Edict of Knighthood

[GloriaPreussens 798]

Edict of Knighthood




By order of His Apostolic Majesty, King John I, sovereign King of Vandoria, the Office of the Reichsreitter of Vandoria is hereby established. By order of His Apostolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria. By order of King John I, the laws of the Knights of Vandoria are hereby reformed and detailed herein from the original Edict during the reign of Ashford in the Kingdom of Oren.

Contents
Article I.
Distribution of Knighthood
Article II.
Status & Conduct
Article III.
Master of Chivalry
Article IV.
The Knight’s Code

Article I.
Distribution of Knighthood

Section I.
Elevation to Knighthood

-To become a Knight one must be either squired by a Knight or titled Lord of the Kingdom of Vandoria, or be granted Knighthood by His Apostolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria for acts valour.
- To become a squire, one must be selected by a Knight or titled Lord (Baron, Viscount, Count, Duke, Archduke, Prince or His Apostolic Majesty) of the Kingdom of Vandoria. A Knight or titled Lord may choose any citizen of Vandoria as they see fit to become their squire.
-It is expected for a Knight or titled Lord to educate their squire on matters of chivalry, faith, combat, strategy, logic, history, equestrianism and any other subject they feel is necessary.
-Upon the completion of the squire’s training and education, the Knight or titled Lord may recommend their squire to His Apostolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria, to be granted Knighthood. Should a Knight or titled Lord wish for their squire to be granted Knighthood, the Knight or Lord must be prepared to vouch for their squire upon their Knighting.
-To be granted Knighthood by His Apostolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria, the would-be Knight must show valour, courage or righteous action, proving themselves worthy of the Knight’s Code and the title of Knight of Vandoria.
-A Duke of Vandoria may also recommend a man to His Apostolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria, if he be worthy of the title of Knight. The Knighting Ceremony may only be carried out by His Apostolic Majesty (See Article I, Section III).
-To be granted Knighthood by His Apostolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria, the would-be Knight must swear oaths of fealty to his would-be Liege Lord, be it His Apostolic Majesty, a Duke or any lesser titled Lord or landed Knight.

Section II.
Criteria & Requirement

-To become a squire of a Knight or a titled Lord of the Kingdom of Vandoria, the would-be squire must be a male of Vandorian origin. Noble birth is preferable but not required.
-A Knight or a titled Lord may choose whoever they wish to act as their squire, be it a commoner, a noble’s sibling or their own son.
-To be granted Knighthood, the would-be Knight must be well versed in the Knight’s Code of Chivalry (as revised by Ser Maric Varodyr, attached below) and well educated in matters of faith, combat, strategy, logic, history, equestrianism and any other subject of basic education. Knights are expected to uphold an elite standard within the Kingdom of Oren.
-To be granted Knighthood, the would-be Knight must swear oaths of fealty to both His Apostolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria, and the would-be Knight’s liege Lord.

Section III.
Knighting & Ceremonies

-To become a Knight of the Kingdom of Vandoria, whether squired or not, the would-be Knight must be Knighted by His Apostolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria himself or the Reichsritter and no other.

-To be granted Knighthood, the would-be Knight must swear their Oath of Chivalry (attached below) and Oaths of Fealty, respectively to His Apostolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria and their would-be liege Lord, in sight of His Apostolic Majesty, their would-be liege Lord, a priest of God and at least one witness. This is so there is no contestation as to the words and vows taken by the would-be Knight.
-A specific Knighting ceremony must take place prior to being granted Knighthood by His Appstolic Majesty, or the Reichsritter. This ceremony shall be detailed elsewhere.

Article II.
Status & Conduct

Section I.
Gentry Status

-As a Knight of Vandoria, a Knight is a member of the Gentry class of the nobility of the Kingdom of Vandoria.
-The title of Knight of Vandoria is non hereditary and thus not passed on to any relations of the Knight.
-The lands and holdings of the Knight of Vandoria are non hereditary and thus not passed on to any relations of the Knight. Upon the passing of the Knight, the lands and holdings are returned to their direct liege Lord to do with as he pleases.
-As a Knight of Vandoria, a Knight is free and encouraged, to take on a squire. (Highlighted in Article I, Section I & II).
-A Knight is to be styled and titled as Ser [Name] of [Knightly fief]. They are to be addressed as Ser and their first name only.

Section II.
Laws & Expectations

-As a Knight of Vandoria, a Knight is bound by certain oaths and laws. A Knight is also expected to uphold certain standards, though this is not by law, disregarding these will bring shame to the Knight and his sire.
-A Knight is unable to join any Order besides one created by the Reichsritter and His Apostolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria. To do otherwise is grounds for immediate revocation of titles.

-A Knight is expected to obey their Oaths of Fealty to their liege Lord, His Appstolic Majesty the King of Vandora and all the respective laws of the Kingdom, with priority loyalty to the Kingdom.

-A Knight is expected to care for their lands if they hold them and pay their taxes to their respective liege Lord.
-A Knight is expected to answer their liege Lord’s call to war with full force.
-A Knight is bound by oath and expected to protect and defend the common people of the Realm, regardless of who’s standard they follow.
-A Knight is bound by oath and law first and foremost, before all oaths, to obey the Knight’s Code of Chivalry (attached below).
-A Knight is expected to set an example for the people of the Kingdom of Vandoria, to act as a beacon of justice, honour and goodness in the Realm.
-A Knight is expected to be educated in matters of chivalry, faith, combat, strategy, logic, history and equestrianism at the very least.
-A Knight is expected to be well mannered and polite towards the Nobility, Royalty and peasantry.
-A Knight is expected to carry and maintain His Sword at all times. A Knight without His Sword is a man without a soul.
-Impersonating an existing Knight is a violation of the King's law and warrants a Severe Punishment, by way of the Laws of Vandoria. (This supersedes all Ducal Laws).
-Falsifying Gentry and/or the title of Knight is a violation of the King’s law and warrants a Severe Punishment, by way of the Laws of Vandoria. (This supersedes all Ducal Laws).
-Claiming false Knighthood without fulfilling the appropriate criteria is a violation of the King’s Law and warrants a Major Punishment. (This supersedes all Ducal Laws).

Section III.
Revocation of Titles

-His Apostolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria, and the Reichsritter retain the right to revoke any and all Knighthoods within the Kingdom at any given time.
-A Knight may have his Knighthood revoked should he break any one of the oaths taken on the day of his Knighting.
-A Knight may have his Knighthood revoked should he severely violate the Knight’s Code of Chivalry that he is bound by oath to uphold.
-A Knight may have his Knighthood revoked should he severely violate any of the Laws of the Realm, be they Ducal or the Laws of Vandoria.
-Should a Knight have his Knighthood revoked by His Apostolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria, Reichsritter , their liege Lord retains the right to allow the former Knight to retain their lands under a separate non-gentry title, should he so wish.
-Should a Knight lose his lands through war, natural disaster or any other means, yet retain his life, the Knight shall be granted the chance to seek a new liege or reclaim his land,
-A Knight or titled Lord may be placed under investigation should their former squire have his Knighthood revoked.
-A liege Lord may be held accountable for the actions and crimes of the Knight oathed under them, should their Knighthood be revoked.

Article III.
Reichsritter

Section I.
Appointment

-The Reichsritter is a privy office of the Kingdom of Vandoria.
-The Office of Reichsritter may only be granted by His Appstolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria to a Knight.
-The Knight appointed to Reichsritter is expected to be well versed in the Knight’s Code and expectations of Knights of Vandoria and all appropriate laws.
-The Knight appointed to Reichsritter is expected to be the definition of a True Knight, acting as an example for all Knights to follow.
-The Office of Reichsritter is not hereditary and may be revoked by His Apostolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria at any given time.

Section II.
Powers & Responsibilities

-The Reichsritter is expected to keep up to date with the goings on and dealings of all Knights of Vandoria.
-The Reichsritter is expected to bring would-be Knights to the attention of His Apostolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria, so that they may be Knighted appropriately.
-The Reichsritter is expected to ensure all documents, patents of Nobility and Gentry, as well as any other matters regarding Knights and Knighthood are up to date.
-The Reichsritter is expected to ensure all would-be Knights meet the appropriate criteria before being Knighted.
-The Reichsritter is expected to oversee all Knighting ceremonies or appoint a representative if he is unavailable.
-The Reichsritter is expected to be present at all legal trials regarding Knights and their alleged crimes.
-The Reichsritter has the authority to place any existing Knight of Vandoria on trial.
-The Reichsritter has the authority to place any existing Knight of Vandoria under investigation.
-The Reichsritter has the authority to place a landed Knight or titled Lord under investigation, provided said Knight or Lord has squired a disgraced Knight.
-The Reichsritter has the authority to approve squires to receive Knighthood, upon the approval of His Apostolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria.
-The Reichsritter has the authority to strip a Knight of all titles and Gentry, upon the approval of His Apostolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria, for any reason.

-The Reichsritter has the authority to deny a squire the opportunity to be elevated to Knighthood.
-The Reichsritter has the sole authority to create Knightly Orders upon His Appstolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria’s, approval.

-The Reichsritter has the sole authority to disband Knightly Orders upon His Appstolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria’s, approval for any reason.

-The Reichsritter, as well as his Appstolic Majesty, the King of Vandoria, have the sole authority to bestow Knighthood. Should any other do so they violate the King’s Law and are subject to Severe Punishment by the Laws of Vandoria.

 

Article IV.
The Knight’s Code

-As revised on the 7th of The Amber Cold, 1470,  by Ser Maric II Varodyr, the Winged Knight.

A Knight shall live by honour, for glory, and guard the honour of fellow Knights.
Honour The Creator and maintain His Temple.
Keep faithful and act in righteousness.
He shall serve his liege Lord with valour and conviction.
Persevere to the end in any quest begun and never turn his back upon a foe.

-=-

A Knight shall not give wanton offense and shall despise monetary reward.
Give succour to widows and orphans and regard the honor of women.
He shall offer that which is not needed, to those who are needy.
And safeguard the helpless and uphold the weak.

-=-

A Knight shall respect those in authority but fight for the welfare of all.
Abstain from injustice, cruelty and deceit.
He shall be vigilant and show courage, even in the face of evil.
Resolve not with swords what can be with words.
And at all times speak the truth, even if faced with death.

In his blood the Creator’s will shall be written.

 

His Apostolic Majesty, John I Godfrey, King of Vandoria, Duke of Vanderfell and Hallowvale, etc.

 

His Excellency, Frederick Hamlen, High Justice of Vandoria

 

His Excellency, Britannus Vanir, Privy Seal of Vandoria

 

[_Jandy_ 3519]

((This is really well put together, I love it

[GloriaPreussens 798]

On 3/7/2016 at 2:29 PM, _Jandy_ said:

((This is really well put together, I love it

((Credit goes to Roy, he was a fantastic writer. I just made some name edits for Vandoria

[whiteferrarii 123]

Jory would look to the male youths gathered about his halls, his eyes narrowing toward each of them. "Ser Karrow of Marford?" He would bemuse himself and the kharajyr adolescent standing off to the side.