Nobility

 is a class of aristocracy present in Tamriel. Noble status is hereditary but can be granted to someone by landed nobles of high status, like Kings. They are present all over Tamriel and are the ones that rule over the land. However, not all nobles are rulers some are landless nobility.

Hierarchy
The Nobility of Tamriel has a strict hierarchy that is universal but the specific terms for each tier of the hierarchy can differ from culture to culture, province to province. Landless nobles, those that do not rule over settlements, are often referred to as "Lord" and "Lady". In Morrowind they are called "Ser" and "Sera", with wealthy aristocary being called "Sedura". In the Summerset Isles, lords and ladies can be referred to as "Reeve".

Knights, whom are considered minor landless nobility, are addressed by their title, "Sir/Dame", then their first name and possibly their last. For example: Sir Caius, or Sir Caius Mede. Wives of knights are addressed as "Lady ", however if they are a knight themselves then they would be addressed by their own title.

Widows of Kings, High Kings and Emperors are referred to as "Dowager Queen", "High Dowager Queen" and "Dowager Empress" respectively. A kingdom can only have one Dowager at a time. Should the new king's wife become a Dowager Queen, the previous king's widow loses the title. A Dowager Queen is a widow of a former ruling king. As they were not the ruling monarch and were merely married to him they no longer hold the title of Queen upon their husband's death. As a Dowager Queen a woman has no real power in the kingdom, but they still hold the prestige and honor that they held as Queen. There is no male alternative of this title. When a ruling Queen dies her husband only keeps his previous titles from before marrying her, so he no longer holds prestige or power in the kingdom of his dead wife.

Orc culture doesn't allow female rulers, so all the noble titles are exclusively male. The King's wives are called "Consorts" while a Chieftain's wives have specific roles like "Forge-Wife", "Heart-Wife", "Hunts-Wife". As Orsinium doesn't have any cities other than the capital, there are no nobles than rule cities other than the ruler of the province.

Noble Family
The different races of Tamriel have different ways of referring to their families:
 * Altmer Nobles always refer to their families as a "Lineage".
 * Argonian Nobles always refer to their families as a "Tribe".
 * Bosmer Nobles of high status refer to their families as a "Line", while those of low status refer to their families as a "Tribe".
 * Breton Nobles refer to their families as either a "Family" or a "House".
 * Dunmer Nobles always refer to their families as a "House", though Ashlanders refer to their family as a "Clan". The 6 most prominent houses are referred to as a "Great House".
 * Imperial Nobles of high status refer to their families as a "Dynasty", while those of low status either refer to their families as a "House" or a "Family".
 * Khajiit Nobles refer to their families as a "Clan", though they have a habit of using Clan as a suffix, not a prefix like others such as the Nords.
 * Nord Nobles always refer to their families as a "Clan".
 * Orc Nobles refer to their families as a "Bloodline". This is due to the fact that Orcs don't have last names. Instead they use the name of a prestigious ancestor as the name of their Bloodline.
 * Redguard Nobles refer to their families as a "Family" or a "House".

Court
The various nobility of Tamriel employ courtiers to help them rule their lands. These positions can only be granted by ruling nobility and are not hereditary. The positions are universal but the terms that refer to each position can differ from culture to culture, province to province. The Emperor's courtiers all have the prefix "Imperial" before their position.