Heraldry
Have you noticed that medieval knights and kings are often pictured holding colourful shields usually decorated with crosses, animals, plants or some other objects? Have you noticed too, that despite being different in appearance, all of them have some things in common? Have you ever wondered where these designs came from and why they are still used today?
The answers to these questions is the story of heraldry, the old practice of painting shields with images to identify a warrior..
Origins of Heraldry
Heraldry began in the early Middle Ages in Europe. It began because of warfare. Protective shields carried by knights and foot soldiers were often painted with patterns and symbols. These displays weren't decorative. They had a very practical purpose. They identified the family or king for which the warriors were fighting. The painted shields helped to distinguish friend from foe on the battlefield. This was especially important for knights. Dressed in armour from head to toe, it would have been impossible for them to identify the enemy. Later the designs became more elaborate and became a family crest or coat of arms. Eventually, noblemen had their family coat of arms woven into their clothing and carved into household furniture, walls and wall hangings. It became a way of boasting about their power and wealth.
Between battles, coats of arms served other purposes. They were used to keep track of the number and identity of the entrants in jousting tournaments knights attended to keep their fighting skills sharp.
The coat of arms of a family was passed on unchanged to the eldest son. Other sons could use it too but were expected to add something to make it their own. When a woman married, her family's coat of arms was often added to that of her husband. To accomplish this, the shield portion was divided into four parts. The man's family coat of arms was in the upper left quarter and lower right one. The woman family's arms were in the other two quarters.
At first, only the king had a coat of arms. As they gained power, noblemen were allowed to have them too. Later peasants could earn their own coats of arms by performing a great deed or by earning the favours of a nobleman. Either way, the chosen design had to be approved by the king.
Today, many families still have coats of arms. Countries and kings have them too. So do many organizations. A coat of arms is a declaration to the world that an individual belongs to a group special group whose members share a common purpose.
Heralders and the Language of Heraldry
The designs painted on shields and coats of arms were created by very skilled craftsmen called heralds. They attended herald school at a very young age and were taught how to read and write. They were also taught Blazon, the special language of heraldry. Originating from old Norman French, Blazon contained all the words needed to create and describe a coat of arms.
The heralds were also required to memorize all of the coats of arms that existed at that time. To help the king and his soldiers, heralds were always present at the battlefield. Sometimes after a battle had ended, heralds sorted through the coats of arms of the survivors to determine who had won!
Each coat of arms is unique. Each one is a different combination of colours and symbols. Yet, creating them followed strict rules and were based on a set of limited colours and design elements. It was the job of the heralds to apply the strict rules of heraldry when creating a coat of arms.
The rules that controlled the design of a coat of arms can be very confusing to a beginner. These rules controlled not only the colours and patterns used, but also the type and placement of symbols. Below is a very simple version of some of these rules. The graphics included will help you understand these rules.
Design Features
The heraldry name for colours is Tinctures. The number of colours from which to choose were limited. This was to ensure the coat of arms could be easily seen from a distance. Even in the middle ages, there were rules of war everyone had to follow.
Tinctures fell into three groups: Metals, Colours and Furs. To keep things simple, only metals and colours will be covered here.
Metals
The metals were gold (Or in the language of heraldry) and silver (Argent). The colour yellow was used to represent gold while white was used to represent silver. These two colours were used on the shield's background, also called the field.
Colours
The colours group of tinctures had five basic colours: Gules (red), Azure (blue), Sable (black), Vert (green) and Purpure (purple). They were pure colours, pastels were not allowed. There was also much symbolism associated with these colours. Gold was a symbol of generosity, silver of peace and honesty. Red symbolized the bravery, strength, just and generous nature of the shield's owner. Blue symbolized truth and loyalty, green symbolized hope, joy and love while black was a sign of grief. The graphic below shows these colours applied to shields. Colours could also be used to colour the field of the shield.
There were strict rules on combining the colours of Metal and Colours. This was to ensure that at a distance, the colour combinations were easily seem. For example:
Metal may not be placed on metal.
Example: A herald could not put a gold lion on a silver background.
Colour may not be placed on colour.
Example: A herald could not put a red lion on a blue background.
Metal must always be placed on a colour.
Example: A yellow lion could be placed on a blue background.
Colour must always be placed on a metal.
Example: A herald could put a red lion on a yellow background.
Charges
Any object shown on a shield was called a charge. Animals were frequently used as the main charge. They were drawn flat but were still easily recognizable. The animals were usually fierce, and were often drawn in postures of combat. Red tongues and claws were added, even if the real animals had neither. These small details did not have to follow the metal/color rules.
Many animals, most real and some mythical, were used as charges on a shield. They include the Lion, Bear, Boar, Horse, Dragon and Griffin. Each animal had personality characteristics associated with them. The lion, for example, symbolized courage, the bear protectiveness, the boar fierceness in battle, the horse readiness, the dragon defender and the griffin daring.
Other charges on the shield were puns on the family surname. The coat of arms for "Wheatley" for example, had sheaves of wheat depicted. To show who the nobleman supported, symbols from his king's coat of arms were included on his own.
A very serious charge and one depicted in many different ways was the Christian cross. It meant that the original owner of the coat of arms had been to the Crusades.
Shields
Shields were first used to carry the identification marks of the medieval soldier. Only later were other items added to create the coat of arms. As in the past, the shield remains the centerpiece of the coat of arms.
Shields shapes for a coat of arms was much the same for all families. Where they differed was in how the shield was partitioned or divided into different sections. Four of the most common divisions are pictured below.
Name______
Date______
Period______
Heraldry Notes
What were some of the practical purposes of heraldry? It helped identify knights in battle. It showed your wealth and power.
Who received the coat-of-arms when it’s owner died? The oldest son received it. Other sons had to add something to change the coat-of-arms.
What happened to a woman’s coat-of-arms when she got married? It was combined with her husbands. The man gets the upper left and lower right part of the shield, the woman gets the other parts.
Metals : Gold and silver. Yellow is gold and white is silver. Light orange also works for gold.
Colors : Also called tinctures. Red, blue, black, green, and purple. Each color had symbolism and meaning.
Field: The background of the shield.
Rules for combining metals and colors: Metals can not be placed on metals, colors can not be placed on colors.
Charge: An object shown on a shield such as a lion or castle. Small details did not have to follow the rules of metals and colors, such as claws, horns, eyes, etc.