A beginner's guide to heraldry

Heraldry is a fascinating field that includes the design, display, and study of armorial bearings, commonly known as armory, along with related areas like vexillology (the study of flags), and the exploration of ceremony, rank, and lineage. The most familiar aspect of heraldry, armory, revolves around the creation and transmission of heraldic achievements, which we know as coats of arms. These typically feature a shield, helmet, and crest, plus other elements like supporters, badges, banners, and mottoes.

While the use of symbols to represent individuals and groups dates back to ancient times, the standardized, hereditary designs that define heraldry emerged during the High Middle Ages. This period saw the use of helmets with face guards, which made it hard to recognize leaders on the battlefield. Heraldry developed as a symbolic language to solve this problem.

The allure and spectacle of heraldic designs ensured their survival even as battlefield armor fell out of use in the seventeenth century. Heraldry has been poetically described as "the handmaid of history," "the shorthand of history," and "the floral border in the garden of history." Today, heraldry continues to be used by individuals, organizations, corporations, and municipalities to represent their heritage, achievements, and aspirations.

Origins of Modern Heraldry

The origins of modern heraldry are quite the mystery, with no single person, time, or place to credit. Although some designs we now recognize as heraldic were around in the eleventh century, early depictions and records up to the start of the twelfth century don’t clearly show their heraldic nature. For instance, the Bayeux Tapestry, which illustrates the Norman invasion of England in 1066 and was likely commissioned around 1077, shows shields with various designs. Some are plain, while others feature dragons, crosses, and other figures. Yet, no individual is shown twice with the same arms, and none of the descendants carried on these designs.

Similarly, an early twelfth-century account of French knights at the Byzantine emperor Alexius I's court describes their shields as polished metal with no heraldic designs. A 1109 Spanish manuscript also mentions plain and decorated shields, none of which appear heraldic. Even the Abbey of St. Denis had a window commemorating knights from the Second Crusade in 1147, but illustrations of the window show no heraldic designs on any shields.

In England, official documents needed seals from the time of the Norman conquest. By the twelfth century, these seals began to show heraldic characteristics. Between 1135 and 1155, seals from England, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy started to feature heraldic devices. A prime example is a seal on a 1164 charter granted by Philip I, Count of Flanders. Earlier seals, however, lacked these symbols, but by the end of the twelfth century, heraldic seals were the norm.

One of the earliest examples of what we now consider heraldry is on the tomb of Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, who died in 1151. An enamel, probably commissioned by Geoffrey's widow between 1155 and 1160, shows him with a blue shield adorned with six golden lions rampant, a blue helmet with another lion, and a cloak lined in vair. Although a medieval chronicle claims Geoffrey received this shield when knighted by his father-in-law, Henry I, in 1128, this account likely dates to around 1175.

Early heraldic writers attributed the lions of England to William the Conqueror, but the first real evidence is a seal with two lions passant used by the future King John