[Ansteorra] Social Status

[Chris Zakes]

At 10:08 AM 9/29/2006, you wrote:
>--- Susan <catmafia at hughes.net> wrote:
>
> > I think the place I am lost the quickest is on
> > what happens with the children of the nobility, after the land and
> > titles have passed on to the first born-what status do the others
> > have?
>
>That depends on when and where you are.  Not all countries practiced
>primogeniture (giving everything to the firstborn, the rest are out
>of luck).  For example and *in general*, England practiced
>primogeniture and France did not.  The second son of the second son
>of a Baron in England learned a trade (although he wouldn't end up as
>a peasant; he'd still be gentry).  The second son of the second son
>of a Baron in France was still a nobleman and a leech on society.  :)
>
>That being said, in England there was usually *some* provision made
>for the children who didn't inherit the lion's share--some small
>lands and/or annuities, but not enough to amount to any great
>inheritance that you could live off of.
>
>--Serena Lascelles

As I understand things, in Wales the practice was for the father to 
divide his lands equally among all his sons. This could get sticky 
when you had several generations with multiple sons--what was once a 
large, prosperous farm coud turn into a half-acre plot that was 
barely big enough to starve on.

         -Tivar Moondragon