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Medieval Heraldry: A Guide
A beginner's guide to medieval heraldry: what coats of arms were, who used them, how the system worked and how it spread across Europe.
Power and Work
Heraldry and Coats of Arms
Shields, symbols and the heralds who kept track of them.
Medieval Heraldry: A Historical Overview
A timeline of how coats of arms emerged from decorated shields and tournaments in the twelfth century and became hereditary over the next few generations.
Medieval Heraldry: A Study of its Significance
What heraldry meant in medieval society and politics, from rank and lineage to loyalty and law, and the questions historians still cannot settle.
Medieval Heraldry: Symbols and Meanings
Lions, eagles, crosses and other common heraldic charges, what they were often taken to suggest, and why fixed meanings should be treated with caution.
Medieval Heraldry: Symbols of Identity
How medieval arms identified people, families, towns and guilds, working as a recognizable badge in crowds, on the battlefield and on seals.
Medieval Heraldry: The Art of Coats of Arms
How coats of arms were designed and made: tinctures, the contrast rule, divisions of the shield, and how artists painted and carved heraldry.
Medieval Heraldry: The Significance of Coats of Arms
Where medieval people actually saw coats of arms, from shields and banners to tombs, seals and buildings, and what the display said about status.
Medieval Heraldry: The Use of Symbols and Coats of Arms
The practical work of medieval heralds: identifying knights, announcing and judging at tournaments, recording arms in rolls and carrying messages.
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Feudalism and Knighthood How feudal ties and the knightly code organized medieval rule. Farming and Trade Fields, guilds, markets and the hardship of famine. Knights and Warfare The knightly code, honor and how medieval battles were fought. Kingship and Law How kings ruled and how law and justice worked. Battles and Campaigns Famous battles and what they changed. Tournaments and Chivalry Mock battles, jousts, knightly orders and the ideals behind them. Sieges and Weapons How castles and towns were attacked and defended, and the arms used. Kings and Rulers Profiles of medieval monarchs and nobles and the politics around them. Norman and Angevin Kings Rulers from William the Conqueror to the Angevin kings. Late Medieval Monarchs English and French kings of the later Middle Ages. Magna Carta The charter of 1215, its clauses and its legacy. Chivalry and Honor The ideals of knightly conduct, honor and loyalty, and how they changed. Feudal Society and Estates Feudalism, the manor and the three estates of medieval society. Economy and Commerce Trade, guilds, money and the movement of news and goods. Justice, Trials and Punishments How medieval courts judged crimes, from ordeals and duels to fines and executions. Manor, Serfdom and Tithes The rural system of manors, unfree peasants and church dues. Peasants Revolts Rural risings and what they demanded, with the real dates and places. Ireland, Scotland and Wales Medieval life and politics on the Celtic fringe of Britain and Ireland. Crafts and Workshops The trades that made cloth, metal, bread and books in medieval towns.