Heraldry has long been a cultural and historical phenomenon. Originating as an attribute of chivalry and nobility, today it has been deposited in city and state symbols.
What is heraldry? First, it is a historical discipline that studies emblems. Secondly, this is the very phenomenon of imprinted images that appeared in the Middle Ages.
The birth of coats of arms
To understand what heraldry is, you need to find out when it appeared. Identification marks on uniforms originated during the heyday of chivalry in the 12th century between the First and Second Crusades. The nobles began to acquire them for their own identification on the battlefield.
By the 13th century, cities, spiritual orders, and the bourgeois had their own symbols. An important contribution to the spread of the new phenomenon was made by jousting tournaments.
Heraldry in Russia
Russian heraldry is considered a borrowed Western European tradition. Coats of arms in the usual sense of the word could not appear in Russia, since initially this art arose as part of a knightly culture that was absent among the Slavs. Nevertheless, even before its appearance in Europe, Slavic clans and tribes had their own symbols, the role of which was played by pagan totems.
With the adoption of Orthodoxy in Russia, they began to often use the double-headed eagle adopted from Byzantium as an identification mark. In addition, the Christian cross has become a common symbol.
In the middle of the 17th century, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, wishing to compile a genealogy of Russian princes, turned to the Austrian King of Arms Lavrenty Khurelevich for help. Of great importance was the "Tsar's titular", compiled in 1672 by the domestic diplomatic department. He summarized many disparate emblems of different Russian lands into one holistic picture. The heraldry of Russia owes much to the valuable information from this work.
Under Peter I, noble families also began to acquire their coats of arms. The "General Armorial of the Noble Families of the Russian Empire", compiled in 1797, included more than 3,000 generic signs.
After the Revolution of 1917, Russian heraldry became an auxiliary historical discipline. Nowadays, the active interest of the masses is awakening to it. In 1999, the Heraldic Council was formed under the President of the Russian Federation.
Elements of the coat of arms
The conventional distinguishing mark has a dozen elements. This is a shield, shield holder, bastard, windmill, etc.
Its entourage largely determines the motto. Traditionally, inscriptions in Latin are common. So, the motto of the Lermontovs was the phrase "Sors mea Jesus" ("Jesus is my lot"). With the help of such phrases, a character is deciphered that ascribes to itself a clan, city, etc. This is another phenomenon that allows us to answer the question of what heraldry is.
Heraldic shield
The main element of any emblem is a shield. It is he who carries a certain set of figures. A separate explanation requires a variety of forms of shields. They are divided according to nationality.
In the Middle Ages, the image of the shield repeated the form of a real defensive knightly equipment. However, with the disappearance of chivalry as an important combat factor, the images of shields began to take on more implausible outlines.
The most common form is French (a quadrangular shield with pointed bases). In the Russian tradition, as in many others, the "French" concept has become the most common.
It is also worth noting the Varangian (triangular), Spanish (quadrangular with a round base), English (overturned arcs at the head of the triangle) and German (curly) shield.
Tinctures
The material with which the image is applied to the shield is directly related to the color palette of the future symbol. No distinguishing mark can be perceived separately from its color. Often two such canvases can have the same pattern, but at the same time differ in color, radically changing the meaning of the composition. Therefore, it is safe to answer the question of what heraldry is: it is an art. Coatings and paints of armorial bodies have their own term - tinctures.
Enamel
Before we get down to the actual colors inherent in emblemology, we should list the materials with which the image is applied. There are three in total. Withoutdescription of each of them is impossible presentation "Heraldry".
Enamels are coatings that contain vitreous powder and enamel. In addition, when creating the upper layer of the aristocratic "label", copper is used as the base of the plate. Enamels were most common in medieval France, from where they migrated to Russia. In our country, even now there are many schools practicing the applied art of the same name (Vologda, Rostov, etc.). Enamels are characterized by five colors.
Red (or scarlet) color means courage, bravery and fearlessness. Created by mixing the minerals cinnabar and minium. Red tones are one of those that any national heraldry can boast of. Red flags are among the most common.
Blue (or azure) color is used to emphasize beauty, grandeur and softness. Azure is composed of ultramarine pigment and cob alt metal.
Black color is identified with humility, wisdom and sadness. In the past, burnt ivory was often used to give the coating a black tint.
Green is a symbol of abundance, hope and joy. Interestingly, vegetable natural greens and chrome are used to give the image green shades.
Purple color is considered a sign not only of strength and power, but also of dignity. Used less frequently than the other four colors. Purple is a mixture of carmine red dye and pink nail polish.
If the previous paintconsidered canonical, the use of other palettes is less common. Infrequently, you can find enamel in orange, crimson, blood, brown, gray and pink.
Metalworking
The second material is metals. Only two of them are used - gold and silver, which, among other things, are considered noble.
The first of them, which has the proud name of the "king of metals", symbolizes we alth, power and nobility. In addition, in the Christian tradition, gold is a sign of justice, faith, mercy and humility.
Silver with its whiteness has always gone hand in hand with purity, innocence, nobility and honesty. One way or another, precious metals are tied to the best of the human character.
Gold is considered to be analogous to yellow, while silver is associated with white colors. Coats of arms are often covered with them. Heraldry considers the white shade to be one of the most common in its art. Artists can create gold and silver colors using not only metals directly, but also shiny paint.
Fur on shields
In the design of coats of arms, the furs of two animals are traditionally used - squirrels and ermines.
Ermine fur is depicted on a silver or gold field in the form of black crosses. This material symbolizes power. Only royal and noble dynasties, who have a special status in society, had and have the right to use it.
Squirrel cover occurs in the formgray-blue and white skins. Unlike the ermine counterpart, it does not symbolize anything and is depicted most often in helmet-like forms. Such material, for example, was rare in Russia.
It is interesting that furs, which were worth their weight in gold in medieval Europe, were used to decorate knightly banners even before the appearance of coats of arms.
Sable fur can also be considered a relic of the past. So, for example, it can be found on the banner of the famous Hohenzollern family. It was from this dynasty that the kings of Prussia and the Kaisers of Germany came.
Flowers as a symbol
Flowers in heraldry were popular even among royal families. For example, in England, garlands and bouquets of roses could only show off on the emblem of the ruling dynasty. If a noble family did not have a crowned person among its relatives, then it could not use more than one rose on its shield.
The War of the Scarlet and White Roses that broke out in England in the 15th century was named precisely after the symbols of the two dynasties vying for power. The Lancasters were proud of their red rose, and the Yorkes were proud of their white. Other hypostases of thorny flowers are also known. The unofficial emblem of Bulgaria is the scarlet rose, while the yellow rose is the symbol of Beijing.
Another world-famous emblem flower is the lily. It was the triad of lilies that was the symbol of the Bourbons, who ruled France for several centuries, and still occupy the throne of Spain.
The thistle has turned from a heraldic symbol into a symbol of all of Scotland. Exotic examples include chrysanthemum,which has been the national flower of Japan since the 7th century.
Trees on emblems
Oak. What does heraldry with a similar pattern mean? Since ancient times, it has symbolized strength and strength. In addition, on stamps and flags you can often find its fruits - acorns.
The olive tree and especially its branch are known as a symbol of peace. This interpretation has its roots in the Bible. According to the Old Testament, a dove brought an olive branch to Noah as a sign of the end of the Flood. Muslims regard the olive as the tree of life. A dove carrying a branch of this tree can be seen, for example, on the coat of arms of Fiji.
Pine and cherry are also often found on the emblems (in Japan - a symbol of we alth and success).
Birds on emblems
More often than other birds, as a visual image, you can meet an eagle, which in the European tradition speaks of dominance and power. He can be seen on the US seal holding an olive branch and thirteen pointed arrows (according to the number of founding states).
Especially carefully heraldry studies the figure of the double-headed eagle, which can be found in the culture of various peoples. It is believed that this sign owes its origin to the Sumerian civilization from ancient Mesopotamia. From there he migrated to the Hittites.
The Byzantine Empire also used the double-headed eagle for identification purposes. It was from there that he, along with Orthodoxy, was transferred to Russia, where he received a second birth. A fantastic bird flaunted on the emblems of Chernigov, Tver and Moscowprincipalities.
She was also popular among the Germans (German Union, Holy Roman Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, etc.). Today this figure is present on the flags of Albania, Armenia, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro.
Similar to the eagle in its noble qualities, the falcon, which in the medieval era was associated with male character traits: nobility, chivalry, courage and strength.
The images of such birds as herons, cranes and storks are similar in their meaning. As a rule, they are depicted standing on one leg. Such a composition implies caution and vigilance.
Crows, ducks and roosters are also common among feathered labels.
Animal symbols
The wolf is especially common in German medieval culture. At the same time, this predator has a different allegorical meaning. Russian tradition ascribes to him anger, greed and gluttony. In the Bible, this mammal is the personification of false prophets. More famous than the rest of her relatives is the Capitoline she-wolf, who feeds babies with her milk. It is a symbol of the "eternal city" of Rome. According to legend, she saved the brothers Romulus and Remus from starvation, the first of whom founded the settlement.
Many animals are considered synonymous with meekness and timidity. These are deer and lambs. The lamb has a special status in the Christian tradition. Jesus Christ is called the Lamb of God in the Gospel. European Catholic heraldry could not do without it. Symbols from biblical stories have always occupied a prominent place in the OldLight.
The horse has an exclusive status as a decoration of the banner, as he was a faithful companion of the knights. He personifies not only speed and devotion, but also courage. The horse is always shown in profile.
Deer, always considered a noble animal, was popular among noble families. Warriors could use his image as evidence of intimidation of enemies, because the horned forest dweller drove away snakes with his smell.
Boar, distinguished by its violent disposition, carries such character traits as courage and fearlessness. As a rule, he is depicted in profile, but only a boar's head is found.
Conclusion
Today, the history of heraldry is being actively studied. From its very appearance, it has become one of the most famous images of medieval feudal society. The distinctive sign became proof of belonging to one's family and class. A decline in interest in the phenomenon began in the 18th century. Over time, bright pictures have become a feudal relic, remaining as the "face" of cities and states.
