Oaths of Fealty - An Overview

Oaths of fealty are contracts between you and the individual to which you are swearing fealty. Oaths contain requirements on your behalf to your lord and also requirements of your lord to you. When constructing your oath consider what you are promising. There are different kinds of oaths of fealty ranging from individual commons to their noble lords and those between nobles. Oaths of the lords to the King of Hyperion are also made on behalf of their entire shire or fiefdom. These oaths have roleplay elements to them, but they are real contracts to be taken seriously.

By swearing an oath you are establishing a baseline of expectations between yourself as the representative of either you on your own or your guild/shire/fiefdom/organization. It is important that all parties understand what is going into their oath so that each party will properly fulfill these obligations.

Vassal Oaths - Feudal Contracts

Vassal Oaths form the basis for the system of feudalism. It is a direct social contract that consists of loyalty to one who represents the state and carries with it penalties for breaking it.

Oaths take place at all levels of the hierarchy. Here is an example of a lords oath to the King. Note that it includes very specific details regarding levies, taxes and responsibilities. This oath forms the legal contract from the noble to the King and of the King do his vassal:

Your majesty, I become your vassal from this day forward, of life and limb, and of earthly worship, and unto you shall be true and faithful, and bear to you faith for the tenements that I claim to hold of you. By the Lord Auros before whom this sanctuary is holy, I will to King Manus be true and faithful, and love all which he loves and shun all which he shuns, according to the laws of Auros and the order of the world. Nor will I ever with will or action, through word or deed, do anything which is unpleasing to his ideals, on condition that he will hold to me as I shall deserve it, and that he will perform everything as it was in our agreement when I submitted myself to him and chose his ideals."

I, Noraya Leandara the rightful Baroness de Waleron. Be it known to all, present and future, that I have voluntarily sworn to my lord, Manus, king of Hyperion, to keep the agreements contained in this charter.

Know that I come to you the Baroness de Waleron, and now declare all my former fealties and obligations defied, and that as I do homage to your Crown, I shall tender that land of Waleron to you, that you being its king shall grant it back to me in fee even as I become your liege vassal.

Therefore, let all present and to come know that I the said Baroness de Waleron, acknowledge verily to thee my lord Manus, by the grace of God, king of Hyperion, that I hold and ought to hold as a fief from thee the shire of Waleron for which I make homage and fealty with hands and with mouth to thee my said lord, king Manus, and from the abundance of which I shall grant to thee every fourth coin from all of my baronages' surplus. And I swear that I will always be a faithful vassal to thee in all things in which a vassal is required to be faithful to his lord, and I will defend thee, my lord, and the subjects of Hyperion present and to come and the castles and manors and all your men and their possessions against all malefactors and invaders, at my request and that of my successors at my own cost; and I will give to thee power over all the castles and manors above described, in peace and in war, whenever they shall be claimed by thee.

I shall answer in military service to thee, my king Manus, whenever thou shalt call upon me, with 4 out of every 5 knights in my domain, but neither limited to only four, but to all knights I may muster according to the amount of possible knights fees in the land I claim as my shire, and with at least ten men for every knight who with me attends your Majesty's muster, and I shall be sure that they are liveried as properly as befits all the men and knights of a Baroness of Hyperion. And if my land shall border with seaways or navigable rivers, that I shall answer feudal muster with one adequate warship for every knight's fee upon said waterfronts in my lands in place of infantry muster. Further, when thou hast convened the Parliament for the purpose of a levy, I shall pass this levy to all of my unenlisted men and bring all whosoever are able.

Moreover do I recognize that I, on being created as a peer to the Crown of Hyperion under King Manus, shall, according to the Carta Solis penned by King Manus, be entitled to a seat in the House of Lords of Hyperion, wherefore do I give my oath to protect, uphold, and obey the Carta Solis and the Common Law of Hyperion and all of its tenets, precepts, and rulings, whether they be decreed by His Majesty or by my peer lords, and I also shall require the same of all of my subjects, vassals, and liege men; that they swear to protect the King, the Carta Solis, the Common Law and Hyperion as I have, and that they do so when they shall make their liege homage to me.

In addition, should I fail in my duties, I will turn over to King Manus the fortresses of Waleron, and give him control of all the men who dwell there and all the knights who hold fiefs of the castles, so that if I break my promise to keep these agreements, all the aforesaid men shall hold directly of my lord, Manus, king of Hyperion; and they shall swear to aid him even against men and against every other man or woman or creature.

The right honorable the Baron of Yew, Nocturne and the Right Honorable Barão de Emberwood shall be responsible for the tax I owe if I fail to pay to my king Manus, and have inscribed their names below as witnesses, testifying their agreement in this matter.



The King in return swears an oath sealing the contract:

I, therefore, the aforesaid Manus, by the grace of God king of Hyperion, receive the homage and fealty for the fief and lands which are described above: in the way and with the agreements and understandings written above; and likewise We concede to thee and thine heirs and their successors, the Lady Noraya of Waleron, the land aforesaid, as a fief, along with this present charter. And We promise to thee and thy heirs and successors of Waleron, that We will be a good and faithful lord concerning all those things described above.

LET IT BE KNOWN that We with royal scepter anoint and sanctify Lady Noraya, henceforth creating her as a BARONESS of the Kingdom of Hyperion, that from this day forward We do by these presents prefer our trusted friend to the state, degree, style, dignity, title and honor of BARONESS OF WALERON.

AND WE COMMAND From this day forward to Ourself, Our heirs and successors that she above shall retain her station subject only to Royal good pleasure; That she shall shall have the right to bequeath her station to her appointed heirs should she see fit, and if she should not that it shall return to the Throne upon departure. And further, that it shall and may be lawful to and for our said cousin, her heirs and assigns, by these presents from time to time, to nominate, make, constitute, ordain and confirm, by such name or names, as knight, thane, laird or baronet, as to her shall seem good, and likewise to revoke, discharge, change and alter as well her officers and ministers which hereafter shall be by her thought fit and needful to be made or used within the aforesaid territories; And also to make, ordain and establish all manner of orders, laws, directions, instructions, forms and ceremonies of government and magistracy fit and necessary for and concerning the government of the territory aforesaid. And we do further of our special grace, certain knowledge, and meer motion, grant, ordain and declare, that-such officers and ministers as from time to time shall be authorized and appointed in manner and form aforesaid, shall and may have full power and authority to use and exercise martial law in cases of emergency, invasion and mutiny, by force of their commission of lieutenancy, or any law or statute of this our realm of Hyperion. We further of our special grace, grant and ordain that she may build, fortify, man, and enfeoff any edifice of sound construction that shall by her judgment seem necessary, saving that portion of their bounty which she has reserved for Us.

All which by the tenor of these presents we have caused to be exemplified. In testimony whereof we have caused our seal of our said Kingdom of Hyperion to be hereunto affixed. WITNESS our trusty and well beloved Nira Nathair, Royal Queen of Heralds; our Master of Heralds and trusted companion of our Province of Wessex, Komako the Hawk and Chrono.



Made in the first year of our reign.

Manus Rex

Oaths of Service

Oaths of Service identify specific tasks or responsibilities to the realm or a lord or the King himself. The Oath lists the titles of the individual swearing and identifies the one to which they are swearing. It also include some jurisdiction and actions.

Here is an example of the Lord Constable:

I, Doge Brando de'Medici of Aquilea, do hereby swear and affirm by my honor that I will support and defend His Majesty, Manus of Hyperion and all his realms, counties and shires against all enemies both foreign and domestic being bound to the Carta Solis in my actions. That I bear true faith and allegiance to the same without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion.

And of the Lord Marshall:

I, Surly Spitforge von Fishbarrel, Baron of Urth, hereby let it be known that I pledge to His Majesty, King Manus, that I will serve Him and through Him the Kingdom of Hyperion as Lord Marshall. I will uphold this office to the expectations of His Majesty until such time as I am unable, or am relieved of this responsibility by His Majesty.

I, Varden NightMeLaek, Count of Gold, hereby swear fealty to the Crown of Hyperion under the regency of His Grace, the Lord Constable, Brando deMedici, High Steward of the Kingdom and Defender of the Realm to serve loyally and faithfully under the Carta Solis until the Return of the King.

I recognize the tenets of the Carta Solis and will agree to the laws passed by the House of Lords and affirmed by the House of Commons. I will abide by the authority granted to the Royal Cabinet by the Carta Solis and His Majesty.

I will serve the High Steward until such time as the King has returned to his throne and has been restored to his place under a vote of House of Lords. I will be released from this oath and swear to His Majesty upon his return.