heraldry summary

Know about the importance and use of heraldry

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Below is the article summary. For the full article, see heraldry.

heraldry, Art and science of devising, displaying, and granting armorial insignia and of tracing and recording genealogies. The use of heraldic symbols as a means of identification spread throughout the European nobility in the 13th century. The principal vehicle for displaying the heraldic devices is the shield; in the full armorial achievement, the shield is augmented by the helmet, crest, mantling, crown, wreath, motto, compartment (base), and supporters. Arms are hereditary; all male descendants of the first person to whom they were granted bear the arms. As insignia of honour, they are protected by law in the European monarchies, Ireland, Switzerland, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. See also coat of arms; ecclesiastical heraldry.

flag Summary

Flag, a piece of cloth, bunting, or similar material displaying the insignia of a sovereign state, a community, an organization, an armed force, an office, or an individual. A flag is usually, but not always, oblong and is attached by one edge to a staff or halyard. The part nearest the staff is

Arms of the see of Canterbury. The shield depicts a pallium, the white woolen garment that signifies the authority of the pope; the arms predate the break between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic church.

ecclesiastical heraldry Summary

Ecclesiastical heraldry, the conventions affecting the use of the arms associated with the church’s administrative and collegiate bodies and the portrayal of the arms of clerics. Abbeys, priories, and dioceses have their own arms, and high ecclesiastics have always impaled these with their personal

Royal Arms of the United Kingdom, as used in England

coat of arms Summary

Coat of arms, the principal part of a system of hereditary symbols dating back to early medieval Europe, used primarily to establish identity in battle. Arms evolved to denote family descent, adoption, alliance, property ownership, and, eventually, profession. The origin of the term coat of arms is