Page: The youngest term of a
knight’s training, usually held by boys from eight to thirteen. During this time they served the household needs of their
lord, serving the table, helping in the kitchen, possibly learning to read, helping their lord to dress, and other duties that taught them the value of following that is expected of a leader.
Pageant: {}
Paladin: One of Charlemagne’s twelve
peers, and by a similar description King Arthur’s
knights of the Round Table. The word has been extended to be applied to any medieval champion or knight of distinctive virtue.
Palfrey: A riding horse, as opposed to a warhorse. See also
destrier and
courser.
Palisade: A timber fence or wall surrounding a
bailey of a
keep.
Pannage: Payment to a
lord for the grazing rights on the lord’s meadow or in his woods.
Parapet: {}
Parliament (English): Representative assembly first defined in the Magna Carta in the 13th century. First comprised of the
king’s officers and the
peers of the realm, the assembly gradually grew beyond the
Barons to include
knights of
shires who were summoned by the
sheriff. During the 14th century the English parliament split into two houses, the
House of Lords, comprised of the Barons and Preates, overseen by the King, and the
House of Commons, made up of the knights from the
boroughs and shires that elected their own speaker to take their point of view before the King.
Parsifal: {Wolfram von Eshenbach}
Pas d’Armes: A form of
tournament à plaisance where combatants met to exchange pleasantries and test their
prowess against one another. Essentially a group of challenges, the pas generally produced no single winner, but the defenders often distributed
prizes to the challengers. Contrast this with an
emprise where the intent was to cause harm and emphasize prowess alone.
Pas Noire: A modern
SCA tournament format, where combatants fight at night, surrounded by a field lit only by torches. Generally the
gallery for these events is active and boisterous; drumming generally accompanies the raucous fighting. The pas noire, more commonly known as a ‘torchlight tourney’, shares come common elements with the
pas d’armes, but has a decidedly darker tone.
Paston Letters: {}
Pavilion: A medieval tent, usually round, characterized by numerous supporting ropes and often bright decoration formed from alternating colors or by painted decor.
Pax: Latin for Peace.
Pax dei: Latin for the
Peace of God.
Paynim: Pagan; see
Saracen.
Peace of God: One major set of attempts by the
church to enforce peace. Initially declared to protect church property, it was extended to non-combatants and was a major part of the church’s early efforts to reign in the boisterous games of the
knights, the early
tournaments.
Peacock, feast of the: See
Feast of the Peacock.
Peacock, Grand Company of the: See
Grand Company of the Peacocks.
Peer: Generally a class-descriptive term applied to those of
baronial House of Lords. Over time, the word has come to describe the members of the ‘greater
nobility’ who ruled over the general
knightly classes.
Peerage: The group of
nobles,
barons and above, considered to be
peers. In an
SCA context, the peers are comprised of the three equal branches, the
Laurel,
Pelican and
Knight. The three orders are in taken to be equal, though not the same--companions of the order of the Laurel are known for their excellence in the arts, the Pelican for their service to the kingdom, and the knights for their
prowess on the field. All SCA peers are expected to possess the qualities that the peers share; especially
courtesy and the willingness to teach what they have learned to others.
Pelican, Order of the: The
SCA peerage, ranking beside the
Order of the Laurel and the
knights, offered by the
Crown for recognition of gracious and extensive service to the SCA.
Pennant: The
knight’s small triangular
banner, usually attached to the end of his
lance, generally bearing his
heraldic device. Contrast this with the banner of a knight
bannerette responsible for leading more than his
household or
conroi into
battle.
Penny: Silver coin first introduced into England during the 8th century, gradually reduced in size as larger coins were required.
Perceval: {Chrètien de Troyes}
Piety: Just as faith was an important medieval virtue of particular importance to
knights, piety kept that faith strongly held.
Pikemen: See
Spearmen.
Poitiers, Battle of: The landmark
battle of the
Hundred Years War between John II, king of France, and Edward the Black Prince, in 1356, during which the French tried to smash the English lines with a
cavalry charge, but were repelled by a massive missile attack that destroyed the cavalry. Successive French units trampled those in front, those in the back pressing forward at the sound of the engagement. The French were unable to rally, fragmenting to the point where the
Oriflamme, carried by Geoffrey de Charnay, was unfurled. The Sieur de Charnay was slain defending the
banner and the French
king taken prisoner.
Portcullis: A heavy wooden or metal gate that closed an entrance to a
castle. Portcullises were generally controlled from an interior room on the gatehouse, raising and lowering it as required.
Preux:
Prowess courage and success. To be considered ‘preudomme’, a man of prowess, was considered to be one of the highest compliments possible for a medieval
knight. ‘Soix Preux!’ was frequently the admonition given to new knights as they were to go out and earn
renown in the wake of their new knighthood.
Pride: Often a disputed ‘virtue’, pride is another motivator for men in general, valued by
knights in some measure, but frequently preached against by the
church. I believe that a distinction can be plainly seen between pride, the quality of valuing quality performance, and vainglory, the elevation of pride to a more important component of the ego.
Prince: A ruler, from the latin princeps, meaning first in rank. In general, any ruler came to be known as the ?prince?, the ?ruler?, as in Machievelli?s Prince. Also a male heir in a Royal household, the ?Crown? prince was the first in line to the throne.
In an
SCA context, a prince rules a
principality, a
kingdom subdivision. A ‘Crown’ prince is the winner of
Crown Tournament, the heir to the throne, who will accept the
Crown at the end of the
reign. A prince ranks above all titled
nobility, the
dukes,
earls,
counts,
barons and the like, carrying the title ‘your highness’.
Principality: In an
SCA context, a subdivision of a
kingdom either for the administrative convenience or instituted with the development of a new kingdom in mind.
Privy: A latrine or bathroom. In a
castle called a garderobe.
Prize Tournament: An
SCA tournament where the winner is chosen by a tally of points or from the outcome of a successive round elimination tournament, known sometimes as ‘
single-’ or ‘
double-elimination tournaments. The most prestigious prize tournaments are the
Crown tournaments, where combatants meet, generally in double-elimination lists, to determine who will
reign over the
kingdom as
king for the next period of time. There is some dispute as to whether this style of tournament is the best mechanism for selection of a monarch, primarily owing to the temptation of combatants to ‘cheat’ the gray area of blow calibration and thus advance towards the throne or prize at the expense of the other combatants.
Prizes in tournament: {}
Prowess: Physical ability for
knightly sports including strength, speed, dexterity, training, tactical ability, cunning. In short, martial excellence. Prowess is the basic virtue shared by all martial societies, whether it be excellence in swordsmanship, horsemanship, or in the modern day, movement and marksmanship. Early on these warrior virtues were augmented by additional virtues suggested by the
romances and the
church, yielding a more rounded gentleman. As late as the Renaissance, Christine de Pisan and Baldassare Castiglione still counted Prowess as an important quality for the courtier.
Pursuivant: A
herald. (more to be added)
Overview
