Coronation Prep

[Carlüs Éovart Vilaçafat]

Just wanted to open up this conversation for El Coletx based on the discussion going on here:

https://wittenberg.talossa.com/index.php?topic=3473.0

More specifically:

Unless I've missed something, we haven't had one of those since 1988. We talked about a coronation for Ián I Lupul but I don't think it ever happened.

From Old Wittenberg, I copy the following musings (from the Rajala regency) of the then-Squirrel King at Arms:

Here are a few of the many questions the Fellows of the College should begin to consider about the upcoming coronation:

    Where should the coronation be held?

    What should be the date? Should a one year mourning period pass between the abdication of King Louis and the coronation of the next king?

    What is the order of precedence for the procession?

    Who should do the crowning? Should the King be anointed? Can we get Archbishop Dolan to help?

    Should Peers and members of the Royal Family wear coronets? If so, what design should they have? Should these coronets display heraldic emblems based on rank or association to the monarch? Who else, if anyone, should wear a coronet?

    Should a queen consort (if any) be crowned as part of the general coronation ceremony? If so, when? If not, when?

And finally, from Ián I himself, upon his accession:

For be known and understood, as a principle of our House and of the Talossan monarchy henceforth and forever, that the crowning of a Talossan monarch should nowise be celebrated in any place wheresoever except within the sacred boundaries of the Kingdom.

-TFF

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

Thank you to the Fulbright Fellow.  Yes, I believe that past precedent suggests that the Coletx should have a hand in the Coroniçaziun.

Let me first lay out some principles to which we should aspire, even if they might not all be practical.

A monarch of el Regipäts should be crowned in el Regipäts.  This may not be possible right away, but it is entirely okay to delay the formal Coroniçaziun.  The king is invested with power by act of law, not through the ceremony itself.  Assuming that His Majesty's choice of successor is confirmed, we should inquire about when this might be possible.

The ceremony should be conducted in el glheþ Talossan.  While Sir Txec is familiar with el glheþ, I think he won't mind me saying that he is not fluent.  However, perhaps the oath and affirmations (eg, "éu detxeradréu" or the like) could be delivered thus.

All Talossans should be invited.  Obviously.  And it should be recorded for posterity.

No coronator exists in precedent, aside from maybe the king or their consort.  Probably not a religious figure, although I think Sir Txec's opinion should count a lot here.  The Squirrel King of Arms or Seneschal might be appropriate individuals to place the crown.

Armorial precedent should be observed.  The new king should choose the name of his house (probably with some assistance from the Coletx), an aspect of his arms should be quartered with the national arms as his new achievement (again with assistance from the Coletx), and he should choose (or retain) a personal badge for his household.

Acting as Dean, I am ruling that the Coletx will discuss these matters as a whole and openly, unless the Squirrel King rules otherwise or when private discussions on individual aspects of the above prove practical.

-Dean

[Miestră Schivă, UrN]

No coronator exists in precedent, aside from maybe the king or their consort.  Probably not a religious figure, although I think Sir Txec's opinion should count a lot here.  The Squirrel King of Arms or Seneschal might be appropriate individuals to place the crown.

Honestly, I think it makes the most sense that the "King emeritus" should hand the crown on personally, if possible

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

We will consult Sir Txec as to any preferences he might have, as well as look at history.

S:da Seneschal, before the Coletx discusses these matters among ourselves, are there any preferences you wish to register with us on behalf of His Majesty's Government?

-Dean

[Sir Txec dal Nordselvă, UrB]

Thank you to the Fulbright Fellow.  Yes, I believe that past precedent suggests that the Coletx should have a hand in the Coroniçaziun.

Let me first lay out some principles to which we should aspire, even if they might not all be practical.

I will provide my initial thoughts below on the excellent discussion began by The Fulbright Fellow and The Dean.

A monarch of el Regipäts should be crowned in el Regipäts.  This may not be possible right away, but it is entirely okay to delay the formal Coroniçaziun.  The king is invested with power by act of law, not through the ceremony itself.  Assuming that His Majesty's choice of successor is confirmed, we should inquire about when this might be possible.

I have no practical idea on when this could occur. During the school year travel is not really a possibility and after the summer I had, I don't really expect much next summer. Time will tell.

The ceremony should be conducted in el glheþ Talossan.  While Sir Txec is familiar with el glheþ, I think he won't mind me saying that he is not fluent.  However, perhaps the oath and affirmations (eg, "éu detxeradréu" or the like) could be delivered thus.

I am not at all fluent in Talossan so obviously I would need help and some parts may need to be in English.

All Talossans should be invited.  Obviously.  And it should be recorded for posterity.

This sounds like an excellent job for the Royal Archivist.

No coronator exists in precedent, aside from maybe the king or their consort.  Probably not a religious figure, although I think Sir Txec's opinion should count a lot here.  The Squirrel King of Arms or Seneschal might be appropriate individuals to place the crown.

If the Squirrel King is unavailable, then by all means the Seneschal can do the actual crowning.

Armorial precedent should be observed.  The new king should choose the name of his house (probably with some assistance from the Coletx), an aspect of his arms should be quartered with the national arms as his new achievement (again with assistance from the Coletx), and he should choose (or retain) a personal badge for his household.

I've given some preliminary thought as to the name of my House, but I will need some advice and help, and I would like the help of the Coletx in quartering my arms. As I already have a badge I use, I may keep that one or may design something different. I'm not entirely sure just yet.

Acting as Dean, I am ruling that the Coletx will discuss these matters as a whole and openly, unless the Squirrel King rules otherwise or when private discussions on individual aspects of the above prove practical.

You have my support on this as the Squirrel Viceroy of Arms.

- SVA/REH

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

The Rouge Elephant Herald is in the best position to know if a hatx to the GTA is possible for the Coroniçaziun; delaying the ceremony until summer seems feasible to me.  The end of June or July might make sense, in such a case?

What was the thinking about the REH on a name for his house?  The most obvious recent examples are Rouergue (based on historical family connections) and Lupul (based on surname) and Windsor (based on residence and cultural connections).  I'd assume that a starting point would be the simplest: El Ca Nordselvă.  Unless there's a historical connection to a known branch of nobility or a heritage residence?

-Dean

[Miestră Schivă, UrN]

S:da Seneschal, before the Coletx discusses these matters among ourselves, are there any preferences you wish to register with us on behalf of His Majesty's Government?

His Majesty's Government is still discussing these issues; anything that I've mentioned above is utterly on my personal initiative. But if you're interested in my personal preferences:

- it should be IRL and, if possible, in the GTA. But it doesn't have to be any time soon. This is a once-in-a-Talossan-lifetime thing and we should be pulling out stops to make it special. We might even want to put State funding towards it.

- the idea that the outgoing King (if available) crowns his/her successor is IMHO a very good precedent for the idea of continuity of monarchy. In the absence I suppose the head of the College of Arms is the second-preference coronator, with CJ-CpI being the third. I don't think the elected government should have a role in this.

- do we actually have a "crown", i.e. a facsimile of the fable Romanian train conductor's hat? That should be physically handed over, along with the Sash which symbolises the unity of Republic and Kingdom tradition.

[Danihel Txechescu]

(Pardon the intrusion.)

[...] Armorial precedent should be observed.  The new king should choose the name of his house [...]

I, for one, would love to have the unveiling of the House as a surprise until the last minute. That'll give the press something to talk about!

[Sir Txec dal Nordselvă, UrB]

The Rouge Elephant Herald is in the best position to know if a hatx to the GTA is possible for the Coroniçaziun; delaying the ceremony until summer seems feasible to me.  The end of June or July might make sense, in such a case?

What was the thinking about the REH on a name for his house?  The most obvious recent examples are Rouergue (based on historical family connections) and Lupul (based on surname) and Windsor (based on residence and cultural connections).  I'd assume that a starting point would be the simplest: El Ca Nordselvă.  Unless there's a historical connection to a known branch of nobility or a heritage residence?

-Dean

I really have no idea when a hatx to the GTA could occur. While I would love for my coronation to occur in person, plans will need to be made at some later time for in-person. A live, via Zoom event could definitely be planned. In some ways, I favor this approach as our citizens are so spread out around the world.

As for a House name, while I do have historical connections to the Stuart line of Scottish kings (I'm a 16th great-grandson of Robert II), it is so far back in the mists of history as to be little more than an interesting footnote. Naming my House after my current family name of Nordselva might be better.

I also would like the assistance of the Coletx in designing my new Arms. They should be quartered in a similar fashion to HM King John's, but I also envision them with supporters and a crown. I've done some research and most reigning monarchs (European) tend to place the arms over an ermine cape topped by a crown. I'm not sure if this is what the Coletx would want, however, and I'm open.

-SVA/REH

[Sir Txec dal Nordselvă, UrB]

(Pardon the intrusion.)

[...] Armorial precedent should be observed.  The new king should choose the name of his house [...]

I, for one, would love to have the unveiling of the House as a surprise until the last minute. That'll give the press something to talk about!

That is certainly an option, though I imagine a change in Monarch would be a lot for the press to talk about also, along with the naming of a new Privy Council among other details. :-)

[Sir Txec dal Nordselvă, UrB]

S:da Seneschal, before the Coletx discusses these matters among ourselves, are there any preferences you wish to register with us on behalf of His Majesty's Government?

His Majesty's Government is still discussing these issues; anything that I've mentioned above is utterly on my personal initiative. But if you're interested in my personal preferences:

- it should be IRL and, if possible, in the GTA. But it doesn't have to be any time soon. This is a once-in-a-Talossan-lifetime thing and we should be pulling out stops to make it special. We might even want to put State funding towards it.

- the idea that the outgoing King (if available) crowns his/her successor is IMHO a very good precedent for the idea of continuity of monarchy. In the absence I suppose the head of the College of Arms is the second-preference coronator, with CJ-CpI being the third. I don't think the elected government should have a role in this.

- do we actually have a "crown", i.e. a facsimile of the fable Romanian train conductor's hat? That should be physically handed over, along with the Sash which symbolises the unity of Republic and Kingdom tradition.

From my understanding, Robert I still has possession of the original "crown." The sash is in the hands of HM King John and I will make suitable arrangements to see that it is passed on.

If the Squirrel King of Arms is not available for the coronation, then perhaps the incoming Squirrel Viceroy of Arms could act in his stead.

[Carlüs Éovart Vilaçafat]

The ceremony should be conducted in el glheþ Talossan.  While Sir Txec is familiar with el glheþ, I think he won't mind me saying that he is not fluent.  However, perhaps the oath and affirmations (eg, "éu detxeradréu" or the like) could be delivered thus.

I also think with the use of "fauxnetics" and/or other phonetic spellings this issue could be mitigated.

-TFF

[Bentxamì Puntmasleu]

A monarch of el Regipäts should be crowned in el Regipäts.  This may not be possible right away, but it is entirely okay to delay the formal Coroniçaziun.  The king is invested with power by act of law, not through the ceremony itself.  Assuming that His Majesty's choice of successor is confirmed, we should inquire about when this might be possible.

I have no practical idea on when this could occur. During the school year travel is not really a possibility and after the summer I had, I don't really expect much next summer. Time will tell.

This particular aspect seems like something I should assist with. Obviously, there's a lot to take into account but, if the formal Coronicaziun on Talossan land isn't going to be until next summer, that gives us a lot of time. Anyway, I will keep this in mind and contact Txec and the organizers with my thoughts. Feel free to contact me with anything you might need.

[Baron Alexandreu Davinescu]

While we are glad to see so many people engaged on this topic, let me gently remind our many interlocutors from the rest of el Regipäts that this is the Coletx, and we are famous for standing on ceremony.  Generally speaking, this is a deliberation among members of the Coletx d'Armeux Rexhital - you should be a recognized herald or fellow to participate.  We have some reasonable forbearance, but this is not an open forum for all.

If you have an interest in the traditions of heraldry and their modern application through graphic design, and you wish to join the Coletx, please first familiarize yourself with the Rules of Heraldry (https://wiki.talossa.com/Rules_of_Heraldry) and petition for entry.  We are always eager for those interested in the field to join our noble tradition and our quirks (such as always signing our posts in this forum)!

With that said, the offer of assistance with event planning from the Scribe, and the considerations of the MinTech and the Seneschal are well-received, and we thank them for them.  I will consult with the Viceroy about the best way to include further public comment into this process.

I concur with the Fulbright Fellow that phonetic renderings of the necessary phrasing would make it easy for the future successor to play his part, if that seems okay to the Rouge Elephant?

I will contact former King Robert I about possibly obtaining the original crown.

-Dean

[Miestră Schivă, UrN]

I  will contact former King Robert I about possibly obtaining the original crown.

Ha ha, good luck to you. You might find it easier just to find a similar Milwaukee fire department dress hat.