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Ranks
- Thread starter ArenRax
- Start date
2WayParadox
Mystagogue
What culture did you base your world/culture on? --> check wikipedia or google for the historical ranks they used and use that as inspiration.
Magic would follow along the lines of Apprenticeships. Like Apprentice, Journeyman etc... I would think. Military would depend on branch and whether the person was a commissioned officer or non-commissioned.
Royalty, well English Royalty goes in the following order from top to bottom King and Queen, Prince and Princess, Duke and Duchess, Marquis and Marchioness, Earl and Countess, Viscount and Viscountess, Baron and Baroness(Hail Cobra!)
Baronet, Knight(Recipient is addressed as Sir or Dame), Esquires (Squires), Gentlemen, Yeoman, Peasant.
Royalty, well English Royalty goes in the following order from top to bottom King and Queen, Prince and Princess, Duke and Duchess, Marquis and Marchioness, Earl and Countess, Viscount and Viscountess, Baron and Baroness(Hail Cobra!)
Baronet, Knight(Recipient is addressed as Sir or Dame), Esquires (Squires), Gentlemen, Yeoman, Peasant.
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X Equestris
Scribal Lord
You're going to have to be more specific about your setting. A medieval army is going to have a different ranking system than a modern one, after all. Nobility will be different in different cultures, too.
DeathtoTrite
Lore Master
One quick note- especially with noble ranks, don't get too caught up in the hierarchy! Some English earls were enormously wealthy and powerful, despite technically being of a lower rank than a duke. Similarly, some of the most powerful Muslims in the middle ages were mere Emirs.
As to the noble and military hierarchy, it depends on what culture you're going for/ what time period. A military hierarchy separate from a noble one is a relatively new thing- the French Republic being the first to practice it in the West. Ghengis Khan is a good non-western example. Otherwise though, nobles were given command by their suzerain. How your levies were organized was your decision- usually your men-at-arms and knights would command the levies. Nobility remained a crucial factor though. When Phillip II of Spain assigned the Duke of Parma to command the invasion of England/ suppression of Dutch, many more prestigious nobles were disobedient to Parma purely due to his relatively low status- despite his considerable skill and appointment as commander!
As to the noble and military hierarchy, it depends on what culture you're going for/ what time period. A military hierarchy separate from a noble one is a relatively new thing- the French Republic being the first to practice it in the West. Ghengis Khan is a good non-western example. Otherwise though, nobles were given command by their suzerain. How your levies were organized was your decision- usually your men-at-arms and knights would command the levies. Nobility remained a crucial factor though. When Phillip II of Spain assigned the Duke of Parma to command the invasion of England/ suppression of Dutch, many more prestigious nobles were disobedient to Parma purely due to his relatively low status- despite his considerable skill and appointment as commander!
ScipioSmith
Mystagogue
It isn't so new. The Roman army, and before that the Macedonian army of Philip and Alexander, both had professional officer corps that held their ranks by royal/imperial commission, rather than bloodright. Now in both cases the officers tended to be from the upper end of the social strata, but they didn't command because they were nobles, and they could, in theory, be dismissed and replaced in thier commands at any point (in theory because, if a commander was popular enough with his troops, he could become an almost feudal overlord regardless).
X Equestris
Scribal Lord
That's true, though outside of the Romans, Greeks, and Carthaginians the command structure was often a lot looser.
DeathtoTrite
Lore Master
Fair enough. But the practice largely vanished in the meantime. And the Roman armies, though it had a professional army corp, was commanded by a legate who may or may not have lots of military experience.
K.S. Crooks
Grandmaster
Religious Ranks- such as Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, Reverend Mother, etc.
Corporate Ranks- CEO/Owner, President, Vice President, Director, Manager, Worker
Political Ranks- Prime Minister/President, Governor, Premier, Senator, Mayor, Counsel member
Corporate Ranks- CEO/Owner, President, Vice President, Director, Manager, Worker
Political Ranks- Prime Minister/President, Governor, Premier, Senator, Mayor, Counsel member
- Thread starter
- #11
X Equestris
Scribal Lord
There wasn't really any ranking system for Greek and Roman nobility. If you were part of the noble class, you were roughly coequal. Japan isn't really my area of expertise, so I can't speak for it. The British nobility is on the last page.
Military ranks are something that's going to vary based on branch. What exactly are you looking for?
Military ranks are something that's going to vary based on branch. What exactly are you looking for?
- Thread starter
- #13
X Equestris
Scribal Lord
Here's enlisted:
X Equestris
Scribal Lord
And officers:
Russ
Dark Lord
There were basically three types of pre-Imperial Roman nobility:
Roman aristocracy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In different Imperial periods it can bet a lot more complicated.
But the rank system or hierarchy of a fantasy world really needs to fit the world and culture. It can be as complex or as simple as you like. There are even ranks within ranks, such as the split between Liberi and Ministrale amongst central European knights .
X Equestris
Scribal Lord
And there is very little functional difference between them. There's quite a bit of overlap between the three spheres. It's not really a hierarchy. But yeah, the Imperial era is where it gets complicated, especially as the changes in the late empire happened.
DeathtoTrite
Lore Master
@ X Equestris those rate charts bring back memories. Ugh.