Duke Information Page
History
Some of you may be wondering why I've made this page; the answer is simple: I've got a a bit of experience on this topic and I figured what insights I could provide might be useful to the... /newer/ Dukes amongst us.
The History of Dukes - Real Life
Depending on the nation, Dukes ranged the spectrum of political, (or religious) crony/puppet to near-sovereign ruler in their own right.
Several examples:
- High ranking nobles William the Conquerer placed in charge during the Norman invasion of England
- Italian city-states pre-Renaissance
- Vatican City and the Pope, (the Pope wasn't always the Pope - the position was first called the Bishop of Rome and was a combination of political and religious issues)
- Pre-formation of the German nation - there where three major "realms" that eventually formed the modern day Germany. The leaders of the three "realms" chose one of them as the "Ruler" to govern the group of three realms.
Another way to understand Dukes, (even imperfectly) is to use the example of Governors, (in the USA) or... (I don't know a lot about the EU government structure) I suppose the current government leaders?
The History of Dukes - BattleMaster
In BattleMaster, there is a bit of a spectrum. There are mainly three types of Dukes: those that don't rock the boat, those that rock the boat, and those who wouldn't mind rocking the boat... so long as there's something they'd get out of it. (Could be personal gain, increasing their Duchy's size/power, or even strengthening their realm [Yes, it's possible] )
Just as there are three types of Dukes, there's three main types of people appointed as Duke:
- The Warrior
- The Bureaucrat
- The Politician
The Warrior is the character who has been fighting for his realm for so long that it's almost second nature to give them a city. It could be that they're already a Region Lord - the Duke goes missing, the city is recently captured - and it's a promotion.
The Bureaucrat is the character who has been "taking care of the realm", (not only the actual class... possibly a Trader, or friend of the Ruler) and is "recognized" by being given a city command.*
The Politician is the character who may appear to be one of the above - or may be blunt about it - but they, primarily, are interested in a city command for the same reason that people today go to get their Masters degree: because it looks good. These characters are some of the most interesting to play with - and the hardest to play.
* Note: if I seem somewhat biased in my description, please keep in mind that I've only been Duke once. Thus, that's the experience I'm drawing on.
