I think you get the 50 ingots when your trade fame is over 5000. Everything in Ali's story is based on trade fame, but you can always get the ranks with another type of fame. The quests that get you the ranks from the ruler will be based on whichever fame is the highest when you arrive at the home port.
The only thing that relies on the date is the Jan 1554 when you grow too old to sail anymore. Ok, the sailors do age but it really doesn't affect the game until Jan 1554.
I've gone 10 years without raising Ali's trade fame, but you have to avoid Istanbul when you have more than 10,000 gold because you will be asked for repayment by the people that loaned you money. In that game I think it was 11 years before I got the ingots from the ruler. Anyway, don't judge your progress by the date. Ali's story will have a few events as your trade rank rises.
Most endgame events require 40,000 fame and in the primary fame of the character. The primary fame of the characters is: 1) adventure for Joao, Pietro, and Ernst, 2) piracy for Catalina and Otto, and 3) trade fame for Ali.
If you want the ranks offered by the ruler, that fame is based on the highest fame and it doesn't have to be the primary fame for that. I often keep characters from increasing their primary fame until I get the rank of Duke from the ruler. The story for each character only advances when your primary fame is high enough.
The rulers ranks are available when one of your fames reaches these levels:
500 - first rank of page
2000 - second rank of squire
4500 - third rank of knight
8000 - fourth rank of baronette
12500 - fifth rank of baron
18000 - sixth rank of viscount
also I think the ruler will give you a free tax free permit anytime for your country only
24500 - seventh rank of earl
32000 - eight rank of marquis
40500 - last rank of duke
Ranks are not required and the main benefit is to get better prices at the market, but they may also help you recruit some mates sooner.
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