Fealty Recognizing Nobility
Posted by Apostate on 06/16/20
Q: Can a Great House prevent direct vassals or Houses within their fealty from ennobling a commoner? What is the most they can do to deter it if they cannot outright ban it? A: What houses can and cannot do is a matter of tradition and respect of power. The threat of force is never that distant if they wish to try to enforce their will, and it is really up to the peerage to decide if it's an overstep.
It is important to remember that the Compact is definitely not a federally controlled nation, and domains are often much more analogous to friendly powers than they are parts of the same country. What this really means is the survival of smaller and less militarily powerful domains is largely dependent on allies with stronger domains and marriage alliances. As an example, House Tyde was destroyed by House Thrax during the Tyde Rebellion, before its later restoration. These things happen. If a barony in the Mourning Isles challenged Thrax, and they razed it to the ground, more than likely the Assembly of Peers would have strong words for Thrax's brutality and life would go on. If that barony can not reliably expect defense from another great house or a network of alliances, they could be destroyed, and the opinion of whether a war is justified can be everything to a house's survival.
It is important to remember that the Compact is definitely not a federally controlled nation, and domains are often much more analogous to friendly powers than they are parts of the same country. What this really means is the survival of smaller and less militarily powerful domains is largely dependent on allies with stronger domains and marriage alliances. As an example, House Tyde was destroyed by House Thrax during the Tyde Rebellion, before its later restoration. These things happen. If a barony in the Mourning Isles challenged Thrax, and they razed it to the ground, more than likely the Assembly of Peers would have strong words for Thrax's brutality and life would go on. If that barony can not reliably expect defense from another great house or a network of alliances, they could be destroyed, and the opinion of whether a war is justified can be everything to a house's survival.