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The Gazette asked Duke Christopher Rawlyns, Kingdom Seneschal, to answer a few questions about the new Earl Marshal changes.
photo by Master Thorpe
Please describe the overall structural changes that have been made to the Marshalate.
Prior to the change in the marshallate structure, the Earl Marshal had always been an experienced heavy weapons fighter, as the main job of the EM was to oversee rattan combat. Now we have added two positions. A Heavy Weapons Marshal has been added whose job will be to oversee rattan combat within the Kingdom. We have also added a Pennsic Marshal. This person will rotate through the marshallate structure at Pennsic over a three year period, with their last year in the job as Marshal in Charge of Pennsic.
What do you want this structural change to accomplish? What problem do you believe it solves, and/or what new opportunities does it offer?
This change will allow marshals of other disciplines to serve as Earl Marshal. A knowledge of rattan combat will be useful for sure, but, you will not need to be a senior rattan marshal to be the EM. This should allow for a broader pool of applicants for the EM job. It also allows the EM to be more of an administrator and have better oversight of all of the marshal disciplines as they will not have to concentrate that much effort on rattan combat. The addition of the Pennsic Marshal will allow that individual to focus solely on this rather time-consuming position.
Are there other Kingdoms who use this model? If so, do you have information on what their experience with it has been?
The Society Marshal’s office has been restructured in this manner and our neighbors in The Kingdom of Atlantia adopted this structure a few years ago. I have not heard of any difficulties as a result of this change.
How will this new structure interact with the Society Earl Marshal’s office differently from in the past?
Ultimately, the EM is responsible for the oversight of all martial activity in the Kingdom. This is no different than it has been in the past. Anyone participating in any martial endeavor should not notice any change in how they go about their chosen activities.