[Northern] Principality

[Burke McCrory]

At 05:02 PM 5/17/2001 +1100, Kat wrote:
> > I'm sure someone who likes to keep track of these sorts of
> > things can give counter-examples of all the other principalities
> > in the Known World.
>
>I don't know about counter-examples.  You have to remember that
>almost every single one of the 15 (or is it 16) SCA kingdoms began as
>Principalities.   If the Board is making Principalities with the
>intent that they will never be anything but that, then it is a very
>new trend.

<snip>


I don't know about it being a new trend.  When the Southern Region was
looking at possibly becoming a principality 4 years ago, I spoke at length
with the Society Seneschal and various Board members about the issue.  I
was told, among many other things, that the Board had come to the
conclusion several years before that the Society had reached a point where
Principalities were not going to be encouraged to become Kingdoms quickly,
if ever.  In the past there had been many pressures on Principalities to
become Kingdoms, the chief of these was geographic.  Imagine being King and
your Kingdom runs from Florida to Arizona or from Mexico to the Arctic
circle.  Those pressures are no longer as acute as they once were, I am
ignoring Drachenwald which is unique in that it goes from north of the
Arctic circle to the Cape of Good Hope.  I asked on a number of occasions
if a principality always would be expected to eventually become a
Kingdom.  The answer that I got every time was that no, a principality
could be created just as a principality and never with the expectation that
it would become a Kingdom.  Mists and Cynagua being the examples pointed
out to me.  Of course they were quick to point out that a Principality was
not prohibited from becoming a Kingdom if it met the standards and wanted
to apply.  So, I think that while the old concept of Principality being a
proto-Kingdom was the norm 10 to 15 years ago, it is clear that now the
concepts surrounding principalities have changed to fit the times.  I would
point out the in addition to Glenn Abban that the Northern Region of An Tir
is currently working on Principality status and that the northern region of
Atlantia was working on a principality bid a few years ago but it fell
through.  So it is possible to form a Principality without the intent of
splitting away from the Kingdom.  In fact I am not in favor of any northern
principality splitting away from Ansteorra, to much of what Ansteorra is
started up here in the North.  But I do think that a principality would
enhance the fun of our game.

Sir Burke