ANST - Princes and Princesses

[Paul Mitchell]

Mark.S Harris wrote:
> 
> Amra said:
> 
> > Changes, certainly, but with the significant exception of adding the ceremonial
> > offices of Prince and Princess -- and the attendant waggon-load of
> > gotta-have-'em Principality awards -- the regional officers become principality
> > officers and the juggernaut keeps rolling foreward.
> 
> "Ceremonial offices of Prince and Princess"?
> 
> Where do you get this?
> 
> I suspect that they would be no more ceremonial than the current Ansteorra
> offices of King and Queen are. Or territorial Baron and Baroness. Yes, in
> some parts of the Known World these offices are ceremonial and the Office of
> Seneschal has the real power. However, in at least those parts of Ansteorra
> that I am familar with, that is not the case.
<snip>
> So Amra, and the others here discussing principalities, how do you envision
> your princes and princesses?

A Prince is more like a big baron than a little king, as it's set up in
the
SCA.  

Now Stefan, your Baron wields a lot more influence over the running of
the Barony, and more directly, than does Amra's Baron, I think.  It
differs
from Barony to Barony, and from Baron to Baron.

The Prince & Princess can't act against the wishes of the King & Queen, 
and have far less authority to act, anyway.  What they _can_ do, and
what
I think would be important, is to provide leadership, inspiration, and a 
focus for the kind of energy that raises armies and makes the SCA's
special kind of "magic".

And yes, there's always a Principality Seneschal.  All SCA branches
have seneschals.

The desire to create a principality, I think, has more to do with
upgrading the status of a region than with chopping up the kingdom.
When a shire goes for barony status, no one complains that they
want to leave the kingdom.  I don't understand why people fear
secession when a region starts talking about going for principality
status, but they do.

- Galen of Bristol, Knight of Ansteorra
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