Heraldry: A Culture of Symbolic Marks

Author: (French) Pastoureau (Pa-stoureau, M.) wrote, translated by Xie Junrui, proofread by Cao Deming
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-09-01
Features: Coats of arms were born on the battlefield in the 12th century, primarily to identify knights who could not be distinguished due to their armor. The common belief that coats of arms are the privilege of the nobility originated from this. However, from the 13th century onwards, whether noble or commoner, as long as one adhered to the rules of heraldry, anyone could possess and use coats of arms. To this day, coats of arms have been integrated into identifying symbols and are ubiquitous.