Nobility of Packilvania
The nobility or aristocracy of Packilvania comprises the social class that has received noble titles from the Sultan of Packilvania. Members of the nobility can pass their titles to their children by way of agnatic primogeniture. The nobility of Packilvania had existed in some form of thousands of years. When Iktan the Devout united the tribes of Packilvania, he gave the Lords that support him titles and the right to rule over a part of and collect rent from vassals who lives in Packilvanian territory.
The nobility remained largely unchanged for hundreds of years until 1918 when Zerah Demir IV was deposed by the Packilvanian Communist Party under the leadership of Gideon Muktan following the Great War. The nobility was reestablished in 1985 when the Parliament of Packilvania was reconstituted by the Carriers of Mercy and subsequently appointed Amhoud I as Sultan of Packilvania and made the Bedonite dynasty the royal family of the country. The Sultan typically gives out titles as favours to his political allies.
History
Before Packilvania became a Unified country under the Iktanite dynasty, it consisted of independent states and subservient tributaries or vassals under a greater suzerain. Larger nations tended to call themselves King (muMamluk) and usually the Kingdom was named after the capital city of the King such as the Kingdom of Akas Akil which was named after the city of Akas Akil but actually ruled over surrounding lands. Some Kingdoms were named after the a geographic feature such as the Kingdom of Bakil over which Iktan the Devout ruled and from which Packilvania derives its name which was named after the Bakil desert which in turn was named after the Ufrata River which used to flow through it.
Other semi-independent nations would be bestowed a title and rank with respect to their suzerain. So for instance, the King of Hashmarion (a tributary state of Akas Akil) would be bestowed the title of Prince of Akas Akil making him equal to the sons of the King who was his suzerain despite being a King as well. This system of patronage continued whereby a Prince would grant titles and honours to those who worked under him and held lands under him. The tradition was to name them after a particular job they did or part of his domain that they had been assigned control of e.g., Lord Keeper of the Stables or the Lord Prefect of Delamahan-Ashtarion.
There was no uniform system of ranks and titles and no mechanisms to interchange the titles and ranks used by different nations. When Iktan the Devout came to power, he needed a title that would be greater in power and prestige over the others, thus titles such as muMamluk ameMamluk (King of Kings), muMamluk muBas (High or Great King) or muShah, short for muShahan (which means "sea" in Packilvanian from which the modern term for Emperor is derived). Although all titles were used, he preferred muMamluk muBas. He tried to reorganise the titles and standardise the ranks of all the new rulers who were beneath him.
However, the process was very slow and his dynasty largely failed in this mission. Nevertheless, the titles that were well known in the Kingdom of Bakil such as muNagus, muRas, muBaron and muLij became popular. Some titles which were used in the Kingdom of Bakil such as muQamid, muDawaheen, muIhan and muTashraq and were granted to officers who served the High King and other Kings in combat as leaders of military units. These eventually became part of the ranks of the Packilvanian Armed Forces. As a court bureaucracy became more complex and hierarchical titles such as muVazeer and muRayees were reserved for court officials and eventually evolved into titles for the civil service and executive branch.
It was with Melkezedek the Great proclaiming the Bas Magdamar as the highest and sole of the Writings of Paxism in 980 that the title of muMakhees became a solely religious title used by the Magisterium of Paxism. Although the Iktanite dynasty collapsed in 1112 under Jezril IV, the aristocratic, military and bureaucratic systems that they developed gradually disseminated throughout their former territories. The system of naming subservient Kings as Princes continued up to the start of the Zubraynite dynasty in 1275.
Ishak I wanted to prevent petty Kings from rising up and securing independence from his rule so beginning with him, the titles of Kings were gradually abolished. The Zubraynite dynasty also introduced a system of distinguishing between ranks and titles. What they did was that nobles, court officials and military commanders who be assigned a rank in order from 1 going upwards which 1st ranked personnel being the highest and last-ranked personnel being the lowest. This gave rise to different titles assuming different levels within the hierarchy. Tyber V issued the edict known as luKhaman luShahitishme aleShan aleWayeet amuMamluk muBas (the Imperial Communication of the Order of the High King's Men). This document formalised the ranking system and gave strict ranks for different titles and separated the four branches of Packilvanian political power: the clergy, the military, the nobility and the bureaucracy.
The Demirite dynasty retained this system when they came to power in 1675. Their first monarch, Saidun the Conqueror, renamed the title of muMamluk muBas to muShultan (Sultan) to portray himself as the man who was to fulfill the prophecy of muNawab (Prophet) Sohadek. They gradually made some changes to the system. For instance, the bureaucracy became increasingly complex thus the titles and ranks in the bureaucracy were changed to be based on the office that the person worked in and their relationship to their line manager. These officials were all granted the title of muRayees by default and this title lost its prestige, becoming a generic term for a civil servant. The title of muVazeer was retained for the courtiers who worked for and advised the Sultan. This title evolved to mean the highest executive official in the government equal in rank to a Minister in a modern political system.
As Demirite Monarchs gradually became more closely linked with the nations of Aurora especially Great Morstaybishlia, they simplified the ranks and titles of the nobility resulting in the 7 titles and ranks that exist today. Sultan Zygros II issued the edict entitled luKhaman luShahitishme aleShan nadine leNomin aleNabeel. All people now known as nobles where given the default title of muNabeel or Lord and were entitled to sit in the muKhama aleNabeel (Court of Nobles) , the upper House of the luMijhalisgur aBakhilfaniya (the Great Assembly or Parliament of Packilvania). When clergy were integrated into this house, they were known as the muNabeel aleHivaliyah (Lords Spiritual). The Bedonite dynasty adopted the titles and ranks of the Demirite dynasty except by abolishing the title of muNabeel muHivaliyah when they came to power in 1985.
List of titles
| Male Version of the Title | Female Version of the Title | Style | Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince (Mamlukmne) | Princess (Mamlukmnelea) | Your Imperial Highness (muWaloof muShah) | 42,888 |
| Grand Duke (Bas Nagus) | Grand Duchess (Bas Naguslea) | Your Grace (muRahman) | 1 |
| Duke (Nagus) | Duchess (Naguslea) | Your Grace (muRahman) | 2,500 |
| Marquis (Ras) | Marchioness (Raslea) | The Profound Estimable (muBasihtiramtan) | 6,700 |
| Earl or Count (Lij) | Countess (Lijlea) | The Profound Estimable (muBasihtiramtan) | 15,800 |
| Viscount (Lijmne) | Viscountess (Lijmnelea) | The Profound Estimable (muBasihtiramtan) | 28,700 |
| Baron (Baron) | Baroness (Baronlea) | The Esteemed (muIhtiramtan) | 46,200 |
Traditions and etiquette
Before the First Packilvanian Civil War in 1918, most of the prestige of being a noble came from the ownership of land and access to this class was heavily guarded. In the modern era, the Sultan awards titles to people who are political allies. As such, many of these people are already wealthy or prominent. Furthermore, the secondary purpose of the nobility was to entrench the members of the Carriers of Mercy who had supported and were instrumental in the ascendancy of the Bedonite dynasty but were not part of it. Thus, the nobility preserves and recognises their contributions.
Many of the more important members of the Carriers of Mercy were former members of the Communist Party so many of them had never really been exposed to the old traditions and etiquette that governed the old nobility. However there was a sizeable chunk of the old aristocracy who returned to Packilvania and who had their titles restored. They helped to shape a simpler system of rules that nods to but does not replicate the highly stratified social order that existed under previous dynasties.
For the most part nobles are treated like ordinary people except that people are expected to give a slight bow and to call them Sir or Madam (Sheikh or Sheikha respectively). The power or significance of a noble arises largely from their proximity to the royal family and their political, military or professional accomplishments.