A Peerage is an award bestowed on members of The Royal Manticoran Navy: The Official Honor Harrington Fan Association, Inc. for exceptional service and dedication to the organization, making them a "peer," or titled noble within the context of the club. "The Peerage" refers collectively to all members who are peers.
Peerage in the Star Kingdom of Manticore
In the Honorverse canon, the Manticore Colony established in 1416 P.D. lost almost 60 percent of original colonists to a plague several decades after landing. Realizing that they would need to attract additional homesteaders, but wanting to maintain control of their colony, they adopted a new constitution, creating the Star Kingdom of Manticore in 1471 P.D.
In addition to crowning their Planetary Administrator Roger Winton as King Roger I, the surviving "First Shareholders" (who already had vast landholdings) were given patents of nobility, making them titled peers of the Star Kingdom and creating a hereditary aristocracy.
Peerage as a TRMN award
TRMN policy is that no more than one percent of members may be granted peerages. This award affords the member to roleplay as a member of the nobility of Manticoran society. Peers are given privileges including a seat in the House of Lords, the right to bear a coat of arms approved by the College of Arms, and special forms of address. These rights are hereditary; any peer who dies passes the title to their eldest offspring, if the offspring is a TRMN member.
Peers are granted titles named after their "peerage lands," fictitious territories on the worlds of Manticore, Gryphon, Sphinx. Additionally, a TRMN peer's spouse and children (if they are TRMN members) are given appropriate honorifics.
Peerage titles may exist on other worlds from the Honor Harrington series of novels and related books, the most notable being the Grand Duke of New Montana, an honorary award bestowed on the author David Weber by the organization in appreciation of him creating the series.
Peerages come in several levels, based on the Manticoran Peerage System and those of other Honorverse star nations. In ascending order of precedence, the Manticoran peerages are:
- A Barony, is a peerage awarded to a Baron or Baroness. The word barony refers both to the peerage title itself and to the "land" granted to the peer.
- An Earldom is the peerage awarded to an Earl or a Countess. The land granted to an earl or countess is called a county.
- A Dukedom is the peerage awarded to a Duke or Duchess. The land granted to a duke or duchess is called a duchy.
- A Grand Dukedom is the peerage awarded to a Grand Duke or Grand Duchess. The territory associated with a grand duchy is an entire planet. Presently there are only two grand duchies in existence within The Royal Manticoran Navy:
- New Montana (originally Montana, but changed by the author), an Honorary Peerage granted to David Weber
- Lynx, granted to Martin Lessem, the founder of TRMN.
Obsolete ranks
David Weber modeled the SKM on historical British society, the peerage of which includes marquesses and viscounts in addition to dukes, earls and barons mentioned above. However, marquesses and viscounts are not used in the Manticoran system and thus are not utilized by TRMN. Although there was one marquess mentioned in the canon, the author considers this an oversight which he has retconned to an earl. In the earliest days of TRMN, some founding members were created viscounts, but these titles are no longer recognized in the organization.
Peers from Allied Star Nations
Some foreign peerages are awarded in TRMN to members who have non-Manticoran personae:
- The Andermani Empire has equivalent noble ranks, including freiherrs (barons), grafs (earls), herzogs (dukes), and fürst (non-royal prince), which is equivalent to Manticoran grand duke.
- The Protectorate of Grayson has two levels of peerage. Steadholder, which is considered equivalent in rank to that of duke or duchess in the SKM, although steadholders exercise "head of state" sovereignty within their territories, while dukes/duchesses hold their lands in fief from the crown. The second level is councilor, which is equivalent to a Manticoran grand duke.
- The Republic of Haven does not have titled nobles so TRMN awards Havenite members with the designation of Senator for Life, which is roughly equivalent to duke, and planetary governor, which is equivalent to Manticoran grand duke.
Cadet peers
The heir of a peerage title (usually the eldest offspring of the title holder) is referred to as a cadet peer and is addressed as "my lord" (for males) or "my lady" (for females) and referred to in the third person as (for example) "Lord John Doe" or Lady Jane Doe."
Additional younger offspring of the title holder are referred to as, for example, "The Honorable John Doe" or "The Honorable Jane Doe" (abbrev: "Hon. John Doe"). There is no special form of address for them.
Star Empire of Manticore Hereditary Peers
Grand Dukedoms
Dukedoms
Counties/Earldoms
Baronies
Star Empire of Manticore Life Peers
Honorary Peerages bestowed by TRMN:
Protectorate of Grayson Steadholders
| Rank |
Title |
Name |
Planet |
Steadholder |
Councilor
|
| Steadholder |
Pittman |
Martyn Griffiths |
Grayson |
01 Nov 2014 |
|
| Steadholder |
Henesy |
Tom Saidak |
Grayson |
27 May 2015 |
|
| Steadholder |
Maelstromm |
David Melsome |
Grayson |
28 May 2016 |
|
| Steadholder |
Fitzgerald |
Philip Clayton |
Grayson |
03 Nov 2018 |
|
| Steadholder |
Chẽrnakova |
Kathy Rau |
Grayson |
25 May 2020 |
|
| Steadholder |
Amberwolf |
Neil Simpson |
Grayson |
01 Jul 2023 |
|
| Steadholder |
Gilwell |
Zachary White |
Grayson |
26 Feb 2025 |
|
Andermani Empire Peers
Fürstentum (Non-Royal Principality)
| Rank |
Title |
Name |
Planet |
Freiherr/Freifrau |
Graf/Gräfin |
Herzog/Herzogin |
Fürst/Fürstin
|
| None |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Herzogtum (Dukedom)
| Rank |
Title |
Name |
Planet |
Freiherr/Freifrau |
Graf/Gräfin |
Herzog/Herzogin
|
| None |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grafschaft (County/Earldom)
| Rank |
Title |
Name |
Planet |
Freiherr/Freifrau |
Graf/Gräfin
|
| Graf |
Hohenheim |
David Westover |
Gregor |
01 Jul 2023 |
16 Jan 2025
|
Freiherrschaft (Baronies)
| Rank |
Title |
Name |
Planet |
Freiherr/Freifrau
|
| Freifrau |
Neu Sachsen |
Laura Lüschen |
Potsdam |
27 May 2015
|
| Freiherr |
Baudenvost |
Philip Wohlrab |
Potsdam |
26 May 2018
|
| Freiherr |
Neu Potsdam |
Geoff Zoeller |
Potsdam |
01 Jul 2023
|
Republic of Haven Senators for Life
| Rank |
Title |
Name |
Planet |
Senator for Life |
Planetary Governor
|
| Senator |
Duquesne Tower |
James Sena |
Haven |
26 May 2018 |
|
In Memoriam
Emeritus
| Rank |
Title |
Name |
Baron/Baroness |
Earl/Countess |
Duke/Duchess |
Grand Duke/Grand Duchess |
Planet
|
| Baron |
Longsdale |
Amanda Barrow |
31 Dec 2021 |
|
|
|
Gryphon
|
Defunct Peerages
See Also
External Links
