The elites were composed of counts, dukes, "senatores", and other high noblemen, who were frequently related by marriage with the monarch, and who usually claimed the most powerful positions in society, either as governors, bishops, or as palatine officials or companions of the king or queen. The Galician nobility however were also frequently found as rebels, either as supporters of a different candidate to the throne, or aspiring to it themselves, or simply as disobedient to the king's orders and will. At the service of the noblemen were "miles" (knights) and "infanzones"; they were often found marching to war with their subalterns on behalf of a patron, or as vicars and administrators.