Princess Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, the future first Empress of the German Empire.**
Tropes about royals, aristocrats, and monarchy, those of Blue Blood.
See also: An Index of Ladies and Gentlemen, Authority Tropes, Luxury Tropes, Meaningful Titles, Politics Tropes, and Rich People.
Tropes:
- 0% Approval Rating: Nobody likes the evil ruler.
- Abdicate the Throne: A ruler gives up the throne.
- Adipose Rex: An overweight monarch.
- Adopted into Royalty: A character who is adopted by a royal family, rather than being born into it.
- Alien Princess: Princesses that are out of this world.
- Altar Diplomacy: Marriages are commonly used to resolve feuds or forge alliances amongst royal families and noble houses.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Evil, greedy, hedonistic, and obstructive members of nobility (and royalty).
- Aristocrat Team: a group of people dedicated to a purpose other than ruling a country who are all Blue Blood. They may be a superhero team, a crime fighting squad, a benevolent organization, or other organizations. Since they come from noble families, the team has easy access to money and facilities.
- Arranged Marriage: Royals and nobles often have their spouses chosen for them for the good of the country, such as to heal over a feud between families.
- Awesome Moment of Crowning: A person becomes a ruler by doing something awesome to earn their position. This contrasts with the normal hereditary, unearned path.
- Balcony Speech: A ruler addresses the people from a castle or manor balcony. It may be a noble, sincere speech or a silver-tongued, manipulative piece of propaganda.
- Bar Sinister: A royal or noble bastard (born to a noble and non-noble parent) uses their parent's coat of arms with a left-leaning slash across it.
- Bastard Bastard: The illegitimate offspring of royalty or nobility. The ill-treatment and disrespect they experience can make them mean-tempered.
- Benevolent Dictator: A dictator/throne usurper who is well-liked and who has good intentions and rules fairly.
- Benevolent Mage Ruler: A wise and just monarch who is also a skilled magician or wizard.
- Blue Blood: Tropes pertaining to the members of the aristocracy and the nobility.
- The Caligula: An insane, all-powerful and hedonistic ruler.
- The Chain of Command: Shows the official level of authority held by a character (e.g. the Crown Prince or Princess will be higher up than their siblings, a Duke is a higher noble rank than a Count).
- The Chief's Daughter: The daughter of a tribal chieftain, who is often considered the equivalent of a princess amongst her people.
- A Child Shall Lead Them: A child or teenager becomes a ruler.
- Color-Coded Patrician: Royals and nobles can be identified by the color of their clothing.
- Conquering Alien Prince: Alien royals that want to conquer planets.
- Consummation Counterfeit: the newly married king and queen must prove that they had intercourse, but the proof has to be faked for some reason.
- Cool Crown: A fancy, jewelled, golden headpiece is a must-have accessory for royalty.
- Court Jester: Entertains the nobles and royalty, though he may come from a humble background. Sometimes the only person in the court who speaks plainly to the ruler, albeit in riddles and wordplay.
- Court Mage: A royal court has a resident wizard who provides the ruler with magic and advice.
- Courtly Love: distant, pure love of a princess by a noble man.
- Crown of Horns: a ruler wears noble headgear that includes animal horns (stag, bull, etc) or a metal facsimile.
- Crown-Shaped Head: in fantasy stories, a ruler's natural head shape resembles a crown. An evil demon overlord may grow such a protrusion from bone or scales.
- Decadent Court: A court full of dissolute living, scandals, conspiracies and treasons. Little statecraft and ruling is done amidst the intrigues and parties.
- Divine Right of Kings: The monarchy exists because the Gods chose someone to rule.
- A Doormat to His Men: The monarch is soft-hearted, and thus not respected by their subjects.
- Elective Monarchy: A system in which monarchs are elected rather than being born into the position.
- The Emperor: The supreme ruler of a large empire.
- Emperor Scientist: A ruler who is also a researcher or professor in a field such as biology or chemistry.
- Ermine Cape Effect
- Ethnicity Monarch: A figure is identified as the ruler of a culture group, ethnicity, race or species, instead of ruling a discrete country.
- The Evil Prince: The guy next in line to be monarch wants power regardless of ethics. They may seek to hasten the king's demise with intrigues, treason and murder.
- Faerie Court: A court inhabited by fairies. It may be amidst flowers in a natural setting.
- Fake Aristocrat: A character pretending to be a Blue Blood.
- Fake King: A person pretending to be a ruler.
- The Fate of the Princes in the Tower: Explores the mystery of two princes who disappeared in 1483.
- Feudal Future: A society in a distant planet that has developed space travel and futuristic technologies nevertheless is ruled by hereditary nobles who create a royal court filled antiquated rituals and medieval-style feudal rule.
- Finders Rulers
- Fisher King: The state of the kingdom is affected by the competence of its rulers.
- Founder of the Kingdom: The first ruler of a nation.
- The Ghost King: A ghost who rules over other ghosts.
- God-Emperor
- God Save Us from the Queen!: A queen who is insane, evil, and/or downright incompetent.
- The Good King: A king who is a just and benevolent ruler.
- The Good Kingdom: A peaceful kingdom that is ruled by a righteous monarch.
- Good Princess, Evil Queen: Princesses are good, Queens are evil.
- Heir Club for Men: Royal inheritance can only be passed from father to son, or any male relative available (with exceptions)
- Heir-In-Law
- Heroic Lineage: Heroism passed down from generation to generation.
- Hidden Backup Prince: given that heirs may die in a jousting tournament, from an assassin's blade, or just from illness, a royal family may have additional male heirs as spares...just in case.
- The High King: A person who even other rulers swear fealty to, but chooses not to hold the rank of Emperor.
- High Priest: If the religious leader is also a political one, or holds a status as high as or higher than royalty.
- The High Queen: A good and benevolent Queen.
- Hot Consort: A monarch's attractive spouse or lover.
- Immortal Ruler: A country is ruled by a figure who never naturally ages or dies, even if its citizenry is mortal.
- Impoverished Patrician: A noble or member of royalty continues to hold their titles despite being poor financially.
- In Its Hour of Need
- Insect Queen: The queens of eusocial insects depicted as actual monarchs or at least as directing other insects.
- Just the First Citizen: A ruler who doesn't have a fancy title.
- King Bob the Nth: Kings are identified by a number after their name if more than one in a dynasty or country has had the same name.
- King Incognito: A ruler disguises themselves as a commoner.
- King in the Mountain: A ruler or other notable figure lies in slumber somewhere remote, waiting until his people will need him again.
- Kingmaker Scenario
- King of Beasts: Lions depicted as noble, majestic creatures, and often as the rulers of wild animals.
- King on His Deathbed: The king is about to die, and his heirs are preparing to take over.
- The Kingslayer: A character who has killed a king or queen.
- Kneel Before Frodo
- Knighting
- Knight in Shining Armor: A knight who is heroic and chivalrous.
- Lady-In-Waiting: A personal assistant to a royal or noble woman; she may be nobility herself.
- Lady of War: A regal (and often royal) woman who is a graceful fighter.
- Lord Country: A country's ruler is referred to as "[Title] [Country's Name]" instead of by their given name.
- Lost Orphaned Royalty: An orphan is secretly a long-lost royal.
- Magical Girl Queenliness Test
- The Magnificent: "[Name] the [Adjective]"
- Medical Monarch: A ruler with healing powers and/or medical knowledge.
- Micro Monarchy: Small state ruled by a minor noble.
- Modest Royalty: The ruler doesn't wear a crown or any showy ermine or velvet garments that members of royalty tend to wear.
- Mother Makes You King: Someone becomes king via the machinations of their mother.
- Nazi Nobleman: a WWII Nazi Party member and/or officer who is also a German aristocrat.
- Nepharious Pharaoh: Evil ancient Egyptian monarchs.
- Nobility Marries Money
- Noble Fugitive
- Offered the Crown
- The Outsider Befriends the Best: An outsider to a community, culture, or civilization becomes the closest with people who have an important position within it.
- The Performer King
- Please Spare Him, My Liege!
- Prestige Peril
- Pretty Princess Powerhouse: A princess who is a competent fighter.
- Prince Charming: A prince who is romantic and the perfect Love Interest.
- Prince Charmless: A prince who is boorish and terrible at romance.
- Princeling Rivalry
- Princess in Rags
- Princesses Rule: A princess who rules over her realm and yet isn't addressed as a queen.
- Puppet King: A ruler is used as a political pawn for the people actually in charge.
- The Queen Will Be Watching
- Rags to Royalty: A person goes from being dirt-poor to ruling a country.
- Really Royalty Reveal: A seemingly ordinary person turns out to be the missing ruler (or member of royalty)
- Rebel Prince: A Prince breaks the traditions of his kingdom to do his own thing.
- Regal Ruff
- Regent for Life
- Reluctant Ruler: A ruler takes the throne even though he personally doesn't want to do it.
- Requisite Royal Regalia
- Rightful King Returns
- Royal Bastard: A child born out of wedlock whose parent(s) are of royal/noble birth.
- Royal Blood
- Royal Brat: A Spoiled Brat who is also royalty.
- Royal Decree
- Royal Favorite: A person who a monarch has a special predilection for, showering them with privileges whether they are warranted or not.
- Royal Harem
- Royal Mess
- Royal Rapier: A rapier is a royal's weapon of choice.
- Royal "We": A ruler speaking in the first-person plural when representing the kingdom.
- Royally Screwed Up: A royal Big, Screwed-Up Family.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: The ruler does more than just sit around and give orders.
- Royalty Super Power: Rulers have superpowers.
- Ruler Protagonist
- Ruling Couple: A couple rules a realm together.
- Ruling Family Massacre
- She Is the King: A woman is given masculine royal/noble titles.
- Sheltered Aristocrat
- Siblings Share the Throne
- Sketchy Successor
- Spare to the Throne: The heir to the throne has a sibling to serve as a backup heir.
- The Squire
- Standard Royal Court
- State Visit
- Strong Empire, Shriveled Emperor
- Suave Sabre: The sabre is a dashing and daring military hero's Weapon Of Choice
- Succession Crisis: Drama arises when they can't decide who should rule next.
- Thousand-Year Reign
- Throne Made of X
- Too Important to Remember You: A noble can't be bothered to remember the names of the peons.
- Too Important to Walk
- Top God: A divine sovereign that all gods in a group answer to.
- Tough Leader Façade: A ruler may look formidable to their subjects, but deep down they are just as real and flawed as they are.
- The Upper Crass: Undignified and rustic nobility.
- Unexpected Successor
- Universally Beloved Leader: Everyone loves the ruler.
- The Usurper: Someone who becomes a ruler by intentionally taking out their rivals (usually via underhanded and illegal means).
- Vampire Monarch: A vampire who happens to rule a kingdom.
- Warrior Prince: A prince who is a competent fighter.
- What's Up, King Dude?
- Winter Royal Lady
- The Wise Prince: A prince (or princess) who is intelligent and benevolent, but troubled.
- The Wrongful Heir to the Throne: The next in line for the throne is completely unsuited to rule.
