By the 14th century it had become the practice at funerals of royalty and the nobility for a prominent display of heraldry to be included in the pageantry of the event, and these heraldic funerals became increasingly elaborate statements of the deceased’s social status and wealth. Heralds would attend the aristocratic funerals and issue a certificate giving the pedigree of the deceased, and details of his or her death and burial. They represented the authority of the monarchy. The College of Arms supervised everything in relation to the funeral procession, the accoutrements displayed, and even the work of painters and other tradesmen involved. They were also responsible for the decoration of the home and church with black cloth and other...
Heraldry and Chivalry are so intertwined that it is useful to explore the interplay between the two in medieval times. The literal meaning of Chivalry is the lore of the horse soldier, or rather the man that could afford the horse. It comes from the French word "chevalerie", itself derived from "chevalier", which means knight, derived from "cheval", horse (indicating one who rides a horse). At its birth heraldry was also the preserve of the knights, it was through the loyalty of such men that wars could be fought and won, lands conquered and wealth increased. The army comprised of armored knights formed the backbone of the medieval army. If disciplined they could make the difference in a battle or...
Hohensalzburg Castle, known as Festung Hohensalzburg in German, is situated on a hill overlooking the Austrian city of Salzburg, located in the west of the country. At more than 300,000 square feet in size Hohensalzburg Castle lays claim to being one of the largest medieval castles in Europe. Original construction began in the 11th century by the catholic church who were a very powerful force in medieval Salzburg. In the almost 1000 years of it’s existence the castle has never been conquered and remains one of the few castles in Austria with this status. Today it is the main tourist attraction in the city of Salzburg and houses the Fortress Museum.The head of the Catholic Chirch in Salzburg at the...
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...
MEN AT ARMS . The King or Queen normally held manors and feudal baronies, but they could also be held in certain other realms, lay or ecclesiastical. In cases where the vassal held the whole of the manor or barony, he was a baron. Sometimes a barony would be split such as when daughters inherited portions and it would pass to the daughters husband and their children. In addition, a barony or manor might be deliberately split into one or more portions, and rented out by the superior to tenants. While all land held by military service was free or noble land, in some realms an inhibition was placed in general practice on how far it was considered a noble...
