Law
Any society is governed by laws that are set down so as to make life as organised and regimental as possible, in order that people can face each day knowing how the rest of the world is going to act... within reason.
Lawyers practise law, the art of prosecuting and defending claims relating to an area's laws and offering advice on the said laws. Lawyers have been around for many millenia but in period they were trained in universities. Given the plot of Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice" and the character Portia, I suspect that it was mainly a male profession.
The SCA has its own laws. These range from laws on combat, to definitions of awards. There is a hierarchy of SCA laws such that laws on a higher level always supersede any laws established at a lower level. For instance, an mundane law set outside the Society takes precedance over any SCA-internal law.
SCA laws can be changed by different individuals and groups, depending on the laws. Laws are mainly modified by the BoD and the Crown.
The precedance of laws for Lochac
(extracted from the Senschal's webpage www.sca.org.au/seneschal/index.php)
- SA Associations Incorporation Act (Australian State law)
- Constitution of the SCA (Inc in South Australia)
- SCA - SCAA Operating Agreement (international franchising)
- SCAA Financial Policy
- Corpora of the SCA (which includes by-laws only valid in the USA)
- Seneschal's Handbook (Society-wide)
- Administrative Handbook of the College of Arms (Society-wide)
- Society Chirurgeon's Handbook (Society-wide)
- Armoured Combat Handbook (Society-wide)
- Rapier Combat Handbook (Society-wide)
- Archery Combat Handbook (Society-wide)
- Equestrian Handbook (Society-wide)
- Siege Engine Rules (Society-wide)
- Laws of the Kingdom of Lochac
- The Word of the Crown
Guilds also have internal laws defined by their charter. These are below any other laws, as are household laws.
