The Heptarchy of Aladez [WIP]

Following the Valdez succession Crisis, and the subsequent split of the nation as a result of the rising power of the Northern Duchys, which succeeded to the Luskan Kingdom in the Northern regions of Trevast, and an unpopular regent who fell under the direct control of the Church and Patriarchs of the Eternal City, the Kingdom reformed into the Heptarchy of Aledez so named following the Proclamation of Aladez signed at the Conference of Aladeen convened to bring a conclusion to the Crisis that was threatening to drive the nations of Trevast to war. With the Supreme-Patriarch of the Eternal City, High-Chieftain of the Horse Lords and the King of the Valdez all holding incredibly large amounts of power in the region, it was deemed that the formation of a 'Heptarchy' would be the easiest way to bring about a solution to restore peace.

A new Government was formed, with the King of Aledez - formally Valdez - serving as Head-of-State, crowned by the Supreme Patriarch, with the heir-apparent of the Kingdom supported by the so-called Grand Despot of Surdan, formally of the Horse Lords. Alongside these titles, the Grand Duchy of Aquitania, now known as the Grand-Prince holds similar status in the Kingdom. These new changes lead to the birth of a religious military power in the region, Church Doctrine, and the Noble-Orders of Religious Knights dictating terms to a young King, who was practically holed up inside the heart of the Eternal City itself.


Nobility in Aladez follows a more traditional structure, with around 300 Noble Families occupying the realm, who are thus eligible for holding offices and land. However, in the interest of securing the primacy of the Monarch, the actual power of these nobles comes from two separate sources - the King himself, or the lands some nobles traditionally hold. Senior Nobles, forming Major Vassals and Minor Vassals of the realm are wealthy enough that they often pay familiares or lesser nobles to work for them in the army of other local offices. With Royal Vassals, all titles and lands return to the Monarch upon the death of their holder - the only exception being that of the title of Baron

Natural Vassals hold their own lands, yet legally can sometimes be less senior that royal vassals, whilst 'Spiritual Vassals' see their power and lands awarded by the Church - and the church alone.


So-called due to the origins of their power stemming from the Monarch, the Vassals Regni are those Noble Families who find their power through appointed titles granted to them by the King, and renewed by the King each time its present holder dies. Many of these nobles are exempted from the payment of tax, with the most junior in their ranks being the Barones Regni or 'Barons of the Realm' - holders of farming land, on behalf of the Monarchs appointed representatives. These ranks are the only hereditary ones in this category.

Ispans are the next rank in these strata of Nobility, and are Minor Vassals within the Kingdom, holding Royal Land on behalf of their King. Permitted to raise armies with no greater than 10,000.00 men under their command, they also take 1/3 of the revenue raised from the lands they control. These titles are not hereditary and thus they serve at the Kings leisure. The Office of Duke is always held by a cadet branch of the royal family, and holds sway over a collection if Ispans. At present there are three duchys in the realm, commanding just shy of eight Ispans. Dukes are Major Vassals with no restrictions.

Ban is the next office, effectively a regional Governor - with the ability to raise some 25,000.00 men they are considered Major Vassals of the realm. Presently there is one Ban for each of the Horse Lords three states. Finally, the Offices of State come next, namely the Palatine who serves as keeper of the royal household, Judge Royal who heads the courts Master of the Treasury and then the Marshall who commands the Kings army. All offices are considered non-major or minor houses and serve by appointment only.


With their power stemming from the lands they have historically held, they start out at the rank of Barones Naturales or Barons Natural, and hold lands they have inherited from their forefathers. They serve beneath Counts who hold swathes of land, inherited as well and count as Minor Vassals to the realm. Required to pay taxes, and answer the muster when called - these Counts are not limited in the men they can muster, but must do so without royal funding. There are estimated to be around five counties. Above them come the Magnates who hold collections of Counties, and are Major Vassals. There exist currently, two Magnates within the Kingdom.

By far the most powerful of these Nobles is the Despot or Petty King of the Horse Lords of Surdan. Allowed to run his nation, however, he chooses, with only the guidance of the Kings appointed Bans - they have no limits to what armies they might muster, and are not forced to pay tax. The Grand-Prince of Aquitania also occupies similar status, permitted to run its region as it wishes, free from tax, but required by law to answer the call when the King summons a muster. Both 'Petty-Kingdoms' may have their own treaties and wars, provided they do not conflict with those of the Monarch.


The final office that one can be offered is that of the Prelate which holds swathes of land on behalf of the Church. They are again not limited to what they can muster but are appointed by the Church and the Church only and are Major Vassals in the realm, with only one currently existing. There also exist Marshalls of the Holy Orders who are Minor Vassals and command no land, instead commanding Knightly Castles and Orders of the Church.

These Vassals are once more permitted to avoid paying tax, and are pledged to the Church first, and the Monarch Second. It is common for the King to monitor their power directly making use of spies to do so.


The Government of Aladez has moved far beyond the basic system of almost divine reverence in which the Monarch used to be held, into a Heptarchy system that has divided power to award greater importance on the teachings of the Church. Following the declaration of a new Order in the land, the Church was appointed to have sole-primacy of the faithful in the region, and would be required by law to enthrone the Monarch upon the succession of their heir. The King is thus supported by various members of the senior clergy who must legally occupy half of the seats on his council, with the rest being held by the nobility.

Formally, the Horse Lords of the South had been equal members of the Nobility, yet this has now changed to placate the power of the Nobles from the North and the religious orders. Loyalist members of the Horse Lords where spared the loss of their titles if they adopted the new titles awarded them by the faith and the crown. Officially, this region is, in fact, its own Kingdom, fully enclosed within the Kingdom of Aladez - with the former Chieftain of the lands having been sworn as Petty-King of the region. The Grand-Principality of Aquitania holds similar status in the realm.

As such the titles across the realm have morphed into the following from least senior to most -


With the influx of foreign knights and barons that the Kingdom saw as a result of their new union between Church and State, vast amounts of Monastic Orders have found themselves awash with fighting men and women. Granted land mostly in the regions South of the Eternal City these Orders of Knights soon subjugated and 'civilised' the horse lords. The instruments of Government form around the following three councils - The Holy Council which is made up of 54 bishops and patriarchs who advise the monarch directly. The next council is that of the Diet the Upper House being made up of Dukes, Officials, Magnates and Prelates, and the lower of Counts and Ispans.

The Kings Court is a very strong instrument of power aswell, and has members drawn from the Holy Council and the Diet, and is made up of members of all vassals, afforded pensions and granted command and management of the various ministries and offices of state - Master of Coin, Spymaster, Foriegn Minister, Steward and of course, Regent.


Roughly, there are three regions of note within the Kingdom, the Eternal City the Despotism of Surdan and Fortresses of Badlands. Each region is unique in its own way, with the Eternal City being famed for its vast amounts of churches and religious locations, whilst being surrounded by vineyards and ample farmland. It is in this region that the power of the King can most powerfully be felt. The Church also holds sway of the thousands of pilgrims who head into the region, and it is of note that, during key festivals when the city and surrounding lands are awash with pilgrims, the Church is known to push their agenda upon the King.

The Despotism of Surdan ruled over by the Grand Despot/Petty King of Surdan is famed for its Horses and vast tracts of rolling fields - occupied by the converted members of the once great Horse Lords. It is a Kingdom within a Kingdom, and has relative autonomy within the realm, provided they pay their tithes and swear fealty to the King in the Eternal City himself. The Grand-Principlaity of Aquitania holds similar status in the realm.

With the final noted location being the Fortresses of the Badlands a thin track of land on the southernmost border of the Kingdom, dotted with dozens of Fortresses occupied by Monastic Warrior Orders, waiting for a chance to push South into the Badlands.

Regionally, the landscape is mostly farmland with forests and mountains in the north - below the 'Free States and Duchys' of the North which stand between Aladez and Luska. It has no access to the sea, and thus most of the economy is geared toward land-based feudalistic means of production and the raising of funds. Due to the large number of noble families in the region, the land is dotted with great fortresses that serve as the seats of Ispans or other military raising nobles. It is estimated that there are around 200 castles in Aladez, not including the Eternal City tself - with some 150 of them being controlled by the Crown and its cadet branches. 

Other non-military nobles boast great estates in the plains and forest, in with the Barons can hold sway over huge swathes of farmland and even it is rumoured, mines. Monasteries, and churches dot the land as well, with one in every ten villages served by a great diocesan church. Much of the Land central to the Kingdom is owned either by the Monarch, in the Estates of the Realm or by cadet houses of the ruling dynasty (the House of Valdez), with border lands controlled either by other families close to the King, or by the Horse Lords and Despotates, watched over by appointed bans to ensure they do not rebel.


Following the outbreak of the Valdez Succession Crisis, and the Conference of Aladeen, the Valdez Dynasty - one of the Imperial Houses of Trevast - moved rapidly to secure and consolidate their familial influence over their lands. Moving rapidly, they hired in mercenary forces to offset the growing power of the Church and their Religious Armies, and brought several Warrior-Orders under their control by way of heavy sponsorship and the founding of chivalric orders and pensions.

Within a short period of time, the Kingdom had subjugated the Petty-Kingdom of the Horse Lords beneath its power, and moved to occupy some of the lands it had lost following the crisis, relying on a vastly expanded army that nearly pushed the Kingdom to ruin, until it was bailed out by the Church. The resulting economic dependency on the Church and the Military lead to the already militant Nation becoming yet more fanatical - seeing itself as the sole guardians of the faith left in Trevast.

With the Councils and Nobles of State reformed, under one banner, the Aladez Kingdom looked for new lands to expand their teachings into - and soon, the Badlands to the South attracted their attention.


One of the most, if not the most, religious realm in Trevast and beyond, the Culture of the Aladez revolves around the Faith, with Nobles drawing their power from their ability to raise arms to spread the faith further, as well as to build great monuments and Churches to their God. Diverse within the languages spoken in its borders, there is no doubt that the Trevastine Noble Families hold a great deal of sway over the realm - this being reflected in their clothing, which features furs and wool heavily, and the vast importance they place on service under arms.

Whilst many Noble Families boast great status and priviledge within the realm, such as the right to a trial by ones peers or a Royal Judge, Common Folk are not so lucky - with many denied schooling or the right to read sacred texts, if they are even literate. Much of the Nobility view the common folk as little more than farmers to be used, or traders to be taxed - and only those serfs who provide service in the army are counted as anything above dirt. It is estimated there are some 5-7 million people in the land, with some 5% of them as nobles. With somewhere between 250,000.00 nobles, and something akin to 1,000,000.00 regal or naturale 'Serfs' - those allowed to serve in the army, it is a military force of some repute.