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baronessekatSo I've been doing lots of research into period oaths of fealty and service and stuff. And so I've compiled what I've found to start working on my own oath for my elevation.
* “Thou shall keep full peace and accord in God and to the Church to the people and to the clergy” “I shall do”… “Thou shall keep in all these domains rightful and every rightwiseness and discretion with mercy and truth” “I shall do”… “Grant thou all rightful laws and customs to be hold and that thou wilt defend and strengthen them to the worship of God and his might and powers which shall choose” “I grand and behold it”
* “Sir, wilt thou keep by your oath confirm to the people of England the laws and customs granted to them by ancient kings of England, rightfully mine and devout to God; namely the laws, customs and franchises granted to the clergy and to the people by the glorious kind Edward to your power” “I shall keep them”…”sir, shall you keep to God and to Holy Church and to the clergy to the people peace and accord Holy after your power? Sir, shall you do an cause to be kept in all your domains and judgments true and right in mercy and truth” “I shall do”… “Sir, we you grant hold and fulfill and defend rightful laws and customs which the commons of your realm shall choose, to strengthen and maintain them to the worship of God after all your power?” “I shall grand and behold”
* I become your liege man of life and limb and truth and earthly honors, bearing to you against all men that love, move or die, so help me God and the Holy Dame.”
* I promise on my faith that I will in future be faithful to count William and will observe my homage to him completely against all persons in good faith and without deceit
* …on condition that he will hold to me as I shall deserve it, that he will perform everything as it was in our agreement when I submitted myself to him and chose his will.
* He who swears fealty to his lord ought always to have these six things in memory; what is harmless, safe, honorable, useful, easy, practicable. Harmless, that is to say that he should not be injurious to his lord in his body; safe, that he should not be injurious to him in his secrets or in the defenses through which he is able to be secure; honorable, that he should not be injurious to him in his justice or in other matters that pertain to his honor; useful, that he should not be injurious to him in his possessions; easy or practicable, that that good which his lord is able to do easily, he make not difficult, nor that which is practicable he makes impossible to him.
* Let all present and to come now that I… make homage and fealty with hands and with mouth to thee my said lord… and to thy successors… and I will defend thee and all thy successors and… and if I or my sons or their successors do not observe to thee or to thy successors each and all the things declared above, and should come against these things… I promise to thee and thy heirs and successors… that I will be good and faithful lord concerning all those things described above
* We must not harm his soundness of body, or take from him the military resources upon which his safety depends, or presume to commit any act whereby his honor or advantage is diminished; neither is it lawful that that which is easy for him should be made difficult, or that which is possible impossible… owes to him aid and counsel in his undertakings.
* I will be faithful to you with regard to your life, and the members of your body, in good faith and without deception. And I will be faithful to you concerning that (lands). And neither that castle nor its territory will I seize from you, nor any man or men, woman or women, acting by my advice or instigation. And I will help you to hold, have and defend against all men and women who might wish to seize or deprive you of all these above mentioned things.
* I make known that I am the liege man of … against every creature, living or dead, saving my allegiance to…
* (When a freeman shall do Homage to his lord of whom he holds in Chief, he shall hold his hands together between the hands of his Lord, and shall say) “I become your Man from this day forth, for life, for member, and for worldly honor, and shall owe you Faith for the Lands that I hold you; saving the Faith that I owe unto our Lord the King, and to [mine other lords]
* (When Freeman shall do homage to any other than to his chief lord, and for a simple tenement, he shall hold his hands together between the hands of his Lord and say) “I become your Man from this day forth, and shall bear you faith for the tenement which I claim to hold of you, saving the faith that I owe to our Lord the King and to my other Lords.
* …if I do well, help me; if I do wrong, redress me... the weak shall be mighty in my eyes until I have restored them to their right; the mighty shall be weak until I have restored them the rights of the weak… obey me as long as I obey God and His Prophet. But if I disobey them, then no obedience is incumbent upon you.
* I will not be party in deed, word, consent, or counsel, to their losing life or limb or being unjustly imprisoned. Their damage, if I am aware of it, I will prevent, and will have removed if I can; or else, as soon as I can, I will signify it, or will tell such persons as I shall believe will tell them certainly. Any counsel they entrust to me, immediately or by their messengers or their letter, I will keep secret, and will consciously disclose to on one to their damage… and specifically the realm or… I will aid to hold and defend against all men to my ability.
* I hereby become your liegeman for the whole realm of… with its appurtenances and everything that goes with it, and that kingdom I hold, and ought to hold, and claim to hold of right for myself… and I will maintain faith and fealty to you and your heirs, the kings of … in matters of life and limb and of earthly honor, against all mortal men.
* Since we are, and always have been, faithful to, and subject to the will of the most noble prince, and our well-beloved lord, Edward, by the grace of God King of England,… we promise, on our own behalf… on pain of forfeiting our lives and our property, and of whatever penalty we can incur, that we shall serve him well and loyally against all mortal men, on every occasion that we are so required or instructed by our lord the king of England, or by his heirs, and that if we come to know of anything hurtful to them, we shall do all in our power to frustrate it and shall bring it to their notice. We pledge ourselves… that we shall keep and honor these promises.
* Ye shall swear that… in all articles in the Queen’s Commission t you directed, ye shall do equal right to the poor and to the rich… and after the laws and customs of the realm and statues thereof made and she shall not be of counsel with any quarrel hanging before you… Ye shall not let for gift or other cause, but well and truly ye shall do your office of…
I did find a great response from a liege lord to a samurai that says that they accept the oath and stuff and should the samurai break his oath the wrath of all kinds of little gods shall descend upon the oath breaker.
And I have to admit that I like the phrase "against every creature, living or dead". But if I said that I would actually have to promise to fight against the zombies and vamps. Hmmmm...
Anyway, now that I've got the key phrases and seen how most period oaths were made (at least those documented) I can work on putting together one for myself. Still trying to decide if I want to be the one to say it all or ask the herald to read it and I do the "I will" "I will" "I do" responses.
* “Thou shall keep full peace and accord in God and to the Church to the people and to the clergy” “I shall do”… “Thou shall keep in all these domains rightful and every rightwiseness and discretion with mercy and truth” “I shall do”… “Grant thou all rightful laws and customs to be hold and that thou wilt defend and strengthen them to the worship of God and his might and powers which shall choose” “I grand and behold it”
* “Sir, wilt thou keep by your oath confirm to the people of England the laws and customs granted to them by ancient kings of England, rightfully mine and devout to God; namely the laws, customs and franchises granted to the clergy and to the people by the glorious kind Edward to your power” “I shall keep them”…”sir, shall you keep to God and to Holy Church and to the clergy to the people peace and accord Holy after your power? Sir, shall you do an cause to be kept in all your domains and judgments true and right in mercy and truth” “I shall do”… “Sir, we you grant hold and fulfill and defend rightful laws and customs which the commons of your realm shall choose, to strengthen and maintain them to the worship of God after all your power?” “I shall grand and behold”
* I become your liege man of life and limb and truth and earthly honors, bearing to you against all men that love, move or die, so help me God and the Holy Dame.”
* I promise on my faith that I will in future be faithful to count William and will observe my homage to him completely against all persons in good faith and without deceit
* …on condition that he will hold to me as I shall deserve it, that he will perform everything as it was in our agreement when I submitted myself to him and chose his will.
* He who swears fealty to his lord ought always to have these six things in memory; what is harmless, safe, honorable, useful, easy, practicable. Harmless, that is to say that he should not be injurious to his lord in his body; safe, that he should not be injurious to him in his secrets or in the defenses through which he is able to be secure; honorable, that he should not be injurious to him in his justice or in other matters that pertain to his honor; useful, that he should not be injurious to him in his possessions; easy or practicable, that that good which his lord is able to do easily, he make not difficult, nor that which is practicable he makes impossible to him.
* Let all present and to come now that I… make homage and fealty with hands and with mouth to thee my said lord… and to thy successors… and I will defend thee and all thy successors and… and if I or my sons or their successors do not observe to thee or to thy successors each and all the things declared above, and should come against these things… I promise to thee and thy heirs and successors… that I will be good and faithful lord concerning all those things described above
* We must not harm his soundness of body, or take from him the military resources upon which his safety depends, or presume to commit any act whereby his honor or advantage is diminished; neither is it lawful that that which is easy for him should be made difficult, or that which is possible impossible… owes to him aid and counsel in his undertakings.
* I will be faithful to you with regard to your life, and the members of your body, in good faith and without deception. And I will be faithful to you concerning that (lands). And neither that castle nor its territory will I seize from you, nor any man or men, woman or women, acting by my advice or instigation. And I will help you to hold, have and defend against all men and women who might wish to seize or deprive you of all these above mentioned things.
* I make known that I am the liege man of … against every creature, living or dead, saving my allegiance to…
* (When a freeman shall do Homage to his lord of whom he holds in Chief, he shall hold his hands together between the hands of his Lord, and shall say) “I become your Man from this day forth, for life, for member, and for worldly honor, and shall owe you Faith for the Lands that I hold you; saving the Faith that I owe unto our Lord the King, and to [mine other lords]
* (When Freeman shall do homage to any other than to his chief lord, and for a simple tenement, he shall hold his hands together between the hands of his Lord and say) “I become your Man from this day forth, and shall bear you faith for the tenement which I claim to hold of you, saving the faith that I owe to our Lord the King and to my other Lords.
* …if I do well, help me; if I do wrong, redress me... the weak shall be mighty in my eyes until I have restored them to their right; the mighty shall be weak until I have restored them the rights of the weak… obey me as long as I obey God and His Prophet. But if I disobey them, then no obedience is incumbent upon you.
* I will not be party in deed, word, consent, or counsel, to their losing life or limb or being unjustly imprisoned. Their damage, if I am aware of it, I will prevent, and will have removed if I can; or else, as soon as I can, I will signify it, or will tell such persons as I shall believe will tell them certainly. Any counsel they entrust to me, immediately or by their messengers or their letter, I will keep secret, and will consciously disclose to on one to their damage… and specifically the realm or… I will aid to hold and defend against all men to my ability.
* I hereby become your liegeman for the whole realm of… with its appurtenances and everything that goes with it, and that kingdom I hold, and ought to hold, and claim to hold of right for myself… and I will maintain faith and fealty to you and your heirs, the kings of … in matters of life and limb and of earthly honor, against all mortal men.
* Since we are, and always have been, faithful to, and subject to the will of the most noble prince, and our well-beloved lord, Edward, by the grace of God King of England,… we promise, on our own behalf… on pain of forfeiting our lives and our property, and of whatever penalty we can incur, that we shall serve him well and loyally against all mortal men, on every occasion that we are so required or instructed by our lord the king of England, or by his heirs, and that if we come to know of anything hurtful to them, we shall do all in our power to frustrate it and shall bring it to their notice. We pledge ourselves… that we shall keep and honor these promises.
* Ye shall swear that… in all articles in the Queen’s Commission t you directed, ye shall do equal right to the poor and to the rich… and after the laws and customs of the realm and statues thereof made and she shall not be of counsel with any quarrel hanging before you… Ye shall not let for gift or other cause, but well and truly ye shall do your office of…
I did find a great response from a liege lord to a samurai that says that they accept the oath and stuff and should the samurai break his oath the wrath of all kinds of little gods shall descend upon the oath breaker.
And I have to admit that I like the phrase "against every creature, living or dead". But if I said that I would actually have to promise to fight against the zombies and vamps. Hmmmm...
Anyway, now that I've got the key phrases and seen how most period oaths were made (at least those documented) I can work on putting together one for myself. Still trying to decide if I want to be the one to say it all or ask the herald to read it and I do the "I will" "I will" "I do" responses.
