This month I am announcing the opening of the Middle Kingdom History website at https://history.midrealm.org/
The idea for the website came from Baroness Gianna Vettori. She correctly identified that the problem with social media is that once a post is made it will quickly be lost. The website is a solution to this problem which will permanently chronicle the history of this Kingdom. She also volunteered to manage the back end of the website.
Thus far the website has every history-related post that originally only appeared on Facebook. This includes every peerage anniversary post, award anniversary post, and group anniversary post.
However, this is only the beginning. There is a new Publications section which will host previously published works (with permission, of course). We currently have permission to host Duke Laurelen Darksbane’s 2016 work, “The Histories and Chronicles of the Middle Kingdom of the SCA”. I have just received permission to distribute several older works by Orlando Ambrosius and I look forward to uploading those post-Pennsic – notably “The Collected Brief History of the Middle Kingdom”.
Additionally, I have begun to catalog every item in the Kingdom Archive. I have begun with The Pale. Once I have taken stock of everything we have, I will scan and upload every issue of The Pale in the Archive. There are large holes in what the Archive holds. To quote from Duke Laurelen’s “Chronicles of the Middle Kingdom”:
“1994 (A.S. XXIX) – September 23: Fire destroys Middle Kingdom Archives and ‘Gatehouse.’ All Regalia not in the hands of the Royalty or otherwise not present in the archive is lost and all records of the Kingdom not in other official hands or not having copies elsewhere are lost. Much was lost, such as the ancient Royal Scepter of the Kings of the Midrealm, presented by the Barony of the Cleftlands and used since A.S.VIII, and other things of ancient lineage both great and small. Thus is it with history. Acts and occurrence beyond our control and devices can take from us artifact, document, and treasures, leaving them only to the memories of those who saw and held them; to merely record their existence and image for those who never did.”
Having a full catalog of what we have will tell us what we do not have. At that time I will put out a call for willing noble persons to donate to the Kingdom a copy of what issues of The Pale they have.
This labor is a delight and I appreciate the enthusiasm with which my efforts have been met.
In Service,
Forester Cadfan of the Autumn Wood
Middle Kingdom Historian