A Brief History of th White Scarf

by Don Tivar Moondragon
Premier Member of the Order

The Order of the White Scarf was originally created as an award in the Principality of Ansteorra in March of A.S. XIII (1979). It was intended to provide recognition for excellence in the growing population of rapier fighters in the principality. When Ansteorra became a kingdom in May of A.S. XIV, the order was released from the parent kingdom of Atenveldt to Ansteorra for its continued use. At that time there were some 40 or 50 rapier fighters in Ansteorra, and a few handfuls scattered throughout the rest of the Known World.

In the Renaissance a white scarf was worn as a badge of military rank. The only picture I've ever seen shows it worn as a baldric, left shoulder to right hip. Obviously this would be unacceptable in an SCA context, so a much smaller version, worn only about the shoulder, was designed. (Cyrano de Bergerac was the source of the original idea.)

The Order continued to add new members as the rapier community of Ansteorra grew. It has become traditional for the Crown to hold meetings with the Order to discuss potential new members, as well as issues of general interest to the rapier community, such as rules changes or inter-kingdom events. The Crown is not required to hold these meetings, or to take any action based on the opinions expressed there, but they generally do (The Ansteorran Crown recently granted their Order of the White Scarf the Right of Consultation, which requires the Crown to consult with the order, but it is still not obligated to take any action based on that consultation).

It is also traditional for the White Scarves in particular, and the rapier community as a whole, to look to the Queen much more than to the King. This is based partly on the fact that several prominent members of the White Scarves have Elizabethan personas, and partly on a "Three Musketeers" flavor from the days when the general understanding was that the SCA extended to 1650. The Queen's Champion in Ansteorra is traditionally decided by a rapier list; most of the other kingdoms that have rapier combat also have a Queen's Rapier Champion, or something similar.

In October of A.S. XXI (1987), the kingdom of the Outlands signed a treaty with Ansteorra to create their own Order of the White Scarf. Since that time, there have been some 15 or 20 members added.

In June of A.S. XXVII (1992), the Kingdom of Trimaris signed a treaty with Ansteorra and the Outlands to become the third kingdom in the Known World to have an Order of the White Scarf. At about the same time, the Kingdom of the East debated creating their own White Scarf, but decided against it.

In the Spring of A.S. XXVII (1994), Atenveldt and An Tir also joined the White Scarf treaty, bringing the total to five. Their addition to the treaty was done entirely by mail; previously, the groundwork had been done by mail, but the actual signing was done at an interkingdom event. In this case, there wasn't an interkingdom event conveniently available (Estrella war having just passed, and Pennsic being several months away.), so it was decided not to wait.

The Ansteorran and Trimarian Orders carry a Grant of Arms; the Outlands, Aten and An Tir Orders carry an Award of Arms. It is recognized custom that holders of the White Scarf are addressed by the title "Don" or "Dona." There was a major discussion in the Heralds' Office in A.S. XXVI (1991) about the use of that title. In 1980, a decision had been made at the Laurel level that the title "Don" was reserved for knights. This decision was never disseminated to the general populace, and as far as I know, only two knights ever used it. The result of the 1991 discussion was that "Don" could be used by anyone with an AoA or above, which is more in keeping with historical practice. (Just to complicate matters, there has been a group of rapier fighters in the East Kingdom using the title "Don" as part of their ranking structure, the "gold cords." This group is based upon the English Masters of Defence of the time of Henry VIII, but has no "official" status within the East Kingdom.)

White Scarves will sometimes take "cadets," who are special students of that particular Don (much like squires). Cadets traditionally wear a red scarf either tied about their upper left arm or worn about the left shoulder. Cadets are occasionally guilty of conspiracies for good-natured teasing of the White Scarves.

Charles E. Bonawitz IV
Lord Otto Vustmann
otto@bga.com