Wet Raglan, pt 2

[abendgules]

Thursday: Later that day was the salon (not, as HG Sir Alaric called it, a 'saloon', which is a different social setting that only he attended!) discussion, at which we threw around the ideas about the ideal courtier. I was delgighted to find people trickling in, for a total of 20+ bodies, from noble, to 'base, common and popular'.

HRM aryanhwy started the stakes high with a quote from John of Salisbury, and Lynette nusbacher replied with a serious challenge. I think it would have ended there, had it not been for HG Sir Elffin, who stepped in with questions as a 'humble country knight', and got the talk rolling. Circulating some platters of treats also helped. jpgsawyer and edith_hedingham did their usual wonders, feeding us a steady supply of fritters and treats, sweets and savouries.

In all, I think we talked for over an hour on assorted topics, with the leading ideas bouncing back and forth. What I took away from it was:

- the primacy of the arts of combat; without knowledge (and, for the original authors, proficiency) of these, one cannot be a competent courtier

- the importance, for our current middle ages, of leadership - except that 'leadership' as we think of it - leading by example, the leader who serves the body of people - is much more a modern idea than a medieval one. There is a glaring exception of course - the example of Jesus Christ, the servant-leader - but precious few emulate him to that degree, even within the church, as Elffin pointed out.

- nusbacher argued that 'leadership' as a term is unknown in the medieval writings, but Etienne stated that Machiavelli used it, and so we might follow his writings in this regard. 

- we briefly discussed whether or not women could be courtiers and peers, but there wasn't much heart in really thrashing this one out. :-)

The discussion came to a fairly natural ending, I think, and I thanked everyone, and drank more watered wine. Whew!

Over the rest of the event, I found people taking time to say they'd enjoyed the talk, even if they didn't speak up themselves. It certainly showed that our ideas of what a medieval leader is (if not a courtier) range widely - HE Clancy is convinced that all nobles were effectively mercenaries, while Robert (unsurprisingly) does not see that same view. Sir Elffin said it was among the three most enjoyable such talks he'd attended. And her Majesty was delighted, and 'serving where the Queen can see you' is always an asset. :-)

From the 'meta' aspect of the discussion, though, it occurred to me that I've read shamefully few of the 'mirrors for princes' - medieval advice books intended for leaders. They are a genre unto themselves, and there's examples all the way through our period, even well before print technology. I was delighted, and humbled, by how many people came prepared for discussion, debate, complete with references. 

So from that, I've proposed a sort of medieval book club, focusing on the mirrors for princes books we have access to - one with a leisurely pace, aiming to read one book at a time, and then discuss it at coming events. 

I'm aiming for the books that are easy to find, either online or in used bookshops, and it may be supported with a blog, to accommodate those who aren't able to reach the events.

So we're starting with 'Book of the Courtier', which inspired me with the idea, and is available in both online and paperback format, in different translations - and we'll see where the discussion leads.

So far, most of the interest has been from within Insulae Draconis, but I'm sure the idea can travel, and there's no obligation for me to drive the whole thing. If people want to meet more locally for their own discussion, that would be brilliant - maybe with a blog post to follow.