Riding in Cars with Swedes (and a Finn): Midwinter Coronation Edition

 

Literally the only photo I took at the event

It is noteworthy that this was my first 12th Night Coronation in Drachenwald, and it did not disappoint. Very midwintery and cold and glorious. Beatrix made me cry in court, there were Peers Behaving Badly, I made a return to the kitchen, a scroll I made was presented, and — perhaps most importantly — it was cold enough that I got good use out of the fur-lined hood made for me by my Camp Fromage fam.

I did, in fact, catch a lift from and to the airport with a Swede, with a bonus Finn on the trip out. Lots of lively and philosophical chat, Solving Everything, and snowy vistas. Kind of perfect, really.

One of the things we talked about was something that came up in the Laurel Council meeting, and I feel like it's a good topic to discuss here, because I think it's important.

It's more than just being really good at something

A thing that we run up against on the regular is the general populace's belief that someone being remarkably good at something is all that person needs to be considered for an SCA Peerage, and that's...not accurate. We call that "prowess," and yes, there needs to be some of that, but it doesn't end there.

So let's talk about this.

All Peerages are given with a Patent of Arms, regardless of the area of focus. Corpora, arguably the most important of the governing documents of the SCA and something you should definitely read if you aspire to a Peerage of any sort, is pretty clear on the requirements:

A. Patents of Arms

1. Candidates for any order conferring a Patent of Arms must meet the following minimum criteria. Additional requirements may be set by law and custom of the kingdoms as deemed appropriate and necessary by the Crown.

   a) They shall have been obedient to the governing documents of the Society and the laws of the kingdom.

   b) They shall have consistently shown respect for the Crown of the Kingdom

   c) They shall have set an example of courteous and noble behaviour suitable to a peer of the realm.

   d) They shall have demonstrated support for the aims and ideals of the Society by being as authentic in dress, equipment and behaviour as is within their power.

   e) They shall have shared their knowledge and skills with others.

   f) They shall have practiced hospitality according to their means and as appropriate to the circumstances.

   g) They shall have made every effort to learn and practice those skills desirable at and worthy of a civilised court. To this end they should have some knowledge of a wide range of period forms, including but not limited to literature, dancing, music, heraldry, and chess, and they should have some familiarity with combat as practiced in the Society.

   h) They should participate in Society recreations of several aspects of the culture of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

After all of that, Corpora goes on to spell out the specifics for each order (which I won't include here - go read it), but is basically an appropriate version of The candidate must have attained the standard of excellence in skill and/or knowledge equal to that of their prospective peers in [martial/arts & sciences/service/rapier/ranged weapons], plus some bonus responsibilities of maintaining support for the SCA and Crown, continuing to share knowledge, and advising the Crown on making new peers.

So, yes, you need to be "good enough" at something to get the attention of the Council and Crown, but you also need to meet the other requirements. So when we're discussing someone in Council, for the Laurels anyway, of course we ask about the quality of the product and the research a person is producing, but we also want to know:

• Do they understand how the SCA is organised and how it works?

• Are they joyfully teaching or sharing what they know somehow? (Classes, 1:1 instruction, blogs, articles, videos — it's all good.)

• Do they travel to meet other people in the Kingdom and to see how other areas and groups do things? (This isn't a deal breaker - not everyone has the means or the wherewithal to travel, but it's important to cross-pollinate somehow.)

• Are they generous with their time and knowledge? 

• Do they regularly offer service of some kind to support their group and/or the Kingdom?

• While they may go deep on their chosen area of focus, do they also have a broad awareness of other things and ideas within SCA period, and within the SCA generally?

• Are they welcoming and inclusive?

• Do they actually regularly attend events?

It's important to understand that this is not a checklist. Some people may only partially meet several of these things, and the Council will still advise the Crown that we feel they would be an excellent addition to the Order. We absolutely consider personal circumstances, and look for other ways someone might be having an impact.

It's also important to understand that the Council advises who we think is ready, and the Crown decides who They want to recognise.

Personally, I also want to know if they're kind (which, for the record, is different than 'nice'). You can hit every single mark I list above but if you aren't, on the whole, kind to people, you will get a hard pass from me.

Timing is everything

The other thing I'm not sure a lot of people understand is that everyone — Crown and Council alike — can be completely on board with a candidate, and want very much to see them elevated, but logistics get in the way. It's all well and good to want to make it happen, but it requires the Crown and the candidate to be at the same event at the same time with enough notice to plan and prepare, and sometimes that can take literal years. 

There are also the wishes of the candidate to consider (which is why it's important to have an In Case Of Peerage plan, or have a conversation with someone about how your dream elevation would be so you're not disappointed. Maybe I'll do a post about that...). There can be a lot of orchestration behind a vigil and elevation, and those things take time. 

When in doubt, write a recommendation

Another thing that it seems isn't broadly understood is that anyone can recommend anyone for anything, yes including Peerages. If it seems to you like someone is worthy of recognition, recommend them. If they're already on a list, it will add more to the conversation and support their discussion. If they're not, it will bring them to the attention of the Crown and Council. If you're nervous about doing that, find a Tame Peer and have a lil' chat. It doesn't even have to be from the Order you're thinking that person should be a part of. We'll make sure it gets to where it needs to go. I am always a good choice - I love hearing nice things about what folks are getting up to, and will cheerfully bring that back to the Crown and Councils.

Let me sum up

The way I typically frame it, when someone asks me, is: 

• Do what you love
• Share what you know
• Don't be a dick.

I'd add to that, off the back of this post:

• Understand and contribute to the workings of the Kingdom and SCA 
• Make an effort to visit and get to know people outside of your local group
• Get out of your comfort zone and learn a bit about a variety of things

Please feel free to look me up at an event or online if you want to discuss this more - I'd love to chat. In fact, look up other Peers, too, who will have their own take on this.

Anyway, here's the scroll I did - I'm pretty pleased with it.

Court Barony for Mathilde Bouret