✎ wiki:documents:casadiaonnobility

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====== Casadian Opinion of Nobility ======
//**Excerpt from Selandre’s [[wiki:documents:casadiaculturalobservations|Cultural Observations of Casadia]]:**//

[...] The Casadian attitude towards the absolute rule of lords, and nobility generally, is markedly more negative than that of their Hermertian peers. Many Casadians express strong disdain towards systems of authority whereby absolute power is derived from hereditary titles, seeing such systems as nonsensical. In the following passage, I shall delve into the historical roots behind this contrarian point of view.

Casadia’s view of nobility arises from its formative years in the Great Desert. Each tribe in the desert was led by a leader known as a shekti, with the authority of the shekti varying from tribe to tribe. Life in the desert was a constant struggle for a survival, leading the people of the desert to value strength in their leaders above all else. The familiarity of hereditary rule by father and son was supplanted by a system in which one’s strength must be proven to the tribe before leadership can be assumed. The weak son of a strong father would have virtually no path to becoming a shekti, as it was well known that a weak leader would bring a given tribe’s already tenuous existence to a swift end. This sentiment towards leadership has endured throughout Casadia’s existence beyond the desert, especially after its explicit inclusion in the Code.

Life in the desert built the foundation of this view, but it was a series of events during the Fall that cemented this idea in the Casadian consciousness. Historical records of the Fall tell tales of how the various lords of Alterra fled eastward with their armies and treasures, as opposed to standing and fighting against the horde with Casadia and its allies. Tens of thousands were left defenseless and were quickly swallowed by the horde. Upon reaching the eastern coast of the continent, these lords were refused a place on the evacuation ships. Many lords fought or bribed their way onto ships, and a fissure between Casadians and these lords began to form. The tension only grew upon landing, as Casadia and its allies had assumed control of the largest colony site in an attempt to maintain order. Not wanting to bow the rule of foreigners, especially Casadians who had tried to leave them to die on the beaches, these lords fomented dissent and rebellion within the colony. The ensuing chaos ultimately led to Casadia’s departure from the colonies, whereafter they formed settlements of their own much further inland.

Casadia’s disdain towards nobility has roots in the culture of the Great Desert, as well as a number of historical conflicts with privileged nobility. These factors have cemented the opinion among Casadians that nobility are not to be trusted and that hereditary rule begets only weakness. Barring the transformation of Casadian society or a new disregard for its venerated histories, both highly unlikely in this historian’s opinion, Casadia will maintain this contrarian viewpoint despite a political environment within the empire that largely disagrees.