Principalities: "baby steps" Proposal (l

[Mitchell, Paul]

Galen of Bristol offers comments on this reasonable proposal:
 ----------
From: ansteorra-owner
To: ansteorra
Subject: Principalities: "baby steps" Proposal (l
Date:  September 20, 1996 1:05PM


Since this whole discussion is still essentially a "trial balloon", allow me 

to offer a "new" thought for consideration. Why not do something new /
different, sort of a building-block approach toward naturally "growing"
Principalities?

Ansteorra already has administrative regions in place, with geographical
designators but no _formal_ "medieval-side" names or functions. How about
taking things one step at a time and advancing these to "named regions"
(shire, march, barony,  principality & others having already been
designated, we'd have to find an appropriate alternate "title" - perhaps
"Marquisate"? "March-land"?) instead of full Coronet-list principalities?.

<GoB:  When I joined in Meridies in 1979, it had three regions:  the Regions 
of Aphar,
Lair of the Phoenix, and Trimaris. (Remember the verse in Cipriano's "Lord 
Charlie", also
known as "The Man Who Never Returned":  "His first event was down in 
Trimaris/
Or perhaps it was Aphar".  This was written when both were regions.)  Later 
Aphar and
Lair of the Phoenix were dissolved in favor of alphabetical administrative 
groupings:
groups beginning with A-G, H-R, and S-Z, in order to eliminate artificial 
loyalties which
were threatening to splinter the Kingdom.  Trimaris was left intact as they 
were hoping to
seek principality status soon after.

In Ansteorra, naming regions could be done as simply as "Region of 
Georgeland" or
perhaps "Ralph Territory".>



These could / should be complete with regional champions (Marquis/Marquessa? 

Waldgraf? other?), hopefully permitted to present awards of less than
grant-level by derived authority of the Crown.

<GoB:  These needn't be combat-related honors, either.  The Crown could 
appoint them
like Barons, as one alternative.>

We already have, at least at the "club" or "fun" level , "Nordsteorra" as an 

informal reference to the Northern Region of Ansteorra.

<GoB:  "Nordsteorra" is also the title of the Northern Regional Herald.>

(Galen, thanks for
the reminder of Hrabia Jan's three-legged stool descrtiption - I prefer to
choose the naming of the third leg of the seat as "fun" instead of "joke")

<GoB:  But Jan said "joke".  "Dream" and "club" activities are fun, too.>

Would my friends and companions in the north consider the invitation to
shape the experiment outlined into a more formal proposition?

<GoB:  Why just north?  Do northerners feel so much less attachment to the
Kingdom?  And do you mean "north" as in "Oklahoma", or as in "north of 
Waco",
or what?  I've learned that "north" varies with who you ask.>

* * * * *
Alternatives / potential objections:

<snipped>

Comments? Concerns? Brickbats?

<GoB:  I wouldn't hold my breath on this actually happening unless some 
group
of people in a geographically discreet area wants it for themselves.  I 
expect
any such group would prefer principality status.>

Amr ibn Majid al-Bakri al-Amra
     currently residing in Barony of the Steppes, Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mike C. Baker                      mbaker at rapp.com
Any opinions expressed are obviously my own unless explicitly stated
otherwise!


_____________

 - Galen of Bristol
MITCHELL at dallas.genphysics.com