When New Atlantis was developed, there were 16 grades of honor, reflecting the roles that people could undertake within the virtual country. The archive site contains a lot of information on this, and the use of honor grades across society as a whole, including many sections from the 1996 members manual.
Remember you don't need to understand any of this to take part in activities, clubs and the ike, it is provide her for information rather than of practical use to you at this time.
Today it is perhaps simpler, in that trusts, which are groups of members, can decide themselves what grades or titles their officers should have up to the rank of Viscount. We suggest they start from the first levels and devise their own structure, perhaps member, knight and chief, leaving initially the higher grades vacant until such time that they grow or need higher officers. The grades of Earl and Marquis are reserved, and can only be granted by trusts with special permission to use these grades from the president, and usually will require his approval when these appointments are made.
We also suggest that you do not use all these grades, there are two many for any but the largest operation.
|
Historic |
Today |
|
| Grade defined in 1996 manual | Available for NA trust appointments | Presidential appointments |
| Pioneer/member | Optional | |
| Citizen/member | Optional | |
| Knight/Freeman | Optional | |
| Lord/Chief | Optional | Lord |
| Baron/Baroness | Optional | Baron/Baroness |
| Sheriff/Viscount | Optional | Viscount |
| Deputy | Reserved | Reserved |
| Count/Countess/Earl/Dame | Earl/Dame* | Count/Countess |
| Ambassador/Marquis | Marquis* | Ambassador |
| Duke/Duchess | Duke/Duchess | |
| Grand Duke | Grand Duke | |
| Citizen prince/princess | Citizen prince/princess | |
| Prince or Princess | Prince or Princess | |
| Trustee | Trustee | |
| Regent | Regent | |
| President | President | |
*Reserved appointments, may require presidential approval.
This has the benefit of allowing more choice from within a trust, but also means that there is no longer any parity between ranks in different trusts. However this does line up with the philosophy of honoring people for what they have done or are doing, rather than another's viewpoint of their status.
The role of deputy is reserved for elected councilors within the floating kingdom, who are to sit on the national advisory group to the president.
In a similar way the honor grades up to and including grand duke are no longer tied to specific roles, or jobs.
The honor grades are not necessarily the same or in the same order as found in other royal establishments.
Within our society and different from others, a son or daughter of an officer, of whatever rank is a citizen unless they choose themselves to take on activities that earns them in their own right a higher rank. As citizenship is by choice, many of the sons and daughters of even the highest officers of New Atlantis will choose to not be a citizen of New Atlantis and we respect their right as any other to choose their own path through life.
The New Atlantis royal family are not members by birth but by undertaking. Membership is also for a period not necessarily for life, so a person could become a citizen princess and devote some years to the service of other citizens, but at a later point decide to retire to an ordinary citizen or to one of the intermediate ranks.
Some of the tabs above explain their role and how people become a prince or princess.
The head of the royal family is the life president of New Atlantis. A tab above covers the presidents role in greater detail.