Making heads and tails out of Imperial nobility

[Condottiere]

Palantir.

Generally speaking, the guy with the bigger military, or larger purse, tends to have the whip hand.

 

[aramis]

In Traditional European precedence order, march order is largely invariant...

Head of local Sovereign state
Hosting Royal if in see
Other sovereigns, by title ties by date of elevation
Other royals, by title, ties by date of elevation
Hosting peer if in see.
Peers by title, ties by date of elevation
Knights by rank of order then by date of knighting
Other gentry, often by awards held, if any
Any non-gentry being recognized.

Note that see has devolved to mostly religious use (That territory overseen by a bishop), but was originally both religious and civil use. The see is that which they are responsible for the oversight of, whether or not it is a part of their fief proper. In most of Europe, a noble's see and fief are synonymous, with a few exceptions. Traveller, however, has much larger sees than fiefs in most situations.

There's also a distinction between Royals — members of the ruler's inheritance group — and Peers. The actual designation of royal generally includes any sovereign, including the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and siblings and children thereof... While Princehood generally is generation limited (those with a sovereign within 2 or 3 generations of ancestors), children of grand duke are not princes... but remain royals. Grand Count and Grand Baron titles have never been sovereigns, but more distant relatives of sovereigns.

 

[kilemall]

In Traditional European precedence order, march order is largely invariant...

Head of local Sovereign state
Hosting Royal if in see
Other sovereigns, by title ties by date of elevation
Other royals, by title, ties by date of elevation
Hosting peer if in see.
Peers by title, ties by date of elevation
Knights by rank of order then by date of knighting
Other gentry, often by awards held, if any
Any non-gentry being recognized.

Note that see has devolved to mostly religious use (That territory overseen by a bishop), but was originally both religious and civil use. The see is that which they are responsible for the oversight of, whether or not it is a part of their fief proper. In most of Europe, a noble's see and fief are synonymous, with a few exceptions. Traveller, however, has much larger sees than fiefs in most situations.

There's also a distinction between Royals — members of the ruler's inheritance group — and Peers. The actual designation of royal generally includes any sovereign, including the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and siblings and children thereof... While Princehood generally is generation limited (those with a sovereign within 2 or 3 generations of ancestors), children of grand duke are not princes... but remain royals. Grand Count and Grand Baron titles have never been sovereigns, but more distant relatives of sovereigns.

As I recall the RL diplomatic precedence protocol extends to certain royals and nobles over most newcomer democracy titles.

 

[Janitor_Prime]

This peaked my interest because Thebus is a adventure sport destination for trophy hunting. Transiting would go through Blue, Torpol, Marduk, to Thebus. Worlds that Drinax would like to assert ownership again via the campaign.

 

[aramis]

As I recall the RL diplomatic precedence protocol extends to certain royals and nobles over most newcomer democracy titles.

Yes, but the head of state of royal-less systems generally gets tacked in as the lowest tier Royal unless someone's sucking up. Which has happened. (Such as a US president being placed ahead of the Prince of Whales in a march in England as a way of sucking up to the US.
Systems with Royals, but a different head of government, they generally get their HoG ranked as highest peers.
Note that royal great officers (including the PM and often their cabinet) generally rank between royals and peers unless themselves a royal.

Plus there's the issue that Emperors rank Kings, except that the hosting Royal ranks everyone when in see... And until about 1650, the Pope ranked as the highest Emperor and always ranked the local King for purposes of the grand march or the openings of courts... but since prior to 1800, popes almost never left their sovereign lands...

Also, we know canonically that The Duchy of Regina holds several lesser titles: Count Aledon, Marquis of Regina (the actual world noble), and Baron Yori... MT Reb. SB p 58

I suspec the simple path in the 3I is
Royals
Landed peers (Archdukes, Sector Dukes, Subsector Dukes, Subsector Counts, Counts, Viscounts, Marquis, Barons) and Baronets
Unlanded dukes (reward)
Unlanded Honorary dukes
unlanded reward counts
unlanded honorary counts
⋯
unlanded honorary barons
knights