Nobility...

[ChalkLine]

The trouble with calling the movers-and-shakers 'nobles' that there is such a wide range - both historical and geographical - of situations that use that term.

Nobles originally were military. In return for dominion they supplied force. This force was used to defend the kingdom and maintain order, so that the kingom would flourish.

The central authority could not raise, oversee and control troops from across the kingdom, so vassalage was a fix for that.

In Traveller, nobles are not given private force. Many are given private economic powers, but this is not strictly dependent on status. Also, the fiefs granted to nobles in the MT rulesset are laughably small and not sufficient to maintain any useful return to the granting power. Fiefs should be potent enough that the vassal can derive power from them and have that power ready at the lord's disposal, should they call upon it.

IMTU, nobles are military owners. What is termed 'The Imperial Armed Forces' are collections of fleets and troops that are loyal to nobles who are theoretically loyal to higher nobles and so on. Imperial standardisation ('Ordnances') ensure interoperability, but the Emperor does not own the troops of a noble subject. As I've mentioned in another thread, 'maintenance and livery' means that lower nobles can contract loyalty between each other. This seriously muddies the water as far as loyalties lie, but specialist lawyers are of course on hand.

Now, in the case of external threats this all works fine. The 'commissions of array' are issued by the highest ranking noble dealing with a problem, and the nobles come together under his approved command structure.

Where it falls down is against internal threats. In the MT assassination scenario the Archduke may not be able to rely on all his own forces.

It should be noted that the OTU uses the French style fiefdoms that are largely local and contiguous. In England the ownership of fiefs moved about rapidly through purchase and marriage. This meant that powerful English nobles had interests and retainers right across the kingdom (which was the root of the Wars of the Roses) although there were power bases for each noble where they were strongest and their rivals weakest. In France this gave rise to largely autonomous local nobility that had little reason to side with the king. The Dukes of Burgundy, Britanny etc often leagued against the king and formed alliances with external enemies (which is why the English did so well in The Hundred Years War) so this too has its drawbacks.

So, back to Traveller we see that the Archduke of Wherever is more powerful locally than the emperor, and if the archduke has a falling out with the monarch they can oppose them quite successfully. The emperor has to maintain careful diplomatic ties with their nobles. of course, the archdukes have this problem with the dukes and so on and so on.

Historically, there was another form of noble. The nobles above were known as 'Knights of the Sword' and were the main type. The other type were 'Knights of the Robe' who were bureacrats and financiers. They could also have sizeable fiefs but historically encountered a lot of hostility from the sword knights. Usually, they began very early on to adopt the attitudes and customs of the sword knights, and were careful to raise their children as sword knights as well.

 

[aramis]

British nobility were intentionally encouraged to be vassals of multiple lords to reduce the chances of civil wars, and to unify the army.

Further, the higher nobles were often granted remote feifs specifically to give them a reason to defend their neighbors.

So it was a mildly effected deterrent to rebellion.

Now, IMTU, Enfeoffed Nobles are the Imperial Liaisons to the local world government(s). THe local world may have given them a role in the local government, but are not required to. The Demense is "Imperial Extrality" just like the starport, and may in fact be the starport.

Huscarles IMTU are drawn from Imperial Marines and Local World Armies (though seldom the one to which the noble is assigned), and a feifdom may be transferred from one noble to another by the Emperor or the Archdukes. (shades of Dune...) In such cases, the Huscarles go with.

Huscarles are there to protect the Noble. They are paid by the Imperium, but are sworn to the Noble.

Non-Enfeoffed working nobles (those in the Noble Service) have duties with accompanying demi-fiefs; they are sworn "for the duration" to the local noble they work for.

Hereditary non-heirs and Reward Nobles have imperial protections... like the right to be armed, and the right to appeal local criminal cases to the Noble.

Also, IMTU, any Working Noble can call an intervention... the local Moot will deal with him later, but act on his request with immediate and excessive force. The Noble is automatically bound over for trial by moot... in a gilded cage... Tho' many Navy Admirals will waive that on their own discretion if they find it justified, and just report that they were tipped off to a violation of the Rules of Warfare.

Of course, if a Noble is in rebellion, he's likely to be facing the might of the Navy and Marines post-haste.