Highprince
Highprince is the highest title of nobility in the Vorin kingdoms of Alethkar and Jah Keved, being directly subordinate to their respective Kings. Highprinces and their heirs are of the second dahn, while their other children are of the third dahn.
Alethkar
Origins
Alethkar has had ten highprinces throughout its history.[1] In the ancient past, when Alethkar was a united kingdom, the ten Alethi highprinces were specialized and each was charged with governing a certain aspect of the entire kingdom.[1] Gavilar Kholin believes that this system forced the ten highprinces to work together and accept each other's authority.[1] Only four of the ten ancient titles are known:
- The Highprince of Commerce had authority over all merchants and his troops would patrol the roads across all ten princedoms.[1][2]
- The Highprince of Information had authority over criminal investigations and policing across the entire kingdom and appointed judges and magistrates.[3][2] Of particular interest to the Highprince of Information were criminal investigations where the Crown's interest was at stake.[3]
- The Highprince of War had control over the kingdom's combined military forces (implied to only hold this power in a time of actual war).[3][4]
- An unnamed highprince was tasked with the administering of the judges and magistrates.[1]
Recent history
At some point in time, Alethkar is fractured into ten separate princedoms, with each highprince being a de facto king in his own princedom. During this time, Alethkar is effectively a loose coalition of ten separate states, being a unified kingdom in name only.
In approximately 1158, Highprince Gavilar Kholin goes to war against the other princedoms and by approximately 1163, he conquers and unites the ten princedoms once again, establishing himself as King. This reunified kingdom is not as strong as the ancient Alethkar, with the highprinces retaining large amounts of authority and autonomy.[5]
After Gavilar's death, his son Elhokar becomes King of Alethkar while his brother Dalinar becomes Highprince of Kholin.[5] In the year 1173, King Elhokar, at the demand of Highprince Dalinar, reinstates two of the ancient specialized highprince titles—the Highprinces of Information and War—in an effort to once again create a truly unified kingdom of Alethkar.
Members
The current ten Alethi highprinces are:
Jah Keved
The Veden highprinces include: