Coronations & Royal Courts

Twice a year the Kingdom of Atlantia crowns new royalty, and the whole kingdom gathers to witness it. House Corvus has attended many of these great occasions; this page explains how SCA royalty is chosen and crowned, and collects our reports from the courts where our own members were honoured.

How a King and Queen Are Made

In the Society, the crown is won, not inherited. At a Crown Tournament, fighters compete in armoured combat — each entering to honour an inspiration, traditionally a consort — and the victor and their consort become Crown Prince and Princess. Some months later, at a formal Coronation, the previous sovereigns step down and the heirs are crowned King and Queen of Atlantia in a solemn and joyful ceremony attended by hundreds.

It is one of the most striking things a newcomer sees: a real tournament with real consequence, followed by genuine ceremony — oaths of fealty, the giving of awards, and the pageantry of a royal court — all conducted with care and good humour.

What Happens in Court

A royal or baronial court is where the Society formally recognises its members. The sovereigns sit in state and call forward those who have earned honours: an Award of Arms for a member who has contributed and grown; awards for skill in the arts, for service, for the rapier, or for the tournament field; and, on rare and moving occasions, elevation to one of the peerages. Scrolls — hand-lettered and illuminated by scribes like those in our own household — are presented as a lasting record of each honour.

House Corvus at Court

Over the years, members of House Corvus have knelt before the thrones of Atlantia to receive many honours, from the first Award of Arms that makes a newcomer a Lord or Lady, to the higher awards that recognise a lifetime of work. We have also served the crown — as retainers, as guards, as the officers who keep a court running smoothly. Our coverage of these courts records both the ceremony and the people.

Learn More

The Society's customs of royalty, peerage, and ceremony are described in its governing documents and Corpora, and the broader history of the medieval ceremonies that inspire them is well documented by institutions such as the Royal Collection Trust. To read about the members honoured in these courts, visit the Member Roster; for the household's wider news, see The Corvine Chronicles.