The Royal Chamber: Changes to the Large Peerage

(Year 229, Chateau Peek, Del Sol Valley) This week the 75th Grand Mazaloom Gathering (GMG) took place at Chateau Peek. This annual conference is hosted by The Royal Chamber and gathers all dukes of the kingdom as well as the 8 regional mayors to debate various community aspects. This year The Royal Chamber announced an upcoming redefining of the Peerage of Mazaloom, aka the Large Peerage.

And this is actually the perfect occasion to announce that there is a brand new Mazaloom Peerage overview on the Community Pages - a quick way to see the status of each peerage, their rank, and who the current dukes, counts and barons are. 

The Royal Chamber (left to right): Prince Jerome, Count de Tredony (64). Duke Merlin von Windenburg (77). His Royal Majesty King Tarriot of Mazaloom (61). Duke Victus of Meadows (55). Lord Dominic of Deadgrass was not present, and Count Marcel II of Advorton (77) was too sick to attend this year's conference. Posing on the right is Lord Floyd Altham (91), not a knight of The Royal Chamber.

The large peerage was instated by King Baltazar II all the way back in Year 2, and the first peerages created in addition to the kingdom were dukedoms and counties, followed by some baronies. The system quickly came out of order when also a few "lordships" were created, unintendedly. It did not help a bit that the monarch was ditched as result of the Year 118 revolution, and the fighting Royal Chamber - mostly in order to secure more titles for their own houses, created numerous Lord and Lady titles outside the large peerage, not connecting to any land or real peerage.

After these additions, the current large peerage includes several individuals carrying some sort of Lord/Lady title by peerage or title, while the intention is that Lord/Lady generally is a social style used by all levels of peers, including the higher levels, by using the Lord or Lady title with the peerage name as a less formal form. (i.e. Lord Gloom addresses the Baron of Gloom himself and not his son). Lord is not a Peer title, but simply means «member of the Mazaloom peerage». In addition it is used to style all children of a Duke or Count (unless the heir apparent was given a courtesy title), by using Lord or Lady before their civil name (i.e. Lady Corva Saxor). So, the term "My Lady" or "Your Lordship" is not referring to any specific peerage, but is quite generic and used by any member (peer or peer's wife) of the large peerage - even a Duke. Baron is meant to be the lowest true Peer title of the large peerage.

The Royal Chamber now intends to adjust these confusing misunderstandings, but we see that this will affect some very old peerages, too. These changes must be handled carefully, either by updating their existing Letter of Patent, or by offering the Peer a new peerage while making the old peerage extinct.

Changes will not affect previous title holders, but current and future peers and their families.

Step 1: All Lord/Lady titles created in Year 221

Lord/Lady will be replaced with the gender neutral title Mester. These titles are less complex as they were never a true part of the large peerage, although were seen as low nobility. They don't hold any privileges and neither affect spouses nor children.

Affected from 1st Day of Summer Year 229 are:

Region 1:
House of Rab-Saxor: Lord Lykke, to be known as Mester Lykke

Region 2: none

Region 3:
House de Froux: Lord Sangiovese, to be known as Mester Sangiovese

Region 4:
Lady Swang, to be known as Mester Swang

Region 6:
Lord Butter, to be known as Mester Butter

Region 7: none

Region 8:
Lady Mellowhill, to be known as Mester Mellowhill

Region 12:
House of Tangerin: Lady Shine, to be known as Mester Shine
House of Dougham: Lady Crestville, to be known as Mester Crestville
House of Ching: Lady Mugger, to be known as Mester Mugger
House of Greco: Lady Bedrock, to be known as Mester Bedrock
House of Landgraab: Lord Cacti, to be known as Mester Cacti
House of Rossell: Lord Acres, to be known as Mester Acres

Step 2: Lords to become barons

Three old low nobility Lords (by peerage) should have been created as baronies from the start - the lowest level of the large peerage. In fact, Lord of Prome was referred to as Baron of Prome on a few occasions in the past. As their status is today, they are actually outside the large peerage, despite having a Letter of Patent. These will one by one be offered adjustment to baronies. The privileges will still be limited as with all low nobility peerages.

Affected from Investiture Day (1st Day of Winter) Year 229 are:

Lord von Haunt (Region 1, Windenburg), held by House von Fyres. To be replaced by Baron von Haunt.

Lord of Prome (Region 12, San Myshuno), held by House of Prome. To be replaced by Baron of Prome.

Lady de Sür-Blyth (Region 12, Brindleton Bay), held by House de Sür-Blyth. To be replaced by Baroness de Blyth.

All 3 new peerages will be gender neutral when it comes to successors.

Step 3: More complex cases

(Final details yet to be announced)

Affected from Investiture Day (1st Day of Winter) Year 230 (all held by House von Fyres, Windenburg) are:

Lord of Deadgrass (Region 12, Brindleton Bay)

This was created in Year 50 and treatened as high nobility peerage, but the main functions were taken over by Duke de Cavalier already from Year 98. Deadgrass lordship had its own Deadgrass Trust, but they never had their own Order, which actually defines high nobility. The current Lord Deadgrass is not even residing in Region 12, but Region 1. There is no need of 2 high nobility peerages in a small district like Brindleton Bay, and because Deadgrass lacking an Order it seems like it should not be seen as high nobility. The Royal Chamber wants to make the Deadgrass peerage extinct, and have it replaced by a low nobility barony. To compensate for status loss, the current remote Deadgrass peer can be offered a Mester title.

Lord von Dresden (Region 1, Windenburg)

This was created in Year 44. Head of House is also holding the high nobility Deadgrass lordship, which is suggested extinct, and the soon to become barony; Haunt. The plan is to create a new Dresden Barony, with benefits to compensate for status loss.