The State of Knighthood

[Archduchy of Lorraine 287]

 

THE STATE OF KNIGHTHOOD

 

 

By the official decree of His Majesty, King John I d’Amaury, King of Lotharingia, the state of knighthood and those eligible to title themselves as Ser is defined herein. Their powers and responsibilities, the codes that they must adhere to and the obligations which they owe to the state of Lotharingia are thus named.

 

ARTICLE I

Knighthood and Elevation

 

There exists only two routes for a man to take in order to be granted knighthood and all the respect that the title of Ser entails, those being:

 

Serving an existing Ser or Lord of the Kingdom as a squire for enough years to learn the tenets of knighthood.

 

Being granted the office of Ser by the King of Lotharingia for an act of exemplary valour or courage, befitting of the title.

 

In order for a one to become a squire, and then be knighted, the following must occur:

 

They must first be chosen by either an existing Knight or a Lord within the Kingdom who holds land and title, whether they be Baron, Count, Margrave or Duke. Any man of Lotharingia may be chosen to squire, provided they be sound of body and mind.

 

They must be educated by the Knight whom they serve on the matters of chivalry and the knightly code, combat and the strategy of war, the history and heraldry of the realm, and equestrian activities.

 

In order for the squire to be knighted they must be approved by both the King and the Knight Paramount - with both present at ceremony.

 

In order for one to be named as a knight by His Majesty, the King, the following must occur:

 

The hopeful Ser must show their honour and bravery through a valorous action and in doing such prove themselves worthy of the title - demonstrating to the Heartlander Crown both their dedication and understanding of chivalry.

 

A man may be recommended by the Prince or any vassals beneath His Majesty, having previously demonstrated the aforementioned qualities, and placed before the Crown and Knight Paramount for consideration

 

The hopeful Ser must also swear oaths of fealty to both His Majesty, the King, and whomever his lord shall be, regardless of their title.

 

Any hopeful Ser, be it through squire or His Majesty’s desires, must fit the following criteria to be considered:

 

The hopeful must be a male, and of Human origin - no elfen, dwarven, orcish or other bastardisation of blood shall be allowed.

Noble blood, whilst oft desired, is not necessary; the candidate for Knighthood may be common, burgher or noble.

The Knight must hold land, or be capable of being granted land - whether through the Crown itself or the Lord who they desire to serve.

 

For a Knighthood to be considered valid, the ceremony with which a hopeful is made a Ser must follow certain steps:

 

Both His Majesty, the King of Lotharingia, and the Knight Paramount, whoever should hold the position, must be present for the ceremony to occur.

 

For the ceremony to be considered fully valid, both the aforementioned figures should be present and at least a pair of other witnesses.

 

ARTICLE II

Gentry and Laws

 

Every Knight is a member of the gentry class, the lowest nobles within the Kingdom. Defined herein are the tenets of such class, along with their styling:

 

The title of Ser is not hereditary, nor subject to the laws of inheritance. Should a Knight die, no son of his shall take up his title. Should a Ser die or fall, however, and has knightly kin - they may request to the Knight Paramount for his fief.

 

Gentry are encouraged to take squires, up to a maximum of three, into their care; to enlarge the gentry class and provide a consistent fighting elite for the Kingdom.

 

Knights are to be styled as the Ser of [Fief], addressed in missive or conversation as the Ser [First Name].

 

In order to uphold the honour of the gentry class and all knights, they are expected to uphold the following expectations:

 

Adherence to these expectations is not bound by law, as later ones are, yet to disregard such shall bring shame onto a Ser and all of his kin.

 

Knights are expected to uphold the tenure of their fealty to both their lord and His Majesty. They must adhere to laws, pay tax and protect their lands, answer any call to battle.

 

They must protect the commoners of the Kingdom, even if they serve beneath another Lord’s standard.

 

All Knights are expected to act as an exemplar of justice and piety to all, educated and well mannered to everyone that lives within the Kingdom.

 

The following crimes are worthy of death, unless otherwise pardoned by His Majesty, the King:

 

Should a man claim to hold the title of Knight, or be of the gentry class, he shall be punished for breaking the King’s law.

 

Impersonation of another Knight of the Realm, attempting to take on their name and garments, shall be punished just as strictly.

 

In order for the gentry class to remain without stain, Knighthoods may be revoked:

 

The right to revoke lies solely with His Majesty, and extends across all Knighthoods. Such a punishment may be levied should the Knight break an oath, violate the chivalric code, or break the laws of the realm.

 

If a Knight has their title revoked, their Lord may enfeoff them with a non-noble title and their former fief. Likewise, should a Knight lose his lands but not his title, he shall be a Hedge Knight until he holds land again.

 

The actions of a Knight that lead to his revocation shall be brought before the Lord he serves, who may also be held accountable for such actions.

 

ARTICLE III

The Golden Spur

 

The Golden Spur exists as an Order for Knights tasked with guarding the King:

 

Every Knight enrolled within the Order of the Golden Spur is subservient to the Knight Paramount.

 

The Golden Spur is tasked with the direct mission of guarding His Majesty’s person and properties as if they were his own. Their oaths to him defeat all others and they must be available to serve him at any time when he desires it.

 

The Golden Spur shall otherwise be known as The Royal Chapter:

 

Based in the capital and the palace, the Royal Chapter shall consist of Knights who exemplify the greatest traits of a Ser yet have forsaken land.

 

Led directly by the Knight Paramount, they are responsible for His Majesty’s personal safety, whether it be from assailant or simple harm.

 

Knights may either apply to the Chapter either through the Knight Paramount, or be chosen to serve; serving in the Royal Chapter is the greatest honour possible for a Knight.

 

ARTICLE IV

The Knight Paramount

 

In order to alleviate the strain upon His Majesty, he may appoint a Knight Paramount:

 

The Knight Paramount is an office that may only be granted by His Majesty, and only conferred unto the greatest of Knights. He must be an exemplar of knightly qualities.

 

The Knight Paramount may be appointed or revoked at any time by His Majesty, and the position is - as with all gentry - non-hereditary.

 

The powers and duties of the Knight Paramount are:

 

The Knight Paramount must lead the Order of the Golden Spur, staying abreast of all happenings and any hopefully squires.

 

All documents in regards to gentry and Knighthoods must be maintained by the Knight Paramount, along with being present at any judicial happenings involving a Knight.

 

The Knight Paramount holds judicial control over all Knights of the Kingdom, and can place any man who squired a Knight whose title has been revoked under investigation.

 

The Knight Paramount has the authority to revoke title, given the approval of His Majesty, and may confirm or deny potential Sers.

 

 

The Knight Paramount is, henceforth, Ser Arthur de Bar.

[Ducklingator 795]

"The state of knighthood. They couldn't think of a more creative name?" An elfess ponders.

[Fawb 557]

Moved to The Great Library. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.

 

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