SHIELDS & HERALDRY

Heraldry is about showing people who you are. In England it started in the later 1100s, when knights began to wear helmets which covered their faces and they couldn't be recognized. So they began to paint unique combinations of colors, shapes and animals called their arms, on their shields and banners. Only one person was allowed to use these arms, so when people saw a knight wearing them in a battle or tournament, they could tell who he was. When heraldry began, knights and their families spoke Norman French. Expert heralds still use this language to describe coat of arms. Heraldry refers to the coat of arms and related pieces of design which were used in the medieval period to identify a knight or a noble family. The use of shields of different colors and with various design was central to the coat of arms and an entire body of literature came into being during the medieval period, detailing the significance of different types of shield designs. Heraldry itself came into being as a direct result of a need for a knight and nobleman to identify each other on the battlefield, which became next to impossible when they wore elaborate armors. The coat of arms resolved this by allowing a person to be identified from a distance throughout the specific design of his coat of arms. A wide range of symbols were used on heraldic shields during the medieval period. Like other aspects of the coat of arms, the specific symbols used on heraldic shields were used to denote certain meanings. The use of zigzag lines on the shield, for instance, symbolized either fire and its properties or the sun and its majesty. Similarly, the use of wavy lines denoted the sea, river or water body depending upon the owner's home. The use of a granulated line denoted a specific town while uneven lines on heraldic shields represented land. The specific colors used in heraldic shields symbolized different meanings. The use of the red color, for instance, denoted that the owner of the coat of arms was a warrior or the owning family had a martyr. Blue colors represent loyalty and truthfulness. Purple represented royal majesty and was typically limited to use in the royal heraldic shields. Black represented either the tenacity of the owner's will or grief at some loss. White color in heraldic shields symbolized peace and gold denoted the magnanimity of the owner. Well-defined regulations in the medieval period specified what colors could be used by different sections of the society such as knights and the actual nobility. Apart from the choice of colors and symbols which gave meaning to a heraldic shield, the use of different kinds of stripes was also common part of medieval heraldry. Different stripes noted different meanings and they were frequently used on coat of arms. Each type of stripe was also given a unique name of its own. A vertical stripe on a shield, for instance, was called a palais and denoted military strength. A horizontal stripe was called a fess and was used to present honor. A diagonal stripe called a bent was used to symbolize defense. A diagonal set of stripes forming a cross on the shield was used to denote the resolve of the owner. An angled stripe was called a chevron and denoted the faithfulness of the owner, usually to the crown. Shields were the defining pieces of armor of knights on medieval battlefields long before other kinds of defense such as plate armor came into use. It was for this reason that when the need for coat of arms arose, shields became the most popular and central elements used in the creation of heraldic achievements.