The badge of Sagittary or Sagittarius, the centaur armed with a bow and arrow is attributed to Stephen of Blois and it is thought that this emblem commemorated a victory won by his archers. An alternative theory is that he took his badge from the sign of the zodiac under which his reign began. Another badge said to be used by Stephen was a plume of three ostrich feathers, with the motto, Vi nulla invertitur ordo, “ By no force is their form altered.” This is not to be confused with the ostrich plumes on the Coat of Arms of the Prince of Wales, which are of different origin. The family of Dering from Kent regard the three red roundels (rings) above...
Duke William of Normandy had the sanction of the church for his expedition, and this is shown heraldically by the banner depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry; a red cross on a white background with a blue border. This was the flag that received the blessing of Pope Alexander. Although enjoying the support of the Church, William was by no means subservient to the Pope’s wishes, as in later years he said the following to Pope Gregory: “ Fealty I never willed to do, nor do I will to do it now. I have never promised it, nor do I find that my predecessors did it to yours.” Another Norman banner represented in the Bayeux Tapestry may have been the famous raven of...
THE 3RD CRUSADE . The concept of Knighthood arose among the nobles and an esquires manor was rated according to the number of knights that were required in order to run their fiefdom. This system was in place in England and Germany by the 13th century. Thus these socio-ethnological foundations of medieval society arose in one form or another throughout western Europe and resulted in the feudal system that remained in place until the late 15th century. It is important to note that feudalism and knighthood predated Heraldry by a few hundred years. When arms began to be used in the sense that can be called Heraldic- that is when a man bore a device on his shield consistently throughout...
The Battle of Bannockburn 1314 . The military followers of the original conquerors in Europe were themselves divided into classes such as yeomen and petty land-holding farmers. From the aristocracy of the conquest of Europe came the knights, the leaders in the wars, and the common gentry, and those who became known as esquires in Britain. From the petty land-owners came the men-at-arms, foot soldiers and archers. It is mistaken to believe that most soldiers came from the lowest levels of society, this was most certainly not the case in the Middle Ages. In the armies on the march there were serfs who undertook menial tasks but they were not charged with fighting the war. Being unfree they would have...
