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Excerpts from the book HERALDRY OF THE WORLD Written
and illustrated by Carl Alexander von Volborth , K.St.J., A.I.H. Copenhagen 1973 Internet version edited
by Andrew Andersen, Ph.D. |
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The Aims and Contents of the Book (pp. 177 - 179) Heraldry
of the World
is not a reference book on all coats of arms in existence. It contains less
than a ten-thousandth, perhaps even less than a hundred-thousandth, of the
arms to be found in the world. It might be better to call it a condensed
heraldic dictionary containing characteristic examples of all important
heraldic phenomena characteristic, that is, both of the system itself (shield
and helmet, charges, supporters etc.) and of each country's interpretation of
it. This latter is the important point. There
are plenty of books on heraldry, in the principal languages especially, but
most of them are written from a narrow, nationalist point of view dealing
with the heraldry of only one country. What has been lacking is an
international guide to heraldry, with a survey of the subject in all
countries. Since no such book has appeared in recent years, the author
decided to write and illustrate one himself. The result is the book you have
in your hands. One of the things that surprised the author
when he came to grips with his undertaking was how great in fact the
differences are in the heraldry of the various countries with regard to
custom and usage, rules, style and taste, but this of course was only a
further incentive to continue the work. Furthermore, heraldic art and style
are in a constant process of development. The heraldic taste in Scandinavia nowadays
has a clear leaning towards the abstract, while in Spain and Italy heraldry
moves increasingly towards a naturalistic style. In Germany and France on the
other hand traditional heraldry continues even now with its stylisation
according to late Gothic and early Renaissance models. In heraldic art it often happens that a few
professional and popular heraldic artists influence, by their particular
style, their own age, and posterity, to such an extent that the elements of
it become characteristic of the nation to which they belong. In Germany this
is particularly true of Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528),
Hans Burgkmair (1474-1531) and Jost
Amman (1539-91), the work of all of whom has been a great inspiration to the
author of this book. But since the aim is not to show the best artistic
examples of coats of arms but rather those most typical of a nation or an
epoch, the author has deliberately not followed his own personal taste but
has tried to copy characteristic models as closely as possible. A nation's heraldry reflects its historical
and cultural development. Throughout the history of Europe, from the
beginnings of heraldry up to our own times, national frontiers have shifted
time and again, often as the result of war, but also for example through
marriage or inheritance. And when a country increased its territory or its
influence in some other way, its heraldry as a rule followed suit. This is
the reason for indications of German, French and Spanish heraldry found in
Italy side by side with the various forms of its native heraldry. This again
is of course the basis for colonial heraldry and its special differences. One
exception is the complicated heraldic system thought up by Napoleon which did
not survive him. Families and towns with a Napoleonic coat of arms have as a
rule adapted this later to be more in keeping with their homeland's
time-honoured heraldry. The French Revolution from 1789 onwards
abolished not only the lilies of the royal house but also all other French
coats of arms, only to introduce its own system of emblems and symbols. In
presentation these differed considerably from the traditional and were really
just a new form of heraldry. Something similar occurred in North America
after the War of Independence, 1776-83, and in South America after the
break-away from Spain at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Although
some leaders of the North American revolution possessed coats of arms and
used them, as in the case of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, it was
gradually considered undemocratic and snobbish to bear arms in the United
States. The bearings which were devised for constituent states or cities
rarely had any similarity to traditional arms and are called 'seals'. Latin America's heraldry also diverged from
the well-established European standard, but this was not only for political
reasons. Most national emblems in South and Central America were created at a
time when heraldry as an art form was not of consequence anywhere in the
world. Some of them can hardly be called coats of arms at all. Canada is an exception. Its long
association with Great Britain, first as a colony and later as a member of
the British Commonwealth, resulted in British customs and usages with regard
to heraldry being followed. In Communist countries from East Germany to
China, following the revolution in Russia in 1917 and even more so after the
Second World War, a completely new and rather uniform series of state emblems
has developed which in their presentation differ completely from the earlier
arms of these states. Yet on the other hand traditional heraldry flourishes
in many new and to some extent revolutionary states, as for example in
Africa. Thus heraldry is in fact an international
phenomenon, but it has very characteristic national and political
differences. And that is what this book sets out to
demonstrate. Some readers may think it strange to find
so many symbols of nobility, such as coronets and the like, in a modern book
on heraldry. But we must not forget that heraldry in its origins is an
aristocratic phenomenon and that such symbols are a part of its history.
The Origins of Heraldry (pp. 7-9 and 179) The
coat of arms above belonged to Archduke Maximilian of Austria who became King
of the Romans in 1486 and, as Maximilian I, Emperor 1493-1519. The two halves
of the inescutcheon stand for Austria and Burgundy. The origin of heraldry among warriors as a
form of decoration for their equipment is reflected in the two meanings of
the word 'arm'. To differentiate between these two expressions the plural
form 'arms' is used in heraldry. The arm of the warrior is his sword or
lance, his arms are his emblems. There is a similar connection in other
languages too. The German Waffen refers to a weapon for offence or defence, Wappen refers
to his coat of arms. The expression 'coat of arms' actually originated in the
surcoat bearing an emblem which the warrior wore
over his hauberk (see Fig. 34).
It was during the early decades of the
twelfth century, between the First and Second Crusades,
that nobles, knights and princes began to identify themselves and
their equipment, their shields in particular, by the use of simple figures in
clear, contrasting colours, and this must be considered the origin of what is
now called heraldry. For warriors to decorate themselves and their shields
was certainly nothing new; it had been a feature of almost all ages and
cultures (see p. 9), in Europe as well as elsewhere, since long before the twelfth
century. The particular characteristic of these new shield devices was the
fact that they remained more or less the same for each individual and then
gradually became hereditary; that their use was extended to practically all
classes and institutions in the community; and that this developed into a
detailed and permanent system for the elaboration and application of the
insignia within a short time.
The earliest arms were adopted at will by
the individual, but from about 1400 onwards sovereigns began to grant
insignia by means of letters patent, often, but by no means always, as the
prerogative of the nobility. Families whose nobility originates in such
letters patent or in similar elevations or creations are said to hold patents
of nobility; the older aristocracy, whose origins are lost in the darkness of
the Middle Ages, is known as the (old nobility'. But concurrently with the
granting of insignia by letters patent, people continued to assume insignia
for themselves and, provided that devices were used that were not already the
prerogative of others nor resembled another bearing too closely, this was
tolerated, at least in the Middle Ages in most European countries. From the warrior class the practice spread
to the Church, to burghers and farmers, and to municipal governments, craft
guilds and other institutions. Almost from the beginning of heraldry women
too had the right to bear arms. (See also pp. 42-4.)
The Origins of Heraldry; Heraldic Charges (pp. 7-8) What were the origins of these new devices? For the warrior class there were three main
sources of inspiration: the banners and standards that already existed in the
pre-heraldic period, the purely functional plating or reinforcement given to
the shield - nails, ridges, strips, crosses, etc. - and finally what might be
called totemic signs: figures, often of animals or fabulous beasts,
expressing chivalrous ideals, such as warlike lions, eagles, falcons,
unicorns, and so on. For princes and the Church many devices
were probably derived from seals, the use of which antedates heraldry proper,
or from religious symbols. It was also natural for people of various stations
to choose devices relevant to their profession or way of life. The bishop
included a crosier in his escutcheon, the priest a chalice, the squire a
spur, the brewer a barrel, the smith a hammer, the fisherman a fish trap, and
so on. A large number of these were what are
called 'canting arms', i.e. they illustrate or refer to the bearer's name, for
example a falcon for the name Falconer, or hirondelles - swallows - for
Arundel. Further reference will be made to this on p. 34. It must also be mentioned that many arms
were adaptations or imitations of existing coats. Armorial bearings of cities mostly fall
into seven categories relating to their origins. Many city arms show the city
itself or a dominant part of it: the city wall, the gate, a castle, church,
bridge or tower. In another large group, the arms include a
figure representing the city's patron saint or the saint's attribute. Other
armorial bearings reflect the city's livelihood, its most important product
or export. Hence we find herrings, bales of wool, bunches of grapes etc. or,
more recently, two crossed pencils, the wheels of a locomotive, or the two
crossed shrimps of Christianshaab in Greenland, a
symbol of the city's canning industry. Related to the above are city coats of arms
which have developed from the seal or device of the city's most important
craft guild or from that of some other trade organisation. One example is the
coat of arms of Paris (Fig. 429). The captains of river craft played a
dominant role in the city in the Middle Ages, and the device in their guild's
seal and the emblem of the guild were gradually (in combination with the
royal lilies) accepted as the bearings of the city itself.
429. City arms of
Paris. Some city arms can be traced back to military
standards or banners used by the citizens in battle or in defence of their
city. This is true of a number of cities and cantons in Switzerland (see pp. 112 and 113). Some ancient towns, particularly in Germany
and England, have armorial bearings which are identical with, or a variation
of, those of the prince or nobleman on whose land they were built and whose
protection they enjoyed. A Danish example is Naestved,
built on land owned by the Catholic Church, which includes the papal emblem,
two crossed keys (see Fig. 879) in its coat of arms. Finally there is a large group of civic
arms which are allusive, i.e. containing a charge which makes a play on the
name of the town (see also page 34). The city of Lille has a lily, the city
of München (Munich), a monk (German: Moench), and so
on. When councillors or other burghers assumed
coats of arms, they were often inspired by the arms of their city which in
this way were continued in many variations as well as in their original form.
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