Freeholds

Freeholds are granted by the Monarch to those who wish to establish permanent, viable settlements within the claimed territory of the Kingdom of Kern. Such grants are in-perpetuity, and the holder of such a grant may pass the rights and responsibilities of such a grant onto their named heirs, so long as the requirements listed on the title are met.

Titles
Upon successfully establishing his or her Freehold, and fulfilling the requirements of establishing a permanent stronghold and settlement, the title "Lord of the Realm" is bestowed upon the Grantee. Hereafter, the term "Lord" and "Grantee" shall be used interchangeably, on the assumption that the crown would not grant a fiefdom to an unworthy, unwilling, or incompetent person.

Land Grants
I. The initial land grant applied for may be no larger than 554 acres (one county sub-hex) per 90 permanent residents planned for in the initial stronghold and settlement. Permanent residents include the Applicant, family members, servants, hirelings, followers, men-at-arms, and tenant* farmers.

II. Land grants may be expanded by permission of the king as additional residents move into the area. For each 90 residents, a petition for 554 acres may be made, provided all other Responsibilities have been kept.

III. Counts may petition the Crown for the limitation of Freeholds which are established within their domain after the ascension of the Count. Such petitions will be granted full hearing by the King's Council. Counts may also petition to revoke or subsume abandoned Freeholds.

Rights
The rights of a Lord may expand over time, and as he or she proves their worth to the Kingdom. After five years of holding such a grant, the Lord is required to show the successful establishment of a stronghold, the maintenance of the Crown's Peace in the Fiefdom, and economic prosperity of the fiefdom itself, with subsequent payments of taxes and fees as required by the Crown.

If the Lord shows such progress as pleases the Crown and fulfills the crown's expectations, he/she shall be granted Noble status, and becomes eligible to serve on the Royal Council should he or she be selected by the grantee's peers.

Each Fiefdom is reviewed at least once every 5 years for adherence to the responsibilities placed on the grant holder.

With an eye toward the future, the grantee shall have the right to build such fortifications as deemed necessary, maintain their borders for the safety and security of the King's subjects, and to extract from those subjects fare and just taxation in the name of the King.

When a town within a fiefdom has a stable and permanent population of 1,000 subjects or more, the Lord may petition the Crown to establish a local Superior Court, for the administration of justice in Capital Cases. Such requests are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Responsibilities
I. The Lord shall establish and maintain the Crown's Peace within the fiefdom, establishing policies and procedures necessary for dispensing justice as may be required. All towns, villages, and other permanently inhabited areas shall accept the authority of the Lord to collect such taxes as the king may allow and require, maintain and regulate trade within the fiefdom, and act as judge in arbitration of disputes and matters of common law.

II. The Grant Holder is required to show such care and concern for the Crown's Subjects as may be required to protect them within the bounds of his or her fiefdom. Hence the Lord is expected to secure and safeguard the boundaries of their fiefdom, rooting out such monsters and creatures as may interfere with the peaceful and prosperous conduct of the Crown's subjects.

II. The Grant Holder will turn over to the King's Representative all who may stand accused of a Capital Offense (murder, treason, poaching on royal preserves, etc) to face Royal Justice.

III. The Grant Holder may establish such institutions within their fiefdom as may be required to deal with petty criminals.

IV. The Grant Holder may be required to provide from time to time such men at arms as may be requested by the Crown in times of Emergency. Such men at arms may be drawn from all population dwelling within the fiefdom (levies, personal servants, etc) - and shall be paid for by the Grant Holder from his or her own holdings, at the standard rate decreed by the Crown. The Grant Holder is required to lead such men-at-arms in times of war, or their number being too small to form a cohort, must attach them too a full cohort lead by a capable and trusted Lord of the Realm.

* Tenant farmers will have to be offered some incentives to help build new farms from the wilderness areas [the more wild the area, the more incentive they will require].