KINGDOM OF HANSETI-RUSKA
Mandate of Chivalric Reform, 1672
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PREAMBLE
Heed thou, men of Haense
In enactment of his Royal Majesty,
Sigmar Lothar I - all venerated in name as a Knight of Hanseti-Ruska are hereby called upon in resignation of their most honorable livelihood; to adjure only the highest of order, affirmations shall be expected and predisposed when declared.
Therein, does the Knight Paramount implore Hansetic nobility to dedicate their second and third-born sons to attain squireship and bring honor to their household name.
Blessed be those in protection and providence of our great, pious lands.
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DEGREES
First Degree - Knight Paramount
The appointed authority upon those befelling lower status; overseeing ceremony, administration and ensuring exemplary service amongst lesser Knights of the southern Sleetfells.The Knight Paramount serves in the following: recording accolades, dates and granted epithets which are catalogued within the Chivalric Codex for the realm’s servicing and retired Knighthood.
Second Degree - Crown Knight
Crown Knights are landed, prestigious knights ceremoniously induced to the Kingdom with a fief to their name. Affording the right to bear an epithet, Crown Knights style themselves to which defines their Knighthood be it adjective, monicker, or origin at the discretion of the Knight Paramount and Crown.
Third Degree - Knight-Errant
Knight-Errants are landless knights, forgoing their nature of a lifestyle bound to a fiefdom in-lieu directly to their Crown monarch, roaming the Sleetfells in search of what shall define their Knighthood. Common, Gentry-born, or those recently Knighted typically hold this degree due to the fact that not all may acquire the favor of noblemen or the status to their names. Knight-Errants warrant the ability to groom a young lad through squireship at the Knight Paramount’s discretion.
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NOVITIATE
[14-21] - Squire
Squires are young men chosen for their promising aptitude or blood to fill the boots of a Knight’s assistant. They are during this time no more than a shadow, plucked at the age of fourteen until twenty-one, where they may attain the status they have long since strived for. During this duration, they hold no tangible authority or rights. In contrast to years before as a Page, they will be taught more practical and theoretical learnings, such as battlefield tactic, chivalry, piety, horsemanship and swordsmanship.
[8-14] - Page
Starting on the path to Knighthood begins with the lowly page as an adolescent, beginning from the ages of eight up unto fourteen. Pages are tasked with menial household tasks such as messaging, cleaning and to a lesser extent, swordplay. In return, receiving education which shall enlighten them on the canon, court etiquette, and mannerisms.
Exemplary service in light of the seven and GOD above, exonerated forever.
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CHIVALRIC DICTATUM
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AMBROSIAN INSCRIBES 1672
Affairs of Knightly Ethic
On the affairs of Knightly Conduct, is for one to be an educated, faithful servant of the Kingdom, engrossed with cultural recognition. Crown Knights are to be intelligible with realm affairs, standings, and proper styles accredited to nobility. For any Knight, is to adhere to the Chivalric Dictatum, safeguarding honor against those who may slight it, no matter for if it is their own or not. This is paramount in presence of women, no matter their blood.
Knights of Hanseti-Ruska are to embody virtue, deterring the compulsions of gluttony and excessive indulgence. Measures to temper intoxication are to be made, avoiding the hindrance it sets upon mind. Precedent and example is what it means to be a Knight, knowing to adorn oneself in what inspires pride or meaning, trendsetting for fashionable attire.
Upon the rebuff of honor by another Knight, they are to first settle their issues by word before sword. If at this point there is a lack of amends, they will initiate a duel for honor. Duels endure until a Knight forfeits or succumb to their wounds. This is to be conducted in appropriate lodgings or outside Markev altogether, any less results in reprimand.
Affairs of Interrelation and Foundation
With the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska fostering a myriad of levies, it raises the question for what a Knight is to do. There will be limitations and conditions for a Knight and their liege.
A.) Knights will remain distinct in nature yet afford a sense of independence, granting them the privilege to align with a specific house, or banner, yet their loyalty remains to the highest stratum: to Crown and Country opposed to head of house, as per oath.
B.) Interrelational associations of Knight’s varying in Degree shall first be approved by the Knight Paramount or reigning monarch.
Knights may be afforded a spouse through the direct means of courting one equal to Gentry-born or lesser, bearing their own children into paternal name. Knighthood is not hereditary, however owned fiefs will be inherited by the eldest male of the progeny.
On the bleak event of the Knight Paramount’s resignation by age, illness or death; Paramount-apparents are selected from a pool of servicing Crown Knights at the behest of the ruling monarch.
Women which exceed and surpass their male counterpart in every aspect may attain the honorific of ‘Dame’ equating to Crown Knight.
Affairs of Squirehood
Eligible squires shall be pulled solely from a pool of Hanseti-Ruskan gentry and noblemen. Once a Ser has chosen an eligible squire, chiefly those second and third-born, they are brought to the Knight Paramount for inspection if they have not already for Pagehood. Squires shall not be tutored by those of direct paternal lineage, and in the scenario a Knight is unable to find a Squire having after expressed it, they may be assigned one.
From the moment one induces themselves into Squirehood, they are closely observed for seven years until it is decided they have mastered their art and is prepared for final examination. At this point, they are to exhibit their learnings and debut prefaced proficiency to earn their induction ceremony.
Affairs of Grievance
In the event that a Knight has committed an irrevocable slight, tainting his status as a Knight is a bleak day. Stripped of their regalia and condemned, a Knight has little option but to conform and repent. At this point, they will be tasked with a quest to repair their sullied reputation and return to the grace’s they once held.
If another ill grievance occurs in this Knight’s lifetime, they will swiftly be removed of any titles, fiefdoms, and condemned, shunned publically for their doings. Should their infraction be substantial, the option of banishment is not out of question nor execution on circumstance.
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OATH
On the most eventful occasion a Squire or commoner performs heroic exploit or serves through their Squireship, ceremoniously they shall initiate the rite into Knighthood, sworn by oath.
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DIRECTORY OF THE KNIGHTED
Knight Paramount
1. Ser Ambroise Grimaldi, Baron of Ambrosia, Knight Paramount of Hanseti-Ruska.
Crown Knights
Knight-Errants
1. Ser Christholf de Ruyter, Lord of Loire.
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REAFFIRMATIONS
Reaffirm thy Knighthood to His Royal Majesty, Sigmar Lothar I posthaste, thou venerated Knights of yore, heed your summons to Krepost immediately.
Name: (inc. House):
Age:
Knighted by:
Date of Knighting:
Accolade of Knighting:
Are you willing to reaffirm your oath and fealty to King and Country?:
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IV JOVEO MAAN,
Signed,
His Lordship, Ambroise Augustine of the House of Grimaldi, Baron of Ambrosia, Knight Paramount of Hanseti-Ruska
His Majesty the King Sigmar Lothar I of Hanseti and Ruska, Grand Hetman of the Army, Prince of Dules, Lahy, Sorbesborg and Slesvik, Grand Duke of Vanderfell, Duke of Akovia, Krajia and Aldersburg, Margrave of Rothswald and Adria, Count of Karikhov, Baranya, Kavat, Karovia, Torun, and Kaunas, Viscount of Alamar, Baron of Vsenk, Valwyk, Rostig, Esenstadt, Krepost and Kralta, Lord of the Westfolk, Lord of Markev, Protector of the Highlanders, etcetera
((thanks to Icarnus for writing & editing
JuliusAakerlund for proofing
Niccum for formatting))