diff --git a/_pages/techfaqs.md b/_pages/techfaqs.md index 0d30026..a33426e 100644 --- a/_pages/techfaqs.md +++ b/_pages/techfaqs.md @@ -171,6 +171,33 @@ You might also consider bounding the year if possible: 3 PHRASE March 3rd (year unknown) ``` +## How do I record a regnal year? + +A "regnal year" is a year in the reign of a sovereign, such as in "12 March, 5 Henry VIII" +meaning March 12 in the 5th year of the reign of Henry VIII. Such dates commonly +appear in various types of historical records. + +Regnal years do not warrant new calendars, however, since they do not define their own months +and do not span a full 12 months during the final year of the sovereign's reign. + +Dates with regnal years can be used in a `PHRASE`: + +``` +2 DATE 12 MAR 1514 +3 PHRASE 12 March, 5 Henry VIII +``` + +The actual year to use in the `DATE` payload can be looked up based on when the +sovereign began their reign. For example, Henry VIII's reign began on 22 April 1509 +so 12 March within the 5th year of his reign would be in 1514. + +If the exact year of a given regnal year is not known, approximate dates with `BET`/`AND` or `ABT` can be used to indicate this uncertainty: + +``` +2 DATE ABT 553 BCE +3 PHRASE In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus +``` + ## How do I record the calendar that an age applies to? When a person has events recorded in the contexts of multiple calendars within their lifetime, such