the wealthy assuming the role of the old nobility

Reminds me.

In the game Europa Universalis II you as the ruler control a number of sliders with which to set the charateristics of your society. One of these regulates the character of your uppermost strata in society: on one end they are stinking rich and thus noble - a merchant republic - and on the other end they are blueblooded nobility and thus rich - a warrior nobility. You then get bonuses for either trade or cavalry depending on your settings.

There is no option for not having an upper class, although another slider controls your peasantrys status on a scale from serfs to free peasants.

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