Feel free to pass this post by, It is just a meandering thought I wanted to get out.
In my Facebook memories was a memory from 12 years ago. 'Super Barony' , it was a silly name for something that I was passionate about and had been for several years. When I moved to the lands called Rauchenderberg, at this point 20+ years ago, there were 2 Baronies in Germany. Knights Crossing, the most ancient of lands in the kingdom and Drei Eichen, a totally German barony that had a few expats but had been grown and maintained by the German population there.
As soon as I hit these shores there was already murmuring of a Danube barony. One that would unite Southern Germany and Austria. A cool idea from my perspective. Of course this idea had pitfalls one of them being it crossed an international border and the SCA inc frowned on that, but still a group of us held out that someday, we could have another Barony in Germany. Sadly, this was not meant to be, but what happened instead is just as much of a good thing and in hindsight, an even better thing.
You see, as time went on the SCA population dwindled, especially in Southern Germany where a large portion of the players had been US military members and their dependent's who are only here for 3-5 years at best. Slowly groups dwindled and then blew away like dust. This was not a unique thing though to the South, Dre Eichen a formidable barony dwindled in numbers as well reducing them from a Barony to a shire, and at one point practically non existent. At this same time the numbers in Knights Crossing were dwindling as well. Our southern most Shire, Isengau also fell prey to the changing times. People moved, had kids, just stopped, and many other cases of 'life' happened that kept people from the SCA.
I am not quite sure how the conversation started, but I know several of the players involved. Ele, Haldan, Gottfried and myself got the ball rolling. Others were of great support as well, Bridget, Marcus, Judith and Gerhardt were a few. No matter, the idea had been struck, maybe we should become a canton of KC (Knights Crossing) and if we did, maybe others would too. There was talk of what the pro's and con's could be. There was lots of talk! We held a meeting in my dining room (I've got the salt!!) and talked among the members of Turmstadt. We hashed out many things but came to the conclusion, we are better and stronger together. I then spent weeks talking to members of other shire's, I think we all did. Planting seeds, growing the idea of an all Germany barony. Baby steps.
We decided to go forward and there was a polling held for who the new Head(s) of the Barony would be. As it stood 4 couples put in letters of intent and of those four it was me and my husband(at the time) that were chosen. It was announced at the Spring Crown Tournament and in April that year and would be July before the investiture happened. In that time we prepared and talked some more and on the day we took the Baronial seats, we accepted 7 cantons to the Barony. It was new territory for all of us. I had never been a Baroness and they had never been cantons. We did all we could to make the transition smooth, to keep the promise that you didn't have to surrender your local identity to be part of something larger, and I like to think we succeeded.
Those first two years were rough and had frustrations but there was also oh so much joy. Ten years on and I have watched with joy and pride to see us grow. Meadowmarsh joining under our successors and after them Isengau (unfortunately, their lands became ours by default as there were no active members there), bringing the baronial lands to include all of Germany.
