Duke

A Duke or Duchess is largely defunct terminology to describe the provincial governors of the Kingdom of Hyrule and its predecessor, Akkala.

History
The tittle of Duke is an extension of the system of Akkaland Lohn and Malohn. Lohn first emerged as tribal Chieftains of various Akkalan families as they emigrated southwest from Arcadia circa 4000 to 3000 BG. Usually prominent families with many resources, these tribes eventually settled and adopted agriculture, developing a sense of land ownership and hierarchy. The Lohn whom claimed fertile or defensible regions became the Houses of Akkala, ruling small chiefdoms over outlying villages from a family hold. Of these, five families, the Daltuns, Harkinians, Nohansens, Rhoams, and Gustafs rose to rule Princedoms, intermarrying into the lesser Houses, whom became their vassals. Thus emerged the Akkalan Fuedal system, composed of Vrylon and their bannermen holding fealty to a Malohn of the great Houses. These roles were retained under the unification of Akkala by Rhoaban Gustaf I in 3000 BG, with the Malohn being replaced by Dukes, whom were usually close relatives of the Hyro granted large tracts of land to rule over in the name of the Monarch. During the pre-unification era and during the reign of Rhoaban, these positions were near-exclusively patriarchal, but following the Akkalan Civil War and ascent of Hylia Nohansen as Queen of Akkala in 2986 BG, the roles reversed to be governed by female-preference primogeniture, with lordship traditionally passing to the eldest daughter. In the modern Kingdom of Hyrule, the title of Malohn or Selohn is nearly exclusively used to refer to heirs of the Royal Family, with both the old Princedoms and Duchesses and Dukes phased out of existence. Dukes were traditionally assigned as governors to the Provinces of the Kingdom of Hyrule, ruling over the frontiers of Hyrule Proper in the name of the Hyro.