Heraldry & Coats of Arms

Pontbriand Coat of Arms (Mark Cartwright) 

In the Middle Ages (specifically 12th century CE), heraldry was used to define who a person was under layers of armor.  It originally was used to identify people within battle, but evolved by the 13th century CE to denote family descent, alliance, adoption, property ownership and profession (3). Known more commonly as armory, heraldry was distinct from other ancient symbols of the time because heraldic arms were both personal and hereditary. The name comes from the heralds that were responsible for listing and advertising amoral bearings, especially at tournaments. It was a herald's job to recite the rules and challenges of a tournament, as they were expected to have extensive knowledge on who was under a set of armor (1). 

Coat of Arms of Joan of Arc
Mark Cartwright

Coat of Arms refers to the cloth worn over the set of armor to shield it from the sun, it would also be on the banner and shield (2). Coat of arms also helped to heralds to identify the dead as they searched the battle field and in social surroundings of a tournament. Arms also appear in official records, seals of correspondence, stained glass, tombs, and even tableware. As the Middle Ages went on, both heraldry and coats of arms because more elaborate and complex, showing more family lineage than to identify oneself on the battlefield (1). This is especially apparent in the use of shields. 

Shield Designs 

Early uses of arms did not need to be complex, as the most obvious place to have identification was on a shield, which did not have much surface area. In the 12th CE, shields were simple, bearing a single color or two separated by a horizontal/vertical line or two (1). Then as more people decided to take up coats of arms, they needed to be more varied in order to identify anyone. This resulted in not just colors, but symbols becoming adopted. Some being eagles, crosses, flowers, lions, etc. (2). There were also symbols added to denote when families married and their coat of arms would be mixed in a half and half design (4). 

Coat of Arms of Anne of Brittany 
Mark Cartwright

Illustration of shields
Clement Prinsault

13th Century CE Roll of Arms 
Mathew Paris 

Typical colors for this time were generally limited to gold (yellow), silver (white), red, black, green, purple, and blue. Green and purple were less common and only seen in the wealthy (4). To increase design as more knights took up coats of arms, lines diving the shields became more and more complex. Arms were meant to be reproduced by artists, so they had to be simple enough to replicate, but still describing the families profession and name (3). One common misconception however, is the use of mythological animals (1). Those were not used until after the Middle Ages. Heraldry and coat of arms still exist today, seen in clubs, sports teams, and military. 

Works Cited 

(1) Cartwright, Mark. “Medieval Heraldry.” World History Encyclopedia, https://www.worldhistory.org#organization, 29 Sept. 2023, www.worldhistory.org/Medieval_Heraldry/.

(2) “Coat of Arms.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 27 Aug. 2024, www.britannica.com/topic/coat-of-arms.

(3) “Coat of Arms.” Medieval Chronicles, 4 June 2023, www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-history/medieval-coat-of-arms/.

(4) “The DOS and Don’ts of Medieval Heraldry.” The Dos and Don’ts of Medieval Heraldry : Medieval Text Manuscripts, www.textmanuscripts.com/blog/entry/12_15_dosanddon-ts. Accessed 10 Sept. 2024.