Virtues with beer: franchise

A while back, a friend gifted me a bunch of homemade brews named with the theme of knightly virtues. The beers where quite tasty, and my plan was always to drink them and think a little about the virtue of the moment. The beers are gone, but here comes some thoughts! Last time I did courage, and now it’s time for franchise.

This is the one that confuses me the most. I’m not sure if it’s a language thing, the fact that English isn’t my first language. But before I started to do some research about this, the only thing I could think of was the system of franchise restaurants. And I’m not sure that has anything to do with the chivalric virtue… So let’s dive into what some other people has written about the subject!

So, the Oxford English Dictionary defines Franchise as Freedom, immunity, privilege and as an attribute of character or action; Nobility of mind; liberality, generosity, magnanimity or Freedom or licence of speech or manners. This makes me think that this virtue is more like a state of mind, than a cause of action. Lets keep looking.

MiddleWiki has a short section on franchise and mentions that it “may be simply the virtue of owning your place in society; not being a poser and knowing what is and is not your due.” Which adds to my view of it being a state of mind. Franchise is confidence, confident that you’re in the right. Or knowing when you don’t have the capacity, and have the confidence to say so and let those who are better in the matter do their thing.

Magister Lorenzo Petrucci puts it like this: “It can be hard for a modern person to feel comfortable emulating the Medieval notion of Franchise, couched as it often is in terms of nobility and gentle birth. Our egalitarian conditioning shies away from this sort of thinking. But in the SCA we have titles, awards, offices, and Peerages, which are bestowed upon us in recognition of our nature and our deeds. I think that perhaps Franchise is the ability to accept and take ownership of the station to which one has been raised, gracefully and without false modesty.” His words on ownership repeats my thought about confidence. Feel confident in what you have achieved, peer or not, but be graceful about it. He also mentions to have “noble bearing” to one’s actions and demeanor.” So it seems like a lot of franchise is connected to another virtue, noblesse. Which is simply put as “having a regal or noble bearing, good manners and polished social interaction” by MiddleWiki. But as Magister Lorenzo also says, franchise and noblesse has to be balanced with humility.

Count Sir Garick von Kopke describes the virtue with these words: “This then is Franchise, sometimes referred to as  “consistent nobility.” The first part of Franchise is simply having all of the other Chivalric Virtues and having them consistently. While this is by no means easy, it is not a separate attribute, but simply a constancy of all of them.” Also “There is a marked, if intangible, difference between the titled and the “enfranchised.”  It is a carriage (but not a swagger), a sense of noblesse oblige, a certain confidence, perhaps.  It can easily be overdone into arrogance or seem patronizing.” So with his words, we circle back to confidence. Confidence, but with a noble filter?

Leonhart Hunt of Wildmoor connects the virtue of franchise with the word accountability. “When you err, make amends in as public or powerful a fashion as that in which you made the error. Explain yourself in the simplest, most clear terms, and never make excuses. Own not only your own mistakes, but the mistakes of others when theirs resulted from yours.” But the words of his I take to heart is: “You must comport yourself in the present as the person you wish to become in the next moment, hour, day, and year.” Pretty much, dress for the job you want, not the one you have, but in action. Always strive to be better, in big steps or in small.
I’m not completely sure how his words connect to franchise, other than the general sense of confidence and ownership of you and your actions. So maybe it’s not so far fetched after all.

“Franchise: Emulating all parts of the code of chivalry in the hope that others will follow your example.” This follows Sir Garicks notion about franchise being the virtue that consists of all other virtues. But in this case, it’s also more clearly about setting a positivt example for others. Don’t just be good for you, but for the betterment of all.

Andrew Blackwood puts it nicely. “But not Franchise.  Franchise isn’t about doing something.  Franchise isn’t something you can learn. Franchise is about being who you are. […] Franchise is about being the KNIGHTLY YOU.  It’s about being the best, most Chivalrous, Knightly You that you can be.  It’s about being the Knight you know you Are. So that’s why it’s not enough for me to just be myself.  I have to be my Knightly self.  And that’s a better self than who I was Before.”

Okay, I need to stop, cause there’s so many wise people who has written about this topic, and I could continue forever. So I’ll just add this last one. Earl Cathyn Fitzgeralds wise words: “Franchise is the virtue of practicing the other eight virtues without any though of profit or personal gain. Franchise is the purest motive, selflessness in every action.” And: “Becoming virtuous for virtue’s
sake alone is the goal.”

So my initial thought was about right. “this virtue is more like a state of mind, than a cause of action.” This isn’t really something you do, but something you are, or grow into.

/Honorable Lady Gele Pechplumin
(Magdalena Morén)

Virtues with beer: courage

A while back, a friend gifted me a bunch of homemade brews named with the theme of knightly virtues. The beers where quite tasty, and my plan was always to drink them and think a little about the virtue of the moment. The beers are gone, but here comes some thoughts! The last one was prowess and now it’s time for courage!

As I’ve done before, I’m heading over to Oxford English Dictionary as my starting point. They have a few different meanings of the word throughout the years.
“The heart as the seat of feeling, thought, etc.; spirit, mind, disposition, nature.” (c1300-1656)
“What is in one’s mind or thoughts, what one is thinking of or intending; intention, purpose; desire or inclination.” (c1320–1626)
“That quality of mind which shows itself in facing danger without fear or shrinking; bravery, boldness, valour.” (1382-)
And the last one is really the one that at least I connect with the word courage today. Even though I think that courage doesn’t have to come without fear. Courage is to do the scary thing, even if it’s scary, because it’s the right thing to do.

And I didn’t have to look for long until someone had the same thought as I did. MiddleWiki has the following words about courage. “Courage is not just the absence of fear. Be willing to say the unpopular truth, to stand up for what is right even if the group is heading in another direction. Willing to put yourself out on the line, to risk failure by reaching (that is a part of striving to be more than you are as well)”.

Count Sir Garick von Kopke writes that “Courage is a virtue cheaply bought in some contexts in the SCA, for it is easy to face death when it means only a short cessation of playing. It takes little true courage to charge into a wall of pikes. True courage in the SCA is not in facing death, but in facing losing.” And I’d agree with him, if we only viewed the SCA through the fighting glasses. But we don’t. SCA is so much more and we have lots of opportunity to be truly courageous. But I’ll get back to that.

Leonhart Hunt of Wildmoor keeps being wise. To start with, his accompanying words for courage is i ntegrity and honesty. “(…) a Knight must remember that stupidity and courage are cousins – pointless risk or sacrifice is not noble. Courage means taking the side of truth in all matters, rather than allowing for the expedient lie. Manifest your truth whenever possible, while remembering to temper justice with mercy.” And in theory I agree with him, but a lot of the time we have to filter our truths.

As it says in the Laurel ceremony; “Rightly or wrongly, a Laurel is taken as an authority, whose words carry considerable weight; do not therefore choose your words lightly. Remember that just as your praise can encourage a young artisan beyond any other force, your censure can crush a budding talent of which the land may, by your actions, forever be deprived.” So when it comes to feedback, we really have to consider the question if the feedback is asked for. And even then, ask for context about what kind of feedback the person is asking for.

“Courage: Choosing the more difficult path, rather than what comes easy; choosing to live by truth”. Hmm, I can’t really get behind this. This sounds unnecessarily hard on oneself. Courage is choosing the difficult path when you needed. Of course you should push yourself, to strive to be better, but have difficult as default seems like a solid way to wear yourself down. Be kind to yourself.

Cathyn Fitzgerald says that “For many, Courage is bravery in battle, or bravery in the face of danger.
These are but a sliver of the concept that is Courage.” And “Courage is standing up for one’s beliefs, in the face of danger, and in the face of peer pressure. Courage is doing what is right, rather than what is easiest. Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is being able to act in spite of the fear.”

“Courage in the face of physical danger usually just lasts a few moments, a big burst of adrenaline and it’s passed. Courage in the face of social pressure lasts day after week after month after year.”
/Ælflæd of Duckford

Two words that stand very close to courage is encourage and discourage. The latter I’ve mentioned above when it comes to feedback and the very important advise the new Laurels get in their ceremony. Don’t be “brave” and “tell the truth” if it means you will destroy the confidence in someone. That’s not courageous.
The opposite, to encourage, is one of the most important thing you can do in both our society, and outside it. To give of your time to admire someones work, may it be a dress or a well cooked lunch, is a very important gift. Take those extra couple of minutes to ask some questions about their work. You don’t have to be an expert on the subject, but a simple “how long have you been cooking for?” or “is this period your main focus?” goes a long way when making someone feel seen.

Then of course, we have the kind of courage that is the more difficult kind. To speak up or out against our friends or perhaps people we don’t know, but that others admire. Because even though we’re a society based in chivalry and virtues, we’re a society of people. And people come in all shapes and with all kind of ideas about the world and other people. And it’s not easy to say to someone who’s been a knight for 20 years and been king twice that “hey, that was a pretty racist thing to say”. And it’s not easy to tell others that the man they thought was a lovely and helpful, abused you. And it’s not easy to hold your ground when you’ve been courageous enough to actually speak up. But my hope is that we can be courageous in group, and support each other. If someone does speak up against something that is wrong, have courage and stand behind them.

/Honorable Lady Gele Pechplumin
(Magdalena Morén)

Virtues with beer: prowess

A while back, a friend gifted me a bunch of homemade brews named with the theme of knightly virtues. The beers where quite tasty, and my plan was always to drink them and think a little about the virtue of the moment. The beers are gone, but here comes some thoughts! First one up was largess, so now it’s time for prowess!

Prowess seems to generally be one of the easier virtues to pinpoint. Caid’s A&S department describes it as such: “Prowess speaks to skill. Not only having it, but striving for it. As an artisan, you must strive to learn more, create more, and push yourself to develop your skills.”

MiddleWiki says that “In simple terms, Prowess is skill and the striving for skill, and in this sense it can apply to more than just combat.”

Cathyn Fitzgerald wrote that “[P]rowess is. . .nothing more than physical skill. In our Society, this skill translates to winning swordfights. Prowess without Chivalry is cheating, Prowess without Honor is murder, Prowess without Modesty is braggadocio. Prowess without the other virtues is no virtue at all.”
“Prowess. Might. Strength. Skill. Important features of both Knights and bullies.”
These are strong words, but I think they’re necessary. The virtues aren’t all good standalone. Some needs to be paired with some others to work.

Andrew Blackwood says it well. “Prowess is the foundation of Knighthood, but it is the one virtue you can get better at without ever getting better as a person.  Prowess the smallest and the largest of obstacles to Peerage.  But it’s something you can learn.” And of course, there’s plenty of people in the SCA that are just there for the sport side of it, that wants to be a better fencer, fighter or sewing. They want to up their prowess, their skill, but aren’t necessarily interester in the other bits. And they have their spot in our society too. But prowess alone does not make you a pillar of the society.

In Lochacs Laurel ceremony guide is states that the peerage of Laurel is “Awarded for: supreme prowess in one or more fields of the arts and sciences, with teaching, service and peer-like qualities as deemed worthy by the Order and the Crown.” So here it’s used by another peerage than the knighthood to describe skill.

Leonhart Hunt of Wildmoor writes about prowess, which he connects to valor and excellence. “Strive for excellence in all endeavours expected of a Knight, especially martial, yet also otherwise. Embody strength which is used in the service of justice, rather than for personal aggrandizement and gain. Use your martial, intellectual, and moral strength to resist and defeat all forms of tyranny over the minds and bodies of all mankind. Remember that your mind will maintain strength longer than your body. Long after you pass, your declarations of word and stands for principle, if they are Knightly, will still have power to affect the course of events.”
Leonharts view in the virtue is first of all admirable. His talk about justice, moral strenght, defeating tyranny and standing for your principles is grand. This is one of few descriptions of prowess that makes this point, that it’s anything more than skill. His word seems to be strength, and I would agree with his analysis if that was the name of the virtue.

At this point, I start to wonder what the definition for the word is and head back over to Oxford English dictionary. And there’s the definition that I have in mind when thinking about prowess: “Exceptional ability or talent in a particular field or undertaking; skill, expertise.” Hmm, but that’s only a definition since 1668.. Hmm…
Lets have a look at the medieval ones!
“An act of bravery; a valiant deed; a daring feat or exploit.” (c 1300)
“Valour, bravery, gallantry, martial daring; manly courage, fortitude.” (c 1325)
“Moral goodness or excellence; virtue.” (c1395–1425)

“Prowess: Seeking excellence in all endeavors; seeking strength to be used for justice rather than personal gain.” Here’s another example of a view of prowess as something more than just skill.

By now I am slightly confused, I’ll admit that. But I’ll try to wrap my head around it and see what I think about all this.

To me, it seems like we’ve adopted the later definition of the word, for it to be used synonymous with skill. And I think that we’ve done that so we can use the medieval chivalric virtues to describe the other peerages, not just the knighthood.

Skill. Prowess, as we use the word, first and foremost seem to be about skill. Skill in any kind of martial arts, arts&science and/or service. If you can do it, you can to it well and build your prowess in that field.
Strength. This has nothing do to with the strength of your arms and legs. This is strength of heart and mind. This part of the virtue is connected to a lot of the other virtues like courage and justice. This is the part when you’re brave and maybe chooses the high road.

Maybe this wasn’t an easy virtue to describe. Maybe it’s not simple at all. Skill is simple, straight forward. But strength sure isn’t. Strength is a choice.

/Honorable Lady Gele Pechplumin
(Magdalena Morén)

Virtues with beer: largess

A while back, a friend gifted me a bunch of homemade brews named with the theme of knightly virtues. The beers where quite tasty, and my plan was always to drink them and think a little about the virtue of the moment. The beers are gone, but here comes some thoughts! First one up is largess.

First I want to use a section written on Kingdom of Caid’s Arts&Science page, because it sums up the important thing about virtues. “Chivalry, the medieval ideal which governed the behaviour of knights and nobles, is a perfect tool to use towards this end.  You can contribute to a healthy environment by allowing the chivalric virtues to guide your thoughts and actions.  Although these virtues were martial in origin, they can be be interpreted in a way that is useful to our community.”

Largess can be translated into generosity, which at least for me is a concept that is much easier to grasp. Kindness is another word connected to the virtue largess. To be kind to others and to be generous with your time and knowledge. Largess is the virtue of being liberal in giving.

In the Middle Ages, largess/generosity was strongly connected to charity to the poor, sick and unable. It was of course a christian virtue to be generous to those with less than yourself. But it feels like it was giving with the goal of getting something back, either less time in the the purgatory or some other advantage in life. I hope we can be generous with less ulterior motives!

Saint Lucy and Her Mother at the Shrine of Saint Agatha; Saint Lucy Giving Alms, ca. 1375

Largess in the SCA is of course also connected to the noun largesse, which “is a conglomeration of (generally handmade) items presented to a Royal or group within the SCA.” If you want to read more about largesse, here is a great page to do so. Largesse is gifts given to show appreciation.

For many of my first years in the SCA I was either a student with a low income, or no income at all. I didn’t have the opportunity to bestow a lot of gifts to people or to give largesse to royals. But what I could give was time and a great way for me to give my time was to volunteer, either in short periods of time, like doing a couple of hours of retaining, or by serving as an officer. Other great ways to be generous with your time could be to autocrat an event, or maybe to arrange small get-togethers, maybe in someones home, or a park. While being at event, there’s a ton of chances to show largess! Doing someones dishes, watching someones kid for a few minutes, pulling someones car out of the mud or talking a walk to talk to someone feeling stressed or down for some reason. Teaching classes and giving workshops are great ways to be generous with both your time and your knowledge. Our hobbies in living history wouldn’t be the same without us sharing our knowledge and our research. Don’t be a knowledge-dragon, share what you know!
If you’re on a low budget, being generous with your time can also be a great way to be able to go to events you wouldn’t be able to go to otherwise. A lot of events offer volunteers lower fees if they help out in the kitchen during the event.

Being generous with ones time is not to be devalued.

Another way of being generous if with your words. Giving feedback and constructive criticism is well needed in a society where a lot of people are working on becoming better at what they do. So taking a few minutes to thank someone for doing a great job, or giving a few pointers can be very helpful. Just make sure that the person is open for feedback first, not everyone can take feedback, or at all times. But a kind word can often last much longer than an object. So if you want to give someone a token for doing something cool, give a few words with it!

Something that is important to remember when talking and thinking about largess is to have in mind not to expect something in return. If you give to get something back, it’s not a very honest gift. So give for the joy of giving.

My final words is to not be more generous than your resources allow you to be, wether with time or objects. Keep some of the time for you, for fun or rest.

/Honorable Lady Gele Pechplumin
(Magdalena Morén)