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Ranking below royalty in stature is the nobility ( simh ).

The nobility is subdivided into two: the great lords or princes ( bhodac ) and the minor nobility.

There are four ranks amongst the great lords.

From the greatest, this would be the Grand Dukes or Grand Duchesses ( nimh ), the Dukes or Duchesses ( laicer ), the Marquises or Marchionesses ( lœbh ), and the Counts or Countesses ( dreuc ).

They are deemed great lords because they are territorial magnates of inhabited planets.

The possession of a single lordship of at least a single inhabited planet in a stellar system populated by less than one hundred million inhabitants automatically makes that domain a county.

Higher status can be attained through an increase of population or other means.

The minor nobility have two ranks, that of a viscount or viscountess ( bœrh ) and that of a Baron or Baroness ( lymh ).

An uninhabited stellar system containing a planet that can be terraformed is deemed a viscountcy.

A viscount is automatically promoted to become a count once he successfully terraforms and populates that planet.

A barony on the other hand has no such planet within his domain.

Like royalty, military service is also compulsory, it being a prerequisite to inheriting his domain and title ; however, nobles are given the option serve in any section they wish.