by Steve Muhlberger
posted September 3, 1997
Twice the Company of Saint George has played with the "William Marshal" ransom-style tournament format within an SCA context. When we executed our own first attempt, we used two teams, but quickly added a variant based on Edward I's Statum Armorium, probably the first known set of tournament rules. In this variant we too tried multiple teams, and the results were excellent. I recommend this style of tournament for those striving to emulate an earlier period of chivalry, because the dynamic and strength does not necessarily overwhelm the opportunity to do 'knightly deeds,' even though ransoms are sought. If well run, the Marshal tournament can offer a real taste of what tourneying in this earlier period was like, the free-flowing, tactical / economic exercise that defined the knightly experience in tournament for nearly two centuries. --Brian R. Price
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any combatants in the SCA have fought in some kind of "William Marshal" tournament. These are inspired by the accounts of the Histoire Guillaume le Mareschal which tell of the tournaments of William Marshal's youth in the late 12th century, when tourneys were mêlée combats over large areas. Ransoms of captured opponents were the prize, and there was little to distinguish the tournaments from actual battles except the provision of a safe area, and an increased unwillingness to injure one's rivals.In the Shire of Flaming Sky in Ealdormere, Middle Kingdom, we have twice run such tournaments at the Bonfield Battle, in a partly wooded area of about 30 acres (though we probably actually use less than 15). Last year, we had a very good time, but there were certain flaws in the rules that allowed one of the two sides to completely dominate the other.This year, some improvements were made and a much more successful scenario was played out.
Here is what we did.
I
n two clearings over 100 yards apart, and perhaps more, we set up safe areas with water and one herald to record captures. Rather than two teams, we divided into four, roughly balanced in numbers and skills.When fighters were struck with a legal blow to any part of the body, they had to go to their knees, but could continue fighting. You may think of this as "being unhorsed." If there was no opposing fighter within weapon's reach for any appreciable time, one could regain one's saddle and fight normally. Or a friendly combatant could approach the"unhorsed" fighter from front or side and say "I rescue you."
When fighters who were down on their knees were struck with a second legal blow, they had to cease fighting. You may think of this as "being disarmed." A "disarmed" fighter could also rise and move if no opposing fighter was within weapon's reach, but could not resume the fight. The disarmed fighter had to return to a safe area to recoup strength. A disarmed fighter could be rescued by a friend approaching from front or side during a fight, if no opposing fighter could intervene, but the disarmed fighter would still need to return to a safe area before rejoining the fight.
A disarmed fighter on his or her knees could be captured by an opponent who came up and said, "I capture you." Once captured, the disarmed fighter would have to follow the captor to a safe area. There, the captor could register the capture and a ransom could be specified on the spot or agreed in principle. I myself took all my captives "at their own evaluation."
Captive fighters had to cooperate with captors, but if the captors were attacked or wandered away due to distraction, the captives could escape, returning to the safe area to recoup. Such escape captives could be chased down by any opponent, and the captives could not fight back. Also, a captor could only hold captive one warrior at a time.
These rules made for an interesting scenario. My team was both crushed decisively and decisively victorious in various encounters. I captured several people, was capture two or three times myself, and twice escaped capture after being disarmed.
There were a few minor problems, mostly due to confusion. Fighters had to remember that any legal blow, to head, arm, or leg, had exactly the same effect. For instance, a leg blow to an unhorsed fighter (a fighter struck once, and down on the knees) would disarm him or her. Also, some fighters did not understand that once disarmed (struck twice), they could do nothing but escape to the safe area to rearm.
Some mistakenly thought they could rejoin the fight if their opponents moved away. This was due to no dishonorable cause, but to the newness of the rules (which were decided by the assembled fighters just before the battle began).
We also had the problem common in resurrection scenarios, that the fighting tended to creep closer and closer to the safe areas as time went on. If we had had two heralds at each safe area, one could have chased off the fighters who were doing this while the other did the main job of registering ransoms.
Strategy mattered a great deal. Teams that had disarmed all their opponents and then quickly organized themselves to return to safe areas were able to register ransoms with some ease. Individual combatants trying to bring a captive back were much more vulnerable. Also, combatants who remembered to rescue their unhorsed companions gave their teams an advantage.
The next day, just before a pas d'armes began in the list fields, our two heralds called out all the competitors in this tourney and asked them to confirm their willingness to pay ransom and urged them to tell of the feats of those who captured them. This led a very enjoyable and good humored trading of tales that added to the renown of many of the participants. This was particularly so because ransoms were limited (the highest ranking person was deemed worth "five good silver pennies of Queen Elizabeth" i.e. five Canadian quarters) and were to be paid not to the captor but to a worthy cause. Some ransoms, in fact, were not monetary, but were promises to tell a lady of the captor's worth or to do a service for the lady autocrat of the Bonfield Battle.
This squaring of ransoms worked very nicely, but would have worked even better had the heralds had opportunity to organize their records so that any fighter could see at a glance the total of his or her obligations. This, we hope, will be done next year.
In service to chivalry,
Finnvarr de Taahe, Kt.
on the second of September A.S. XXXII, one thousand nine hundred and ninety seven anno domini
© 1997 Steve Muhlberger