Patent of Arms

A Patent of Arms is the highest award that can be bestowed in the SCA. It is rarely given on its own, rather an individual is normally inducted into one of five polling orders: the Order of Chivalry, the Order of the Laurel, the Order of the Pelican, the Order of Defense, and the Order of the Mark. Together, these orders are known as Peerages, and their members are known as Peers of the Realm. They all hold equal rank.

Patents of Arms are a Society wide Award that is recognized in every Kingdom in the Knowne World. As such, the qualifications for each peerage are laid out in Corpora.

Peerage Qualities

These qualities must be met by every potential peer, independent of the order they are being elevated to. Any peerage candidate “shall have:

Orders

In addition to the Peerage Qualities listed above, each Order has an additional set of requirements that a candidate must meet before being inducted into said Order.

Elevation

Each Crown may chose to elevate Subjects of Their Kingdom to the Order, but the Crown must ensure the Subject meets the criteria as described in Corpora for Peerage Awards, and The Crown has consulted with the current members of the Order in Their Kingdom.