Origins of The Counts
Counts were originally Accountants or Imperial tax collectors. They collected taxes for the Emperor. Now, they are much more governors, or District Governors than tax collectors. In order to keep small wars from breaking out as they did during the "Bloody Centuries", each Count is allowed only 20 personal guards, known as "Armsmen". Only Vor, their Armsmen, or soldiers in the Imperial Service are allowed weapons. Raising private armies is a violation of "Vorloupulous' Law", and is treason. Count Vorloupulous attempted to circumvent the limit on Armsmen by hiring 2000 "cooks," all of whom were armed with kitchen implements such as butcher knives instead of short swords. This attempt was crushed by the Emperor, who marched the Imperial Army on the Count, and then sentenced him to death by exposure and starvation, the standard punishment for high treason. Barrayarans enjoy the irony of the "Count with 2000 cooks" being sentenced to die by starvation.
Read more about this topic: District Count Of Barrayar
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