[SCA-AE] crown tourney requirements

[McAndrew-Schwoegl]

Kazi said
- Peers are recognized, not "made".  There are many people who are peers,
but haven't been officially recognized as Peers  (sometimes for many years)

I think that what most of us are forgetting that by becoming King/Queen a 
non-Peer has the opertunity to become a Royal Peer as a Count/Countess.  The 
SCA has defined mininmal requirements for Peerage in Corpora 
http://sca.org/docs/govdocs.pdf since before I joined over twenty five years 
ago.

Let me quote:
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.

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

. They shall have consistently shown respect for the Crown of the kingdom.

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

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

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

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

. They shall have made every effort to learn and practice those skills 
desirable at and worthy of a civilized 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.

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

(end quote)

It is the duty of the Crown to make sure that their successors meet these 
requirements.  Some people may not be willing to agree with these rules and 
may not make good candidates for King/Queen.  This does not make them 
unwelcome in the SCA or invalidate what they do.  No one is required to 
participate in Crown Tourney and many people have led long happy lives in 
the SCA with out ever attempting to be King/Queen.

The SCA has a big tent that provides room for many other fields of interest 
than the "Most of its activities take place in the context of a social 
structure adapted from the forms of the European Middle Ages" (also 
Corpora), it is a game that does rules and guidelines that say how it run as 
an organization.  Basketball is a fine sport and has many avid followers, 
but no one would ever expect a football team to allow a player on the field 
during a game wearing shorts and a T-shirt carrying a basketball.

Being the King/Queen is more of a responsibility than an Honor.  Our Kingdom 
has been blessed by having many Kings and Queens who have risen beyond their 
own needs/wants to serve the Kingdom and the all the people within it not 
just the "Authenticity Police" and hard core members.  We are also gifted to 
have a number of entrants who would give freely of themselves to do so in 
the future.  I would like to thank them all.  These are the people who keep 
"The Dream" alive in others.  The populace wants to look at the Crown and 
see a King/Queen.  We expect them to give of themselves for the good of the 
Kingdom and the SCA.

A Peer is recognized, not "made", but only after responsibilty is taken and 
respect is earned.

Remus Fletcher