Weekend SCA stuff
I'm sitting here in the middle of the night after my cold-tortured sinuses woke me up. I'm not sure what decided it, but I sat down for a few minutes and started reading an Armour Archive thread about a hypothetical member of the Chiv who is also a White Scarf/equivalent, taking squires who fights rapier but not on the heavy field. The question was posed if this would make someone (presumably some other squire) feel lessened as a result of that, or if they would think less of the Peer. With my squire-sister Fredeburg (aka my wife) turning in her belt this past day to join the Order of the Laurel, it seems a fitting question.
Unsurprisingly, my answer is no to both. Since Fredeburg has done combat archery (which is a melee-only type of heavy combat) this does not match her exactly, but in general it does.
My reasoning is this: a knight/squire relationship is individual fealty to the former, from the latter. It is not someone else's idea of fealty to the former, from the latter. Each knight and squire decide how this is done. If that includes things like fighting (which it typically but not necessarily does) then fine. If not, also fine. A squire who does not fight in armored combat, for whatever reason, is still a squire. I don't think any more or less of a squire who can't do armored combat than one who chooses not to.
Unsurprisingly, my answer is no to both. Since Fredeburg has done combat archery (which is a melee-only type of heavy combat) this does not match her exactly, but in general it does.
My reasoning is this: a knight/squire relationship is individual fealty to the former, from the latter. It is not someone else's idea of fealty to the former, from the latter. Each knight and squire decide how this is done. If that includes things like fighting (which it typically but not necessarily does) then fine. If not, also fine. A squire who does not fight in armored combat, for whatever reason, is still a squire. I don't think any more or less of a squire who can't do armored combat than one who chooses not to.