The Lands of Henry Edward Stanley d'Chesterton

Chesterton is broken into 5 counties: Arundel, Hereford, Hartford, Grouchy and Alsace. Arundel is the Stanley family lands and the ducal fief; by family tradition, the ducal heir is created Baron of Arundel upon reaching his majority. 20% of all taxes collected go to the ducal treasury, except in Arundel where the percentage is 50. Male siblings of the Duke are traditionally made Barons; the exception is Albert Roger Stanley, who was created Earl of Grouchy in recognition for past service to his elder brother. The Duke's second son, Andrew, will be created Baron of Alsace upon reaching his 21st birthday. This is somewhat unusual, but not unprecedented. Richard and Andrew are close, and the Duke hopes that they will develop the same closeness that he has with Albert. Albert also has a large family.

Counties are organized along feudal lines: tenant -> landholder -> burgher -> lord -> baron. Traditionally, there are few to no hereditary titles given in Chesterton, where the Dukes have always believed that the most able people should serve in the correct capacity (it also has the effect of retaining central control).

Chesterton has a strong military tradition that leans toward elitism rather than raw force. The training and maintaining of the Knights is considered one of the most important functions of a Lord. Justice tends to be reasonably fair but very harsh. Most details of county administration are left up to the barons except for trade, taxes and the High Justice, which are all strictly managed by the Duke (the High Justice is the standard by which people may be put to death by nobles via summary judgment (no magistrate)). Indentured servitude is rare but not unknown, since only landed families are free to work off debts in this fashion. Tenants cannot enter into agreements which might interfere with their obligations to the local landholder. Tenants are worked hard, but oppression is generally frowned upon. Tenants have a right to summon a county meeting with any level of noble up to Barons once a year, and the nobles are required to file a report with the Duke for each such meeting. The Duke is immune from the requirement, but traditionally will honor such requests whenever possible. Young men showing exceptional size and/or quickness are selected for observation for possible employment as troops. Those with good horsemanship can even be elevated to Knighthood. All household troops and Knights are considered freeman; all other non-landed persons are considered to be tenants. A tenant who strikes a freeman can be put to death under the High Judgment unless he can show exceptional cause (this means killing someone -- theft and assault are not included).

Chesterton is based on a model of Saxon England. The peasant class are considered tenants, craftsmen, or vagrants under local law, and are granted the right to appeal to the County Magistrate in all matters not decided under the High Justice (death). All appointed county officials are considered by custom master craftsmen. Theft, sedition, murder, rape of a maiden (only), and any offense by a commoner against a noble are all crimes punishable by death. Nobles with feudal obligations can administer the High Justice, which means they may sentence commoners to death under their own authority and without appeal. The Regency Council reviews routinely all such capital punishment in order to ensure consistent application of justice from county to county, as well as to detect abuses.

The Council is the sole legislative body of the duchy. It must approve all measures to raise taxes and levy county troops above the levels set as ducal prerogatives, i.e., a certain percentage of the county levies are designated as ducal levies that may be activated on the Duke's own authority. All Lords and Barons sit on the council, as well as the Regent, Lord Chamberlain (who counts for 2 votes) and the Duke himself (who counts for 3 votes). The council has an elected chair who must not be in the line of succession and who controls 2 votes. This makes a total of 22 votes, with all ties decided by the Duke, if present, or the chair (who holds the courtesy title of High Councilor).

Annually, the Duchy holds a plebiscite known as the Thing. All changes to judicial procedures must be approved by the Thing, as well as all appointments to the Council and the confirmation of any new Duke. Capital punishment of any Landholder may also be appealed to the Thing, although the Duke retains the right to confiscate and re-grant any land holdings seized after a landholder has been duly convicted by any County Magistrate.

External

Chesterton is generally a strong supporter of federalism, and is thus one of the few Dukes generally "trusted" in the confederacy. The emphasis on military values, however, generally excludes Chesterton from much of the political maneuvering. Chesterton is frequently used as a political card, since the flower of Chesterton's Knighthood is viewed with respect, but the dukes are slow to commit to actions unless the greater good of the confederacy is clearly threatened. The family has a feud with the McKitricks which dates back to the Great Elf War, when a Chesterton was Grand Duke and a McKitrick tried to organize a movement to sue for peace over Chesterton's objections. They have a close working relationship with Pendleton, which historically grew to defuse tensions over the Alsace region which dips deeply into Pendleton's borders. Many of Alsace's residents consider themselves Pendletonians and so the Duchy's small standing army is based in Alsace. Chesterton is also an opponent of McMannon as a result of various policy and ethical disagreements. Chesterton has historically had good relations with Hampshire, Devonshire, and Lethbridge, although no lasting political alliances have been formed (one can imagine that if Richard lives to become Duke, Chesterton and Lethbridge will become very close!).

Trade

Chesterton is primarily rural, but gold mines exist in the western range, and small deposits of copper, tin and iron are also known to exist. Chesterton imports most of its iron and copper, as well as a decent number of horses. The duchy also imports a fair quantity of lumber. It has no major exports, and generates most of its currency from its own mines.

The Armor Smiths of Arundel are known as makers of exceptionally fine plate, but the sheer labor intensiveness of this activity keeps the volume low. Their primary claim to fame is their ability to produce gold-inlaid steel plate, which is highly prized for its ornateness.

Military

During times of conflict, counties are required to provide troop levies which can reach as deeply as 50% of able-bodied men. Every feudal position above landholder is also required to maintain household troops, and Lords and Barons are also required to train and maintain Knights. In relative terms, this means that Chesterton has more Knights than other Duchies, but only an average number of foot soldiers (although the foot soldiers tend to be better trained than most). When activated, county levies are commanded by members of that counties household troops.

Militarily, there are 3 forces of note. The Duke's bodyguard, which consists of 200 knights and 500 infantry (known as the Ironsides for their heavy armor and reputation for invulnerability), is a volunteer force of elite troops from all areas of the duchy. The Alsacian Knights, a crack unit maintained by the Baron of Alsace, is the primary mobile enforcer of the duchy's borders. Lastly, the Baron of Grouchy maintains a large unit of elite heavy infantry for patrolling the western frontiers. These Frontier Guards number over 1000 skilled troops and form the core of the duchy's infantry in times of war. The duchy stresses Knights and infantry is viewed as a support tool and a means of holding terrain. Knights tend to be medium units, with smaller elite units of heavy cavalry (such as the Ironsides). Infantry is almost exclusively heavy, wearing chain and consisting mostly of pikes, halberds, and maces, with the broadsword as the secondary weapon. The infantry are supported by small units of crossbowmen used to disrupt enemy advances just before melee. The authority to command the ducal levies lies with the Duke and the Marshall, and although the Regent may activate the levies if the Duke is unavailable, he lacks the authority to command them in the field.

Geography

Mostly fields and rolling hills. Some mountainous regions. Very fertile farm land. Otherwise unremarkable.

History

Chesterton was one of the earliest duchies to be settled. As such, it represents old money and respectability to many of the other members of the Council. Of course, that translates into elitism and snobbishness to folks like Tudor.

Chesterton and Pendleton had long disputes over the status of the land in the south central part of Chesterton, which comprises most of what is now known as the county of Alsace. The origin of the dispute was over the feudal loyalty of a lord whose family was from Chesterton. The ducal council finally ruled in Chesterton's favor, but it is still a sore point with the inhabitants of the surrounding area, who have divided loyalties. Fortunately for all concerned, Chesterton and Pendleton have always been close political allies, a relationship which continues. Chesterton was also close to Lethbridge, and the Duke's political position took a grievous beating when Lethbridge was rumored to dabble in the arcane and then disappeared. Chesterton has a long-standing dispute with the McKitricks which dates back to the time of the Great Elf Wars, when the hard-pressed Northern Duchies, lead by McKitrick, attempted to settle the conflict before a final victory was achieved.

Dramatis Personae

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