[Anguirel]

Kuru has the right of it regarding what I meant by "Kings"-I was just talking about all the Elven rulers in First Age Beleriand.

Kuru's feudalism vs absolutism question requires us to think about the other classes of Elven society, less well-documented classes, beyond Kings. I think this might be an interesting line of thought.

Well, let's think about the higher nobility, insofar as we know about them. The scantily described commoners can be dealt with, appropriately, later...

I discount royal cadets without realms of their own, like Maeglin, who acted as counsellors-they might be said to have power by virtue of regal blood.

In Gondolin, we have, thanks to the Fall of Gondolin, an extremely well-documented Elven elite (if sometimes of debatable canon status). Egalmoth, Rog, Glorfindel and even Tuor possess considerable authority below the King. Is this delegation of royal power? Maeglin's House was bound faster to him than to Turgon, but again that's a slightly different case. Basically Turgon seems to rule in Council, you might say, but always has the final decision. The Houses of Gondolin seem not unlike feudal entities.

So if Gondolin can be taken as typical, feudalism does seem to be some kind of norm. As Gondolin is supposed to reflect Tirion, blueprint of Noldor culture...I'd say that's all pretty good grounds for suspecting a feudal system.

In Nargothrond a similar model is traceable. We see hints of nobles-Edrahil, who I think is described as Finrod's steward at some point; Guilin, Gwindor and Gelmir, a noble family notable enough to be linked in marriage to the Blood Royal; and the nameless adherents of Celegorm and Curufin. The Council here actually has sufficient power to defy the King. It's almost more oligarchic than feudal-and certainly not absolutist.

However, I can see Hithlum and the Feanorion realms being run on far more authoritarian, regal, Homeric lines. We hear little of notable nobles serving Feanor's sons, except for perhaps occasional lines about "folk of Caranthir" or "servants of Celegorm". The blazing personalities of the Seven seem to eclipse those around them.