Often shields were decorated with a painted pattern or an animal representation and these designs developed into systematized heraldic devices during high-medieval times for purposes of battlefield identification.

Indeed some monarchies never had a physical crown, just a heraldic representation, as in the constitutional kingdom of Belgium, where no coronation ever took place ; the royal installation is done by a solemn oath in parliament, wearing a military uniform: the King is not acknowledged as by divine right, but assumes the only hereditary public office in the service of the law ; so he in turn will swear in all members of " his " federal government.

Each tile bears one of three different ornaments: either an arrangement of four heraldic lilies, a symmetrical lattice, or a representation of four thistle leaves.

A compartment is usually some kind of landscape ( in the case of Scottish chiefs it is generally a " mount vert "-grassy mount covered with the clan's flower ) or seascape, and these can be quite elaborate, particularly in more recent Canadian grants, such as the compartment of the University of Northern British Columbia, in which the female kermodei bear and woodland caribou buck stand on a forest, mountain peaks and ears of wheat, all rising out of the conventionalised heraldic representation of water, which is itself charged with an orca as designed by Ron Sebastian.

As with many heraldic charges, the exact representation of the dragon is not standardised and many renderings exist.

The heraldic blazon for the coat of arms of the barony is: Azure, five martlets, two, two and one, within an inescutcheon voided a representation of the Southern Cross, all argent.

Along with the helm, peers use a mantling, one side of which is red and the other a representation of the heraldic fur ermine.

The grant is linked to the baron ’ s pennon, a heraldic flag, in the livery colours that carries a large representation of the badge.

Vair ( from Latin varius " variegated ") is the heraldic representation of patches of squirrel fur in an alternating pattern of blue and white.

02. png | Imperial Crown of the Prussian German Emperor, changed heraldic representation 1889.

In heraldic terminology, a quatrefoil is a representation of a four-leafed clover, a rare variant of the trefoil or three-leafed clover.

Gruerius, the legendary founder of Gruyères, captured a crane ( in French: “ grue ”) and chose it as his heraldic animal inspiring the name Gruyères.

Napoleon was more impressed with Childeric's bees and when he was looking for a heraldic symbol to trump the Bourbon fleur-de-lys, he settled on Childeric's bees as symbols of the French Empire.

The Nice is symbolized by a red eagle on white background, placed on three mountains, which can be described in French heraldic language as " d ' argent à une aigle de gueule posée sur trois coupeaux ".

Ayton estimates that at least 2, 000 French men-at-arms were killed, and notes that over 2, 200 heraldic coats were taken from the field of battles as war booty by the English.

Perhaps stemming from the old French word for the fruit, pomme-grenade, the pomegranate was known in early English as " apple of Grenada "— a term which today survives only in heraldic blazons.

The Scottish heraldic term for an X-shaped cross is a ' saltire ', from the old French word saultoir or salteur ( itself derived from the Latin saltatorium ), a word for both a type of stile constructed from two cross pieces and a type of cross-shaped stirrup-cord.

At the age of 13, he was apprenticed to a prominent heraldic engraver of French origin who became bankrupt and returned to France.

From 1950 onwards he published cartoons under the pseudonym " Loriot ", derived from the French word for Oriole, his family's heraldic animal.

He read French, Italian, German and Spanish, was interested in classical and British antiquities, and became versed in heraldic and genealogical lore.

The Cross of Lorraine ( French: Croix de Lorraine ) is originally a heraldic cross.

The national flag of Monaco ( French: Drapeau de Monaco ) has two equal horizontal bands of red ( top ) and white, both of which have been the heraldic colors of the House of Grimaldi since at least 1339.

In the peerages of the United Kingdom, the design of a coronet shows the rank of its owner, as in German, French and various other heraldic traditions.

" Bar Sinister " is a macaronic reference to a heraldic mark, called barre sinister in French and bend sinister in English.

Examples of escutcheon shapes: 1: Mediaeval French & English " Heater shield | heater style ", 2: Modern French, 3: Oval, 4: Lozenge ( for arms of an heraldic heiress, 5: Square, 6: Italian, 7: Swiss, 8: English, Four-centred arch | Tudor arch ( 16th. c.

Although the Polish heraldic system evolved under the influence of French and German heraldry, there are many notable differences.

A vol ( French for " flight ") is a once-obscure heraldic symbol consisting of a pair of outstretched, usually plumed bird's wings, which are connected together at their shoulders without having any bird's body in the middle.

L ' écu sommé d ' une: File: French heraldic crowns-duc v2. svg | couronne ducale, bonnet et manteau de gueules ( Grand d ' Espagne ).

Blason originally comes from the heraldic term blazon in French heraldry and means either the codified description of a coat of arms or the coat of arms itself.

In each of the seven sections it branches out into a regular pattern of scrolling branches, each bearing a bunch of leaves that take on the heraldic form of the Fleur de Lys, very common in French stained glass.

A sculpture of a heraldic depicition of a seahorse, by unknown 19th or 18th century French artist, showcased at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney, Australia, photographed by DO ' Neil.

The shield is the coat of arms used by the Boston Brahmin Cabots after whom the House is named, though, ironically, the shield is not truly their heraldic achievement ; the coat of arms actually belongs to the French family Chabot, to whom the Boston Cabots have no relation.

Claude Drigon, Marquis de Magny ( 1797 – 1879 ) was a French heraldic writer, born in Paris.

Zoroastrianism, claimed to be “ the oldest of the revealed world-religions ” and founded by the Prophet Zoroaster ( or Zarathustra ) opposed animal sacrifices but held the rooster as a " symbol of light " and associated the cock with " good against evil " because of his heraldic actions.

The heraldic coronet, or coronet of rank, of a “ nobile ” is composed of a jewelled circlet of gold surmounted by five pearls, either on stems or set directly upon the rim.

After Weneg's death, his heraldic flower was not used again until king Teti ( 6th dynasty ), when it was used in his pyramid texts to name a “ Weneg ” as a sky and death deity which was addressed with " Son of Ra " and " follower of the deceased king ".

Anchored crosses are occasionally a feature of coats of arms in which context they are referred to by the heraldic terms anchry or ancre.

Dutch heraldry is characterised by its simple and rather sober style, and in this sense, is closer to its medieval origins than the elaborate styles which developed in other heraldic traditions.

Elizabeth Will, an Army heraldic specialist in the Office of the Quartermaster General, was named to redesign the newly revived medal, which became known as the Purple Heart.

When Sophie, Countess of Wessex was granted arms, the sinister supporter assigned was a blue wyvern, described by the College of Arms as " an heraldic beast which has long been associated with Wessex ".

The Wessex Society have promoted the use of a flag, designed by William Crampton, which features an heraldic golden wyvern on a red background.

The Flag of Sussex is based on the coat of arms of Sussex | heraldic shield of Sussex which has been used to represent the county since at least as far back as 1622: Azure, six martlet s or

The term, the Wars of the Roses, refers to the informal heraldic badges of the two rival houses of Lancaster and York which had been contending for power, and ultimately for the throne, since the late 1450s.

The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement which consists of shield, supporters, crest and motto.

In August, Du Simitière showed his design, which was more along conventional heraldic lines.

Also, two small heraldic errors which had persisted on all previous seal dies were fixed: the rays of the glory were drawn with dots to indicate the tincture gold, and the background of the stars was drawn with horizontal lines to indicate azure.

Dupré created an elegant design, especially interesting for the position of the wings, which are more horizontal (" extended " in heraldic terms ) than most other emblazonments.

Prince Edward met with Sauvé at Rideau Hall on June 4, 1988, to present the Governor General with royal Letters Patent permitting the federal viceroy to exercise the Queen's powers in respect of the granting of heraldic arms in Canada, leading to the eventual creation of the Canadian Heraldic Authority, of which Sauvé was the first head.

Each battalion had its own flag, which could incorporate different elements including the heraldic coat of arms of the King of Spain.

The heraldic fleur-de-lis is still widespread: among the numerous cities which use it as a symbol are some whose names echo the word ' lily ', for example, Liljendal, Finland.

The earliest depiction of the arms was thought to be about 1590, in a document held by the College of Arms, which refers to the stags appearing on a blue ( in heraldic terms, azure ) background but subsequent examination of this document by Peter Donoghue, Bluemantle Pursuivant shows that the arms were added c. 1680.

The coat of arms, granted in 1978, displays the so-called virgin eagle ( or harpy ), which was the heraldic animal of the Cirksena family, a local clan providing East Frisian chieftains during the Middle Ages.

An update of the design and colours of the Arms was undertaken in 1970, which provided a more contemporary design, yet retained all the Arms ’ heraldic associations.

* a fir, which was the heraldic symbol of the counts of Dannenberg

The lion was the heraldic animal of the Welfen family, which ruled the region from the Middle Ages until 1866.

Epsom Clock Tower was built in 1847, replacing the watchhouse which stood from the 17th century, and was built to 70 feet of red and suffolk brick, with heraldic lions of Caen Stone at the four corners of the tower base.

In July 1484, William Collingbourne, a Tudor agent, tacked up a lampooning poem to St. Paul's Cathedral, which mentions Lovell, whose family's heraldic symbol was a silver wolf., among the three aides to King Richard, whose emblem was a white boar:

Care must be taken to distinguish true compartments from items upon which supporters are merely resting one or more feet, or, sometimes, mere heraldic badges or pure decoration under the shield, and, conversely, care must also be taken in very unusual cases such as the coat of arms of Belize, in which what may be taken to be a crest, the mahogany tree rising above the shield, is really part of the compartment.