Crispin de la Rochefoucauld: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 01:24, 1 September 2025

Photo
Midrealm Crown Tournament, 2022.
Heraldry
Sable, a lion statant within an orle of chain Or.

The Ballad of Sir Crispin de la Rochefoucauld

In the damp and bloodied fields of Flanders, in the year of our Lord 1317, Guy VII, Baron de la Rochefoucauld, did stray from hearth and honor. There, amidst the clangor of campaign, a woman bore him a son—a child named Crispin, born of noble blood but bastard fate. The mother, cloistered at the Couvent des Carmes for her “maintenance,” faded from record, while the boy was left to the quiet shadows of a monastery in Hospitael.

Though the Baron gave the boy his name, no inheritance followed—only whispers, glances, and the long reach of shame. The Bishop of Angoulême, Aiguelin de Blaye, struck with righteous fury, and Guy’s open sin was added to the list that led to his excommunication. He died as he lived—loyal to king if not to wife—at the side of Jean II on the bloodied ground of Poitiers in 1356.

Crispin, unacknowledged by his nine half-siblings, grew in cloistered halls among ink and iron. He studied scripture, learned the clerk’s quill, and tempered his spirit with quiet resolve. But fate is a hunter with a keen nose, and in 1332, knights of the Order of Saint John darkened the monastery’s door. Some saw promise in the boy and offered him steel in hand. And so began his education in arms—whenever duty and devotion allowed.

In 1337, as France rang with the call of the arrière-ban, and England's blockade choked the lifeblood of Flanders’ wool trade, Crispin took up his satchel, his sword, and his name—and walked into the world to make his fortune, or be broken by it.

In This Current Middle Age

Long centuries passed—or perhaps only a dream—and the same Crispin was born again in the Middle Kingdom, where history and imagination dance.

He took first to the rapier, nimble and quick, before the weight of mail and plate called him to the field of armored combat. In time, he was squired to Count Alaric le Fevre, and under his banner, began to shape not only his skill, but his path. He rose in service: standard bearer to the Cleftlands, then armored champion, then commander of the Northern Oaken war host for three full turns of the sun.

In those years, he was not only warrior but steward—master of events both great and small. He brewed meads that warmed the soul, painted scrolls that honored the worthy, and shaped wood with patient hand and practiced eye. He served as quartermaster, keeper of the Cleftlands’ stores; and later as Minister of Arts and Sciences for both barony and region—gathering, guiding, and guarding the spark of creativity.

In times of war, he stood tall: as Lieutenant General of the Midrealm host and later as its General, leading warriors into the Pennsic fray beneath the Dragon's banner. In peace, he bent his will to the care of the realm, holding office as Seneschal of the Cleftlands and Deputy for Hamlets within the Kingdom, tending the roots of the Dream that it might grow strong.

Honors have come, as such things do—not sought, but earned. He was named to the Order of the Red Company and bore the Dragon’s Tooth for valor. He received the Evergreen and Silver Oak for his art and craft, the Gold Mace and Dragon’s Heart for his service, and the Purple Fret for steady hands long at work. In AS 48, he was called forth by Their Majesties Lucien and Catarina and made a Knight of the realm—the 227th of the Midrealm. In time, the Crown also named him Baron, and Lady Gianna Vettori stood beside him as they became the fifth fief-holders of the Barony of the Cleftlands, bearing the mantle of Landed Nobility from AS 52 to AS 56.

He has served queens, kings, and community alike—Queen’s Champion once, and always a champion of others. Whether stewarding a feast or tallying faire scores in quiet corners, he remains a knight not only of sword, but of service.

Awards

Order of Chivalry (01 Aug 2013)
Order of the Pelican (30 Aug 2025)
Court Baron (09 Apr 2022)
Order of the Dragon's Heart (26 May 2024)
Order of the Gold Mace (17 Aug 2006)
Order of the Evergreen (29 Feb 2020)
Order of the Silver Oak (13 Jun 2009)
Award of the Purple Fret (25 Sep 2002)
Order of the Red Company (19 Aug 2005)
Award of the Dragon's Tooth (12 Aug 2010)
Award of Arms (07 Jun 1997)
Order of the Royal Vanguard (04 May 2013)
Territorial Baron (R) Cleftlands (10 Jun 2017 to 09 Apr 2022)
Award of Saint Alfred (10 Jun 2023)
Baroness' Favor

Offices & Positions

Seneschal - April 30, 2025 to present
Middle Kingdom Rattan (Armored) General - Fall 2023 to present
Baron of the Cleftlands - June 10, 2017 to April 9, 2022
Minister of Arts & Sciences - February 25, 2015 to January 18, 2017
Queen's Champion, Dag VII and AnnMarie III - September 2012 to May 2013
Quartermaster - Fall 2004 to September 2007
Standard Bearer - Standard Bearers 2003 XI

Guilds

Households

Næturauði

Stewardship

Event Steward - A Regular Event in Cleftlands 2025 XXVII
Event Steward - Regional Arts & Sciences Faire 2023
Event Steward - Northern Oaken War Maneuvers 2002 VI
Event Steward - Northern Oaken War Maneuvers 2001 V

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Populace
 |photo = [[Image:Populace_Crispin.png]]
-| photocaption = Mapleside Farms Demo, 2018.
+| photocaption = Midrealm Crown Tournament, 2022.
 | device = [[Image:Arms_Crispin.png]]
 | devicecaption = Sable, a lion statant within an orle of chain Or.}}
-While on campaign in Flanders in 1317-18 Guy VII Baron de la Rochefoucauld sired a child his mother named Crispin before she was sent to Couvent des Carmes de La Rochefoucauld for her maintenance. Guy gave him the de la Rochefoucauld name, but since the boy was  a bastard, he could not give him an inheritance. The child was raised at the monastery in Hospitael Flanders.  This open admission of infidelity began the pathway to his excommunication by Aiguelin de Blaye the Bishop of Angoulême. While in service to the King of France (Jean II) Guy died at his side at the Battle of Poitiers (1356). Crispin was never to be officially recognized by his nine legitimate siblings. Crispin studied with the priests and was learning to make his way as a clerk when in 1332 members of the order of St John visited the monastery for a month or so and Crispin, who was liked by some of the monks, was taught to handle a sword as much as his other duties allowed. The orders duties brought them through the area frequently after that and Crispin sought training when there was time. In April of 1337 Phillip the King of France proclaimed an arrière-ban, a call to war and in the two years following trade began to dry up as England shut off the wool supply that fed Flanders textile economy and Crispin left in pursuit of employment.
+== The Ballad of Sir Crispin de la Rochefoucauld ==
-Sör Crispin dela Rochefoucauld began his career as a rapier combatant before picking up armored combat, eventually becoming squired to Count [[Alaric le Fevre]]. Over the years, he has worn a number of hats within the Society including event steward, mead maker, illuminator, [[quartermaster]], and woodworker. He was an armored champion of the Cleftlands and served as their standard bearer after which he was the Northern Oaken regional commander for a run of three years. Although he later adopted a 12th century Turkish noble persona, taking the surname "al-Rumi" (of Rome), he later returned to his wayward Flemmish ways. He was elevated to the order of Chivalry in AS 48 by his Majesty Lucien Phillip de Bordeaux, becoming the 227th Knight of the Middle Kingdom. In the summer of AS 52, Crispin and Gianna Vettori became the 5th fief holders of the Barony of the Cleftlands in service to the crown of the Middle kingdom.
+In the damp and bloodied fields of Flanders, in the year of our Lord 1317, Guy VII, Baron de la Rochefoucauld, did stray from hearth and honor. There, amidst the clangor of campaign, a woman bore him a son—a child named Crispin, born of noble blood but bastard fate. The mother, cloistered at the Couvent des Carmes for her “maintenance,” faded from record, while the boy was left to the quiet shadows of a monastery in Hospitael.
+Though the Baron gave the boy his name, no inheritance followed—only whispers, glances, and the long reach of shame. The Bishop of Angoulême, Aiguelin de Blaye, struck with righteous fury, and Guy’s open sin was added to the list that led to his excommunication. He died as he lived—loyal to king if not to wife—at the side of Jean II on the bloodied ground of Poitiers in 1356.
+Crispin, unacknowledged by his nine half-siblings, grew in cloistered halls among ink and iron. He studied scripture, learned the clerk’s quill, and tempered his spirit with quiet resolve. But fate is a hunter with a keen nose, and in 1332, knights of the Order of Saint John darkened the monastery’s door. Some saw promise in the boy and offered him steel in hand. And so began his education in arms—whenever duty and devotion allowed.
+In 1337, as France rang with the call of the arrière-ban, and England's blockade choked the lifeblood of Flanders’ wool trade, Crispin took up his satchel, his sword, and his name—and walked into the world to make his fortune, or be broken by it.
+== In This Current Middle Age ==
+Long centuries passed—or perhaps only a dream—and the same Crispin was born again in the Middle Kingdom, where history and imagination dance.
+He took first to the rapier, nimble and quick, before the weight of mail and plate called him to the field of armored combat. In time, he was squired to Count Alaric le Fevre, and under his banner, began to shape not only his skill, but his path. He rose in service: standard bearer to the Cleftlands, then armored champion, then commander of the Northern Oaken war host for three full turns of the sun.
+In those years, he was not only warrior but steward—master of events both great and small. He brewed meads that warmed the soul, painted scrolls that honored the worthy, and shaped wood with patient hand and practiced eye. He served as quartermaster, keeper of the Cleftlands’ stores; and later as Minister of Arts and Sciences for both barony and region—gathering, guiding, and guarding the spark of creativity.
+In times of war, he stood tall: as Lieutenant General of the Midrealm host and later as its General, leading warriors into the Pennsic fray beneath the Dragon's banner. In peace, he bent his will to the care of the realm, holding office as Seneschal of the Cleftlands and Deputy for Hamlets within the Kingdom, tending the roots of the Dream that it might grow strong.
+Honors have come, as such things do—not sought, but earned. He was named to the Order of the Red Company and bore the Dragon’s Tooth for valor. He received the Evergreen and Silver Oak for his art and craft, the Gold Mace and Dragon’s Heart for his service, and the Purple Fret for steady hands long at work. In AS 48, he was called forth by Their Majesties Lucien and Catarina and made a Knight of the realm—the 227th of the Midrealm. In time, the Crown also named him Baron, and Lady Gianna Vettori stood beside him as they became the fifth fief-holders of the Barony of the Cleftlands, bearing the mantle of Landed Nobility from AS 52 to AS 56.
+He has served queens, kings, and community alike—Queen’s Champion once, and always a champion of others. Whether stewarding a feast or tallying faire scores in quiet corners, he remains a knight not only of sword, but of service.
 == Awards ==
-* [[Baron|Territorial Baron]] - Cleftlands (10 Jun, 2017)
+* [[Order of Chivalry]] (01 Aug 2013)
-* [[Order of Chivalry]] (01 Aug, 2013)
+* [[Order of the Pelican]] (30 Aug 2025)
-* [[Order of the Gold Mace]] (17 Aug, 2006)
+* [[Court Baron]] (09 Apr 2022)
-* [[Order of the Evergreen]] (29 Feb, 2020)
+* [[Order of the Dragon's Heart]] (26 May 2024)
-* [[Order of the Silver Oak]] (13 Jun, 2009)
+* [[Order of the Gold Mace]] (17 Aug 2006)
-* [[Award of the Purple Fret]] (25 Sep, 2002)
+* [[Order of the Evergreen]] (29 Feb 2020)
-* [[Order of the Red Company]] (19 Aug, 2005)
+* [[Order of the Silver Oak]] (13 Jun 2009)
-* [[Award of the Dragon's Tooth]] (12 Aug, 2010)
+* [[Award of the Purple Fret]] (25 Sep 2002)
-* [[Award of Arms]] (07 Jun, 1997)
+* [[Order of the Red Company]] (19 Aug 2005)
-* [[Order of the Royal Vanguard]] (04 May, 2013)
+* [[Award of the Dragon's Tooth]] (12 Aug 2010)
+* [[Award of Arms]] (07 Jun 1997)
+* [[Order of the Royal Vanguard]] (04 May 2013)
+* [[Baron|Territorial Baron]] (R) Cleftlands (10 Jun 2017 to 09 Apr 2022)
+* [[Award of Saint Alfred]] (10 Jun 2023)
 * [[Baroness' Favor]]
 == Offices & Positions ==
-* [[Baron]] of the Cleftlands - June 10, 2017 to present
+* [[Seneschal]] - April 30, 2025 to present
+* Middle Kingdom Rattan (Armored) General - Fall 2023 to present
+* [[Baron]] of the Cleftlands - June 10, 2017 to April 9, 2022
 * [[Minister of Arts & Sciences]] - February 25, 2015 to January 18, 2017
 * Queen's Champion, Dag VII and AnnMarie III - September 2012 to May 2013
@@ Line 31: / Line 57: @@
 == Guilds ==
 * [[Armored Combat Guild]]
+* [[Brewer's Guild]]
 * [[Fellowship of the Oaken Blade]]
 * [[Schola Petrae]]
@@ Line 37: / Line 64: @@
 == Households ==
-* [[House Blood Jack]]
+* [[Næturauði]]
 == Stewardship ==
+* Event Steward - [[A Regular Event in Cleftlands 2025 XXVII]]
+* Event Steward - [[Regional Arts & Sciences Faire 2023]]
 * Event Steward - [[Northern Oaken War Maneuvers 2002 VI]]
 * Event Steward - [[Northern Oaken War Maneuvers 2001 V]]
@@ Line 50: / Line 79: @@
 [[Category:Award of the Dragon's Tooth]]
 [[Category:Award of the Purple Fret]]
+[[Category:Award of the Silver Oak]]
+[[Category:Award of Saint Alfred]]
+[[Category:Court Baron/Baroness]]
 [[Category:Order of Chivalry]]
+[[Category:Order of the Dragon's Heart]]
 [[Category:Order of the Evergreen]]
 [[Category:Order of the Gold Mace]]
 [[Category:Order of the Red Company]]
 [[Category:Order of the Royal Vanguard]]
-[[Category:Order of the Silver Oak]]
+[[Category:Order of the Pelican]]
 <!-- Guilds -->
 [[Category:Armored Combat Guild]]
+[[Category:Brewer's Guild]]
 [[Category:Fellowship of the Oaken Blade]]
 [[Category:Schola Petrae]]
@@ Line 63: / Line 97: @@
 [[Category:Woodworker's Guild]]
 <!-- Households -->
-[[Category:House Blood Jack]]
+[[Category:Næturauði]]
 <!-- Other -->
+[[Category:Event Stewards]]
+[[Category:Not the Baroness]]
 [[Category:Territorial_Baron/Baroness]]
-[[Category:Event Stewards]]