In the early days of the Society, women were not allowed to fight and those that tried their hand at it were not looked upon with much favor. Many men would not fight a woman if they faced each other on the field, nor would they accept any blows given. Some have called it chivalry, not to strike the fairer sex for any reason. Others called it discrimination for refusing to accept someone as an equal.
This a strange bit of history, for the Society was born in a mundane area and in a mundane time known for its rather progressive ideals. Aside from that, what with the generous helping of Tolkien appreciation that helped form the Society, one would think that there would be room for the shield maidens of Rohan. Alas, that was not to be. For a time, women on the field of war would wear green sashes and the men who would not fight them would wear purple, allowing them to avoid one another without arguement.
Ioseph of Locksley, the Atenveldt Laurel King, legalized women fighting in the Society in AS IX due to Trude of Lacklandia's historical documentation of the existence of women warriors in the time period covered by the SCA. Trude of Lacklandia became the first female knight of the Society. Isoeph's arms sit in the bottom margin, vert a tree eradicated argent. Iospeh wrote a song immortalizing an incident of her bravery, called "I'll See Your Six".
The red flag held by Sir Trude in the tapestry bears the badge of House Ironrose, an inter-kingdom household for women fighters. There are numerous other forums created specifically to encourage new members to the sport as well as to educate on the history and mechanics of women fighting.
In the bottom margin is a boar centered in a broken crown. This represent Michael of Boarshaven, a King of the Middle, who abdicated a few months short of completing his reign, which is considered by many to be an unsuccessful one. His queen, Zarina of the Great Dark Horde, had abdicated two months prior, unable to work together as ruling monarchs any longer. In defense of Michael's erratic behavior, he suffered severe head trauma while working a mundane job as a security guard, suffering some memory loss. Whether or not this had anything to do with the reign to follow is still a point of contention, but his actions shaped a great deal of Midrealm Law and custom - such as the invitational Crown tourney - as well as Curia involvement.