1. Medieval Coats-of-Arms
Heraldic Terms, Rules of Tincture and Blazonry
By the end of this lesson students will be able to:
Know why Medieval people used coats-of-arms.
Use new vocabulary in writing a blazon.
Create their own personal coat-of-arms to display.

2. Symbolism
Can you identify the following logos?

3. What are coats-of-arms?
Symbolic name tags!
Armies (Spartans, Romans)
Individuals

4. Parts of a Shield Display

5. Parts of a Shield Display

6. Metals Or (Gold) Argent (Silver)
Rule of Tincture: No metals upon metals!

7. Colors Gules (Red) Azure (Blue) Sable (Black) Vert (Green)
Purpure (Purple)
Tenne (Orange)
Sanguine (Dark Red)
Proper (Natural Color of an object)
Rule of Tincture: No color upon color!

8. Descriptors Dexter (Right) Sinister (Left) Field (Background)
Charge (Item on the field)
Chief (Top portion)
Base (Bottom portion)

9. Heraldic Terms: Blazon: A description for a coat-of-arms.
Blazonry: The art of writing/reading such a description as done by a herald.
Herald: The person who reads blazonry on coats-of-arms in order to announce their bearers by name for either tournaments or for record at battle.

10. Rules of Blazonry 1- Start with the color of the field.
2- Next, identify how the field is divided (if at all)
3- Identify the main charge on the field.
4- Identify the remainder (if any) following the rule of “Left to Right, Top to Bottom”.
5-After describing the field and its contents, identify any item in the chief (if any exists) by first the main field and then any charge it may hold.

11. Example: Baron Von Wells
1. Identify the main field: Or
2. Identify the main charge by color and shape: Sable rampant lion.
Finally, write the blazon.
“Or, a sable rampant lion. “
Option 2 shows the direction of the charge:
“Or, a sable rampant lion facing sinister.”

12. Sample Coat-of-Arms:

13. Sample Coat-of-Arms: Altamura

14. Sample Coat-of-Arms: Braithwaite

15. Sample Coat-of-Arms: Bryce

16. Sample Coat-of-Arms: Keel

17. Sample Coat-of-Arms:

18. Sample Coat-of-Arms:

19. Sample Coat-of-Arms:

20. Sample Coat-of-Arms:

21. Sample Coat-of-Arms:

22. Student Examples: