Can somebody please explain to me what exactly a duke is?

[Noise Tank]

I looked it up, but I still find it confusing. Do they earned the King's place after he dies if there's no prince?

[TCO]

A royal family would normally have something called a line of succession, a list of royals in the order they're likely to inherit the throne. Take for example the British Royal Family in which Prince Charles would be first in the line, with his sons coming after. A duke is a noble, not a royal, though I suppose it's possible for a duke to be part of it if they're distantly related to the royal family in some way, but I'd have thought they were pretty low down the list. Unless, of course, those prior to the duke have all been killed off in some fashion.

You didn't mention a queen or princess, though. Did the king in question not get married? Not have any children?

Of course, I could be talking a load of nonsense, but it's what I think, anyway.

[Noise Tank]

So, what happens if the king dies and he has a wife but no children?

Or what happens if he has a child but it's a daughter?

Or what happens if his child is too young to take the throne?

Or what would happen if we were to suddenly just...vanish?

[Anableps]

So, what happens if the king dies and he has a wife but no children?

Generally the line passes to the king's oldest brother, if one is available.

Or what happens if he has a child but it's a daughter?

This will depend on the laws of the kingdom. For example, in the days of the French monarchy, the daughter was out of luck, due to something called Salic Law. Women could in no case inherit the throne. In the UK, the oldest daughter inherits the throne only if there are no brothers. There are kingdoms like Sweden that give the throne to the oldest child of either sex.

Or what happens if his child is too young to take the throne?

Then a Regent is appointed to run the affairs of the Kingdom until the child comes of age. Often there is a lot of political infighting when this takes place.

Or what would happen if we were to suddenly just...vanish?

If the king had any real power, then the situation would be chaotic.

[Noise Tank]

Thank you both for your info.

[JH]

I looked it up, but I still find it confusing. Do they earned the King's place after he dies if there's no prince?

The short answer is no. Not by virtue of being a Duke, anyway. A Duke is, at least in the UK, the highest rank in the peerage. In theory, the King could make anyone into a duke, after which their descendants would inherit the title. I suggest having a look on Wikipedia for things like "Royal succession", "Peerage" and "Duke" or "Dukedom".

In Allaria, dukes seem to be overlords of their dukedom (aka "duchy"), but that;s not the case in the UK, where the Duke of Norfolk, say, doesn't run the county of Norfolk.