Greetng-Others-art - 9/7/19
"How to Greet Royalty and Peers, et Al" by Lady Rosalie Langmod of Calontir.
NOTE: See also the files: Evnt-Etiquete-art, Hand-Kissing-art, SCA-courts-nc-msg, courtesy-msg, Do-not-Wear-art, How-to-Behave-art, Persona-4-NC-art.
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NOTICE -
This article was added to this set of files, called Stefan's Florilegium, with the permission of the author.
These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org
Copyright to the contents of this file remains with the author or translator.
While the author will likely give permission for this work to be reprinted in SCA type publications, please check with the author first or check for any permissions granted at the end of this file.
Thank you,
Mark S. Harris...AKA:..Stefan li Rous
stefan at florilegium.org
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First published in the Calontir Falcon Banner in April 2018.
How to Greet Royalty and Peers, et Al
by Lady Rosalie Langmod
July, 2019
The following is intended to be a “quick and dirty” guide to titles and etiquette within the Society. It is, by no means, exhaustive, but it is a handy starting-point.
Royalty:
Includes: The Sovereign and Consort, Royal Heirs, and the Rulers of Principalitiies.
Address as: “Your Majesty” (Kings and Queens only.) or “Your Highness.” (This is not England, we do not revert to “sir” or “ma’am” after the first encounter.)
Stand (if sitting and able).
Bow/Curtsy (if able).
Make way when They enter a room or hallway (when able).
Speak only when spoken too.
Avoid turning your back on Them.
If They engage you in a conversation, wait for them to withdraw, even if you’re late for a class you’re supposed to be teaching.
Maintain Sanctum whenever possible. (Sanctum is a radius of ten feet around the Crown. This also includes insuring that the Crown has a clear and uninterrupted view of a tournament field.)
Duke/Duchess:
Includes: Persons who have served as a sovereign and/or consort on the throne of any kingdom at least twice.
Address: “Your Grace.”
A shallow curtsy is appropriate, but rarely practiced.
Count/Countess:
Includes: Includes: Persons who have served as a sovereign and/or consort on the throne of any kingdom once.
Address: “Your Excellency.”
A shallow curtsy is appropriate, but rarely practiced.
Viscount/Viscountess:
Includes: Includes: Persons who have presided over a principality.
Address: “Your Excellency.”
A shallow curtsy is appropriate, but rarely practiced.
Territorial Baron/Baroness:
Includes: Persons who are currently presiding over a barony.
Address: “Your Excellency.”
A shallow curtsy is appropriate, especially if you are part of their barony.
Court Baron/Baroness:
Includes: Persons who once presided over a barony; persons whom the Crown has seen fit to favor with the honor, in reward for service or nobility.
Address: “Your Excellency.”
A shallow curtsy is appropriate, but rarely practiced.
Knights/Masters of Arms:
Includes: All members of the Order of Chivalry
Titles/Address: Sir/Dame for Knights. (We usually use Sir for both male and female knights, but there are some knights who opt for Dame.)
Master/Mistress for Masters of Arms.
Laurels/Pelicans/Order of Defense:
Includes: All members of the respective orders as listed above.
Titles/Address: Master and Mistress.
Because Sir is reserved for knights and ma’am is a post-period colloquialism ( the earliest recorded use is from 1660-70), be sure to use “milord,” and “milady,” when trying to get the attention of someone you don’t know.
Honorable Lord/Lady:
Includes: All gentles possessing a Grant of Arms in any Order.
Address: Your/His Lordship, Your/Her Ladyship. (In written form, it is common to abbreviate both titles to HL.)
Lord/Lady:
Includes: All gentles possessing an Award of Arms in any Order.
Address: My Lord, My Lady. (There should be an emphasis on the long “Y” sound in “My” vs a short “i” in “milord/milady.” Remember what Tywin Lannister told Arya. —
In written form, Lord and Lady are often shortened to Ld and Ly respectively.)
When do I use Titles and Address?
Aside from Royalty and Territorial Baronages, who must always be addressed formally when at an SCA event, everyone usually goes by their names without putting much stock in titles. A good rule of thumb is to treat titles as you would Mr/Mrs/Miss; utilize them with strangers and new acquaintances until a relationship is formed.
Do I use titles when I see someone from the SCA at the grocery store?
Certainly not. Titles are for events, not regular interaction, including post-revels.
Although, I once forgot the name of an acquaintance I encountered at Target and found myself falling back on “Your Excellency,” as a habit.
Online Interaction:
Titles should be reserved to official correspondence regarding SCA business. This includes emailing the CalonList (yes, I’m one of the six people who still subscribe) and the Kingdom Facebook page. (And, even then, the use of titles is completely optional, except when addressing or referring to the Crown, the Heirs, or a Territorial Baronage.)
To be honest, the use of titles outside of events or official platforms, smacks more than a little bit of kissing up. Likewise, one should never use their title to gain the upper hand in any situation, especially not online. A person’s character and integrity should always command respect on their own merit.
Other notes:
Congratulations! You now know how to address whom and the proper ways of demonstrating respect.
It is important to remember, however, that all of this is actually just made up for fun and to make the dream feel more real for the rest of us. No one should be compelled
to do reverence to any person or use titles in conversation.
If you see a gentle fail to bow to the Crown or stand at Their approach, let it be. There are numerous reasons they may have for doing so. They could have an injury, they may simply be visitors dragged along by their children, or they may be visitors from another kingdom whose principals prevent them from bowing to another crown. Likewise, if you see someone referring to the Sovereign or Consort on facebook as anything other than “Your Majesty,” that is none of your business. It’s all pretend! We’re an admittedly weird group of friends having fun, not the characters from The Tudors.
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Copyright 2019 by Kali Jackson. <rosaliethecelt at hotmail.com> or <rosalie.edain at facebook.com>. Permission is granted for republication in SCA-related publications, provided the author is credited. Addresses change, but a reasonable attempt should be made to ensure that the author is notified of the publication and if possible receives a copy.
If this article is reprinted in a publication, please place a notice in the publication that you found this article in the Florilegium. I would also appreciate an email to myself, so that I can track which articles are being reprinted. Thanks. -Stefan.
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