[Ansteorra] Terms Coronets when to use

Lori Campbell countesskat at yahoo.com
Tue Oct 17 08:23:34 PDT 2006


I may be way off base with this, but I've always considered the term
"coronet" to mean any lesser crown showing a rank below that of a
Sovereign.  

In my mind, Kings/Queens are the sovereign rulers of the SCA, the
monarchs, the ones with supreme authority over all things in their
realm.  They wear crowns, not coronets, and we've adopted the tradition
of calling them - and only them - "The Crown."

Anything less than a King or Queen, to me, is not a sovereign, meaning
I refer to that shiny brass thing they wear on their heads as a
coronet.  This includes Royal Princes/Princesses, Territorial
Princes/Princesses, Duchys, Counties, Viscounties and the Territorial
or Court nobility (and any others I've forgotten).  Heh, probably not
"technically" correct, but that's what I was taught.

I think it is somewhat confusing, but we do refer to the Royal Heirs
very often as "The Coronet."  I suspect this is also done for
Territorial Princes/Princesses, though I'm only guessing.  Right, wrong
or indifferent, I'm guessing this is to differentiate them from the
"rank and file" of Royals and Nobles.  I've occasionally heard Landeds
referred to as "the coronets" but it just never seemed right to me.  

The term "reign" is also rather ambiguous, but to my mind it also
carries the connotation of Sovereignty.  In other words, I tend not to
use it when referring to the tenure of anyone who is not a sovereign
King/Queen (i.e. a Prince or Baron).   

"Throne" is even more ambiguous.  Proper use designates it as the
"chair of state" of a sovereign OR a high dignitary and this seems
pretty consistent with the way I've always heard it used in the SCA. 
Generally, I hear the word combined with some kind of limiter though,
as in the "kingdom thrones," or the "baronial thrones" or "Their
Highnesses Thrones" etc. - making it perfectly clear whose throne is
under discussion.  Considering the word already has widespread accepted
use, I'm not sure we can expect to reserve it strictly for the chairs
used by our Sovereigns.  

Kat M. >^.,.^<
Wiesenfeuer


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