RP Primer

A Guide to Medieval Life and Roleplaying in Battlemaster

Introduction

There are many facets of medieval life which are easily overlooked in what can often be the very competitive atmosphere of Battlemaster. This primer exists to fill in a few of the blanks about how things were in medieval society.

As Battlemaster's "medieval" setting is fairly loosely defined, this primer will try and avoid overly specific examples or anecdotes. Most of the information here is based on Western European history between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries.

1. Nobles are to Commoners and Commoners are to Donkeys

Blood is everything. The idea of 'elevating' a mere commoner to a noble was disgusting to many, and this was an extremely rare act, reserved for people who had done tremendous service to the Crown. It became more common in the early Renaissance (when commoners could be rich and influential and not just serfs), but even then, the older your family, the more respect you warranted.

Treating a commoner as though they were the same species as a noble was absolutely unheard of. There were no civil rights, no 'all men created equal.' The entire fabric of Feudal society was based on hierarchy.

That's not to say that, as a noble, you should treat all commoners like dirt and be cruel to them. Rather, a noble might think of a peasant as he thinks of his horse: a useful piece of property that should be taken care of (when convenient), because it is better for everyone when the property is happy and well-fed.

Just as a noble is a breed apart from a commoner, royalty is a breed apart from a noble. More on this later.

2. Even poor nobles were rich, and there is always a Pecking Order

In a typical Medieval town of a couple thousand, there might be a total of a couple dozen peasants who owned weapons of any quality (excluding the garrison, the sheriff, and his sergeants-at-arms). A suit of armor was worth several years of a peasant's income. To dress above your station was considered a grevious insult, but a rare one, because hardly anyone could afford to do it. This manifested itself in different ways: certain expensive dyes (such as purple) might be reserved only for the Royalty.

Simply owning your own armor, sword, and horse makes you a noble to be reckoned with, even if that's the bottom of the social ladder in BM terms.

More wealthy nobles (region lords, and especially Dukes or rulers) had hundreds or even thousands of servants. Access to these nobles by lesser nobles was rare. Only the foremost knights of a county would have regular access to their lord, and regular access to a sovereign was even more rare -- even wealthy and influential nobles had to negotiate an often byzantine system of Royal Secretaries (themselves nobles) and influence-brokers.

Obviously, in BM, we want to foster RP and communication and it'd be silly to refuse to write to another noble because of their rank -- but remember that, when you are dealing with a noble above your own character's station, courtesy is paramount even if you don't get along. Spats between knights and nobles rarely spilled out into the public (that would be a scandal! but it happened) and everyone preferred to rely on intrigue and politics. Plausible deniability was everything.

3. The Royal We (Pluralis Majestatis)

Monarchs were without peer in terms of social, political, and economic rank. The Royal We was used as a token of respect, but it also had a very literal meaning. Kings were more than simply a noble who had been crowned; they became the personsification of their realm and embodied it in all things. The King of England was not just (for example) Edward III du Plantagenet, but also England itself. This is the source of many social conventions as well as legal ones, i.e. 'an attack upon the King is an attack upon England itself.'

Forms of address were equally important lower on the social ladder. The Duke of Norfolk was considered to "be" Norfolk much in the same manner as the King "was" England, and (in some cases) particularly influential nobles of high station would get away with using the Royal We themselves. But even if they did not, it was customary to refer to landed nobles by their highest title.

For example, if John Smith becomes the Baron of Semon, he should properly be referred to as "Baron Semon" or "My Lord of Semon." To refer to him as "John" or even "Baron Smith" would be considered extremely personal and informal.

=4. Forms of Address

Nobles were very particular about protocol. It was a critical piece in the structure of their society, even though it may seem a little silly (to us, today) to insist upon proper address. Even in private, only nobles who were very close friends would drop formal modes of address.

Proper protocol was something that one could study for a lifetime and still not master. It was (and still is) quite complicated, and so it's probably not a good idea to insist on every last detail in BM. Nonetheless, detail makes it a bit more fun, a bit more sincere, and you'll earn more drooling sycophant points with your liege if you know how to talk to him or her.

As you will see below, first names were almost never used in address. It would cause quite a stir to say "Count James" or "Duke Luyten" (even though that's what we're accustomed to in BM).

Inferior versus Social Equal

With some titles, it was customary to address a noble of superior status in one form, and a noble of equal status in another. It could be seen as a polite gesture to use the superior form when addressing an equal, but it could also be seen as patronizing. Nobles were finicky animals.

Not using the Proper Form

Mistakes and slips of the tongue were commonplace and often overlooked.

Purposefully dropped a title or honorific, or (even worse) substituting a lower one was considered a grevious insult.

Kings and Queens

Kings and Queens often styled themselves more or less however they wanted to. Some Kings changed their "style" several times throughout their reign. Some Kings simply used "King" and were referred to as "Your Grace" (like Dukes, though the tite of "Duke" itself didn't come around until the 1300s) or "Your Highness." Henry VIII, well past the "medieval ages", was actually the first English monarch to use "Majesty" as a mode of address.

Here are just some examples:

Edward III, by the Grace of God, King of England, France, Ireland, and Wales Henry the Eighth, by the Grace of God, King of England, France and Lord of Ireland Henry the Eighth, by the Grace of God, King of England and France, Defender of the Faith and Lord of Ireland Henry the Eighth, by the Grace of God, King of England and France, Defender of the Faith, Lord of Ireland and of the Church of England in Earth Supreme Head (Henry VIII re-styled himself fairly often.) Victoria by the Grace of God Queen of the Britains, Defender of the Faith

In BM terms, it's usually a good idea to use "Majesty" or "Highness" or "Grace" and then find out the local custom is. Most Kings and Queens in BM probably don't get too bent out of shape about their "style."

Dukes

(example: Colasan, surname Moncrieff)

A Duke's formal title is "His Grace the Duke of Colasan" and the superior, formal address is "His Grace" or (to him) "Your Grace." The equal form of address is simply "Duke." The Duke's sovereign, a very close friend, or a relative might address him simply as "Colasan," which would be considered extremely familiar.

A Duke's formal salutation would be "My Lord Duke," while a Duchess' would simply be "Madam."

Relatives of a Duke

This section would become unbearably long (or unbearably longer, depending on your persuasion) if it listed all the possible relations to every title. Here are a few modes of address for people related to a Duke -- most of them apply identically to lesser titles.

A Duke's Mother would be Her Grace, the Dowager Duchess of Colasan (or Her Grace <name>, the Dowager Duchess of Colasan) A Duke's Son would simply be Lord Moncrieff (this is simplified from historical address, in which an eldest son would inherit a lesser title from the parent; as BM has no inheritance, all children are presumed to be "younger sons.") A Lesser Noble's Son would be The Right Honorable <First Name> Moncrieff.

Marquesses (Marquis)

(example: Azarons, surname Devon)

A Marquess is sstyled "The Most Honorable The Marquess of Azarons" (yes, two "thes") and he is formally addressed as "Lord Azarons" (and then "my lord" thereafter). He could also be addressed simply as "Azarons," though this would be considered far more familiar and informal.

A female Marquess is a Marchioness.

The English use "Marquess" while the French use "Marquis." Marquis is probably a little more universally recognized (based on my scientific survey of "seems to me.")

Counts and Barons

"Count" is a French title (Comte), as is Viscount (Vicomte); England had no Counts (though it did pick up a small number of Viscounts along the way).

It is almost identical to Marquis, except that, instead of "The Most Honorable," a Count is "The Right Honorable."

A Baron shares most forms of address with a Count, and is also "The Right Honorable."