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Heraldry and Coats of Arms
Heraldry is the science of devising, assigning, recording and maintaining coats of arms and other heraldic devices such as badges, crests and mottoes, for their use in identifying royalty, nobility and certain ecclesiastical authorities, as well as tracing their noble lineage and titles. Heraldry is closely associated with genealogy, knighthood, nobility and royalty, and questions included in this category relate to coats of arms, crests, heraldic badges, rolls of arms, and heraldic elements such as tinctures, charges, ordinaries and marshaling,
452 Questions
What does the coat of arms for Alberta stand for?
The lion on the left side, supporting the shield is representative of the British descent of many Albertan settlers, while the pronghorn on the right of the shield is found in abundance in southern Alberta.
Above the shield is a helmet, a beaver and a crown. The beaver was once very common in Alberta, and is one of the major reasons the Europeans came here in the first place.
The Cross of St. George in the chief (top part of the shield) also celebrates the English heritage of many Albertans when the arms were granted. The cross of St. George is also highly reminiscient of the arms of the Hudson's Bay company, who were the fur traders who helped bring Europeans into the prairies.
The rest of the shield is a simple picture of Alberta's wheat fields, plains, hills and mountains The ground beneath the supporters is covered by the wild rose. The motto FORTIS ET LIBER, is Latin for "Strong and Free".
What is the meaning of a coat of arms?
A coat of arms is a symbol, usually painted on an escutcheon (a shield), that represents a country, institution, Royal Personage or member of the noble class. Some coats of arms are painted on an oval or lozenge instead of a shield, because they belong to a noble woman or a member of the clergy, and they were forbidden to fight in the military in medieval society, so they would not use a shield.
Some people confuse the terms coat of arms and crest, thinking that a coat of arms is a "family crest", but in actual fact, a crest is something placed on top of a helmet displayed above the coat of arms. Many people in England passed their crest down the family line, but each person in the family had a different shield, leading to the term "family crest", but in Germany and Scandinavia, the shield would often be passed down the generations without changes while each member of the family had a different crest.
A display of heraldry including other parts around the coat of arms or shield is called an achievement of arms. This includes the escutcheon or shield displaying the coat of arms, a helm (helmet) which is usually wrapped with a torse and draped with a mantle and sometimes surmounted by a coronet of rank (or royal crown for the King or kingdom, imperial crown for the Emperor, or papal tiara for the Pope) and crest, and the shield may or may not be held up by a pair of animals called supporters. The whole thing is sometimes placed upon a sconce or compartment, and sometimes a banner is also displayed, showing a motto or battle cry. Many of these elements began to appear only at the end of the Middle Ages, and each was symbolic of social or governmental status. A wealthy merchant without noble titles might have a coat of arms (and probably a helmet, torse, mantle and crest) but would not have a coronet of rank, supporters, compartment or motto.
What does wings in the coat of arms mean?
A Martlet or Swallow means 'one who has been dispossessed of land', or the sign of a fourth son.
An Eagle means 'a protector, a person of action, noble, power and strength'.
A Peacock signifies beauty and pride.
A Swan is a sign of a musical person, of poetry and harmony.
A Dove naturally means love and peace.
The Eagle has the presumed ability to stare at the sun without becoming blind and this became a source of metaphors.
The pelican was supposed to be able to open its breast with its beak to feed it's young in times of great distress, so it became a symbol of generosity, parental devotion and redemption. Its generally represented in the act of feeding it's young.
Where can you buy History and Heraldry products?
History & Heraldry Occupation Mugs are available at http://www.gifthorseonline.co.uk/
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.
Why was heraldry important to the middle ages?
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.
What is on Queensland's coat of arms?
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.
What does the cap on the coat of arms mean?
it means rown or The Crown may refer to:
- Crown (anatomy), a part of the head
- Headgear
- Coronet, a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring.
- Crown (headgear), ceremonial headgear
- Tiara, a type of crown
- Civic Crown, a chaplet of common oak leaves woven to form a crown
- Grass Crown, the highest and rarest of all military decorations in the Roman Republic and early Roman empire
- Naval crown, a gold crown awarded to the first man who boarded an enemy ship during a naval engagement. In style, the crown was made of gold and surmounted with the prows of ships
- Consort crown, a crown worn by the consort of a monarch for her coronation or on state occasions
- Coronation crown, a crown used by a monarch when being crowned
- Hoop crown, a crown consisting of a "band around the temples and one or two bands over the head"
- Imperial crown, a crown used for the coronation of emperors
- Mural crown, identified the goddess Tyche, the embodiment of the fortune of a city, familiar to Romans as Fortuna
- The Crown, the legal embodiment of Executive Government in Commonwealth countries
- State crown (primarily British but may be applied to other monarchies), the working crown worn by a monarch on recurring state occasions such as State Openings of Parliament, as opposed to the coronation crown with which they would be formally crowned
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.
How can you find your family coat of arms?
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.
In heraldry what are below a Phoenix?
Flames, usually; the phoenix in mythology died and was reborn in fire.
What is the function of a shield?
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.
What Meaning of colors on coat of arms?
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.
What does the unicorn mean on the coat of arms?
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.
Why is the Irish harp feature on the coat of arms?
At the time of his reign, from 1603 to 1625, Ireland was under British rule, so it featured on his coat of arms.
What does the Bolivian coat of arms stand for?
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.
What does it mean to be in the arms of Morpheus?
Morpheus the god of sleep. In his arms your sleep is deep and sweet.
