The Marches leadership

Farmland is the basis of political leadership in the Marches, and power is vested in those who own and control the great agricultural estates.

Only those who own land have a voice in Marcher politics. Any who own farmland have the right to call themselves a yeoman. Any yeoman can choose to follow another, as part of their Household, and the leader of a Household is known as its steward. The steward whose Household controls the largest amount of land - including that controlled by all the smaller Households sworn to them - is declared the Elector of that March and its leader.

In times past, a Household would be responsible for the defence of all the members’ lands, so it was practical for members to live near each other. In modern times this requirement is less important and the lands claimed by a Household may be scattered throughout a March. Smaller Households often swear loyalty to larger ones, partly to further cooperation between Households and partly to increase their political power. Owning farmland is considered a great responsibility; it is the duty of the yeoman to ensure the best interests of everyone who lives and works on it.

The Elector is expected to serve the interests of the March and those who live there. It is the responsibility of the Elector to appoint an Imperial Senator for their territory. It is rare for a Elector to declare themselves as Senator. The common feeling is that Imperial business creates demands on a Elector’s time that prevent them properly managing their Household or the folk who have sworn allegiance to them.

The competition to become the Elector of a March can be very fierce. The larger Households in a March compete with one another to have the largest number of landowners under their banner, and as with so much else in the Marches the results of these selections have caused bitter feuds and sometimes open conflict.

Merchants, miners, craftsmen and the like are forced to rely on neighbouring Households to speak for them in the political process. Over recent years, there has been growing dissatisfaction in some quarters about this arrangement, but it represents one of the oldest traditions of the Marches and is unlikely to be changed any time soon – attempting to do so could well prompt a civil war in the Nation.