, Viceroys also came to rule over colonies.

Duke
A Duke is the viceroy of a territory or a colony, claimed outside of the general jurisdiction of a Kingdom. The Duke has a lot of control over his subordinates, because he alone has the right to receive ships, and ships are forced to dock in his ports first, which helps prevent smuggling and foreign interference in colonial and territorial affairs. This was a necessary measure of power to grant a Duke, as there are no cultural ties that bind a Duke and a Marquis or Baron together.

Grand Duke
A Grand Duke was the viceroy of a former Imperial Principality, which were regions of the Westerlands defined by geographical, sub-cultural and sub-ethnic dividers, forming natural borders. Grand Dukes are not ever referred to as Grand Dukes, but rather simply as "Dukes", as it is virtually unheard of for a Duke and a Grand Duke to appear in the same room - or even on the same continent, and the title of Grand Duke exists purely to denote a difference between the two, when necessary. Grand Dukes were the effective go-betweens from the Monarch's court, and to the subordinate Counts and/or Barons, but also acted as an authority and example for their lessors.

Arch Duke
The Arch Duke was both a Free-Holder and a Viceroy at the same time, meaning that he had much greater control over his lands than a regular Duke, but actually, an Arch Duke did not necessarily control a duchy, but could control much more, and some Arch Dukes even had their own Dukes under them, making Arch Dukes the closest thing to a "proper" Viceroy.

Grand Prince
A Grand Prince, referred to as such internationally only, is the closest thing that a Principality will have to a Monarch, but a Grand Prince remains a Viceroy, but regards the Emperor as their direct Monarch, and is not under the authority of any King. This is of course unlike a regular Prince, who is in fact merely the son of a proper Monarch.

Royalty
Kings and Queens are the rulers of entire cultures and/or ethnicities. They do not necessarily control much of what happens in the lands that they claim authority over, but they do act as the Kingdom's representative outwards, and as a rallying force who directs the joint efforts of a Kingdom, for instance when trying to organize conquest or war, or when trying to rally defenses against a foreign invasion. They also mediate between their immediate subordinates.