Order of Precedence

Introduction

Throughout the heraldic articles on this site, and across most heraldic forums, a phrase pops up time and again: order of precedence. This is a tool the heralds use in almost every aspect of their functions, but those outside of the College are often unaware or misunderstand what this actually is. In short, the order of precedence is the sequential hierarchy ranking system of honors. There also exists the Order of Precedence (with capitals), which is the database in which these rankings are recorded via which awards a person has been granted and when.

An Individual’s place in the order of precedence is determined by their highest ranking honor. This order will change periodically as individuals receive higher-ranked honors, or when individuals move to different kingdoms.

In some cases, the order of precedence is a matter of context and people or groups may be moved ahead, or pushed below, where they would normally fall.

Why do we use it? Outside of following a period practice which aids in reenactment, this system allows us to determine practical things like marching or seating placements, titles, forms of address, lists pairings, and other rank-specific activities or practices. it has no bearing to the average SCA participant outside of Society activities.

The “Standard” Order

The order of precedence is determined by the rank of the honor, when an honor was granted, and – the others being the same – the name of the recipient.

Unless otherwise specified, all Orders in a given award category rank equally in precedence. An individual’s rank within that Order will depend on the date granted, and then alphabetically by first name.

Below is a ranking, from highest to lowest, of the order of precedence that is used in Caid. It is important to note that this ranking does not apply to all Kingdoms. Some of these positions provide a temporary elevation in rank while the bearer holds the station. This means that when the office bearer steps down, they will move down in precedence. Others are permanent ranks. The permanent ranks will never decrease unless an honor is revoked or resigned. In the ranking below, temporary precedence offices are marked with an asterisk (*).

PRO TIP: This article deals in generalizations. If you are looking for the order of precedence for the Caid-specific Awards and Honors, please refer to PH102: Awards in Caid.

Patents of Arms and Active Heads of State

Royalty* – Sovereign, Consort

At the top of the Hierarchy within a kingdom is always the Crown of a Kingdom. This includes both the Sovereign and Consort. The order of precedence for each Crown among all Royalty of the Known World will depend on the founding date of their Kingdoms. For example, as the West Kingdom was founded first, their Crown would outrank all other Crowns. Caid was founded sixth, so the Caid Crown would rank below the Crowns of the West, East, Middle, Atenveldt and Meridies, but rank above all other Kingdoms.

Immediately following the Crown are the Crown Heirs, if applicable. Their order of precedence also follows the founding dates of the Kingdoms.

Royalty* – Principalities

After the Royalty (and their respective heirs) come the Coronets of the Principalities then their applicable Heirs. As with the Crowns, the order of precedence among Principalities will depend on their respective founding dates.

Royal Peers – Duchy, County, Viscounty

Following Royalty and their Heirs are the Royal Peers. These are the individuals who have served as the Crown of a Kingdom, or Coronets of a Principality.

Those with a Duchy outrank those with a County, and both outrank those with a Viscounty.

Barony* – Territorial Heads of State

The actively serving territorial heads of state are ranked below all Royalty and Royal peerages. Like the Royalty, order of precedence among those at this level is determined by the founding date of the territory.

Any applicable Baronial heirs (Reeves, Tanists, Nextexcellencies, etc.) would follow immediately after their Baronage. In other Kingdoms, the Baronial heads of state, and their heirs, may outrank Royal Peers.

PRO TIP: Due to the structure of our organization, the pairing of the Heads of State listed above will share the same precedence, as they are considered one entity. The Sovereign does not outrank the Consort, nor does the Consort outrank the Sovereign. The rank instead follows “the Crown”, not the individual.

Peers – Chivalry, Laurel, Pelican, Defense

Peers of the realm follow after the active Territorial Baronage, and rank above all Armigerous awards. All bestowed peerages (Chivalry, Laurel, Pelican, and Defense) are ranked equally. An individual’s comparative ranking within these Orders should be treated as if all Orders were one, and their ranking within a single Order will depend on the makeup of that particular Order.

PROTIP: Some Kingdoms include Greater Kingdom Officers in their order of precedence. Where they fall in the order will depend largely on the Kingdom’s traditions. In Caid, Officers are not ranked outside of their individual ranking, and are not included in this article.

Armigerous Awards

The armigerous awards are a little more tricky, as the various Kingdoms have different structures within the same general hierarchy. Some Society-wide awards carry different precedence levels depending on the Kingdom. This is most noticeable for a Court Barony. In some Kingdoms, this carries a Grant of Arms, while in others it carries an Award of Arms.

The order below continues in the order of precedence for Caid, where a Court barony carries an Award of Arms. For Kingdoms where this carries a Grant of Arms, it would rank at the top of the remaining precedence order.

Armigerous – Grant of Arms

All Grant-bearing Orders are equal in precedence unless otherwise noted by Kingdom Law. An individual’s ranking within these orders should be treated as if all Orders were one.

A “bare” Grant of Arms ranks just below the Grant-bearing Orders.

Armigerous – Court Barony

A Court Barony is different than a Territorial Barony. While the titles, forms of address, and regalia that are used for both are the same, a Court Barony is ceremonial only: it does not require the bearer to act as a Head of State for a territory.

Armigerous – Award of Arms

All Award of Arms bearing Orders are equal in precedence unless otherwise noted by Kingdom Law. An individual’s ranking within these orders should be treated as if all Orders were one.

A “bare” Award of Arms ranks just below the Award of Arms bearing Orders.

Non-Armigerous – Honors

After the armigerous orders, come all of the non-armigerous honors and awards. What it considered a non-armigerous honor will vary by kingdom. This category usually includes most Baronial awards. As with the Armigerous awards, all Baronial awards are considered equal. One’s precedence for Baronial awards will first depend on when the award was granted, and then alphabetically by first name.

Non-Armigerous – No Precedence

Rounding out the order of precedence are those who have not yet been recognized with an award or honor. Barring any other recognitions, individuals in this group would be ranked alphabetically by first name.

Expanding the Scope

The order of precedence can also be applied on a Known World scale; each Kingdom has its own place within the hierarchy based on the date of its founding and each award can be compared to others based on the date it was awarded.

Some contextual things that can change the order of precedence are: where is an event taking place, who is hosting it, who has business in Court, and other similar instances. For some courts, aesthetics or politics may require a slight adjustment on who sits where on the dais. Alternatively, when determining the precedence order for the Challenge Round at Caid Crown Tournaments, the order is determined by the rank of the pair entering the lists. If the consort’s rank is higher than their combatant, then they move to that position.

The Order of Precedence

Now you might be thinking, “this is not what I thought this article would be about. What about the website where I go to check people’s awards?”

There also exists the Order of Precedence (notice the capitalization), a database in which the honors related to the order of precedence are tracked. Each Kingdom has its own system – usually digitally accessed – that it uses to catalog the awards and honors granted in its borders. Caid’s can be found on the heralds’ website: Caid Order of Precedence. Other Kingdoms’ OPs can be found through a Google search, or by using the links in the Caid OP page.

Not all Kingdoms track every honor in their Kingdom (e.x. Baronial Champions, and other non-precedence-bearing honors), nor do they track every award or honor from other Kingdoms, but all awards that convey precedence within their Kingdom should be included. The author is unaware of any “Known World Order of Precedence”.

For more information on the awards in Caid, please read Protocol Heraldry 102: Award Structure in Caid.

Happy Heralding!

For further reading:

Kingdom of Caid, Order of Precedence

Cormac Beare, How the Order of Precedence Works

Cormac Beare, An Armorial of Precedence

SCA College of Heralds, List of Alternative Titles