Heraldry in the Middle Ages

Heraldry, defined as a system of inherited symbols or devices for the purpose of identifying individuals or families, became one of the most distinguishable elements of feudalism and knighthood during the Middle Ages. The term “heraldry” comes from the the fact that heralds at tournaments became experts in the design of these types of devices; though the act of using symbols to represent civil and military authority goes far back to the ancient world.

Territorial districts in ancient Egypt used devices to recognize these authorities, and the Romans used the symbol of the eagle on their standards. But we can even go back to the books of the Old Testament to find mention of hereditary devices being associated with individuals and families:

Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father’s house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch.

And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers

– Numbers 2: 2, 34

Skipping forward to the early Middle Ages in the 8th century, Bede comments on the banners of King Edwin of East Anglia: “[they] were not only borne before him in battle, but even in time of peace, when he rode about his cities, towns or provinces … the standard bearer was wont to go before him.”

The Bayeux Tapestry also shows possible evidence of heraldry. Most of the flags in the tapestry have devices attached to them, though whether these devices have some sort of personal or territorial significance is up for debate. In looking at images of the Bayeux Tapestry, I did not see any emblems painted on the shields of the soldiers, though Joseph and Frances Gies claim in their book Life in a Medieval Castle that symbols on banners and shields to distinguish leaders were common in the eleventh century. The Bayeux Tapestry was likely created some time in the later part of this century.

In the 12th century, the tradition grew of passing a device down from father to son. Geoffrey of Anjou received a shield with golden lions painted on it at the time of his knighting; Henry I, Geoffrey’s father-in-law, gave this shield to him, and William Longespee, Earl of Salisbury and grandson of Geoffrey of Anjou, later inherited the emblem of the golden lions. The Clare family, lords of Chepstow, had three chevrons as their heraldic device. Gilbert de Clare, around 1140, adopted this emblem as the family insignia. Today, you will see chevrons on the uniform of a U.S. army sergeant.

By the time of the 13th century, the heraldic device became a symbol of chivalric ideology and societal status. Also called coat of arms for its use on surcoats, these devices took on a sense of art and science in their development. Shields were divided into segments in a specific manner — tierced in fesse meant the shield was divided into three horizontal segments and in saltire meant it was cut into four partitions by a diagonal cross. All sorts of animals and natural elements were used in the design: dragons, lions, leopards, eagles, fish, stars, moons, trees, bushes, flowers, etc. The embroidering and painting of emblems on shields, banners, helmets, and surcoats is still in use today, most notably on modern sports teams’ jerseys, helmets, and flags. So while the medieval form of heraldry no longer exists, the spirit of it certainly lives on.

Which leaves one final question: if you could design your own medieval coat of arms, what would it look like?

Sources:

Gies, Joseph and Francis. Life in a Medieval Castle. Harper Perennial, 1979.

Friar, Stephen and John Ferguson. Basic Heraldry. W.W. Norton & Company, 1993.

Newman, Paul B. Daily Life in the Middle Ages. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2001.

“Heraldry.” The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008.

*Note: Wikipedia has a great entry on this subject. The content is very good, and there are many sources cited as references for additional reading. A good place to start.