Every planet a fief?

[Black Globe Generator]

In your Traveller universe's Imperium, is every planet a noble fief? Does every system owe fealty to a noble lord at some level of the peerage? Are there "free worlds" that owe no obligation except to the Emperor?

 

[Whipsnade]

BGG,

IMTU? After reading GT:Nobles, I can say it is similar to the OTU.

Entire planets as fiefs are rare to the point of vanishing. The Moran Delphine may be the hereditary ruler of Mora but she doesn't own the whole of Mora and her imperial fief doesn't encompass the whole of Mora either.

On the other hand, while (almost) no fiefs encompass an entire planet, it is a rare inhabited planet that doesn't host any sort of imperial fief.

One manner in which MTU and the OTU part company is over the description of imperials fiefs. In canon fiefs seem to always include actual land. The number of square kilometers varies with the title, but land is always involved.

IMTU, fiefs can include land but land is not always a requirement. IMTU, the majority of those imperial nobles below subsector duke and linked to particular systems are primarily used as 'mineshaft canaries'. IMTU, each system is unique, each system was admitted to the Imperium in a unique way, and the treaty or treaties handling that admission are unique. The nobles associated with that system are then 'living treaties'. In that role they keep an eye on certain aspects concerning the Imperium-System relationship.

Let's say the early Imperium 'bribed' or coaxed hi-pop Argelbargle-IX into joining with a number of planetary improvement projects; an improved starport, a fusion power distribution grid, and a huge flood control/irrigation effort. Upon admission, hi-pop Arglebargle-IX would get a marquis but several 'lesser' Imperial nobles would created too and their fiefs would be linked to the Imperial projects I listed. So, Baron A would monitor the starport ensuring the SPA paid heed to Argelbargle's needs while Baron B would monitor or direct the fusion power grid and Baron C would do the same for the planet's 'TVA' project.

Over the centuries those responsibilities would morph as the projects changed and the Arglebargle-Imperium relationship changed. That means that the three barons' fiefs and responsibilities would change too. Using the real world TVA as an example, you can see how it and its mission have changed from the 1930s. The barony whose 'fief' is the Arglebargle TVA would see changes in that fief over time too.


Have fun,
Bill

 

[Greek Letter Moshpit]

Y'know, Bill, given how frequently you use the Arglebargle and Bargleargle systems, when can we expect a writeup of them?

 

[mike wightman]

I use the original version of library data that has the lowest tier of Imperial government being the sub-sector Duke.

He/she may own substantial interests in a world, but would rarely own a whole one - although I can think of a couple of examples.

If the Imperium doesn't "own" the worlds, how can land grants be made?
I think it's more than likely that Imperial titles are bestowed on individuals who are the movers and shakers on a world in order to get them onside.
The Imperium may then buy up land, factories etc. (who exactly does this - the megacorps, another noble?) which may later be used as grants.

Then there's the possibility of land grants on conquered worlds...

 

[Golan2072]

The system I've used to bridge between the Imperium's feudal system and the moistly non-feudal world governments is the concept of a "titular noble". That is, an elected representative (Gov 4) or an appointed one (Govs 8-9) is considered a "noble" as long as he holds office for all matters concerning the Imperial government, but stops being a "noble" once he's elected/booted/fired out of office.

A noble is a ruler rather than a landowner in most cases; this is not a strict feudal system, just a capitalist monarchy (with the Imperial Family having stock in most corps, check Hard Times) with a quasi-feudal administrative system. Also, serfdom is very rare unless the world's government is feudal (3, 5 or A+).

In other words, the Imperium combines a feudal administrative system (i.e. a hirarchy of heredatiry officials) with (mostly) capitalist land ownership (i.e. most land could be sold and bought just like any other commodity).

Yes, there ARE fiefs, but those are actually part of the Imperial family's (or a large noble family's) property as major corporate shareholders.

 

[Whipsnade]

Originally posted by Greek Letter Moshpit:
Y'know, Bill, given how frequently you use the Arglebargle and Bargleargle systems, when can we expect a writeup of them?

GLM,

As interesting as your suggestion sounds, I'll never write up either Arglebargle-IX or Bargleargle-XI. Why? Because, as example worlds, they both are protean.

Instead of typing World A does this... or System B has that..., I've fallen into the habit of using Arglebargle and Bargleargle. That means the UWPs of those two worlds aren't fixed in any manner.

If we're talking about a belt, Arglebargle is my belt example. If we're talking about a waterworld, Bargleargle is my waterworld example. When the next discussion arises, Arglebargle could be a lo-pop desert planet and Bargleargle a Terra-prime naval depot. They continually change to fit the discussion at hand.

Now my Stooges Subsector is another kettle fo fish entirely...


Have fun,
Bill

 

[Greek Letter Moshpit]

Stooges subsector? Do tell, oh please, do tell...

 

[Whipsnade]

GLM,

It began as a placeholder and grew out of all proportions.

I was running a short "trade & trouble" campaign as a filler for my group at the time. Our T:2000 GM had had to suspend his campaign for personal reasons and we didn't have anything else in the pipeline. (We met weekly and generally played a long RPG campaign in one setting with occasional one-offs from other settings to break things up.) I knew I could pull a quick, couple month campaign out of my hat, as that what the First Three LBBs were all about, so I volunteered. I rolled up a quick subsector and put together some notes for a quick "hub & spoke" style campaign with the players manning a subsidized jump2 Type-R. Like with TTA, the ship's free or non-route time was coming up in a few months game time.

I used a lot of handouts in my games so when we started I tossed a copy of the subsector map to the player who was navigating. He and the captain start pouring over it while I'm handling equipment purchases with the others and they complain the names of the subsectors bordering the subsector they're operating in aren't filled in. I grumble a bit, take the map back, pencil in four names, and give it to them again. They look it over and immediately announce We're going THERE! because I'd written 'Stooges' down. Why I did so I have no idea.

They eventually worked their way over to the Stooges subsector, not as quickly as they'd hoped, but they got there. In the meantime, I'd put together a subsector with all sorts of Stooge place names and references. It was the site of a Long Night pocket empire and the capital had been Moronika. The current subsector duchess was named Moella and the current Moronikan Empress was Shempetta the 23rd. There were worlds called Schmo, McIntyre (with its two beautiful moons), Larraine, Curliana, Sitka, and all the rest. I posted a bit of nonsense detailing some of this to the TML a couple of years back.

The great part was, although my players were expecting all sorts of silliness and slapstick, I played the Stooges subsector absolutely straight. There weren't pie fights, the megacorps didn't sell Bright-O, and folks didn't go around poking each other in the eyes. In fact there was a great deal of serious political tension due to a one side feud between Moella and Shempetta! I was able to throw my players a real curveball with all this. It kept them guessing right until the campaign wrapped up because they couldn't quite shake their belief that the Stooges were going to appear sooner or later.


Have fun,
Bill

 

[Greek Letter Moshpit]

Brilliant!

Absolutely bloody brilliant!

Now I'll have to go dig around in the TML archives.

 

[Golan2072]

After re-reading what MT's Imperial Encyclopaedia had to say on the subject, I have to correct my earlier post.

In the Third Imperium, unlike "classic" feudalism, rulership and fief-holding are not directly linked. An Imperial noble is (in some cases) the ruler of a nation on a balkanized world, a whole world, few worlds, a subsector or even a sector; but he does not usually directly own *all* (or even most) of the land (or space) in these territories. Most planetary rulers, for example, are considered as Nobles for Imperial purposes (in the case of elected officials they hold this "title" for their term in the office); but they usually do not own most or all of their world.

To make matters more complex, the Emperor (or Archdukes to a limited degree) could give noble rank as a reward for achievements without any position of rulership (other than Moot membership, that is) to anyone he desires.

Fiefs are handed out seperately as rewards from the Emperor to nobles he likes. For nobles who hold a position of rulership, this fief is usually inside the area they rule, but it very rarely encompasses a major part of that area. So a Baron ruling a planet might have 1,000 square KMs of land surface on it as his fief, but not the whole planet except for rare cases.

 

[rancke]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
If the Imperium doesn't "own" the worlds, how can land grants be made?

A fief is a source of power. In historical feudal societies that meant land, because land was the source of power, but the important part was the power. In Denmark, properties were rated in 'barrels', which represented the amount of land you needed to harvest one barrel of grain. Thus two properties could be of vastly different size if one was on sandy soil and the other was on rich soil, yet the two properties were still the same value.

But in an industrialized society, land isn't the only possible source of power. A steel mill could be a fief. The right to control who broadcasts on a section of the radio waves could be a fief.

Imperial fiefs are the power of governance. A duke is more like a hereditary viceroy. A lot of Imperial posts require that the holder have a title, so lesser noble ranks has a sort of 'shared fief' in the form of Imperial appointments.

Most Imperial titles (I'd say 'all', but I suppose there could be exceptions) would come with a source of income to help maintain the dignity of the title, but it could just as easily be a simple pension as a bit of land or a block of stock (One very common source of income would be the income from the Emperor's Share in some company -- thus ensuring that someone will keep an eye on the company for the Emperor). The income would be associated with the title, but it wouldn't be a fief in the classical sense. And, of course, the Imperium doesn't practice subinfeudation in the classical sense either. The Marquis of Aramis is said to be a vassal of the Count of Celepina, but I don't think the count could strip the marquisate from one person and give it to another on his own.


Hans

 

[Liam Devlin]

Originally posted by Black Globe Generator:
In your Traveller universe's Imperium, is every planet a noble fief? Does every system owe fealty to a noble lord at some level of the peerage? Are there "free worlds" that owe no obligation except to the Emperor?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

No, not every planet is a fief

--but harkening back to earlier posts (nods to Bill C, Employee 2-4601), there are the Govt 6 worlds with star naval or Scout bases on them--obvious IMP Navy worlds there, or IISS installations.

These are technically at the call of the Subsector Duke in wartime, high time of piracy, unrest, crises, etc.

Secondly, worlds with Govt. 1- Corporation-owned. The Coprorations pay in shares to the Imperial family (megacorps do--MT/Hard Times is my reference here on % of shares owned by).

I see these latter worlds as offering such shares to (as MT/HT referred again) Imperial Nobles, in return for patrols by those first mentioned worlds passing by every now and again to keep predatory folk away, or some form of quid-pro-quo.

Certainly candidates for fief-world are your Charismatic & Self-Perpetuating Oligarchies (Nobility usually), and even Charismatic/Non Charismatic Dictatorships.

Some worlds may hold fiefs--small ones as Bill has said, withi, yet separate of the world govt.

Using an MT example (Adventure: Arrival Vengeance), Usdiki/Rure/Gushemege, Strephon's stronghold, was a Religious Autocracy/Dictatorship--yet the 'Baron of Usdiki' had a small island fief and platial mansion upon it.

The UK has Royalty, and Nobility, and yet is a representative Democratic Govt., so don't count Democracies out for not being fief-capable...

Of Course, India is also a democracy, but has no such Noble House ruling it any more...

Then, there's the USA..where we treat Movie-Entertainment stars as "nobility/celebrity"...

My take falls to the view that the Subsector Duke has at least as many "barons" under him/her/it as there are planets--minus those of corporate/ Navy-Scout only use. the trouble-shooters for a 'Nobles' campaign tends to fall to the Imperial Knights, and these mid-level nobles below the Subsector Duke.

Thanks for listening/ reading. Thanks for asking these questions too!

 

[Black Globe Generator]

Originally posted by Liam Devlin:
Thanks for asking these questions too!

You're welcome!

A plea to all: I placed this topic in the IMTU forum specifically because I don't want what's in canon to become the only talking point. If you're referencing canon, please be specific about saying so and cite your source(s), and avoid the temptation to "correct" other users. This is intended to be a workshop thread, not an attempt to locate the "right" answer.

Thank you, and thanks to all who have posted thought-provoking replies so far!

IMTU I'd done away with the "subsector" and "sector" dukes and "domain" archdukes, replaced by governors (subsectors), governors-general (sectors), and viceroys (OTU domain, IMTU quadrant) - administration of the the Third Imperium IMTU was not so closely tied to the peerage. However, I'm considering a return to the OTU usage as described in Supplement 11, with the office of subsector or sector duke and domain archduke conferred as a fief.

I've "fixed" the relationship between a count and a marquess IMTU - a marquess outranks a count in the peerage. It was a niggling little detail, like a pebble in my shoe, that kept demanding my attention.

Subenfeoffment IMTU is a right only of Vilani nobles who can trace their titles to the First Imperium - nobles created under the Third Imperium are vassals solely of the Emperor. Vilani nobles see this as an important distinction, and establishing unequivocal patents of nobility extending a title lineage to the Ziru Sirka is lucrative cottage industry for genealogists.

A "fief" IMTU may consist of land (up to an including a planet or multiple planets), a pension or other source of income, an office, or a business concession - most nobles higher in the peerage than baron hold more than one type of fief in their demesnes.

IMTU the treaty granting admission to the Imperium for a planet or system typically reserves land or business concessions for the Emperor to dispose at his or her discretion - these reserved lands or interests form the basis for later noble fiefs. A fief may also be created out of an existing land-holding or business concession: for example, the Emperor could award the title of baron to a wealthy-industrialist and define the scope of the fief as the industrialist's present holdings - this doesn't confer additional resources or income, but the prestige and political and legal benefits are considerable.

Imperial nobles IMTU are generally subject to the same planetary laws as other citizens, but the treaty of admission usually includes the provision for a member of the Moot to request trial by a Court of Peers, exempting the noble from the jurisdiction of local jurists or Imperial magistrates. Aside from the income that is attendant with elevation to the peerage, this is perhaps the most important right of nobility in the Imperium.

Okay, now that that's all out of the way, here’s my own answer to my original question! IMTU:</font>

• a county most often consists of either a majority landholding on a planet or a significant business monopoly - the count may be the head of state, but more often is simply the largest land- or business owner (with proportional influence, of course)</font>
• a marquessate consists of similar landholdings or monopolies on several worlds within the same star system and/or its binary or trinary companions, or may sometimes extend to the mainworlds of separate star systems - the marquess is usually the planetary head of state on a mainworld</font>
• a duchy comprises two or more complete star systems - the duke is the head of state for at least one of the planetary systems</font>

I like the idea of a courtesy title for a planetary chief executive/head of state. I think that may be a wholly appropriate use for the title viscount IMTU - perhaps those who carry the title during their tenure as heads-of-planetary state retain the honorific of The Honorable... after leaving office (or being deposed, as the case may be!).

All planets IMTU owe fealty to the Emperor as a condition of their admission to the Imperium – fealty takes the form of paying Imperial taxes in all cases, but may take other forms as well, such as contributing to the colonial (read: subsector IMTU) navy or army, set-asides of land or business concessions and the legal protections for members of the nobility as described previously, permission to build and maintain Imperial facilities such as naval bases, scout way stations, or research stations, and other conditions as necessary or desired. A free planet IMTU[/i] is one that has no feudal obligations than taxation – an Imperial noble on a free planet does not have recourse to the Court of Peers, for example, and a free planet has no obligation to the subsector or sector administrator. There are generally no more than a half-dozen such free planets in a sector – these may take the form of wealthy worlds courted by the Imperium for their resources which choose to rewarded with this extraordinary form of autonomy, or worlds dominated by a non-human sophont.

Again, I appreciate the replies so far, and I hope other posters will weigh in as well.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Black Globe Generator:

Sir, you are most welcome. I like your take on the Vilani-noble enfeoffment, sir! Good angle.
Enjoyed your topic and the reply above.

Many thanks!

 

[Whipsnade]

BGG,

I should have prefaced most of my remarks with IMTU also. Or at least written it more often!

The count/marquis 'problem' was never much of a problem IMTU. Even when GT:Nobles ret-conned in viscounts - at Mr. Miller's insistence I should add - it didn't effect MTU at all. I'd found a 'job' for counts and viscounts IMTU years ago. Counts IMTU are associated with 'marquis-less' worlds.

Leaving aside those nobles whose titles came with their jobs; ministers of this and that, and those nobles whose titles are rewards; military heroes, etc., most nobles IMTU are linked with member systems in one way or another. Barons are tasked with certain regions or activities in member systems, marquis are tasked with member systems as a whole, and dukes are tasked with large groups of member systems such as subsectors/duchies. Counts and viscounts pick up the slack between marquis and dukes. That slack exists because not every member system is 'worth' a marquis.

Look at the Trin's Veil subsector for example. We've got Pyramus with a class E port and less than 10,000 people. Does Pyramus 'rate' a marquis? How about Leander? Less than 1,000 people and a class E port. Any need for a full marquis there? You find a dozen or more such worlds every subsector. Low population, poor ports, no bases, nothing but plain old backwaters. None would 'rate' a marquis. Some wouldn't even rate a baron! That's where counts and viscounts enter the picture IMTU.

The 'marquis-less' worlds in each duchy are grouped together and assigned to a count or viscount. The number of these counties will depend on various things like astrography and how many marquis-less worlds exist, but each duchy will have at least one county within it. Grouping these small backwater worlds into counties give them a voice in the Imperial they wouldn't have due to their lack of a marquis. The few barons associated with them would be lost in the herd of barons every duchy must have. 'Sharing' a count or viscount with other backwater worlds lets their needs at least get a hearing at the subsector capital.

Having a count tasked with monitoring these worlds helps the Imperium too. All sorts of trouble can happen in these backwaters and most of these worlds can't really police/defend themselves. They require more active Imperial intervention, relatively speaking, than their 'marquis-world' counterparts. They need the IN and IISS do swing by more often. They need friendly visits from MoJ marshalls. They need MoC staff to hang around. Of all the systems in the Imperium, these worlds need the Imperium to do more of what it is loathe to do - govern and interfere in system affairs on a regular basis.

That means, IMTU that the county is the 'lowest' level of active Imperial governence. Worlds with marquis can (mostly) handle their internal affairs and hold up their end of things. Worlds without marquis, the backwaters, simply don't have the numbers to do that. For example; they can police the single village everyone lives in, but patrolling the rest of the planet and system is something the Imperium must step in to handle.

The nobility IMTU is thus split into two broad catagories by function. Barons and marquis act as 'mineshaft canaries'. They're tasked with certain activities, regions, and systems. They act as 'living treaties' so to speak, smoothing over the friction between system government(s) and the Imperial government. They react, respond, and implement policy.

Counts, viscounts, and dukes on the other hand actually govern. Where barons and marquis work through system governments, counts and viscounts are system governments for multiple systems and the duke is the government for the duchy as a whole. At this level, policy is not only implemented it is also made. Counts, viscounts and dukes govern.

YMMV.


Have fun,
Bill

 

[aramis]

Originally posted by Black Globe Generator:
In your Traveller universe's Imperium, is every planet a noble fief? Does every system owe fealty to a noble lord at some level of the peerage? Are there "free worlds" that owe no obligation except to the Emperor?

No, IMTU, there are NO "free worlds"... Every world has some noble assigned to represent it (and spy upon it). It may not be his or her ONLY world, but every world answers to some noble.

THe fief itself, IMTU, is the starport and extrality zone. There may be further lands, but at a minimum, the starport is the noble's fief.

 

[Ptah]

Originally posted by Black Globe Generator:
In your Traveller universe's Imperium, is every planet a noble fief? Does every system owe fealty to a noble lord at some level of the peerage?

Far from it, although "Nobel Houses" do control many important worlds. IMTU the nobility is more along the lines of the Houses found in Dune. Imperial control is maintained by close (and maybe secret) alliances the imperial house makes with other houses, and the technological and economic superiority of the imperial house. Imperial house forces can't be everywhere but if they show up at your world you are in for a world of hurt.

The term "house" is very generic IMTU and basically refers to the political voting unit in the Imperial Senate. IMTU the central Imperial house is not all powerful, even if it is the most powerful of the houses, so it can not act in a way that offends all the houses.

How political authority is granted within a "house" is entirely up to that house. So some "houses" are that in name only and are actually representative democracies, which I guess would be a "free world." Megacorporations are also politcal entities that might control worlds and thus a kind of "house." Non-human systems / empires within the imperium also might have their own house or houses.

Originally posted by Black Globe Generator:
Are there "free worlds" that owe no obligation except to the Emperor?

Yes, but IMTU such worlds are not "free" because they are part of the Imperial House holdings. The Imeprial House certainly wants to add worlds to its holdings, the other Houses want the opposite, so there are a number of worlds that have little or no voting rights in the Imperial Senate etc. but which are also not directly controlled by any power that does have such voting rights. These worlds walk a fine line as a Senate resoultion may put them under the "protection" of one House or another.

 

[Plankowner]

IMTU, the nobility is similar to what Bill C put forth.

Any Imperial World with C+ Starport or Pop 6+ had a Marquis. Barons under them ruled specific functions within the Starport. Baron of the Hiport, Baron of the Downport, Baron of the System Defense Force.

If a world was too small/backwater to rank a Marquis, it really got the shaft. Typically if there was a nearby Marquis, the world was enfiefed to that Marquis (now called a Count) and off the Imperium went. A Count could have control of several systems depending on how many backwater worlds there were in a given area.

Above the Counts and Marquis' were the Sub-Sector Dukes. Again, if only part of the Sub-Sector was under Imperial Control, then that County was added to another Dukes (Lunion is an example IMTU, Lunion is a County of the Regina Duchy).

My system tended to naturaly extend the status quo of backwater worlds. A Count really didn't want to see one of his backwater fiefs expand enough to warrent a Marquis, because then he lost power/trade/money/status. Thus the big got bigger and the little stayed little.

I also threw in another title that was equal to Marquis in SS, that was Earl (SS D). If there were a LOT of backwater worlds with no real Marquis calibre worlds around, they could get grouped together into an Earldom. Typically, Earls were the poorer cousins of Counts since they had no significant world to draw their power from. They usually worked very hard to get one of their worlds up the Marquis status and got their title changed to Count as soon as they could. Then they forgot about the other worlds in their fief like all the other Counts.

 

[ld80062]

IMTU...

Because of the cultural inheritance and the legal nature of the Third Imperium - offically it's a restoration of Gand Empire of the Stars, (as the Warrent of Restoration declares) and NOT a new government - there are several worlds that are actually fiefs, created during past Imperia, which are recognized by the current Imperial hierarchy.

They come in three flavours:

* First Imperium fiefs - IMTU, all Ziru Sirka fiefs were worldwide grants of the Shadow Emperor. The surviving fiefs were owned by old, not-so-loyal Vilani families, who switched allegiances to the Rule of Man (and, much later, the Third Imperium) and kept their titles and rights. Not very common, but you can find them here and there - perhaps 350 Imperial worlds within the old Ziru Sirka borders (ie: none in the Domain of Deneb, and only a few in the Domain of Sol).

This drills down to about 30 systems per sector within the old borders.

Usually, these ancient fiefs are middling worlds, with sub-TL 12 technology, and populations of under a million sophonts. Of the estimated 900 High-pop systems within the Imperium, maybe ten are world-wide Vilani fiefs.

{BTW, Vland is NOT one of those worlds: it is governed by a network of bureaucratic councils substantually older than the First Imperium. }

* Rule of Man fiefs - remember those worlds that were ruled by a single naval lieutenant? Well, if that lieutenant's decendants managed to hold on to their rule for about 2000 years, their authority would be recognised by the newly founded Third Imperium.

Terrans (later: Solomani) have great difficulty in establishing long-lasting dynasties: as of 2006, there is exactly ONE dynasty - Japan's - who can make a claim to last two millennia. Projecting this to the Imperium: of the ~9,500 (NOT 11,000) systems of the Imperium, perhaps five of them are Second Imperia fiefs.

{PS: While there are nobles whose titles are derived from the Sylean Confederation, their fiefs were never worldwide, instead amounting to .1% to 10% of the world's land surface. (Or a space station or undersea site, if no land was available) }

* Archducal fiefs - the only worldwide fiefs the Irridium Throne hands out are at the Archducal level. As there are currently seven Domains, so there are seven Archducal worlds. These are charming worlds, with good environments and highly loyal populations in the 10 to 100 million range.

************************************

The ten high-pop First Imperium/Ziru Sirka fiefs are the largest fiefs within the Imperium[1]. However, their wealth is only middling, so there are many fiefs that are greater (ie: generate more wealth) then the ancient high-pop Vilani fiefs. For example, an Imperial Barony consisting of a TL 15 city of 70 million sophonts can overshadow several of these huge Ziru Sirka fiefs.

The worldwide fiefs are valued not so much for their wealth, as for their prestige. Most are closely related to the older Imperia, and speak of old, highly respected, and long-established families. The only 'modern' - ie, less than a millennium old - worldwide fiefs belong to Archdukes, who are always highly respected and sometimes weld great authority (like after Strephon's reforms).

************************************

Side note: monarchies, Imperial nobles and worldwide governments. Again, strictly IMTU.

* About 70-80% of all planetary governments within the Third Imperial are offically monarchies, due to the cultural influence of the Imperia and the Imperial aristocracy. Of course, the Imperial Scouts ignore offical titles, and pragmatically focus on the actual distribution and use of power when discussing world governments. (Much to the annoyance of the locals.)

* Around a third of all planetary rulers are actually Imperial nobles. However, they gained power over the world by their own wealth, political astuteness and force of arms: it was NOT granted to them as a fief by the Emperor. Therefore, they may NOT call on Imperial forces to hold on to their local political authority, and must rely on their own skill, wealth, and household forces.

***************************************

[1] excluding the Emperor's 'fief': aka all Imperial space, all unclaimed worlds and stellar bodies, and all Imperial bases, holdings, and stations EXCLUDING starports (which are always part of a local Imperial noble's fief)

 

[ld80062]

Now, I do like to play around with new ideals, and a system of worldwide/systemwide Imperial fiefs intrigue me. There will have to be several changes needed to make it work, however.

So, here's a rough outline on how to possibly get this to work.

*****************

How to build a network of system fiefs.

Origins: classic feudalism relies on an interesting distribution of power: a certain military class is so powerful that it can utterly dominate civilian governments: but power is so distributed among the military class that centralized rule is impossible.

Worlds up to TL 11 are rather vulnerable to attack, especially worlds with weak/no atmospheres. Worlds at TL12 get access to Meson guns, which can make world invasions really painful. Ignoring fractional-C rocks, Traveller military realities support planetary defense against most enemies past the TL12 level, given a decent population base (100 mill+ ). This helps with decentralizing interstellar authority (as does the "no FTL commo without starships" rule.)

Military starships are quite good at terrorising lesser worlds at little cost. but it's mighty hard to force a ship to fight, if it has nothing it must defend. There is a clear hierarchy among warships: bigger ships hammer smaller ships. Of course, bigger ships need a bigger industrial base to build and maintain...

The Third Imperium could get off the ground because it can rely on two large social & trade networks - the Vilani and the Syleans - to build the forces needed to overwhelm any given system, given enough time. However, it is expensive to do so, and the Imperium is expected to generate a profit over any given decade. Also, warfare destroys industrial bases, and the Imperium strongly prefers to milk the tax cows, not butcher them.

So - when the Imperium can't forcibly unify a world via invasion or financial buyouts - it usually picks the largest political faction of a planet, and builds it up so it can overwhelm the other competing suthorities. This creates a centralized world (and, if needed, system) government, simplifying offical Imperial control.

After the single planetary government is created, it is Imperialized, by either ennobling the local authorities or by replacing them with Imperial nobles. The noble is permitted to rule as he pleases, so long as taxes are paid, Imperial law & authority is upheld, and dealings with other interstellar governments are handled in a manner pleasing to the Emperor.

The Imperial noble of a particular system is considered the source of Imperial authority on that world. He has no authority over the Imperial Navy & Marines, but he DOES have complete authority over Army regiments on his system. Moreover, he is encouraged to build his own forces: planetary & system defense is HIS responsibility, not the Emperor's.

Even when it comes to the Imperial Navy, it is quite likely that - in a univese of extremely wealthy nobles - the Sector and Subsector Duke is the focus of most Imperial Navy loyalty, with the Emperor reduced to a distant figure.

Should the Imperial noble be deposed, the Imperium will negotiate with the new authorities to select a new Imperial noble to sit on the (local) throne.
If necessary, the Imperial will simply pick one, or go to war to strengthen an ally's authority, so he can credibly claim dominion over the world.

[ Note: this Imperial variant strongly prefers unified world governments: however, there are still balklanized worlds within this Imperium. Generally, they are artifacts of noble rivalry or a family feud, and not a result of internal strife. ]

********************

How to run a network of system fiefs.

Now, creating a world of system fiefs is the (fairly) easy part. The real issue is maintaining a government over such extremely wealthy, highly independent, powerful individuals.

* Friends, Hostiles, Enemies, and Neutrals

There are major and minor strategies and tactics. The major tactic is of course "rewarding friends and isolating hostiles." But first, we must define "friend" and "hostile".

Friend - someone who strongly supports the reigning Emperor, personally. They earnestly labour to make the Emperor's will into reality, strive to keep the Emperor 'in the loop' when it comes to local news, threats and opportunities, and offer suggestions on how the Emperor can better meet his public and secret goals.

Hostile - this does NOT refer to someone who attacks the Imperial system, or undermines the Imperial government per se. Such nobles are "Enemies", and are swiftly deposed: usually they and their families are killed or exiled as well.

The term "Hostile" refers to a noble who is loyal to the Imperial government & culture, but hates the reigning Emperor. They respect the Office of the Emperor, obey direct commands and pay their taxes in full, and may even work to strengthen the Imperium. However, they loathe the ruling Emperor, and indirectly work to weaken his authority and undercut his goals.

The hostiles are smart enough to avoid the category of "Enemy", which is a reliable way to get killed. They are often quite powerful on their own turf, making conflict a risky proposition. And they generally have some propaganda facility and their own network of allies, so direct attacks may well backfire badly.

Now, both Friends and Hostiles are quite wealthy and powerful. The Emperor usually avoids direct confrontation with Hostile nobles, so long as they keep their head down and don't get too annoying. But he does hurt them continually (if indirectly), by keeping the Friends unified and the Hostiles isolated. He also continually woos the less dedicated, soft-core Hostiles: brokering deals and concessions that shifts them into the "Netural" category.

As a rule of thumb, the Emperor is reasonably satisfied if the amount of Hostile nobles is kept below 5%, and the percentage of Friendly nobles are around or above 20%. It is impossible to get disgruntled nobility below 5% without major purges and personality rewriting, which brings new problems to the fore - mainly, the "yes-man" syndrome, and the isolation of the Emperor from reality. It is unwise to have more than 20% of Nobles categorized as Friends: there should always be a way to reward obedience and punish disobedience, without always using the "big stick" of exile or death. [1]

* Delegated oversight

The Emperor can't watch over all 100,000 noble houses: he has enough trouble keeping tabs on the ~210 Archducal and Ducal houses. (And even then, there are only 5-10 houses that are under real scrutiny at any one time.)

Threfore, authority to render Imperial justice, reward good behaviour, and punish bad behavior must be delegated to lesser nobles, usually Dukes and Duchesses.

Of the 210 subsectors, typically ten are ruled by nobles hostile to the Emperor. Instead of exterminating these nobles, the preferred Imperial strategy is to co-op these nobles to a certain extent. If done right, this allows the Emperor to define the margins of discussion and the level of thinkable discontent with the Imperium.

Naturaly, if a given Duke get's too uppity, he will be crushed. Therefore, the wise house will always exclude some of it's members from any activity against the Emperor, so allowing the Emperor to shift the title to a (kinda) loyal member of the family, instead of exterminating the entire house. However, this means that the family is never really united against the Emperor, and there is always the possibility of an unexpected whisper into the wrong ears....

{A secondary effect is that - IMTU - women are generally excluded from holding formal authority in Imperial houses. There are several implications to patriarchial nobility: but the one I want to focus is that, if worse comes to worse, the women and girls are usually allowed to live. Some generous Imperial Lords will let the boys live as well, but most Imperials see this level of mercy as too foolishly extravagant and short-sighted.}


[1] IMTUniverses, "Once a family-inheritable title is granted, it may never be removed for any reason except death or abdication to a different family member. Disenfoffement of a noble family with a (usually male) heir is impossible."