MSCA (was: Re: MOA)

[Galen of Bristol]

Michael Heydon wrote:
> 
> I am a student to Master at Arms Daniel Blackaxe.  

Didn't I meet you at Steppes Warlord?

> As I understand it, anyone
> can swear the oath of fealty to the king, 

Traditionally in Ansteorra, this is not true.  The Crown is obliged to 
accept fealty only from peers and territorial nobility, but will often
accept the fealty of others, as well.

> yet a Master at Arms, by its
> definition implies he swears oath of fealty to his weapons and the use of his
> weapons.  

No.  Simply not true.  No one swears fealty to his weapons, and I never heard
of Daniel swearing such an oath publically or privately, and I never hope to.

> Masters don't HAVE to swear oath of fealty, but the may if they
> wish.  

Knights may be -- and usually are -- required to swear fealty.  Masters
cannot.

> Daniel started as a Knight, but a very few already wearing 'belts'
> threw a fit.  Duke Michael ask for Daniel's belt back, as Daniel stood by his
> king he returned his white belt without hesitation, upon doing so, Duke
> Michael made Daniel a Master at Arms with no regard to Daniel's mundane life
> (mundane beliefs being what Burke eluded to).

Mastery of Arms is chosen over knighthood for a wide variety of reasons
including mundane or SCA beliefs, persona, political considerations,
personal considerations, and more.

> As a Master at Arms, you may interrupt court without permission also.

No.  That's simply a question of what you can get away with.  Most Kings
will put up with quite a lot.
 
> A baldric hangs over the shoulder, and was used to help carry the weight of a
> sword.  Baldric wearers believe the knights wish us to wear them, for if a
> baldric is not secured well, it might slip off the shoulder down around the
> arm helping to entangle our sword arm allowing the knights the 'in' to strike
> a blow (GRIN).

Paranoia.  Sheer paranoia.  Quit that!
 
> What is the difference between a Knight and a Master of Arms?
> that they wear a white baldric (I'm not sure what that is either) instead of a
> Llygoden Llwyd

The Order of Mastery of Arms of the SCA (abbreviated MSCA) is one of the
two Orders in the Chivalry of the SCA (the other being the Order of Knighthood).
The requirements are exactly the same for both, and they rank equally. The
difference is that Masters cannot be required to swear fealty.  Far more
fighters elevated to the Chivalry choose knighthood.  Only one lady,
Viscountess Gwenllian Rhiannon of Dragonkeep, in the West Kingdom, is
a Mistress of Arms.  

Ansteorrans who have taken the baldric are:
Duke Lloyd von Eaker (resigned)
Master Torgatai Blackwolf (moved away)
Duke Jonathan DeLaufyson Macebearer
Master Ivar Battleskald (moved away)
Jarl Frea Geardson (moved away)
Master Korwyn Marius Velis Arianaid (moved away twice)
Duke Inman MacMoore (changed back to knighthood)
Master Daniel Blackaxe

Visit my Roll of Arms of the Chivalry at 
http://www.uta.edu/student_orgs/rollarms.htm (but beware!  It's graphics-
intensive).

- Galen

-- 
Viscount Galen of Bristol, KSCA, CSM, etc.
Paul Mitchell, pmitchel at flash.net / "noblesse oblige"
http://www.flash.net/~pmitchel/galen.htm 
Visit the Central Region at:
http://www.uta.edu/student_orgs/sca/centregn.htm