[Western] "respectful"

Mon Mar 17 13:47:07 PDT 2008

As some of the newer members of the SCA (we first met you at 12th Night where I was fencing in your honor), we often struggle to learn how things are done in the SCA, and we have come to the conclusion that the democratic system we live under in the mundane world is not the way things are done in the SCA.  Furthermore, we have gained the impression that these differences are due to us trying to emulate the ways things were done in the Middle Ages.  Therefore, it was quite interesting to read your comments about the history of Ansteorran government as it relates to the model of Kingship from the 11th and 12th centuries.

One of the things we hear bandied around the SCA is our desire to recreate a world of more honor and chivalry than exists in our own mundane world.  Your description of the ideals behind the establishment of Ansteorra seem to speak to these ideals.  One gets the impression that we may have lost sight of some of the lofty ideals behind the "Dream."  This not surprising.   In the human experience we often find that while we may be initially attracted to a new person, place, thing,  we also bring with us our "emotional baggage" and immediately try to change that person, place or thing to fit with what we are more familiar.  

Thank you for sharing a bit of history with us.  It does sound like it was a kinder and gentler world in the past.  Let us hope if that was the case,  what was lost can be found again.

Rizardo d'Artusio and Celonise DuCharme

----- Original Message ----
From: "willowjonbardc at juno.com" <willowjonbardc at juno.com>
To: western at lists.ansteorra.org
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 1:53:24 PM
Subject: [Western] "respectful"

"respectful" I have this term used against me. I thought respectful meant that you used all the courtesies not that you had to agree.

I have been told that a "respectful" Peer will sit by and say nothing to the King. I don't agree with that concept. When we wrote the original kingdom laws we stated it was the Peers "duty" to act as communication link between the people and the Crown. It was the duty of the peer and noble to support the rights of the people. 

We created the Kingdom of Ansteorra using the model of Kingship of the 11th and 12th centuries. This is the model where the people of the 2nd estate--the fighting noble class run the kingdom with the King as the Chief of nobles. The Crown is suppose to take the council of the peers and nobles and keep the well being of his subjects in mind at all time.

This is a military model because at that time Europe was an armed camp protecting its borders against enemies. The Crown is the head officers and takes care of his "men" which is all of use. We are all part of the "noble" class. We are not commoners but junior members of the nobility. 

the easier model of "Kingship" goes back to before the Greeks and stayed in effect until the model of "absolute Monarch" came until effect around 1450. The divine King concept quickly destroyed the Monarch system. 

You and I are of the noble class. We are of good blood. Each and every one of us could be the Crown. We have rights. We are not a bunch of peasants who see the Crown as God. 

I would quote the Spanish oath which ends with the phrase "If not, not."  The oath of fealty state that the King is no better than we and the King needs to support the rights of the people and if he doesn't than they don't need to support him. 

The Spanish model is a little radical but the originally founders of the Kingdom saw the Crown as a protector and servant of the people. The heads of a great family that included every citizen of Ansteorra. The early kings and queens  went out of their way to make sure that the people were happy. They invested lots of time and money into the kingdom just so the people could go to events, be creative, and have a good time. 

Duchess Willow de Wisp

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