Junkers were the landed aristocracy of Northern Rutania, mainly of the regions Ardinia and Bozarland. Most Junkers can trace their family lines back to the 1200's, and have been a dominant force in Rutanian society since then.
Origins
"Junker" in Rutanian means "young lord", and is understood as country squire. It is probably derived from the Rutanian words Junger Herr, or Young Lord. As part of the nobility, many Junker families have particles such as "von" before their family names. In the Middle Ages, a Junker was simply a lesser noble, often poor and politically insignificant. A good number of poor Junkers took up careers as soldiers and mercenaries. Over the centuries, they rose from disreputable captains of mercenary cut-throats to influential commanders and landowners in the 20th century.
Modern influences
Being the bulwark of the Rutanian Empire, the Junkers exert massive influence in the military and dominate the officer corps, leading in political influence and social status, and owning immense estates, especially in the north-west of Rutania including Ardinia.
The Junkers once dominated the civil service, the officer corps of the military. During the 28th-29th century their political influence diminished but they did not lose completely and remained a significant stata of leaders. Several Rutanian parties openly embraced the influnce of Junkers throughout history: theFreikonservative Partei, the Republican Elitist Party, the Orange Party etc. As a whole, the Junkers are conservative, but not reactionary.
Traditional Junker Dynasties
- 1. Klinkerhoffen
- 2. von Bruckenthal
- 3. Bozarburg
- 4. de Spaak
- 5. Rokossovsky
- 6. von Dueseldorf
- 7. von Aschenbach
- 8. Klausenburg
- 9. LeBon
The families of Kinkerhoffen, Rokossovsky, von Dueseldorf, von Aschenbach, Klausenburg and LeBon had given important Heads of the State in the persons of Johann X. Klinkerhoffen, Miklos Rokossovsky, Erik Von Dueseldorf, Heinrich von Aschenbach, Lord Klausenburg and Pierre LeBon.