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It is not clear whether you are asking about how knights chose their heraldry, or how it was used on the battlefield.
Throughout the medieval period, from about the 1140s, heraldry was widespread in Europe but almost completely unregulated. The few rules that were applied differed from one country to another and in the first stages of its development there were no rules at all.
When a man was created a knight he was entitled to have a coat of arms which could be displayed on his shield; middle and higher grades of knights might also have a banner displaying their heraldry - this banner would be carried by a member of the knight's retinue and symbolised the knight's presence. Some knights had heraldry that reflected their family name (such as seven winnowing fans for a knight of the Septvans family, or a wild boar for Hogg). Others simply chose a random design for themselves, or had one allocated to them by the king himself - Henry II allocated a coat of arms to his favourite huntsman which included three lions (from the royal arms).
As well as the heraldry on the shield (the arms), a knight might also choose to have a heraldic badge such as an eagle, stag or rose, which would be worn on the clothing of all his servants and retainers; he might also have a crest which could feature as a wooden or paper mache sculpture on top of his helmet. The badge and crest did not have to have any connection at all with the coat of arms.
The job of a herald was to learn by heart all the coats of arms of the knights in his own army and those of prominent knights in the enemy's army - a considerable task calling for an immensely good memory.
Shields with some form of design on them were used as rallying points during battles, and to stop yourself from being attacked by your side. As with human nature this lead to the designs getting bigger and more colourful, and thus the art of heraldry was born.
Queensland's Coat of Arms has a shield with a bull's head, a merino ram, a pile of quartz and a gold pyramid with a spade and pick. These images symbolise the pastoral, mining and agricultural industries.
The shield is supported by a red deer (an introduced species) and the brolga (Queensland's official state bird). The Queensland State badge sits at the top surrounded by two sugar cane stems. Sugar cane is a significant industry along Queensland's coast.
The motto is "Audax et Fidelis", which means "Bold, Aye, and Faithful Too".
The Cuban Coat of Arms is the official heraldic symbol of Cuba. It consists of a shield, in front of a Fasces crowned by the Phrygian Cap and is supported by an oak branch and a laurel wreath.
it means rown or The Crown may refer to:
It is still used by people with the right to bear arms. The Kings of Arms have a regular source of income from new Life Peers.
Many organisations, especially towns and cities also use heraldry.
If the family name is of British, Scottish, Welsh, or Irish ancestry, the College of Heralds is the place to seek help.
Heralds have, down thru the centuries, been the people who design and authenticate, family coats of arms, and crests. They are the official arbiters of what, who, why, and when, as it applies to family heritage.
Do a GOOGLE search and see what the College of Heralds can do to help you.
Follow up question on previous response. What about a European (Polish,German,Swiss,etc.etc.)surname. Use the same resources??
Be very cautious in researching a family crest - the majority of people at that time did not have such an emblem, and were farmers, peasants, etc. There area lot of scam companies offering crests, lineages etc for a price.
Don't forget, just because you find an authentic crest for your Surname does not necessarily make your family eligible. You must find and authenticate a direct lineage to the proper family members to use a crest.
There is no such thing as a family crest; crests are part of the overall heraldry held by an individual (usually a man). They refer to the crest worn on top of a knight's helmet during the late medieval period - not to the design on the shield.
A crest can be many kinds of things like a swan, a deer's head and neck, a man's arm holding a sword, a ship, a standing dragon and so on. This crest was often used as a badge by the knight's retainers and servants, who were not permitted to have a coat of arms.
Fraudsters have in modern times pretended to be able to identify "your family coat of arms" in return for payment; this idea is completely false because if you have been awarded a complete coat of arms (with motto, supporters, mantling and crest) you will already have a legal heraldic document proving it - nobody without that evidence can claim to have any heraldry.
In England, Wales and Scotland it is a serious offence in law to pretend that you have title to any part of a coat of arms (including the crest) when you have no such right.
Flames, usually; the phoenix in mythology died and was reborn in fire.
Shields are used for to help block an opponents attack from arrows hitting you. The Roman shields could over lap so that the spears or arrows could hit or pierce a soldier. Some shields are made differently the can be made out of wood, metal, or poplar. Sometimes it has a metal boss to help protect the hand and can knock a solider off balance.
The colors of heraldry each have their own meaning. Red stands for nobility, boldness and ferocity. Purple signifies justice and majesty. Orange represents a tennis ball. Blue signifies piety and sincerity. Black symbolizes knowledge, serenity and work. Green stands for joy, youth, and beauty.
As Lewis Carol once wrote: The Lion and the Unicorn were fighting for the crown! The unicorn represents those whom are ruled, and of course the crown, the monarchy. and in civilization, monarchies, lost out, and have been replaced by Oligarcies. oligarchy: 1. small governing group: group of people who together govern a nation or control an organization, often for their own purposes. As all government is devisive, history has proved the truth of: MATTHEW 12:25. Every Kingdom divided against itself is bought to dessolation; Every city or house divided against itself, shall not stand. On line KJV http://ebible.org/kjv/kjv.htm
Coats of arms were used to identify individuals of high status on the battle field when they were otherwise unrecognizable in their armor.
At the time of his reign, from 1603 to 1625, Ireland was under British rule, so it featured on his coat of arms.
The Bolivian's flag symbol is an eagle surronded by crossed muskets and olive branches. I know this because I had to do a project on Bolivia and their culture snd flag and map. I hope I could be useful.