The largest of the medieval ‘re-enactment’ societies,established in 1968 at the home of Diana Paxton. The Society has grown to more than 40,000 members worldwide, encompassing medieval society in Europe and the Middle East from roughly 600 A.D. to roughly 1600 AD.
The SCA has developed its own combat system, where wooden weapons simulate the
whalebone and
ash weapons used in medieval
béhourds or
vespers tourneys. In the SCA system, combatants are responsible for their calling their own ‘blows’, a technique that attempts to place the
responsibility for their field conduct squarely on the combatant themselves instead of a panel of judges.
Marshals watch over the combat to insure that the tone of the fight is
chivalric and that the rules of safety are not violated, as well as tending to the administration of registering combatants and the like. This ‘medieval marshal art’ has become immensely popular in the United States, with active branches in Australia, Japan, Korea, Britain, Germany, Sweden, and Canada. At its finest, the Society strives to use the martial system to teach chivalric virtues, a place where the curious can come and experience something of the medieval experience.
Knights in the SCA are made by the
king in recognition of their
prowess ,
courtesy , and
noble demeanor; knights often take
‘squires’ , less expert combatants who wish to learn the chivalric arts. At the pinnacle of the martial experience combatants can participate in and strive to become victorious in
Crown tournament , earning a higher level of noble rank.
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