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| Founded | May 1, 1966; 59 years ago (1966-05-01) inBerkeley, California, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Type | 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation |
| Focus | Historical reenactment |
| Headquarters | Milpitas, California |
| Coordinates | 37°23′45″N121°56′15″W / 37.39583°N 121.93750°W /37.39583; -121.93750 |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Volunteers | About 30,000[1] |
| Website | www |
TheSociety for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is an internationalliving history group with the aim of studying and recreating mainly Medieval European cultures and their histories before the 17th century. A quip often used within the SCA describes it as a group devoted to theMiddle Ages "as they ought to have been",[2] choosing to "selectively recreate the culture, choosing elements of the culture that interest and attract us".[2] Founded in 1966, the non-profit educational corporation has over 20,000 paid members as of 2020[3] with about 60,000 total participants in the society, including members and non-member participants.[4]
The SCA's roots can be traced to a backyard party of aUC Berkeley medieval studies graduate, the authorDiana Paxson, inBerkeley, California, onMay Day in 1966.[5] The party began with a "Grand Tournament" in which the participants worehelmets, fencing masks, and usually some semblance of a costume, and sparred with each other using weapons such as plywood swords, padded maces, and fencing foils. It ended with a parade downTelegraph Avenue with everyone singing "Greensleeves". The SCA still measures dates within the society from the date of that party, calling the systemAnno Societatis (Latin for "in the Year of the Society"). For example, 2009 May 1 to 2010 April 30 was A.S. XLIV (44). The nameBerkeley Society for Creative Anachronism was coined byscience fiction authorMarion Zimmer Bradley, an early participant, when the nascent group needed an official name in order to reserve a park for a tournament.[6] "Berkeley" was dropped as the group expanded.[7] Three other co-founders were science fiction authorPoul Anderson, his wife, writerKaren Kruse Anderson, and their daughter, Astrid.[8]
In 1968, Bradley and her husbandWalter Breen moved toStaten Island,New York where they co-founded the Kingdom of the East, holding a tournament that summer to determine the first Eastern King of the SCA. That September, a tournament was held at the26th World Science Fiction Convention, which was in Berkeley that year. The SCA had produced a book for the convention calledA Handbook for the Current Middle Ages, which was a how-to book for people wanting to start their own SCA chapters. Convention goers purchased the book and the idea spread. Soon, other local chapters began to form. In October 1968, the SCA was incorporated as a501(c)(3)non-profit corporation inCalifornia.[5] By the end of 1969, the SCA's three original kingdoms had been established:West Kingdom, East, and Middle. All SCA kingdoms trace their roots to these original three. The number of SCA kingdoms has continued to grow by the expansion and division of existing kingdoms; for example, the kingdoms now called the Outlands, Artemisia, Ansteorra, Gleann Abhann, Meridies, and Trimaris all are made up of lands originally belonging to the fourth kingdom, Atenveldt, which began as a branch of the West Kingdom.
The SCA engages in a broad range of activities, includingSCA armoured combat,SCA fencing,archery,equestrian activities,feasting,medieval dance and recreatingmedieval arts andsciences, including a broad range of crafts as well asmedieval music andtheatre. Other activities include the study and practice ofheraldry and scribal arts (calligraphy andillumination). Members are afforded opportunities to register a medieval personal name andcoat of arms (often colloquially called a "device" in SCA parlance). SCAscribes produce illuminatedscrolls to be given by SCA royalty as awards for various achievements.
Most local groups in the SCA hold weekly fighter practices, and many also hold regular archery practices, dance practices, A&S (Arts & Science) nights and other regular gatherings. Some kingdoms and regions also have occasional war practices, where fighters practice formations and group tactics in preparation for large scale "war" events.
The research and approach by members of the SCA toward the recreation of history has led to new discoveries about medieval life.[9] The SCA does not require participants to wear historically accurate clothing or equipment. According to the newcomer's guide:[10]
We request that all participants make "an attempt" at pre-17th-century clothing commonly referred to as "Garb"...As you pick items, always remember to try not to make them "obtrusively modern".
The SCA holds its own events as a non-profit education organization for the benefit of SCA members and their guests. This is unlike mostRenaissance fairs,[11][12] which are open to the public and held mainly as entertainment for profit. Another noticeable difference is that SCA events are historically earlier than most Renaissance fairs. Each kingdom in the SCA runs its own schedule of events, which are announced in their kingdom newsletters (and usually posted on the kingdom website), but some of the largest SCA-sanctioned events, often called "wars", attract members from many kingdoms.Pennsic War, fought annually between the East Kingdom and Middle Kingdom, is the biggest event in the SCA. Likewise, Estrella War was held for over thirty years,[13] mainly between two large regional SCA groups: the Kingdom ofAtenveldt and the Kingdom of theOutlands.[14] Most Estrella Wars were held nearPhoenix, Arizona in late February and would last around 7–9 days.[14] Several thousand people attended each year, some from as far asSweden,Germany,France,Italy,Greece, andAustralia. On July 13, 2021 it was announced that Estrella War was cancelled permanently.[15] Other annual SCA wars include Gulf Wars in Gleann Abhann (formerly Meridies), Great Western War in Caid, War of the Lillies in Calontir and others. Other annual or semi-annual Kingdom-level events held analogously by most or all SCA kingdoms include Crown Tournament, Coronation, Kingdom Arts and Sciences competition and Queen's Prize. Additionally, most baronies in the SCA have their own traditional annual events such as Baronial Arts and Sciences competitions, championship tournaments, and often aYule orTwelfth Night feast. Various SCA groups sometimes host collegia or symposia, where members gather for classes on various medieval arts and sciences and other SCA-related topics.
The minimum standard for attendance at an SCA event is "an attempt at pre-17th century clothing",[16] and there is a general goal of maintaining a historical atmosphere. However, SCA members will use modern elements when necessary for personal comfort, medical needs, or to promote safety (e.g. wearing prescription eye-wear, usingrattan for swords orshear thickening substances for padding). Unlike some otherliving history groups, most SCA gatherings do not reenact a specific time or place in history, leaving members free to dress as any culture within the SCA's time period.[17][18]
Many branches of the SCA organize in-person and virtual events with peer-to-peer learning opportunities. Classes, lectures, and workshops may be offered as part of a local branch's regular scheduled activities or at a full-day or multi-day event. Some educational events are virtual or hybrid and many of the lectures are recorded and available to the public.
Educational events in the SCA may be referred to as academies, collegiums, schola or universities.[19] A collegium is a local in-person or virtual event offering multiple classes.[20] A symposium is a society-wide event that focuses on a specific area of the SCA.[21] A university in the SCA is an organized series of courses set up in the style of a modern university.[22]
The SCA produces two quarterly publications,The Compleat Anachronist andTournaments Illuminated,[23] and each kingdom publishes a monthly newsletter.
The Compleat Anachronist is a quarterlymonographic series, each issue focused on a specific topic related to the period of circa 600–1600 in history.[24] Issues are written by SCA members and have covered a wide range of topics.[25]
Tournaments Illuminated is a quarterly magazine, each issue covering a range of topics and including several features such as news, a humor column, book reviews, war reports and various articles on SCA-related topics of interest.[26]
The SCA is incorporated as a501(c)(3) non-profit corporation inCalifornia,[27] with its current headquarters in the city ofMilpitas, California. It is headed by aboard of directors, each of whom is nominated by the membership of the SCA, selected by sitting directors, and elected to serve for 3.5 years.[28] Each director serves as anombudsman for various kingdoms and society officers. The BoD, as it is called, is responsible for handling the corporate affairs of the SCA and is also in charge of certain disciplinary actions, such as revoking the membership status of participants who have brokenCorpora regulations or modern law while participating in SCA activities.[29] Because the SCA now has groups all over the world, it has also been incorporated in other countries, e.g. SCAA in Australia, SCANZ inNew Zealand, SKA Nordmark in Sweden, SKA inFinland, and the UK CIC which covers both the UK andIreland. These affiliated bodies work with the U.S. BoD with regards to Societal issues, but make all decisions affected by local law independently of the U.S. parent body. Although they agree to work in unity with the U.S. SCA board of directors, they are autonomous and are not bound by any ruling of the U.S. body.[30]
The SCA is divided into administrative regions that it callskingdoms. Smaller branches within those kingdoms includePrincipalities,Regions,Baronies, andProvinces; and local chapters are known asCantons,Ridings,Shires,Colleges,Strongholds, andPorts. Kingdoms, principalities, and baronies have ceremonial rulers who preside over activities and issue awards to individuals and groups. Colleges, strongholds, and ports are local chapters (like a shire) that are associated with an institution, such as a school,military base, or even a military ship at sea.[29]
All SCA branches are organized in descending order as follows:[29]
Groups are active all over theUnited States,Canada,Europe,Australia,Japan,South Africa, andNew Zealand, with scattered groups elsewhere, includingChina,Israel,Panama andThailand. At one time there was even a group on the aircraft carrierUSSNimitz, known as the "Shire of Curragh Mor" (anglicizedIrish for "Big Boat"), and the shire's arms played on theNimitz's ship's badge.[31] There is also an active chapter inSouth Korea, the Stronghold of Warrior's Gate, with a mix of active duty military personnel from the several services and military-connected civilians. There are also non-territorial groups, usually called "households", which are not part of the Society's formal organization, the largest of which is theMongol Empire-themedGreat Dark Horde.[32]
The twenty SCA Kingdoms and the geographic areas they cover[33] are (in order of founding)[34]
The Society as a whole, each kingdom, and each local group within a kingdom, all have a standard group of officers with titles loosely based on medieval equivalents.[29]
Members of the SCA study and take part in a variety of activities, including combat andchivalry,archery,heraldry, equestrian activities, costuming,cooking,metalworking,woodworking,leather crafting,music,dance,calligraphy,fiber arts, and others as practiced during the member's time period.[6]
To aid historical recreation, participants in the SCA create historically plausible characters known individually aspersonae.[6] To new members, a persona can simply be a costume and a name used for weekend events, while other members may study and create an elaborate personal history. The goal of a well-crafted persona is a historically accurate person who might have lived in a particular historical time and place. The SCA has members with an interest inonomastics who assist in creating appropriate persona names.[45]
In addition, claiming to be a specific historical individual, especially a familiar one such asGenghis Khan,Julius Caesar, orQueen Elizabeth I, is not permitted. Likewise, one is not allowed to claim thepersona of a fellow SCA member, or of a familiar fictional character such asRobin Hood orAladdin.[6][29]
A major dimension to the SCA is its internal system ofHeraldry. Any member of the society may apply to register a name anddevice for their persona, which are checked by theheralds for uniqueness and period authenticity, before being blazoned and recorded in the society's Armorial. The system has evolved since the formation of the society; and now has threeSovereigns of Arms, withPrincipal Heralds for each Kingdom, who oversee deputy officers for matters such as heraldic education and processing registrations, and local officers (generally one for each local chapter) who assist the local participants.[46] In addition to design of arms, heralds in the Society also provide services such as voice heraldry (similar to amaster of ceremonies) at tournaments and official functions, and organizing tournament brackets or "lists."[47]
The SCA has ceremonial rulers chosen by winning tournaments (Kings/Queens, Princes/Princesses) inSCA armoured combat. Barons and Baronesses are appointed by Royalty, although some baronies hold elections or competitions to choose their preferred Baron and/or Baroness. One of the primary functions of state for reigning monarchs is to recognize participant achievement through awards. Most awards denote excellence in a specific pursuit such as local service, arts and sciences, and combat. Some awards change the precedence and title of the recipient, giving them the privilege of being known as "Lord"/"Lady", "Baron", "Duchess", "Master", and so forth. High level awards are often given with the consultation of the other people who have received the award, such as peerages and consulting orders.[29] The Crown has some authority over other matters relating to leadership, but the extent of this varies from kingdom to kingdom.
Each SCA kingdom is "ruled" by a king and queen chosen by winning a CrownTournament inarmored combat. Corpora require this to be held as a "properly constituted armored combat" tournament.[29] The winner of the Crown Tournament and his/her consort are styled "Crown Prince and Princess" and serve an advisory period (three to six months, depending upon the scheduling of the Crown Tournament) under the current king and queen prior to acceding to the throne and ruling in their turn.[29]
This selection method is not based on how actual medievalmonarchs were chosen, as there is no record of one being selected bytournament combat in this manner. There are, however, literary and historical bases for the custom, most famously the tournament inSir Walter Scott'sIvanhoe. In the Middle Ages, there were a number of different "mock king" games, some of which involved some form of combat, such as King of the Mountain or the King of Archers. In the 17th century theCotswold Games were developed, the winner of which was declared to be "king". Also, the medievalsagas contain accounts of unitingpetty kingdoms under a single king throughactual combat.[48]
The SCA's first event did not choose a "king". Fighters vied for the right to declare their ladies (only men fought at the first event) "fairest", later called the "Queen of Love and Beauty".[5]
The highest ranking titles in the SCA belong to the royalty, followed by the former royalty. Former kings and queens become counts and countesses (dukes and duchesses if they have reigned more than once), and former princes and princesses of principalities become viscounts and viscountesses.[29] This system is not historically based, but was developed out of practical necessity early in the Society's history.
Directly beneath this "landed" nobility (current and former royalty) rank the highest awards, the peerages. The SCA has five orders of peerage[49] with one split into two parts: the Order of the Chivalry, awarded for skill at arms in armored combat, split into the knights and the masters of arms; the Order of the Laurel, awarded for skill in the arts and sciences; the Order of the Pelican, awarded for outstanding service to the Society; the Order of Defense, awarded for skill at arms in rapier combat; and the Order of the Mark, awarded for ranged combat prowess, such as archery. In several kingdoms the Order of the Rose, made up of former consorts, is considered a peerage equal to the other five.[29]
Peerages are bestowed by the Crown (the sovereign and consort) of a kingdom. In most cases, this is done with the consent of the members of a given peerage, often at their suggestion.[29] The Society's Bylaws state that "the Crown may elevate subjects to the peerage by granting membership in one of the orders conferring a Patent of Arms, after consultation with the members of the Order within the kingdom, and in accordance with the laws and customs of the kingdom. Restriction: to advance a candidate to the Order of the Chivalry, a knight of the Society (usually the king) must bestow theaccolade".[29]
InNumber of the Beast (1980),Robert A. Heinlein portrayed an SCA tournament where live weapons were used and the battles actually fought to the "death".[50] The defeated combatants were either transported to an alternate reality where medical technology was advanced enough that they could be revived from any wound or transported to the alternate reality that wasValhalla. The contestants' desires were placed in sealed envelopes prior to the tournament, which were destroyed if the competitor won and obeyed if a competitor lost.[51]
InAriel (1983), apost-apocalyptic fantasy bySteven R. Boyett, technology suddenly stops working and sorcery and sword fight take over. Several characters who are former SCA members attribute their survival to their SCA experience.[52][53]
The 1986 fantasy novelThe Folk of the Air byPeter S. Beagle was written after the author attended a few early SCA eventscirca 1968; but he has repeatedly stated that he then studiously avoided any contact with the SCA itself for almost two decades, so that his description of a fictitious "League for Archaic Pleasures" would not be "contaminated" by contact with the actual real-life organization.[54][55]
Members of the SCA are given pivotal roles inS. M. Stirling'sEmberverse series, where their skills in pre-industrial technology and warfare become invaluable in helping humanity adapt when all modern technology (including firearms) ceases working.[56]
The novelMurder at the War (Knightfall in paperback edition) byMary Monica Pulver is amurder mystery set entirely at the SCA's largest annual event,Pennsic War.[57]
InDavid Weber's 1996science fiction novelHonor Among Enemies, main characterHonor Harrington mentions that her uncle is a member of the SCA[58] and that he taught her to shoot from the hip (the time the SCA covers having been moved up to the 19th century in the future era in which the novel is set, to includecowboy andCivil War reenactors).
In May 1999,The Onion ran a front-page article headlined "Society for Creative Anachronism Seizes Control of Russia" featuring photos of actual SCA participants from the Barony of Jaravellir (Madison, Wisconsin).[59][60]
InChristopher Stasheff's "Warlock" series, the inhabitants of the planet Gramarye are revealed to be descended from SCA participants.[61] A prequel,Escape Velocity, describes how the SCAdians first came to Gramarye, and how lands were assigned to the royal peers.[62]
InJohn Ringo'sThe Council Wars science fiction series, characters with SCA or SCA-like experience help their society recover from a catastrophic loss of technology.[63]
In 2012, the SCA agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle a lawsuit brought on behalf of 11 victims ofchild sexual abuse. The abuse was committed inPennsylvania at the private residence of Ben Schragger, who pleaded guilty to criminal charges in 2004. Schragger was a member of the SCA at the time of the abuse. His membership was suspended on his arrest and permanently revoked after his plea. The lawsuit contended that the SCA had not conducted a background check on Schragger, though at the time the organization did not perform background checks in general and there is no legal requirement to do so.[64][65][66]
In 2018, Peter Barclay died after being impaled by a lance during equestrian activities at an SCA event. Barclay was an experienced equestrian and his death was deemed an accident.[67]
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