Coat of Arms Meaning
Monday, January 14th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
The Art And Order Of Putting Symbols On Shields - the actual coat of arms picture
Making marks or symbols for military purposes can probably be found going back to the earliest man. The Greeks put marks on their shields long before Christianity. Even African warriors painted their wooden shields with symbols of heritage.
However, the art and order that we know as HERALDRY today didn’t start until the 1100’s, around the time of the Crusades. Men from several countries were thrown together during the Crusades. So, the need for a quick, visual way to identify each other became a matter of survival. Especially when wearing suits of armour and closed helmets.
English Knights started putting their marks on their armour and soon the practice spread quickly throughout Europe. Later, cloth, or surcoats were worn over the suits of armor mainly to prevent them from becoming solar ovens for the wearer. The Knight’s marks and symbols, now known as arms, were embroidered on the surcoats making them known as coats of arms.
It wasn’t long before the need to distinguish between these symbols gave rise to a new occupation known as Heralds. A Herald would memorize the knights’ arms and would announce to the public who they were. They became the masters of ceremonies at public competitions. And later, became court appointed positions.
…to be continued
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