José Cabrera de Castilla
La nobleza no se conoce fronteras --Ramon Lull
Name
José Cabrera de Castilla is mundanely known as Ryan Davidson.
The name José Cabrera de Castilla is a properly researched, documented, and approved SCA name (March 2008). It is historically accurate to 16th century Spain. The name José is the equivalent of the English name "Joseph". Cabrera is a familial surname, and de Castilla is a locative byname. In combination, the compound surname represents José's origin. See the Persona History section for more information.
- My SCA name is actually a compound irony/homage. I chose the name Cabrera for two reasons; primarily, it stems from when I was a teller for Oregon Community Credit Union and one of my favorite members to assist was a hispanic gentleman whose last name was Cabrera. The ironic part comes in from the etymology of the word "Cabrera" itself. Un cabrón is a goat, and una cabrera is a goatherd. So I find it hilarious to portray a pompous, well-dressed Spaniard whose name means "The goatherd of Castile."
Interests
José pursues a number of SCA-related interests.
Dance
José attends the Three Mountains Dance Practice on occasion, and is happy to dance at any event that includes one.
Heavy Fighting
José acquired his first suit of armor in time to fight in the Acorn War in 2006. He attends the Three Mountains Fight Practice and the Dragon's Mist Fight Practice as he is able, and is in the process of migrating from his starter set into a matching 16th century harness. José primarily fights with a sword and buckler, in an attempt to emulate the style of the Spanish rodeleros. As a member of the Iron Ring, José is a mercenary and will sell his services to the highest bidder in a war.
Millinery
José works hard to make accurately shaped bonnets, tall hats, toques, and other headwear of the 16th century in both men's and women's styles. Rather than work from completely period materials, he focuses on durability and retention of shape so that the work he creates can survive rough treatment by its owner. He's also produced a set of hats for the Wilsonville High School production of Taming of the Shrew.
Tailoring
Tailoring is the primary skill that José practices as often as possible within the SCA.
José studies the cut and construction of mid-to-late 16th century clothing for both men and women. In men's clothing, he has learned to draft patterns for doublets, hose, trunkhose (slops, pantaloons, breeches), shirts and capes. Using final drafts of custom-fit patterns, he designed court garb for himself and his lady wife for Twelfth Night Coronation XLIII/2009.
He completed an outfit of green doublet and hose that match the lacing points of the first outfit, ensuring the interchangeability of the pieces. Plans are underway for brown, bronze and white garments as well.
Woodworking
In 2006, José created a set of 8 wooden benches for the Iron Ring. One of these has since fallen victim to a drunken pirate crushing it, but the others have held up very well, having been stained and sealed against the weather (and various forms of alcohol that have been spilled on them). He's concocting a plan to make a set of sedia a tenaglia for himself and his lady wife, if not for the Iron Ring and maybe the shire of Dragon's Mist.
Wiki Editing
Although not a primary component of SCA activities, José feels strongly that this wiki has a lot of potential to be a central repository of historical and cultural information for An Tir. He spends more than a little time editing the Culturewiki.
==SCA Event History==
- The Gathering, May 2005.
- Gypsy Days, Seadog Nights, July 2005.
- Acorn War, September 2005.
- Pacific University Demo (now Faire in the Grove), April 2006.
- The Gathering, May 2006.
- Seadog Nights, July 2006.
- Acorn War, September 2006. First war event. Was asked by Duke Sir Amalric Blackhart to fight on his side in the war.
- First Court, Barony of Three Mountains, March 2007.
- Faire in the Grove, April 2007.
- The Gathering, May 2007.
- Seadog Nights, July 2007.
- Blackthorne Revel, August 2007. Participated in the wake for Esclave de Winter, lost champion of the Iron Ring.
- Sport of Kings, August 2007.
- Beaverton Farmer's Market Demo, September 2007. Fought in the heavy fighting demonstration.
- Yule Feast, Canton of Kaldor, December 2007.
- Faire in the Grove, April 2008. Fought in the heavy fighting demonstration.
- Egil's Tourney, May 2008.
- An Tir-West War, July 2008.
- Tryggvy's War II: Boudica's Revenge, July 2008.
- Dragon's Mist Defenders Tourney, August 2008.
- Acorn War, September 2008.
- Beaverton Farmer's Market Demo, September 2008. Marshaled the heavy fighting.
- Autumn Masque, Barony of Three Mountains, October 2008.
- Yule Feast, Baronies of Stromgard and Three Mountains, December 2008.
- Twelfth Night, Adiantum, January 2009.
- Carnevale di Venezia, April 2009.
- Faire in the Grove, May 2009. Marshaled the heavy fighting.
- The Gathering, May 2009. Thought it fitting to attend this event in its last year since it was my first event ever.
- It's been a heckuva time getting into the SCA. I think I've done more and more every season since I started. My first season was three events, camping with my brother and some friends of his, and for 2009 we're up to a household of 20+ people and hitting nearly a dozen events.
Events José will be attending this season:
- Honey War
- Dragon's Mist Defenders Tournament
- An Tir/West War
- July Coronation
- Stormgods
- Autumn War
- Sport of Kings
- Acorn War
Persona History
José is the son of Tomas Cabrera, a wealthy tailor, and Analucia de Castilla, a member of a minor branch of a larger noble family. He was born in Barcelona. The marriage was arranged to both bolster the fortunes of Analucia's nearly impoverished family and provide Tomas' children with a station above his own. Despite being an arranged marriage, the couple were relatively happy with each other as spouses.
José learned his father's trade of tailoring from a young age. At his mother's insistence, he was given basic training in swordfighting, reading and writing, and courtly etiquette including dancing. After his father fell ill, José took over the tailoring trade despite his mother's many protests. He continued this business for nearly two years before his father recovered sufficiently to attend his own affairs again.
Shortly thereafter, José was sent to Milan to establish interest and control over a number of guilds and trades. At this time, the Spanish Habsburgs had recently come in control of Milan, so it was an opportunity for the family to seize some power and influence. In addition to learning something of the woodworking trade while there, José became attached to a unit of rodeleros in defense of Milan against aggression from neighboring states.
Once his term of service ended, José remained enamored of his experience in war. He sought out a company with which he could continue his military training, and encountered the Iron Ring on one of it's many maneuvers into Italy. After securing the loose ends of his family's growing wealth and power in the hands of other members of the family, José took up with the mercenaries and quickly gained rank, becoming a sergeant.
Despite active campaigning throughout Europe and especially An Tir, José and Iuliana have found time to begin a family, and expect their first child in December of A.S. XLIV.
Affiliation
José Cabrera de Castilla is a member of the Iron Ring, living in the Shire of Dragon's Mist.
José is married, both mundanely and in-persona, to Iuliana de la Sara.
Rank and Station
- Sergeant of the Iron Ring
- Camp Master of the Iron Ring
- Keeper of the Grete Boke for Dragon's Mist
Achievements, Awards and Accolades
- José's work has been featured on the the Realm of Venus in a garb showcase.
- José created the website of the Dragon's Mist event Carnevale di Venezia.