Edict of Knighthood

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Edict of Knighthood 1519

By order of His Majesty, King Olivier I Ashford de Savoie, sovereign King of Men and Elves, the Office of the Master of Chivalry is hereby established. By order of His Majesty, the King of Oren, the Office of the Master of Chivalry is hereby appointed to Ser Garahel Varodyr of Saltstone-by-the-Sea. By order of Ser Garahel Varodyr, Master of Chivalry, the laws of the Knights of Oren are hereby reformed and detailed herein.



Article I. Distribution of Knighthood

Section I. Elevation to Knighthood

  • To become a Knight one must be either squired by a landed Knight or titled Lord of the Kingdom of Oren, or be granted Knighthood by His Majesty, the King of Oren for acts valour.
  • To become a squire, one must be selected by a landed Knight or titled Lord (Baron, Count, Duke, Prince or His Majesty the King) of the Kingdom of Oren. A landed Knight or titled Lord may choose any citizen of Oren as they see fit to become their squire.
  • It is expected for a landed Knight or titled Lord to educate their squire on matters of chivalry, faith, combat, strategy, logic, history, equestrianism and any other subject they feel is necessary.
  • Upon the completion of the squire’s training and education, the landed Knight or titled Lord may recommend their squire to His Majesty, the King of Oren, to be granted Knighthood. Should a landed Knight or titled Lord wish for their squire to be granted Knighthood, the Knight or Lord must be prepared to grant their squire land upon their Knighting.
  • To be granted Knighthood by His Majesty, the King of Oren, the would-be Knight must show valour, courage or righteous action, proving themselves worthy of the Knight’s Code and the title of Knight of Oren.
  • A Duke of Oren may also recommend a man to His Majesty, the King of Oren, if he be worthy of the title of Knight. The Knighting Ceremony may only be carried out by His Majesty, the King of Oren (See Article I, Section III).
  • To be granted Knighthood by His Majesty, the King of Oren, the would-be Knight must swear oaths of fealty to his would-be Liege Lord, be it His Majesty, the King of Oren, a Duke or any lesser titled Lord or landed Knight.


Section II. Criteria & Requirement

  • To become a squire of a landed Knight or a titled Lord of the Kingdom of Oren, the would-be squire must be a male of Orenian origin. Noble birth is preferable but not required.
  • A landed Knight or a titled Lord may choose whoever they wish to act as their squire, be it a commoner, a noble’s sibling or their own son.
  • To be granted Knighthood, the would-be Knight must be well versed in the Knight’s Code of Chivalry (as written by Ser Maric Varodyr, attached below) and well educated in matters of faith, combat, strategy, logic, history, equestrianism and any other subject of basic education. Knights are expected to uphold an elite standard within the Kingdom of Oren.
  • To be granted Knighthood, the would-be Knight must swear oaths of fealty to both His Majesty, the King of Oren and the would-be Knight’s liege Lord.
  • To be granted Knighthood, the would-be Knight must be granted land by their would-be liege Lord and are thus subject to their Ducal laws.


Section III. Knighting & Ceremonies

  • To become a Knight of the Kingdom of Oren, whether squired or not, the would-be Knight must be Knighted by His Majesty, the King of Oren himself and no other, in sight of a priest.
  • To be granted Knighthood, the would-be Knight must swear their Oath of Chivalry (attached below) and Oaths of Fealty, respectively to His Majesty, the King of Oren and their would-be liege Lord, in sight of His Majesty, the King of Oren, their would-be liege Lord, a priest of God and at least one witness. This is so there is no contestation as to the words and vows taken by the would-be Knight.
  • A specific Knighting ceremony must take place prior to being granted Knighthood by His Majesty, the King of Oren. This ceremony shall be detailed elsewhere.



Article II. Status & Conduct

Section I. Gentry Status

  • As a landed Knight of Oren, a Knight is a member of the Gentry class of the nobility of the Kingdom of Oren.
  • The title of Knight of Oren is non hereditary and thus not passed on to any relations of the Knight.
  • The lands and holdings of the Knight of Oren are non hereditary and thus not passed on to any relations of the Knight. Upon the passing of the Knight, the lands and holdings are returned to their direct liege Lord to do with as he pleases.
  • As a landed Knight of Oren, a Knight is free and encouraged, to take on a squire. (Highlighted in Article I, Section I & II).
  • A Knight is to be styled and titled as Ser [Name] of [Knightly fief]. They are to be addressed as Ser and their first name only.

Section II. Laws & Expectations

  • As a Knight of Oren, a Knight is bound by certain oaths and laws. A Knight is also expected to uphold certain standards, though this is not by law, disregarding these will bring shame to the Knight and his sire.
  • A Knight is expected to obey their Oaths of Fealty to their liege Lord, His Majesty the King of Oren and all their respective laws.
  • A Knight is expected to care for their lands and pay their taxes to their respective liege Lord.
  • A Knight is expected to answer their liege Lord’s call to war with full force.
  • A Knight is bound by oath and expected to protect and defend the common people of the Realm, regardless of who’s standard they follow.
  • A Knight is bound by oath and law first and foremost, before all oaths, to obey the Knight’s Code of Chivalry (attached below).
  • A Knight is expected to set an example for the people of the Kingdom of Oren, to act as a beacon of justice, honour and goodness in the Realm.
  • A Knight is expected to be educated in matters of chivalry, faith, combat, strategy, logic, history and equestrianism at the very least.
  • A Knight is expected to be well mannered and polite towards the Nobility, Royalty and peasantry.
  • A Knight is expected to carry and maintain His Sword at all times. A Knight without His Sword is a man without a soul.
  • Impersonating an existing Knight is a violation of the King’s law and warrants a Severe Punishment, by way of the Lexicon of Ashford. (This supersedes all Ducal Laws).
  • Falsifying Gentry and/or the title of Knight is a violation of the King’s law and warrants a Severe Punishment, by way of the Lexicon of Ashford. (This supersedes all Ducal Laws).
  • Claiming false Knighthood without fulfilling the appropriate criteria is a violation of the King’s Law and warrants a Major Punishment. (This supersedes all Ducal Laws).

Section III. Revocation of Titles

  • His Majesty, the King of Oren, retains the right to revoke any and all Knighthoods within his Kingdom at any given time.
  • A Knight may have his Knighthood revoked should he break any one of the oaths taken on the day of his Knighting.
  • A Knight may have his Knighthood revoked should he severely violate the Knight’s Code of Chivalry that he is bound by oath to uphold.
  • A Knight may have his Knighthood revoked should he severely violate any of the Laws of the Realm, be they Ducal or the Lexicon of Ashford.
  • Should a Knight have his Knighthood revoked by His Majesty, the King of Oren, their liege Lord retains the right to allow the former Knight to retain their lands under a separate non-gentry title, should he so wish.
  • Should a Knight lose his lands through war, natural disaster or any other means, yet retain his life, the Knight shall be known as a Hedge Knight, until he regains his lands or any other under their liege Lord or another. Vagrant and vagabond Hedge Knights are liable to having their Knighthoods revoked.
  • A landed Knight or titled Lord may be placed under investigation should their former squire have his Knighthood revoked.
  • A liege Lord may be held accountable for the actions and crimes of the Knight oathed under them, should their Knighthood be revoked.



Article III. Master of Chivalry

Section I. Appointment

  • The Master of Chivalry is a lesser office of the Kingdom of Oren.
  • The Office of the Master of Chivalry may only be granted by His Majesty, the King of Oren to a Knight of exceptional valour and honour.
  • The Knight appointed to Master of Chivalry is expected to be well versed in the Knight’s Code and expectations of Knights of Oren and all appropriate laws.
  • The Knight appointed to Master of Chivalry is expected to be the definition of a True Knight, acting as an example for all Knights to follow.
  • The Office of Master of Chivalry is not hereditary and may be revoked by His Majesty, the King of Oren at any given time.

Section II. Powers & Responsibilities

  • The Master of Chivalry is expected to keep up to date with the goings on and dealings of all Knights of Oren.
  • The Master of Chivalry is expected to bring would-be Knights to the attention of His Majesty, the King of Oren, so that they may be Knighted appropriately.
  • The Master of Chivalry is expected to ensure all documents, patents of Nobility and Gentry, as well as any other matters regarding Knights and Knighthood are up to date.
  • The Master of Chivalry is expected to ensure all would-be Knights meet the appropriate criteria before being Knighted.
  • The Master of Chivalry is expected to oversee all Knighting ceremonies or appoint a representative if he is unavailable.
  • The Master of Chivalry is expected to be present at all legal trials regarding Knights and their alleged crimes.
  • The Master of Chivalry has the authority to place any existing Knight of Oren on trial.
  • The Master of Chivalry has the authority to place any existing Knight of Oren under investigation.
  • The Master of Chivalry has the authority to place a landed Knight or titled Lord under investigation, provided said Knight or Lord has squired a disgraced Knight.
  • The Master of Chivalry has the authority to approve squires to receive Knighthood, upon the approval of His Majesty, the King of Oren.
  • The Master of Chivalry has the authority to strip a Knight of all titles and Gentry, upon the approval of His Majesty, the King of Oren.
  • The Master of Chivalry has the authority to deny a squire the opportunity to be elevated to Knighthood.



Article IV. The Knight’s Code

-As revised on the 7th of The Amber Cold, 1470, by Ser Maric II Varodyr, the Winged Knight.

A Knight shall live by honour, for glory, and guard the honour of fellow Knights. Honour The Creator and maintain His Temple. Keep faithful and act in righteousness. He shall serve his liege Lord with valour and conviction. Persevere to the end in any quest begun and never turn his back upon a foe.


A Knight shall not give wanton offense and shall despise monetary reward. Give succour to widows and orphans and regard the honor of women. He shall offer that which is not needed, to those who are needy. And safeguard the helpless and uphold the weak.


A Knight shall respect those in authority but fight for the welfare of all. Abstain from injustice, cruelty and deceit. He shall be vigilant and show courage, even in the face of evil. Resolve not with swords what can be with words. And at all times speak the truth, even if faced with death.

In his blood the Creator’s will shall be written.

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Signed King Olivier Ashford de Savoie Ser Garahel Varodyr of Saltstone, Master of Chivalry


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