Vanguard: See
avant-guard.
Vassal: Originally the comitatus of German relations where a man would offer his services in return for the protection of a
lord. By the 12th century, these contracts had become more formalized, and a vassal generally sought to closely define the terms of vassalage and to make the relationship hereditary as a way of providing for offspring. During the Middle Ages a vassal was a free man who voluntarily exchanged his service, sometimes military service, in exchange for protection. A vassal swore an
oath of fealty to the
liege lord, who swore a return oath to defend the vassal. This contract, enhanced by the personal bond of homage, tied feudal relationships together and insured a measure of continuity and predictability, stability that allowed society to grow and develop out of the
feudal age.
Venans: Fr. The challengers in a
pas d’armes; those who come to test their
prowess against the defenders, the
tenans.
Venusfahrt: {}
Vert:
Heraldic denotation for green, a
color rather than a
metal.
Vespers Tourney: A
tourney held on the eve of a larger event, where the younger
knights bachelor and
squires have an opportunity to demonstrate their
prowess before the other
knights and assembled
gallery. Often fought as a
béhourd, using blunted,
ash or
whalebone weapons and modified
armour.
Vigil: The
knight’s watch the night before his elevation to
knighthood, the
accolade, frequently conducted upon the altar at a
church. There is little mention of the practice before the late 15th century, yet it has become an iconographic part of the knightly image.
Modern knights in the
SCA hold their vigils all night, from ‘dusk till dawn’, often attended by other knights of high
renown, who speak to the candidate about what it means to be a knight.
Villein: A bondsman, a man bonded to the land that he worked. Villeins lived in villages, attached to a
lord’s holdings, all but a slave. A lord who owned the land to which a villein was attached could do anything with him he pleased, save mutilation or killing him. Villeins had few rights, and only in rare circumstances were released from their bondage. Under Henry I, this ceremony had to be conducted in a public place such as in a church or marketplace, that many gained knowledge of the release and the villein, now a freeman, was not considered to have fled his
feudal contract. A man was a villein if his father was a villein; only by the release of the lord could be ever be free.
Villeins held few rights, unable to fish in the lord’s rivers, to hunt or draw firewood from his forests, marry his daughter off without permission (and a fee, generally), or commit his son to Holy Orders.
Viscount: The name given to officers William I chose to replace the English
Sheriffs, eventually growing in stature in the
peerage to follow
counts and
earls, superseding the rank of
baron.
In the
SCA, the title of ‘viscount’ is awarded to
princes who have served a single
reign as head of
principality, carrying the address, ‘
Your Excellency’ and ranking as in history, above
baron but below a
count or
earl.
Vow of the Heron: Part of the tactics used by Robert d’Artois to get Edward III to conduct his campaign against the French. One day, the expatriated French
knight and
count witnessed a hawk taking down a heron, and reportedly this gave him his idea. He had a heron cooked and prepared, led into the
king’s hall led by guitarists, lutists, and two ladies of gentle birth. He presented the bird to Edward, exclaiming that since the heron was the most cowardly of all birds, it was appropriate that it should be presented to His Majesty, since Edward had allowed himself to be deprived of his Kingdom of France. Furious, the king vowed that he would indeed reclaim his throne of France, sending the bird around to secure
vows of the knights present that they would also accompany him on this new campaign. It is not known whether this is actually what happened or if Edward engineered the event to capitalize on a public opportunity to make his designs on France known, but it is well within the capabilities of what we know of d’Artois to have engineered such a fiasco.
Vows: A
knightly promise to accomplish some feat, usually a military feat in meeting a number of challengers, conducting
jousts, or campaigning against an enemy. The vow became an important element of the knightly gesture, such as when Ulrich von Liechtenstein conducted the Venufahrt or when knights vowed to accomplish deeds of
chivalry against the French at the
Vow of the Heron.
Vulgate Cycle: {}
Overview
