Crown Tournament
From MiddleWiki
A very large kingdom event staged each May (on Memorial Day weekend) and mid-to-late October, at which a tournament takes place to select the Crown Prince and Princess of the MidRealm. There is invariably at least one court and an elaborate feast. Major officer changes and peerage ceremonies frequently are scheduled for this event, which is often called Crown Tourney or simply Crown. The May tournament is usually held in conjunction with the Kingdom A&S and is held outdoors if possible, the October tournament inside unless the weather is fine. The event is rotated among the many groups in the kingdom who wish to stage it.
Entering the Tournament
In the Middle, a crown tournament list is often very large (averaging between 25 and 35 combatants), including not only those knights and other peers who wish to claim a place but also a sometimes extensive list of unbelted fighters who have been invited (or in recent years, have entered of their own volition but checked against a list of recommendations by the Crown Prince). It is considered a very high honor for unbelted men and women at arms to be invited or to gain permission to fight in the Crown Tournament.
Requirements for entering the Tournament (for both combatant and consort) are set by the King and Queen and frequently in the Middle Kingdom include that the entrants be armigerous and if not a peer of the realm that they have a letter of recommendation from a peer. Less common requirements involve attire, weapon forms or shield sizes and sometimes entrants are required to prepare a boast or an A&S entry. For a time the Crown tournament lists of the Middle Kingdom were invitation only, this is no longer the case.
Fighting the Tournament
The tournament begins with a procession in order of precedence of all the fighters and their consorts, who are presented to Their Majesties, sometimes with great ceremony. There is then the ceremony of the Invocation of the Lists, and the double-elimination tournament begins.
The fighting is supervised by the Earl Marshal, his deputies and such knights as may wish to participate, along with the king if and when he wishes. The marshalling in a crown list is often far more attentive than in an ordinary tournament, as the chivalry is extremely concerned that the fighting be clean and fair. When the list is reduced to two finalists, they present themselves and their consorts once more before Their Majesties and the populace, and the consorts are often invited to seat themselves beside the queen to observe the combat. The king, with Dragon Herald in attendance, may observe the finals from inside the lists. The finals are best two of three, usually in three different weapon forms as agreed by the combatants, traditionally including one bout with sword and shield (although it is always acceptable to fight any of the bouts in the final with sword and shield if the combatants are agreeable). When the winner is known, he is immediately acknowledged in the lists with his consort by the king and queen, and the result announced by Dragon Herald.
It is regarded as a considerable achievement to reach the semi- or quarter-finals. To be the loser in the finals is regarded as a signal feat of arms and often the precursor to a victory in the future.
