The ranks of nobility in Taldor are ancient and well-established, though they have changed at times and some lower ranks may be considered more prestigious based on the history of their realm.
Grand Duke: grand dukes rule over the prefectures of Taldor, and are limited to a total of 62. 12 grand high duke who rule over the established prefectures, and 50 lesser grand dukes whose lands are no longer controlled by the Empire.
Duke: many dukes rule over duchies, the largest division of territory in a prefecture. Others are unlanded dukes, prominent nobles who directly serve a grand duke and may be referred to as attending dukes.
Marquess: marquesses are always lords over a march, the border territories of Taldor. They always command a standing army in addition to the usual militias of their domains.
Count/Earl: both ranks directly serve dukes, counts as administrators of counties and earls as administrators of major cities or blocks of land within a duchy. While generally equivalent, an earl is usually considered to have precedence over a count outside the count’s own domain.
Landgrave: landgraves administer unsettled but important tracts of land such as canals, farmlands, or stretches of remote coastline.
Baron: a landed baron rules a territory subordinate to a county called a barony. These lords are closest to the common folk and are found mostly in rural areas. Other barons directly serve the Crown as advisors or at-large administrators sent to troubled parts of the nation.
Baronet: lesser barons, often assistants to higher ranked nobles. Mostly found in service to dukes and marquesses who have large realms to administer.
Viscount: subordinate counts, a viscount administers part of a county in places where the county is particularly large, diverse in issues, or densely populated. Sometimes oversee minor villages at important locations such as crossroads.
Lord: a catch-all rank for those of noble descent but with no actual duties. The younger sons of most nobles of any rank are allowed to take this title, and it is often given as a reward for service to the Crown. Sometimes seen as an annoying swarm of useless sycophantic blue bloods.
Knight: a dual-purpose title, not all who are conferred the title of Sir or Dame are given any privileges, but highly ranked knights with their own land are often lumped in with the nobility.
Other Titles
The above titles are not the only ones associated with the nobility, below are a few special ranks that are often held by a noble that may bump their prestige up.
Senator: the vast majority of nobles are also senators, including all those of marquess or higher rank. Below that, there are a few nobles who do not hold a seat in the senate because they are lower ranked than other family members. For instance, Duke Panivar Lotheed VI is a senator, but his grand-nephew Count Bartleby Lotheed is not a senator.
Governor: a highly ranked title, governor comes with no lands itself, but is granted to a highly ranked nobleman to rule over a province outside the borders of Taldor proper. Any noble can become a governor, and such a title often bumps them up by two ranks in precedence.