The Origins of Heraldry part 1
The Story of Coats of Arms
Since the dawn of humanity, people have created symbols to communicate and share ideas. Think of Egyptian hieroglyphs, the alphabet, numbers, road signs, or even Morse code—each one a system of signs that carries meaning across time and cultures. Among these symbolic systems, one stands out as both practical and deeply personal: the coat of arms.
First appearing in the Middle Ages, coats of arms were more than just identifiers. Unlike a road sign or a letter, they didn’t simply convey basic information—they told stories. They reflected the values, ambitions, and achievements of the people and societies who used them. As the writer Victor Hugo once put it: “To the person who can read heraldry, the coat of arms is algebra; the coat of arms is a language. The entire history of the second half of the Middle Ages is written in heraldry, just as the history of the first half is written in the symbolism of the Roman Church.”
By the late Middle Ages, heraldry had spread into nearly every corner of public life. Coats of arms appeared in politics, the arts, the military, law, and literature. They were proudly displayed on knights’ shields in battle, woven into the clothing of nobles, and stitched onto the gowns of noblewomen. Even palace servants wore liveries marked with heraldic designs.
Everywhere you looked, heraldry was present—on flags and banners, official seals, coins, medals, castles, palaces, and churches. Town halls bore them, as did household goods, carriages, books, and even tombstones. Writers composed poems and epigrams celebrating the origins of particular arms, and legends often grew around the most unusual or dramatic designs.
In many ways, a coat of arms accompanied a person throughout their entire life—from birth, through their public and private roles, and even into death. It wasn’t just a symbol; it was a lasting emblem of identity, memory, and belonging.
