Culture of Urcea: Difference between revisions

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Urcea is a relatively class-mobile country without rigid social distinction, though the most common observation is that there are three "soft" classes; a lower or working class, a middle class, and an upper class. Historically, Urcea employed a distinct class system based on property requirements, inheritance, and heredity, and, during the high medieval period, serfdom. Much of the social structure was disrupted during the Saint's War and Great Confessional War, leading to a weakening of the class system and end of serfdom following the latter conflict. Formal class distinctions remained on the books until the end of the Red Interregnum, when they were functionally abolished by King Patrick III during the restoration.
Urcea is a relatively class-mobile country without rigid social distinction, though the most common observation is that there are three "soft" classes; a lower or working class, a middle class, and an upper class. Historically, Urcea employed a distinct class system based on property requirements, inheritance, and heredity, and, during the high medieval period, serfdom. Much of the social structure was disrupted during the Saint's War and Great Confessional War, leading to a weakening of the class system and end of serfdom following the latter conflict. Formal class distinctions remained on the books until the end of the Red Interregnum, when they were functionally abolished by King Patrick III during the restoration.
===Historical===
====Freemen and serfs====
====Privilegiata====
====Optimates====
===Contemporary===
Since the restoration, informal class structures have taken root within Urcean society primarily based on the amount of property and income held by individuals; contemporary Urcean class has no basis in law and Urcea enjoys high degrees of socioeconomic mobility. According to 2015's Gini Index, Urcea placed with 28.6%, indicating the country experiences fairly low levels of income inequality.
====Working class====
====Middle class====
According to multiple studies conducted in the 2010s, the vast majority of people in Urcea belonged to the middle class, ranging from 52.5% to 68% depending on the definition.
====Upper class====
The Urcean upper class consists of a small number of "legacy [[Social class in Urcea|optimates]]", wealthy families whose wealth has come by means of inheritance of pre-Red Interregnum fortunes. These families are no more than fifty or sixty in number and primarily constitute the households at the heads of the Estates of Urcea. The majority of upper class Urceans to begin the 2010s were either nouveau riche, heirs of those who made their fortunes after the restoration, or in a small handful of cases, descendants of wealthy privilegiata families from before the restoration.
There are also notable families in the "upper class" without considerable wealth but otherwise command prestige and influence by merit of their position. These are a handful of families at the heads of the Estates of Urcea or otherwise higher up within their particular estates. This group of people are commonly referred to by the nickname "not-timates", and according to studies conducted in 2014 these individuals are disproportionately represented within all levels of the Government of Urcea due to their popular middle class appeal in addition to their name recognition.
===Peerage===
[[Urcea]], as a country with no formal nobility, has no formal system of peerages which can be inherited. Although widespread during the Medieval period, the practice entered a steady decline during the Renaissance and Medieval period. In Urcea today, only lifetime peerages are granted and they carry no special function beyond the title. Peerages are typically granted to Custóirs of the [[Estates of Urcea]] or to close members of the [[House de Weluta]]. The right to grant peerages is exclusively reserved to the [[Apostolic King of Urcea]], and the [[Apostolic_King_of_Urcea#Household_Office_for_Grants_of_Title|Household Office for Grants of Title]] is responsible for managing and keeping track of the peerages.


==Criminal justice==
==Criminal justice==