Bylaws of the Sagittarii Artemisia

Membership in the Sagittarii Artemisa

Membership in the Sagittarii Artemisia is by invitation offered by The Crown as Patrons of the Sagittarii, the Legatus, or their designated representative.  Persons interested in joining are encouraged to review the Charter and By-laws, and if they believe they qualify as a Tirones, petition the Legatus for membership.

Rules of Conduct for the Sagittarii Artemisia

  1. The Sagittarii shall conduct themselves in an honorable and chivalrous manner both on and off the field.
  2. The Sagittarii will compete with honor, knowing that acknowledging the skills of a better opponent does not lessen ones own skills or honor.
  3. The Sagittarii shall follow the Marshallate Standards of the Society and the Kingdom. Members shall ensure that those standards are followed by others on the field of combat and/or archery.
  4. The Sagittarii shoot for the joy of shooting, and shall remember at all times that if they compete, it will be in the spirit of friendly competition.
  5. The Sagittarii will strive to use period equipment and wear period garb.
  6. The Sagittarii will seek to share their knowledge with all who ask, and, recognizing that even a beginner has knowledge they may not have, should feel free to ask others for their knowledge.

Officers of the Sagittarii Artemisia

  • All Officers of the Sagittarii serve a term of office of two years. Officers may serve unlimited consecutive terms, resign prior to the end of their term, or be removed from office in accordance with the Disciplinary Action procedures.
  • Legatus- Commander of the Sagittarii, chosen by a simple majority vote of the members, approved by The Crown. Oversees all activities of the Sagittarii.
  • Tribunii- Deputies of the Legatus, appointed by the Legatus, may be designated for separate areas of the Sagittarii (Tribunus Ballistae- siege engines), or for regions of the Kingdom (Tribunus North), or both.
  • Praefect- Deputy of the Legatus, appointed by the Legatus, charged with keeping the membership rolls and publishing changes in ranking.
  • Signifer- Deputy of the Legatus, appointed by him, in charge of Heraldry for the Sagittarii.

Ranks - In order of achievement

Rank in the Sagittarii is much like the grades one progresses through in school- no matter how long it takes to move up, you never move back. As it is a lifetime rank, there is no deadline for any of the ranking shoots.

As the three areas of the Sagittarii are similar but distinctly different, so too are the steps one must take to achieve higher rank in the Sagittarii different for each area. Here then are the ranks with the general requirements of each shown first, then the specifics for each area designated by the initials TA for Target Archery, CA for Combat Archery, and SC for Siege Combat. Specific ranking shoots for each area and Bart's Rules are in appendices A through D.

In order to progress in rank, the member must fulfill the requirements of advancement. When the member meets all of the requirements for advancement, the Praefect will notify the Legatus. The Legatus will verify that the member has fulfilled all of the requirements of advancement and will acknowledge that the member has been advanced in rank. This acknowledgment may be done in person or in writing.

An archer must have held her or his current rank for one moon (all the phases of the moon) before being considered for advancement to the next rank.

  • Amicae Sagittarii- One who is a friend of the Sagittarii, who has not yet qualified as Tirones, does not partake in our three areas but supports the Sagittarii in our efforts, or does not reside in Artemisia. The rank of Amicae entitles one to wear the favor but no other regalia of the Sagittarii, and is given only by invitation of an officer of the Sagittarii.
  • Tirones- One who participates in one of the areas of the Sagittarii and makes some attempt at period garb or equipment.
    TA- Meets the requirements of Tirones as described in Appendices B and F.
    CA- has his/her own armor and equipment, is an authorized Combat Archer, knows and understands Bart's Rules, has participated in at least one ranking shoot or melee
    SC- has his/her own siege engine, is authorized in Siege Combat.
  • Milites- Tirones who usually uses some period garb or equipment.
    TA- Meets the requirements of Milites as described in Appendices B and F.
    CA- has participated in at least two melees and one ranking shoot, follows Bart's Rules.
    SC- has participated in at least one ranking shoot and one melee, follows Bart's Rules.
  • Tessarius- Milites who more often than not uses some period garb or equipment, and is a teacher or leader in their area. All officers must be a Tessarius or higher.
    TA- Meets the requirements of Tessarius as described in Appendices B and F.
    CA- has participated in at least one inter- or out of-kingdom melee and two more ranking shoots as Milites, is a shining example of Bart's Rules.
    SC- has participated in one more ranking shoot and two more melees as Milites, is a shining example of Bart's Rules.
  • Optio- Tessarius who always uses some period equipment or garb, is a teacher and leader in their area, and has organized or Marshalled ranking shoots.
    TA- Meets the requirements of Optio as described in Appendices B and F.
    CA- has participated in two inter- or out of-kingdom melees and completed two more ranking shoots as Tessarius, teaches Bart's Rules. Has commanded a Combat Archer unit of at least two other archers in melee once.
    SC- has completed all ranking shoots, participated in two more melees including one inter- or out of-kingdom, can teach the construction of at least one direct- or indirect-fire engine, teaches Bart's Rules.
  • Decurion- Optio who always uses some period equipment and garb, and is a Warranted and/or Authorized Marshal.
    TA- Meets the requirements of Decurion as described in Appendices B and F.
    CA- has completed all requirements for Optio and all ranking shoots. Has commanded a Combat Archer unit of at least two other archers in melee twice.
    SC- has met all requirements for Optio and can teach the construction of at least one direct-fire and one indirect-fire engine.

Insignia of the Sagittarii

Members of the Sagittarii will be identified by one or more of the following; a leather vambrace worn on the left arm, a black hooded mantle or lirpipe with lining matching their rank (silver or gold), a pin on a black or black and gold background, a buckler displaying the device of the Sagittarii, or a belt favor in the colors of the Sagittarii device, marked as follows:

  • Tirones- one silver astrological symbol for Sagittarius-the Archer
  • Milites- two silver astrological symbols for Sagittarius-the Archer
  • Tessarius- three silver astrological symbols for Sagittarius-the Archer
  • Optio- four silver astrological symbols for Sagittarius-the Archer
  • Decurion- one gold astrological symbol for Sagittarius-the Archer

Members of the Sagittarii may also further designate which of the three areas they participate in by any or all of the following methods.

Those members who achieve rank in more than one area are strongly encouraged to use these methods to differentiate the ranks:

  1. If using their rank and/or office in the Sagittarii as part of a signature, by adding the initials TA for Target Archery, CA for Combat Archery, and SC for Siege Combat to the end of the rank/office, i.e. "Milites of the Sagittarii, TA".
  2. By adding a tabard to the Centaur on the Sagittarii insignia, showing a pair of crossed arrows for Target Archery, a sword for Combat Archery, and a castle for Siege Combat.
  3. By adding the arrows, sword, or castle to the center of the circle of the Sagittarius symbol .

In addition, officers shall be identified by a braided cord worn around the left arm, at the shoulder, as follows:

  • Legatus- one black and two gold
  • Tribunii- one gold
  • Praefect- two silver
  • Signifer- one silver

Officers may use a rank pin to hold their cords of office in place.

Disciplinary Action

Should the Legatus determine that a member of the Sagittarii has, by their actions or words, brought Dishonor on the Sagittarii, they must convene a Tribunal. The Tribunal will consist of all the officers and Decurions, excepting only the member in question and the accusing member if such there be. The Tribunal will review all pertinent information regarding the situation, and decide if the individual is deserving of punishment. If such is the case, the Legatus will pronounce the punishment(s) specified by the Tribunal, which will then be entered and published by the Praefect. The punishment shall be one or more of the following:

  1. Removal from office.
  2. Reduction in rank for a specified period of time.
  3. Permanent reduction in rank.
  4. Permanent expulsion from the Sagittarii and loss of all rank.

In certain circumstances, no Tribunal is required, and expulsion is mandatory, specifically the following offenses:

  1. Any act or acts which result in Banishment for the Duration of the Reign.
  2. Any act or acts which result in being stripped of one's combat authorization, as decided by the Kingdom Earl Marshal.
  3. Any willful disregard for the safety of others on the range, which results in injury or death.

Changes to these by-laws may be made by the Legatus at his/her discretion with the majority agreement of the officer corps.