The Client-Patron Relationship
The Thardic Republic presents a unique social structure on the island of Hârn. Its culture is divided into five castes: the slaves, the freedmen, the citizens, the equestrians and the senators. This article will examine each caste and how it benefits from the client-patron relationship.
A client is the receiver of the relationship. He is socially expected to be obedient to his patron's requests and pays either a "gift" or a social duty to his patron. Normally a client's spouse and children all share the same patron, but there are always exceptions.
While obligations may not be written, they may be common knowledge. This could be as simple as how a freedman "knows" that his lord expects X days of labor, Y in rent, Z days of boon labor and a chicken and 50 eggs at the winter solstice. The patron expects the client to honor his requests, which normally would not be above the client's capability to fulfill. The more wealthy/powerful the client, the more the patron expects.
While clients can change patrons as often as they wish, debts owed must still be paid before the client is released from the relationship. All debts are inheritable and divisible amongst the client's family and children. Clients who shift patrons too often may find themselves without a patron's protection in dire times.
A patron is socially expected to look out for his clients. The patron must protect them from whatever he can, as well as help the clients achieve a better social and economic standing in the society. This can range from:
- Finding them an apprenticeship at a guild of their choosing.
- Arranging (or having arranged) a marriage that will increase their position for the client or their children.
- Helping the client start, finance or manage his own business or career.
- Finding him a litigant or ursuer (as necessary) as well as hiring physical protection for the client.
Patrons may choose their clients, but once chosen can neither neglect them nor abandon them. The Patron is suppose to be in control of the relationship, placing clients where they can do the patron the best good while obtaining a good life for themselves.
The Slaves
There are three groups of slaves. They are:
- Laborers: The agricultural and household slaves. They work the mines; row slave ships and do all the other nasty jobs the society does not wish to hire workers to perform.
- Pleasure Slaves: The entertainers, dancers, prostitutes, etc. in the society. While they may not be more educated than a laborer slave may, they are better cared for.
- Craft Slaves: The skilled slaves are very few in Tharda. These are the rare individuals who, while not officially members of a guild may have a guild-related craft skill. They can also be astrologers, tutors, scholars and scribes.
Slaves do not have patrons. They are owned. Most slaves have no contract with those who own them. They are not the clients of their masters, but are property. The only `contract' involved is that by which they are bought or sold and that is between the buyer and the seller. There is no obligation between master and slave of the sort that exists between patron and client. The master's will is the slave's law, and the master owes the slave nothing. The master can kill the slave at her whim. Slaves can not become the clients of a person other than their master nor have clients of their own.
Wherever there are a lot of slaves working and living together, a hierarchy forms. These hierarchies sometimes resemble the client-patron relations of their masters. Still the slave's expectations are to obey whatever their master demands and receive whatever their master gives.
Yet some slaves do have a contract. The few slaves who are permitted to do sell products and services to people other than their master usually have the terms of this agreement in writing. In large cities (like Coranan and Shiran) it is common for a slave-vendor to offer his paperwork to the mercantile with which he deals. For without his master's consent, the slave would be breaking the law.
The Thardic Republic IS an Exception.
Common Saying
The Freedmen
These are the people who were recently freed from slavery, or the children of those freed from slavery who have not yet obtained citizenship, or those born in Tharda who are too poor to obtain or maintain citizenship for themselves or their families. This includes tribal allies to the Republic.
All freedmen have patrons. These patrons are usually Citizens, but could be Equestrians.
There are five types of freedmen:
- Manumitted/Recently Freed: If the freedman is recently freed from the bonds of slavery, his patron remains the same person that freed him/was his master. The client-patron relationship between such freedmen and their patrons is much closer than with others. It quite possible that the manumission contract itself might specify that the new freedman is required to give a portion of his future income to his former master (now his patron).
- Land Bound: The freedman would rent a certain amount of land and pay his taxes accordingly. His patron is most likely the landowner, who would still have the right to approve of all social changes in the client's life but otherwise probably not intervene.
- Non-Guild: The Non-Guild Freeman works for a freedmen or citizen who has the same patron. While he'll do very little for his patron directly, his obligation is more for his children who may wish to join guilds. A non-guild freedman's obligation will be to his employer, which indirectly, is an obligation to the patron.
This includes tribal allies to the republic as well as wanderers, and unskilled laborers. The only exception is the veteran legionnaire who may work for his patron as a private bodyguard or escort.
- Legion Serving: Legion service is mandatory and is to the republic, and not one's patron. The legion is supposed to be immune to guild and clan politics. If the freedman owes legion service, he must either perform the time or pay scuttage. Patrons have been known to help pay the scuttage at the client's bequest. Only the freedman is selected to pay the patron's legion service is service to the legion both to the patron as well as the legion, and even then the client is suppose to be loyal to the legion first and his patron second.
- Guilded: The few freedmen who work in a Guild professions work either directly for their patron or for a citizen of the same patron (although there are exceptions). The Guild freedman often pays his patron in gifts of his time, or his craft.
The Citizen
These are the people who were born free and are able to own land. They wear a brass ring on their right index finger to denote their status. Often the citizens are the decadents of legionnaires who received a land grant or from the older, yet poorer, families in the Republic. Citizens do not own land.
All Citizens have patrons. These patrons could be other Citizens, Equestrians or Senators.
There are four types of Citizen:
- Land-Bound (free Farmer/Settler): The citizen either owns, or rents a piece of land and pays his taxes to the Republic. His land is grouped with that of his patron for the purposes of the Legion taxes. His patron is most likely the landowner or the local equestrian. The Land Bound Citizen may not know his Patron personally, but is expected to send the Patron gifts on a regular basis. His duties are as much to the land as to his patron.
- Non-Guild: The Non-Guild Citizen works for his patron either directly or indirectly through another citizen or an equestrian. These are most often-unskilled laborers, cultured servants, priests, Scribes, craftsmen without guilds, or military men. The Non-Guild Citizen deals more with his patron for his children and family than for himself. The patron, in return, assures the Non-Guild Citizen always has some kind of job somewhere.
- Legion Serving: Not many citizens join the legion for their patron, as this is the preferred method to take care of freedmen clients. The few who do join the legion do it either to obtain land (after 20 years) or to improve their skills and their financial situation. The patron of a Legion-Serving Citizen is the Legion.
- Guild: This class of Citizen has the most regular dealings with his patron. The Guild Member usually has his Mentor or Craft master as his patron. Technically, when a Guild Member is on his travels as a journeyman, he is without a patron.
It is considered a highly dangerous period - so much so most journeymen take the first local jobs presented to them. The guild will help the individual patrons pay scuttage to keep their journeymen out of the legion. A patron who is not the Guild Member's Mentor or Craft Master is usually a wealthy Equestrian who helps his patron set up his business in return for a cut of future profits.
Money is the Grease
of the Thardic Economy.
You can do everything with it.
And nothing without it.
Common Saying
The Equestrian
These are the people born in to one of the 69 large land owning clans. Their forefathers founded the Republic and got rich doing it. They bear the names of their clan as proudly as their given name.
Equestrians are either patrons, or clients, or both. It is not socially permissible for an Equestrian to be the client of a lesser social rank, but it has been known to happen.
There are five types of Equestrians. For this article, Senators are listed as a type of Equestrian)
- Guild Members: These are the Equestrians who, either by necessity of being poor, or by whim, are members of a Guild. They practice their guild's craft and often seek a political position within the guild. They tend to have either their Mentor in the guild (usually another Equestrian) or a wealthier Equestrian as a Patron.
Guilded Equestrians are often the Mentor/Patron for several lesser clients in the same guild.
They act as protectors for a lesser-ranking guild members, and receive protection and assistance as requested from their own patron.
- Landowners: These are the people who own large pieces of land, doled out to their clients. Usually landowners are patrons, and not clients. There is no minimum parcel of land required; instead it is more a social definition. A Landowner makes enough money without doing anything to live the life of an Equestrian.
- Land Holders: These are the bailiffs, sheriffs and other officials who hold and manage land for the Landowner. Their patron is usually the landowner, but it may be the same patron as the landowner. Landholders receive a wage and usually, if they do own land, only own a small parcel on which their family lives. Their responsibility to their patron is to assure that a Landowner makes enough money without doing anything to live the life of an Equestrian. Their failure would mean their patron's bankruptcy in the worst case, and loss of their job in the best.
- Senators: A senator should always be a patron. The few who are clients are called "puppets' because they say and do whatever their patron orders. The most common method for a Matron of a wealthy Equestrian clan to have her say in the senate is to purchase a senator as a client and have him say what she wants.
Since Senators live lavish lifestyles there are usually a few sufficiently short on money that they can be bought, but they do not come cheep.
- Legion Officers: With only the rare exception, all legion officers are equestrians. Their duty is to the legion, but as they progress in rank clan politics becomes more and more important. Legion officers (a Triberties or higher rank) have their clan's patron as their patron. While there will be no direct communication between the client and patron - the patron will let his clan's wishes be known, and it is up to the officer to assure he does not counter them directly. It is, fortunately, acceptable for the officer to be ordered by the legion to do something that counters his clan's wishes, but he cannot volunteer for such a duty regardless of his personal opinion.
Playing the Client Patron Relationship
The majority of the questions regarding this Thardic-centric relationship come from the GMs trying to figure out how to display this relationship to their Players. The Client-Patron relationship is hereditary, similar to that between a serf and his lord.
The client/serf owes fealty to his patron/client. This fealty comes in three forms:
- Gifts: Some call these clan taxes, land rents or clan fees. Regardless if the gift is in kind or coin - the client must gift his patron. These gifts are given traditionally at harvest. One tenth of the client's personal crop is the traditional gift, although different patrons may ask for more, or less - depending on the fertility of the area and the productivity of the client. If a client defaults on his gifts he may find his taxes and other fees rise quickly.
The patron can neither dismiss the client, nor can he directly hurt him. However there are a lot of indirect actions when dealing with Republican taxes, legion requirements and tithes.
- Obedience: Only rarely do patrons request their client's attendance to a task. But when a patron asks, the client must obey. Ultimately, during such times, the patron is responsible for the client's actions. So if the client breaks the law, the patron must provide a litigant and pay the court fees to see that the client escapes justice. The patron can be fined and even imprisoned if he destroys his client and so the requests must be tempered. The client cannot refuse. If he does the patron can have him moved, claim his lands and property and start him in a new career as a legionnaire, or perhaps a mine overseer. While the patron cannot kill him, and the client can object to his treatment. Without a patron few clients have access to the power they'd need to make a case in an accusatory law system.
- Social Obligations In return for the above two the client has the right to expect protection and boons from the patron. If the patron acquires new land the client has the right to request a place upon it as either a craftsman or a free farmer. If the patron acquires a new craft/guild membership the client has the right to request a membership. If a patron refuses he must have a valid reason. Most powerful patrons pay people to look after their clients, the way a feudal lord hires a bailiff to look after his land and his serfs.
The Best Patron is one you never see.
You give him gifts; he gives you protection
A good exchange for peace
and security of mind and pocket.
Common Saying
Introduction | The
Slaves | The Freedmen |
The Citizen | The Equestrian |
Playing the Client Patron Relationship
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July 9, 2001
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