Aurician Social Classes

Aurician society is socially stratified both legally and culturally. The City of Aurice is the dominant pattern and the over-provinces and cities elsewhere in the empire are similar to this pattern.

Social Order	Description	Remarks
Hierophant Senator	very highest honorary Senators; hold much prestige as leaders of religious orders, but little of the power; wealthy land-owners; High Phœnissa of Aurice is one of their number and also the most powerful
Duke Senator	Highest members of Senate; hold all principle power in the Senate and entitled to all the highest offices of government; wealthy land-owners
Count Senator	Mid-level Senators; hold almost all the prestige of Duke Senators, only some of the power; wealthy land-owners
Baron Senator	Mid-level Senators; hold almost all the prestige of Duke Senators, but little of the power; wealthy land-owners
Metropolitan Senator	Low-level senators; little true senatorial power; considerable prestige; wealthy merchants
Metropolitan	Prestigious rank of nobility; no power in senate; commercial interests; wealthy merchants
Provincial Noble	rank of country nobility; no power in senate; prestige greater in province of origin
Knight Gentry	Formerly pledged to the sometime Grand Duke of Aurice; they now pledge service to the city or to an officially recognized order; post-ducal knights often drawn from professional mercenary captains who want prestige; many officers in the military are Knights-Gentry	Knights-Magi of Aurice also fit into this class
Landed Gentry	Officially recognized bourgeois—recognized for skilled profession or accomplishment; able to hold lesser governmental offices by virtue of land-ownership	Samoyat Rhaurvace
Landless Gentry	Officially recognized bourgeois—recognized for skilled profession or accomplishment; able to hold lesser offices by virtue of inherited status
Free Commoners	Untitled freeman, not tied to manor lord, but typically clients of someone else; Commoners come in a wide range of wealth, from dirt poor to moderately wealthy
Serfs	Land-tied peasants. This class was officially abolished in 2576 by decree and all serfs were elevated to free commoners, above.	Decree of Universal Emancipation throughout the Grand Duchy of Aurice (2576)

See Also

• Aurice
• Aurician Nobility