The recognised ranks of the nobility and the Imperial order of precedence within the Reich are as follows:
The Sovereigns – Kaiser Wilhelm and Kaiserin Elsa
The Crown Prince – Hochprinz Johan
Imperial Children – styled as Prince or Princess
Imperial Grandchildren – styled Prince or Princess
The Imperial succession is patrilineal, except that were disaster to strike, it would pass across to the female line before moving out of the current Imperial family. The current order of succession is:
Crown Prince Johan
Prince Rafael
Prince Theodor
Princess Sabine
Princess Astrid
Princess Wilhelmina
Non-family succession then continues as follows, and does not allow for female inheritance:
Conrad Berthelmes, Herzog von Nürnberg Chairman of the NSRAP
Jackson
Berthelmes, Erbherzog von Nürnberg
Herzog Xavier Berthelmes
Georg Emmerich, Reichskanzler
Rupert Delatz, Herzog von Bremen
Berthold Delatz, Erbherzog von Bremen
Herzog Freidrich Isidor Delatz
Reichsmarschall Gottfried von Schell
Other male members of the Wehrmacht Staff Council
Those holding the rank of Reichsprotektor (male)
Those holding the position of Gauleiter (male)
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The Reich nobility is divided into two classes: higher (hoher Adel and Uradel) and lower (niedriger Adel). Numbers of the former are strictly limited to thirty-five titleholders and their families, and technically, all members of the higher class consider each other to be of equal standing, regardless of actual title. With the lower class, the title structure is more important. Numbers of this class vary, dependent on the Kaiser’s wishes and other factors. The basic designation of the Reich nobility is the predicate “von”, which is sometimes, but not always, used with their family names, but is always used with their titles. All legitimate children of a nobleman become nobles themselves, with noble titles. Children of morganatic or illegitimate relationships are not included in the succession within their houses, although Lebensborn children who can later prove lineage from an appropriate father (or in rare cases, mother) are considered legitimate and therefore can succeed.
The Imperial Family, including Princess Wilhelmina, does not count in either degree of nobility, being above both, although it has recently been confirmed that the Lebensborn legitimacy rules do apply to them. All persons being admitted to the nobility, or taking up a title on the death or otherwise of the previous holder, are expected to swear an Oath of Fealty to the Kaiser.
All decisions regarding suitability and eligibility for holding title and rank in either branch of the Reich nobility are taken by the Imperial Council, which receives and issues various Writs stating their official opinions on an number of matters related to the administration of the noble classes. Examples of types of Writ are as follows:
| Writ of Request | The fundamental tool within the working of the Reich nobility, Writs of Request are the method by which members of the nobility ask the permission of the Council to undertake various courses of action which will affect their house, for example marrying, affecting succession or naming an heir. The only cases in which it is not required, are to register the birth or death of a member of a noble house. |
| Writ of Decision | These are returned to the named noble once the Council has ruled on matters presented to them in a Writ of Request, unless their answer would be more appropriately delivered by another form of Writ (such as Ennoblement or Entitlement). |
| Writ of Birth | This is a request to the Council to acknowledge the child of a noble marriage, and a copy is returned to the parents when the infant's name has been placed on the family registers held by the Imperial Registrars. |
| Writ of Ennoblement | A Writ of Ennoblement is issued if a new title is created (which only occurs within the lower nobility) or, for example, if a Lebensborn child is made heir to a noble family, for example when Princess Astrid's status was recently confirmed. |
| Writ of Entitlement | These are issued when a nobleman or woman is confirmed in a new position: either as an heir succeeding to a title on the death of a parent or predecessor, or due to a change in the identity of the heir if there has been a death in the family. |
| Writ of Arms | These are issued when it has been agreed that a noble family or a member of such family should be awarded a coat of arms (or an existing set of arms would change due to a change in status), and include the details of the blazon for that family or individual. |
| Writ of Demise | This is the equivalent of a death certificate for the member of a noble house, and is issued by the Investigating Registrar who confirmed the cause of death (all deaths within the Reich nobility are investigated, at least to some degree). |
| Writ of Attainder | When issued by the Council, the individual mentioned by name is stripped of all ranks and privileges within the nobility of the Reich. They are exceedingly rare, although the most recent - the Writ of Attainder against Andreas Delatz - is still fresh in the collective memory of the Fatherland. |
The older, senior class of the nobility is made up of the thirty-five houses which have been members of the knightly class (the Uradel), or important officials or senior civil servants (the hoher Adel) since “time immemorial”. Its members hold their (usually quite extensive) lands directly from the Kaiser, acting as minor princelings in their own territories, albeit with some constraint from the Reich political system. Kaiserin Elsa’s family, the von Becks, are hoher Adel, bearing the title Großherzog, and have extensive lands around Hanover; the Reichsführer-SS is Uradel with the title of Herzog, and has large holdings around Bremen.
Succession is down the male line: if this fails, then the lands are technically forfeit back to the Kaiser, although they may be returned to a daughter or wife if he so chooses. Many families of the Higher Nobility also have house laws applicable to their members, which often do not allow marriage outside their ranks, even to the lower nobility, which would be considered a morganatic alliance, except under exceptional circumstances.
The ranks of the Higher Nobility are as follows:
| In Order of Precedence | Addressed As | Landholdings | Eldest Son | Other Children |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Großherzog |
Royal Highness |
Equivalent to small states |
Erbgroßherzog |
Herzog/Herzogin |
|
Herzog (Duke) |
Highness |
Equivalent to counties |
Erbherzog (Hereditary Duke) |
Herzog/Herzogin |
|
Landgraf (Landgrave), Markgraf (Margrave), Pfalzgraf (Count Palatine) |
Highness |
Extensive landholdings |
Fürst |
Graf/Graffin |
|
Fürst |
Your Grace |
Large landholdings |
Graf |
Graf/Graffin |
|
Graf (Count) |
Your Grace |
Large landholdings |
Graf |
Graf/Graffin |
Unlike the Higher Nobility, which is closed and declining in numbers, the Kaiser can appoint people to the Lower Nobility in recognition of great service to the Fatherland, excellence in a certain field, etc. Lands are occasionally gifted when an individual is raised to the niedriger Adel. With the exception of Herzog and Edler/Edle, which are a non-hereditary titles, the succession within the Lower Nobility, while primarily down the male line, does allow daughters to inherit the title if there are no male heirs left. In addition, women can be raised to the title of Edle or Ritterin in their own right. Very often a certain level of income, wealth, or social standing is necessary for appointment to the Lower Nobility, so as to demonstrate the ability of the person ennobled to maintain himself or herself at a proper level.
The ranks of the Lower Nobility are as follows
| In Order of Precedence | Addressed As | Eldest Son | Other Children |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Herzog (Duke) |
Serene Highness |
Non-hereditary |
|
|
Fürst |
Your Grace |
Graf |
Baron/Baronesse |
|
Graf (Count) |
Your Grace |
Graf |
Baron/Baronesse |
|
Baron/Freiherr |
My Lord/Lady (Mein Herr/Frau) |
Baron/Freiherr |
Baron/Baronesse |
|
Ritter/Ritterin |
My Lord/Lady |
Ritter |
Edler/Edle (children do not inherit the title) |
|
Edler/Edle |
My Lord/Lady |
Non-hereditary |
|
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In order of precedence, the chivalric orders within the Reich are as follows:
This is the most senior order in the Reich, and consists of the Imperial family and twenty-five knights. Membership of the Knights of the Black Eagle is in the gift of the Kaiser alone, and is usually granted to honour those who have held high public or military office, who have contributed in a particular way to national life or who have served the Kaiser personally. If there are vacancies in the order, appointments are announced on 29 September.
Restricted membership, in the gift of the Reichsführer-SS (for details, see the RSHA page). In order of chivalric seniority, it ranks second only to the Order of the Black Eagle.
This Order technically ranks equal with the Order of the Knights of the SS, although it is primarily an external decoration, with the exception of certain members of the Imperial Council: the Crown Prince, the RFSS, the Reichsmarschalls (past and present), the Reichskanzler, the Lord Chief Justice and the Archmage of the RBTA. It is given to heads of state and other dignitaries of nations outside than the Fatherland, often as a sign of friendship or alliance. Recipients include Emperor Sirius of the Empire of Eboracum. The Order is in the sole gift of the Kaiser: he will accept suggestions for nominees from those other members of the Imperial Council who are members of the Order, and often agrees to them, although he won't guarantee to accept such suggestions.
The Order of the Red Eagle is awarded for meritorious service to the Reich. It is both a military and a civilian award, with the addition of crossed swords to indicate a military award. Like the Order of the Black Eagle, it is in the sole gift of the Kaiser, and it is restricted to 150 members.
Previously the Order of the Fatherland, in which form it has existed as long as the Kaiser has ruled, this order was renamed in celebration of his marriage. In recognition of the fact that the Kaiserin chose military State Service, it is an order awarded to members of the Wehrmacht, the SS and the Waffen-SS, for great military or paramilitary service to the Reich. Officers are admitted to the Order of the Kaiserin First Class; NCOs and other ranks to the Order Second Class. At any given time, there can be up to 300 Knights/Dames First Class, and 700 Second Class.
This order was founded by the Kaiser in honour of his beloved sister, and is a civilian award. There are three degrees of membership of the order, and in total it has rather more Knights and Dames than the Order of the Kaiserin, although the two orders are of equal rank within the Reich. There can be up to 500 Knights/Dames First Class, 1,000 Second Class, and 1,500 Third Class, although it should be remembered that the order is open to all Citizens of the Reich and the Außenhandel Shadows, and therefore the total membership is tiny compared to the population to which it can be awarded.
This is the lowest of the Reich orders of chivalry, and is the most commonly awarded, with no upper limits as to membership. Both Citizens and non-Citizens are eligible, should they perform some suitable service to Kaiser, Fatherland, military or community: for example, exemplary war service, or to acknowledge a distinguished contribution to the arts or sciences, or public service. Non-Citizens are limited to the three lower (non-noble) ranks of the order. However, Citizenship is conferred with the award and thereafter, if they perform another great service, they may well be promoted within the order.
The Imperial House Order is split into Military and Civil Divisions, and has five classes, in decreasing order of seniority:
Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GIH)
Knight or Dame Commander (KIH or DIH)
Commander (CIH)
Officer (OIH)
Member (MIH)
Only the two highest ranks entail admission into knighthood (as part of the Lower Nobility).
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There are different sets of awards for gallantry for military and civilian service. However, in order of precedence and equivalence they are:
| Military Awards | Civilian Awards |
| Knight of the Iron Cross (confers nobility) | Imperial Cross (confers nobility) |
| Cross of Valour (Military), aka the Blue Max | Cross of Valour (Civilian) |
| Gold Cross | Fatherland Medal |
| Iron Cross First Class | Kaiser’s Medal |
| Iron Cross Second Class | Kaiserin’s Medal |
| Mention-in-Dispatches | The Kaiser’s Commendation for Bravery |
The Mention-in-Despatches (MID) is a gallantry award for acts which are judged of sufficient merit to be officially mentioned in the despatches sent by the officer commanding a theatre of operation, back to the Wehrmacht Staff Council.
If a service person has won an award, and then goes on to perform another act of bravery, they can be awarded the same medal again, although in the case of the Iron Cross Second Class, they are more likely to be awarded the Iron Cross First Class. For the second and any subsequent instance of the same award, they receive oak leaves to attach to the ribbon of the first medal.
The civilian gallantry awards can be earned by military personnel when the acts of gallantry fall outside the warrant for a military gallantry award.
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