Cunnan - User contributions [en]

Ostgardr

2007-03-06T17:39:56Z

64.59.200.100:

{{SCA CrownProvince box|name = Crown Province of Østgarðr |color = green|metal = silver|device = [[Image:ostgardrsm.jpg]]
| caption = [[Argent]], a [[sea-horse]] [[erect]] [[azure]] within a [[laurel wreath]] [[vert]]. | founded = A.S. II | viceroy = Alexandre Lerot d'Avigne| vicerine= Eularia Trewe | area = Greater New York City Area (Five Boroughs; Nassau, Putnam and Westchester Counties), [[USA]].| kingdom = East}}Whhat a bad crapy website

The '''Crown Province of Østgarðr''' encompasses the 5 boroughs of New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island) as well as Nassau County and Westchester and Putnam counties. It is the original core of the [[East Kingdom]], forming when a number of [[SCA]] people moved east around 1968 and settled in New York.

===History===
Østgarðr predates the formation of the [[East Kingdom]], indeed the East was born in Østgarðr. The story of how and why it exists as '''the''' [[Crown Province]] rather than '''a''' Crown Province, or as a [[Barony]] or [[Province]] is complicated.

In the early days of the East, Østgarðr '''was''' the East. In fact, in early versions of Kingdom [[Law]] the [[Crown]] was required to live within 50 miles of [[New York City]]. Østgarðr was, therefore, ruled directly by the Crown. It was a "Province" ruled by the "Crown." The group designation is obvious.

Eventually, the law was changed, and just as eventually someone outside the NYC area won [[Crown Tournament]]. Since the new Crown would not be resident in the Province, the outgoing [[King]], Aonghais II, decided to appoint someone to administer the land in his stead. He appointed Count Vardak [[Viceroy]].

As time went on, and things at the Kingdom and [[Corporate]] level became more organized, it was formally decided and embedded in East Kingdom law that Østgarðr would function as a Barony, and the Viceregents would function as [[Baron|Barons/Baronesses]]. Due to the [[grandfather clause]] this state persists, although all new groups must conform to [[Corpora]], which defines a Province "equivalent of barony without ceremonial representative."

The Province, thus, is unique in the SCA by virtue of being a 'Province' with a ceremonial representative (or two.)

===Cheese Farming===

In the mists of time, the "Nameless Province" needed a name. Rumours abound as to how the name originated and who came up with it, but the final results was Østgarðr, which is old [[Norse]] for "East City" or "East Castle," along the lines of "Micklegarðr" which was the name the Norse used for [[Constantinople]].

However, the legend goes, someone discovered or decided that if you misspelled the name using the [[Latin]] alphabet, "Ostgardr," it means "Cheese Farm." Thus was born the tradition of the inhabitants calling themselves Cheese Farmers and a plethora of cheese related jokes and [[schtick]].

===Ruling Nobility===
* Vardak Mirceavitch Basarabov of Iloi, 1st Viceroy (January 3 1976 - ?)
* Casandra of Bethel, 2nd Viceroy (not Vicerine) ( ? - January 1980)
* Ian Mitchell and Katherine Gillesfleur, 3rd VIceroy and 1st Vicerine (January 1980 - September 2006)
* Alexandre Lerot d'Avigne and Eularia Trewe, 4th Viceroy and 2nd Vicerine (September 2006 - )

===[[Award]]s===
At this time, the Crown Province has two formal [[award]]s.

*'''The Order of the Seahorse'''
::The Order of the Seahorse is granted by the Viceregency to those citizens of the Province who have distinguished themselves in the arts or to those persons who have served Østgarðr whether resident or not. The qualifications are entirely subjective and are given at the whim of the Viceregency. Citizens of Østgarðr are encouraged to nominate those worthy of this honor to the Viceregency. (Extracted from the Bylaws of the Crown Province)
*'''The Order of the Seadog'''
::The Order of the Seadog is granted by the Viceregency to citizens for service at the Canton level. Citizens of Østgarðr are encouraged to nominate those worthy of this honor to the Viceregency. (Extracted from the Bylaws of the Crown Province)

There are also a few other honors and distinctions in the Crown Province.

*'''The Østgarðrian Ladies' Favor'''
::Bestowed by the Vicereine (if any) upon the person who has most distinguished him/herself both on and off the list field. She may, if she chooses, confer with the other Ladies of Østgarðr. The Favor is worn for one year and may be rebestowed on the same person. (Extracted from the Bylaws of the Crown Province)

*'''The Honor of the Sea Star'''
:: Bestowed by the Viceregency upon individuals who have, on a particular occasion, served the Province well and "made things happen". May be repeated. (Extracted from the Bylaws of the Crown Province)

Notes on awards and honors:
There is an unofficial augmentation available for the Seahorse, "with Seaweed Clusters." There have been three '''Seahorses with Seaweed Clusters''' given. The first was given to the [[Premier]] of the Order, [[Countess]] Aidan ni Leir, presumably by [[Count]] Barak the First Viceroy. The second and third were given to Ian Mitchell and Catherine Gillesfleur, the Third Viceroy and First Vicerine, by their successors, Alexandre and Eularia. The award was given on the day that Alexandre and Eularia were invested, which is to say the same day that Ian and Katherine stepped down after twenty-six years and nine months as Viceregents.

The Ladies' Favor has not been current for some time, and it is unknown if the new Vicerine will revive it.

The Seastar is traditionally awarded at events for service at that event. However, sometimes "back Seastars" are given at subsequent events.

===Subgroups===
As of [[A.S. XLI]] there are three [[canton]]s and one [[incipient]] canton in the Crown Province.
*[[Lion's End]] encompasses Nassau County, Long Island
*[[Northpass]] encompasses Westchester and Putnam counties north of the city limits
*[[Whyt Whey]] is the County of New York (mostly the island of Manhattan)
* [[Brokenbridge]] is the Borough of Brooklyn

===Regular Events===
There are a few regular and semi-regular events in Østgarðr and her cantons:
*The [[Agincourt]] event is usually held in November, and features [[tournament]]s where [[archery]], [[fencing]] and [[heavy weapons]] all interact to determine who wins - the [[French]] or [[English]]
*[[Celtic]] Silliness is a spring event with a variety of humourous themes
*The Feast of [[John Barleycorn]] is held by the canton of [[Northpass]] in the fall. There is usually a brewing competition and Sir Edward's [[Unbelted]] Challenge Tourney

===External Links===
http://www.ostgardr.org - the Crown Province's website

[[category:Crown Provinces(SCA)]]
[[category:Provinces (SCA)]]

Religion in the Renaissance

2007-03-06T17:29:31Z

64.59.200.100:

'''Religion in the Renaissance''' can be best summed up by saying that the [[Renaissance]] was a period of huge [[religious]] turmoil. The debates between the [[Humanists]] and [[Scholastics]] eventually lead to the debates that began the [[Reformation]], and many of the religious debates can be broadly (and as inaccurately as broad generalisations usually are) categorised as a battle between the [[Reformer]]s and the [[Catholic Church]]. Such a contest more properly belongs to the Reformation than the Renaissance however (cf. [[Humanists and the Reformation]]).And all the other weird stuff that went on. This website isn't the best, it could be better, but thats what you get on a free website.

Having said that, the man in the street took a much greater interest in religion during the Renaissance than during the [[Middle Ages]] -- if only because the religious discourses of the time affected his or her life to a much greater extent than previously. Joe Average of 1540 would be much more likely to hold a strong [[religious opinion]] than Joe Average of 1340 -- who would most likely have simply believed whatever he heard at the [[pulpit]].

== Important [[Pope]]s and other [[Church]] notables ==

* [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Nicholas_V Pope Nicholas V] (1447 - 1455)
* [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_II Pope Pius II] (1458 - 1464)
* [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sixtus_IV Pope Sixtus IV] (1471 - 1484)
* [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Alexander_VI Pope Alexander VI] (1492 - 1503)
* [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Julius_II Pope Julius II] (1503 - 1513)
* [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_X Pope Leo X] (1513 - 1523) -- [[Pope]] at the time of [[Martin Luther]]'s protest in Wittenburg.
* [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girolamo_Savonarola Girolamo Savonarola] (1452 - 1498), a noted anti-[[Renaissance]] preacher, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican Dominican] priest, and book-burner.

== Important figures of the [[Reformation]] ==

* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wyclif John Wyclif] (1320 - 1384), English professor of Oxford university, whose teachings influenced
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Hus Jan Hus] (1369 - 1415, [[burned at the stake]]), an early reformer in southern [[Bohemia]] and founder of the [[Hussite]]s.
* [[Martin Luther]] (1483 - 1546), the founder of [[Lutheranism]].
* [http://en2.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huldreich_Zwingli Huldreich Zwingli] (1484 - 1531), mad as a cut snake and the founder of the [[Reformation]] in [[Switzerland]], especially [[Zurich]].
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvin John Calvin] (1509 - 1564), the founder of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinism Calvinism], which was the religious basis of the [http://en2.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huguenot Huguenots] in [[France]] and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterian Presbyterians] of [[Scotland]] and elsewhere.

== [[Religion]] and [[Free Thought]] ==

Note that the reformation didn't always promote religious free thought. Neither Luther nor Calvin were great advocates of free thought -- but perhaps [[Michael Servetus]] was. Of course he got [[burned at the stake]] for [[Heresy]], in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvin John Calvin]'s Geneva -- where the [[Program of Reform]] in 1523 actually banned all Catholic forms of worship.

While the [[Hussite]]s were very much in opposition to some of the [[Catholic church]] [[dogma]], their insistence that all forms of worship should be strictly in accordance with the [[Bible]] was very my-way-or-the-highway.

[[Category:Religion]]

Religion in the Renaissance

2007-03-06T17:21:23Z

64.59.200.100:

'''Religion in the Renaissance''' can be best summed up by saying that the [[Renaissance]] was a period of huge [[religious]] turmoil. The debates between the [[Humanists]] and [[Scholastics]] eventually lead to the debates that began the [[Reformation]], and many of the religious debates can be broadly (and as inaccurately as broad generalisations usually are) categorised as a battle between the [[Reformer]]s and the [[Catholic Church]]. Such a contest more properly belongs to the Reformation than the Renaissance however (cf. [[Humanists and the Reformation]]).And all the other weird stuff that went on

Having said that, the man in the street took a much greater interest in religion during the Renaissance than during the [[Middle Ages]] -- if only because the religious discourses of the time affected his or her life to a much greater extent than previously. Joe Average of 1540 would be much more likely to hold a strong [[religious opinion]] than Joe Average of 1340 -- who would most likely have simply believed whatever he heard at the [[pulpit]].

== Important [[Pope]]s and other [[Church]] notables ==

* [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Nicholas_V Pope Nicholas V] (1447 - 1455)
* [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_II Pope Pius II] (1458 - 1464)
* [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sixtus_IV Pope Sixtus IV] (1471 - 1484)
* [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Alexander_VI Pope Alexander VI] (1492 - 1503)
* [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Julius_II Pope Julius II] (1503 - 1513)
* [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_X Pope Leo X] (1513 - 1523) -- [[Pope]] at the time of [[Martin Luther]]'s protest in Wittenburg.
* [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girolamo_Savonarola Girolamo Savonarola] (1452 - 1498), a noted anti-[[Renaissance]] preacher, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican Dominican] priest, and book-burner.

== Important figures of the [[Reformation]] ==

* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wyclif John Wyclif] (1320 - 1384), English professor of Oxford university, whose teachings influenced
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Hus Jan Hus] (1369 - 1415, [[burned at the stake]]), an early reformer in southern [[Bohemia]] and founder of the [[Hussite]]s.
* [[Martin Luther]] (1483 - 1546), the founder of [[Lutheranism]].
* [http://en2.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huldreich_Zwingli Huldreich Zwingli] (1484 - 1531), mad as a cut snake and the founder of the [[Reformation]] in [[Switzerland]], especially [[Zurich]].
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvin John Calvin] (1509 - 1564), the founder of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinism Calvinism], which was the religious basis of the [http://en2.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huguenot Huguenots] in [[France]] and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterian Presbyterians] of [[Scotland]] and elsewhere.

== [[Religion]] and [[Free Thought]] ==

Note that the reformation didn't always promote religious free thought. Neither Luther nor Calvin were great advocates of free thought -- but perhaps [[Michael Servetus]] was. Of course he got [[burned at the stake]] for [[Heresy]], in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvin John Calvin]'s Geneva -- where the [[Program of Reform]] in 1523 actually banned all Catholic forms of worship.

While the [[Hussite]]s were very much in opposition to some of the [[Catholic church]] [[dogma]], their insistence that all forms of worship should be strictly in accordance with the [[Bible]] was very my-way-or-the-highway.

[[Category:Religion]]