Heraldry

This paper suggests a journey through the history of the Lithuanian heraldry from the 15th century until nowadays in searching fantastic creatures such as Centaur, Griffin, Two-headed Eagle, Unicorn etc. Some of these creatures were sporadical and some of them played a significant role in the aristocratic heraldry during the period of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania or appeared in the state and civic heraldry of Lithuania as the main charges or supporters. Fantastic/mythical elements are the one group of more than ten groups of the motives in creating coats of arms nowadays. The fusion of two animals or one animal and one plant etc. into one fantastic being is praiseworthy in the contemporary Lithuanian heraldry when it is decided to create civic coat of arms using fantastic elements. The idea of using fantastic creatures in the heraldry of Lithuania persists almost six centuries but the ways how these fruits of human imagination came to the various coats of arms are different. Historical, political and cultural context shaped the function and meaning of such heraldry over the years making interesting stories.

En heráldica existe una amplio repertorio de figuras propias que pueden representarse si bien, a diferencia de la gran variedad de estilos con que los pintores y dibujantes pueden reproducir o colorear una cierta figura,  los heraldistas han de constreñirse a unas estrictas reglas de diseño, color y ubicación de las figuras dentro del campo del escudo.  En principio pueden establecerse dos grandes categorías: a) Las Piezas, que se dibujan como formas geométricas y b) Los Seantes, o pequeñas figuras geométricas.En nuestro estudio nos reefriremos a aquellas formadas por dibujos de rayas paralelas combinadas de diversas formas, que aparecen trazadas dentro del campo del escudo, unas veces solas y otras repetidas, constituyendo una característica esencial de la heráldica europea. Se denominan comúnmente como Piezas Honorables y se caracterizan por ser privativas de la heráldica y dibujarse de acuerdo con unas estrictas reglas de diseño, dimensión y color. Es decir se trata de unas figuras que no existen si no en función de la heráldica que las ha creado y dado contenido

This was a first presentation of Greek coats-of-arms as recorded at the then unpublished Codex No. 482 in the Old Archives of the University of Padua, Italy (17th -18th centuries).  Mostly belonging to students of the "Natione Ultramarina" (the Overseas Nation) i.e. the Venetian Greek-Speaking Levant, this heraldic source comprises arms from other parts of the then Greek-Speaking world as well.

Elementary metaplasmic analyses of forename levels in twenty coats of arms: King Afonso of Algarve (Portuguese), Queen Petronilla of Aragon (Latin), King Ludwig of Bavaria (German), King Leopold of Belgium (French), Count Ramon of Barcelona (Latin), Franz Joseph of Bosnia-Herzegovina (German), Marquess João Carlos of Aracati (Portuguese), Emperor Pedro of Brasil (Portuguese), Queen Isabella of Spain (Spanish), Emperor Napoleon of France (French), Emperor Francis of the Holy Empire (German), Empress Victoria of India (English), King Umberto of Italy (Italian), King Godfrey of Jerusalem (French), Emperor Agustín of Mexico (Spanish), King Frederick of Prussia (Low German), King Carlos of Portugal (Portuguese), King Edward of Scotland (English), King Richard of England (English) and Mendes of Portugal (Portuguese).

Studio sullo stemma civico di Finale Emilia, sulla sua origine e sui suoi caratteri estetici nonchè  sulla sua percezione nella storia della città.


Study on the civic coat of arms of Finale Emilia , about its origin and its aesthetic qualities as well as its perception in the history of the city .

Труды Государственного Эрмитажа. Т. 104. Геральдика: исследования и практика: материалы научной конференции. СПб., 2021. С. 89-95.
(Afonasenko I.M. Russian cavaliers of the Dannebrog Order and their coats of arms: New materials from the Dannebrog Chapter Archive)

The middle age city of Pisa displayed an army consisting of different arrays. Among them civic militia that was organized in several companies selected on neighbours criteria, the so-called societates armorum. After Pisa was conquered by Florence this arrangment was forgotten but the "societates" lived a second youth consisting the base of the teams of local games.

Queridas amigas, queridos amigos:

En nombre de todo el equipo docente del Máster en Genealogía, Heráldica y Archivos de la Universidad de Córdoba nos complace enormemente anunciar una nueva edición de nuestro programa de estudios, una vez más, bajo la dirección del profesor Enrique Soria Mesa, catedrático de Historia Moderna y director del Laboratorio de Estudio Judeoconversos.

Una titulación universitaria que cuenta con un total de 60 créditos ECTS, que equivalen a 1.500 horas lectivas, distribuidas en 562,5 horas de teoría y 562,5 horas de prácticas, más el correspondiente Trabajo Fin de Máster, de 375 horas (15 créditos ECTS).

Su carácter eminentemente práctico, gracias a la docencia virtual, hace que sea un programa de estudios accesible a interesados y especialistas de todo el mundo, independientemente de husos horarios y lugares de residencia. El único requisito para cursar dicha propuesta académica es estar en posesión de un título de grado, licenciatura, ingeniería o similares.

La duración del Máster es de casi dos años. Comenzará el día 8 de enero de 2020 y finalizará el 30 de septiembre de 2021. Los plazos de matriculación constarán de dos periodos:

• Un periodo de preinscripción que va entre el 1 de octubre y el 31 de noviembre de 2019.
• Y un periodo de matriculación que abarca desde el 1 de noviembre al 20 de diciembre de 2019.

El precio de dicha titulación es de 2.500 euros, los cuales pueden abonarse de manera fraccionada hasta en cuatro plazos de 625 euros. Esto significa que el valor de cada crédito ECTS es de 41,60 euros.

Para saber más acerca de dicho programa de estudios:

https://genealogiaheraldicaarchivos.wordpress.com/

Para proceder a la preinscripción/matrícula en el Máster en Genealogía, Heráldica y Archivos:

https://www.uco.es/estudios/idep/menu-formacion-permanente/informacion-para-estudiantes

Del mismo modo, para cualquier otro particular, como siempre, estaremos encantados de ayudarles

Un cordial saludo.

José María García Ríos
Secretario del Máster en Genealogía, Heráldica y Archivos
Universidad de Córdoba.

Spätmittelalterliche Wappenbücher, die teilweise über 1000 Wappen umfassen, werden oft als Ausdruck eines spezifisch (land-)adeligen Selbstbewusstseins verstanden. Soweit die Auftraggeber nachweislich dem Stadtadel angehörten, oder Aufsteiger in diesen Stadtadel waren, gelten diese aufwendigen Sammlungen alternativ als Dokumente eines sozialen Aufstiegwillens. Aber wo war eigentlich „oben“ in diesen Gesellschaften? Anhand von drei Wappenbüchern des späten 15. Jahrhunderts, die alle von Stadtadeligen in Auftrag gegeben wurden, möchte ich zeigen, dass verschiedene Kompilatoren von Wappensammlungen darauf verschiedene Antworten gaben. Wappenbücher sind eindeutig, wie Jean-Christophe Blanchard festgestellt hat, Quellen der Sozialgeschichte: Welche Wappen vorkommen und welche nicht, welche prominent herausgestellt werden und welche eher versteckt sind, in welcher Form, in welcher Reihenfolge und nach welchen Ordnungskriterien die Wappen angeordnet werden – all diese Elemente eines Wappenbuchs können Aussagen über die Zugehörigkeit zu verschiedenen sozialen Gruppen sein. Das heißt aber nicht, dass zwischen den Wappen, die (positiv, ausführlich, prominent) dargestellt werden, und der sozialen Gruppe, der der Auftraggeber angehörte oder angehören wollte, eine einfache Beziehung bestand. Gerade weil es immer um „Adel“ geht, muss man fragen, welcher Adel jeweils gemeint ist. Hier gab es mehrere Möglichkeiten, und keineswegs muss ein Wappenbuch diejenigen sozialen Gruppen besonders hervorheben, denen der Auftraggeber angehörte oder angehören wollte. Auch der lokale Bezug kann sehr unterschiedlich ausfallen: Manche Wappenbücher stellen den lokalen Stadtadel besonders prominent aus – andere ignorieren ihn vollständig.

Željko Heimer: Grb i zastava Republike Hrvatske, Leykam International, Zagreb, 2008. 195 str. : ilustr. ; 27 cm + 1 CD-ROM, Biblioteka Grbovi i zastave, Str. 8-9: Predgovor / Žarko Domljan. Ilustrirana monografija o hrvatskom grbu i zastavi sadrži kratku povijest grba i zastave, zakonsku regulativu, način korištenja, te zanimljive podatke o konstrukciji, bojama i izradi zastave te bojenju grba. Također, pojedina su poglavlja posvećena grbovima i zastavama hrvatskih županija, gradova i općina te zastavi i lenti predsjednika Republike Hrvatske. U prilogu su objavljeni izvaci iz relevantnih povijesnih i današnjih zakonskih tekstova te popis zakonskih akata koji uređuju pitanja grbova i zastava u Hrvatskoj. ISBN 978-953-7534-12-7

Mstislavas Dobužinskis (1875-1957) almost became the author of the official Lithuanian state coat of arms and the flag. Despite his considerable heraldic and vexillological legacy, today, undeservedly, he is forgotten. Dobužinskis is known now only to a small group of experts and those interested in the activities of the artist. The analysis of Dobužinskis’s heraldic and vexillological heritage, its scale and quality, demonstrates that he is one of the most prominent figures in the history of Lithuanian heraldry. Looking from today’s perspective, in many cases, the artist’s works (both state symbols and the works of applied heraldry) are not exemplary from the heraldic point of view. Nevertheless one can argue that in the context of the interwar period, they are probably the best attempts. One cannot overestimate Dobužinskis perfectionist striving to improve the designs, his relentless enthusiasm to dig deep into the history of the Lithuanian heraldry, to publish the results of the research, to seek additional knowledge, and to work diligently. His efforts appear even more significant given his multicultural origin and self-awareness. Today we can rejoice at the fact that we have a significant heraldic treasure of the interwar period, most of which is composed of Dobužinskis’s works, characterized by historical substantiation, originality, and interesting solutions.

This dissertation proposes an historic perspective on the symbolic identity elements evolution used by municipalities in Portugal, from the 13th century heraldry to the new 21st century municipal brands.
Methodologically based on bibliographic revision and documental research, this work describes an historic approach, on the variations of municipal visual identities registered over five timeframes: from 13th to 16th centuries (mainly used in seals); from 16th century to the end of absolute monarchy (with no crown interference); through constitutional monarchy until early 20th century (with crown interference); from 1930 to 1991 (following new legislation and the major municipal heraldry reform); from 1991 to 2016 (following the latest heraldry legislation and analyzing the folding between 20th and 21st centuries).
This research reveals that more than half of the municipalities now prefer to use a brand, in the actual meaning of the term, over their coats of arms, fact which demands a deep reflection about the role of design and designers in this transition.
It’s the first approach to this subject at a national scale and through all history. Being a foundational work, the original contribute is focused on the investigational questions raised by it: what’s the political, social, economic and cultural impact revealed by the option of using a brand? What’s the role of design in contemporary heraldry? How to conciliate in project history and contemporariness, facing the new communication challenges municipalities are subject to? What are the consequences of the two coexistent parallel systems (blazon and brand) used to represent municipalities?

Focusing on the account book of the MP and antiquary Sir Edward Dering (1598–1644), which covers the decade of his life in which he came of age, was knighted, and embarked on an ambitious political and courtly career, this article argues that his account book was a space in which Dering recorded momentous life events and meditated upon his purchases. Dering reveled in his attire, spending a great deal of money on it, as well as taking the time to record each element of its construction and decorative design in minute detail. Purchasing luxury goods – particularly clothing – was an important way for an ambitious politician to express his social, emotional and political links to patrons, and to show his suitability for promotion. While he begins the account book in 1619 by chastising himself for spending too much in a “prodigal year,” by the end of the account book in 1628, Dering seems content to buy expensive goods, including a costly linen damask tablecloth depicting the story of the prodigal son. This article traces Dering’s acquisition of luxury goods at home in Kent, in London and overseas, and places him in relation to contemporary discourses of luxury and prodigality. It argues that Dering’s consumption of luxury goods was part of a wider project of self-definition, which included having his portrait painted, and even forging his family history.

Libro en el que se estudian los testimonios heráldicos de la ciudad de Cabra (Córdoba), con especial atención a su nobleza, de la que se realiza un estudio de conjunto y se reconstruyen las genealogías de las familias cuyos testimonios heráldicos se recogen.

Si les lambris peints de la chapelle de Merléac (22) font depuis longtemps
déjà parler d’eux, de même que les splendides vitraux qui ornent encore
l’édifice, l’impressionnant décor héraldique des intrados des grandes arcades de la nef est resté le parent pauvre de cette récente redécouverte d’un patrimoine d’exception. Aux yeux des historiens de l’art, ces peintures
héraldiques ne constituent peut-être pas la part la plus séduisante d’un
très riche décor, mais elles ne fournissent pas moins une clef de lecture
essentielle de l’édifice et du contexte de son élévation. Elles font par
ailleurs écho à d’autres éléments du décor conservé de la chapelle à
commencer par la peinture murale de la partie supérieure de la nef. Ce
décor héraldique rassemble en effet en un même lieu les membres les
plus prestigieux de la parenté et du réseau d’alliés des Rohan et plus
précisément du vicomte Jean Ier au moment où sa famille s’impose comme la cheville ouvrière de la paix civile retrouvée après les décennies de luttes fratricides de la guerre de Succession. Mais, pour être apprécié à sa juste valeur, ce type de décor emblématique mérite d’être analysé dans le détail de sa mise en scène et confronté à quelques rares exemples contemporains, trop peu nombreux hélas à avoir été conservés jusqu’à nous.

The theft of the Irish Crown Jewels by a person or persons unknown in 1907 is one of the most famous and puzzling mysteries of Irish history, and has been the subject of numerous books and articles, as well as several television programmes. The Jewels were worn during functions of the Order of St Patrick and were entrusted to the care of Ulster King of Arms, Ireland’s chief herald and genealogist. Many and various are the theories which have been advanced over the years to explain what happened to the Jewels, with allegations that they were stolen by insiders, or by Unionist conspirators eager to derail Home Rule, or by Republican plotters seeking to embarrass the British government. The present report re-examines the affair and comes to some tentative conclusions as to what may have happened, naming two insiders as the prime suspect and suspect number two respectively.

Аннотация. В статье рассмотрен вопрос о создании флага для первого русского корабля «Орел», построенного по указу царя Алексея Михайловича от 1667 г. Создание этого флага находится в контексте формирования новой государственной символики и визуальной репрезентации власти в конце войны с Речью Посполитой. Этот процесс происходил в конце 1660-начале 1670-х гг. В этот период были созданы новый вариант государственного герба, новое гербовое знамя, затем новые варианты титульных гербов. Важнейшим идентифицирующим признаком флага корабля «Орел», который воспринимался в качестве государственного флага России, было изображение двуглавого орла на полотнище. Цветовое решение флага не имело столь принципиального значения. Расцветка флага была определена в 1668 г. Она состояла из трех цветов-красного, белого и голубого (синего). В историографии утвердилось мнение, будто бы этот первый российский флаг состоял из четырех частей, образованных прямым крестом. Однако эта версия недостаточно подтверждается источниками. Напротив, можно полагать, что флаг корабля «Орел» был аналогичен голландскому. Успели ли нашить на его полотнище изображение двуглавого орла-вопрос, остающийся открытым.

The House of Griffin or Griffin dynasty was a dynasty ruling the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637. The name "Griffins" was used by the dynasty after the 15th century and had been taken from the ducal coat of arms. Duke Wartislaw I (died 1135) was the first historical ruler of the Duchy of Pomerania and the founder of the Griffin dynasty. The most prominent Griffin was Eric of Pomerania, who became king of the Kalmar Union in 1397, thus ruling Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The last Griffin duke of Pomerania was Bogislaw XIV, who died during the Thirty Years' War, which led to the division of Pomerania between Brandenburg-Prussia and Sweden. Duchess Anna von Croy, daughter of Duke Bogislaw XIII and the last Griffin, died in 1660.
The dynasty is known by two names, Pomerania, after their primary fief, and Griffin, after their coat of arms, which had featured a griffin since the late 12th century: The first verifiable use of the griffin as the dynasty's heraldic emblem occurred in a seal of Casimir II, Duke of Pomerania, which showed the imaginary beast within a shield, and was attached to a document dated 1194.
The name Pomerania comes from Slavic 'po more', which means: 'land along the sea'.
The origins of the Griffins are not clear. Most theories derive them from either local Slavic nobility or a cadet branch of the Polish house of Piasts. Medieval Polish chronicler Jan Długosz connected them with Polish noble family of Świebodzice from the south province of Poland named the Lesser Poland, who also used a griffin as their coat-of-arms and who in turn might also have been a cadet branch of the Piasts. At any rate, chronicler Gallus Anonymus in his Gesta principum Polonorum calls the Griffins "close cousins" of then-contemporary Bolesław III of Poland, directly implying a close dynastic relationship with the Piasts.
In the 17th century, the Griffins derived their roots from legendary beings from Sorb mythology called Gryphus or Baltus.
The first known members of the Griffins were the brothers Wartislaw I and Ratibor I. Wartislaw would be the ancestor of the line of dukes that ruled the Duchy of Pomerania until 1630; Ratibor would be the ancestor of the Ratiborides branch of the Griffins, that was to rule the lands of Schlawe and Stolp (Slupsk) until the line became extinct and the area was incorporated in the Duchy of Pomerania. The first known member of the Swantiborides branch of the Griffins, notable as castellans of Pomeranian cities, was Wartislaw (II) Swantiboriz.

Henrietta Louisa Fermor (1698–1761), the Countess of Pomfret, was particularly interested in medieval architecture and commissioned the only Gothic Revival town house in mid eighteenth-century London. The house, 18 Arlington Street, otherwise styled Pomfret Castle, has recently been the subject of two articles in The Georgian Group Journal by Sarah Freeman (2012) and Will Hawkes (2013).  While these studies present the known evidence regarding the architects involved at 18 Arlington Street, the Countess’s Gothic Revival furniture has received less attention. This article examines the Countess’s furniture and suggests that the majority predate the construction and furnishing of 18 Arlington Street. It concludes by questioning how the Countess’ ‘Gothic passion’ fits within the Gothic Revival’s current interpretation as a masculine and homosocial taste.

Laurent Macé, La majesté et la croix. Les sceaux de la maison des comtes de Toulouse (XIIe-XIIIe siècle), Toulouse, Presses universitaires du Midi, 2018 (coll. Tempus, 61), 389 pages + ill. noir et blanc, et couleur ; reliure souple. ISBN : 978-2-8107-0588-7.

Хмелевский А.Н., Афонасенко И.М. "Гербовник Талызина. Российские дворянские гербы XVIII века". – М.: Старая Басманная, 2021. – 254 с. + 50 с. ил. ISBN 978-5-907169-49-4
(Khmielewski A.N., Afonasenko I.M. Talyzin's Armorial. Russian noble coats of arms of the 18th century. Moscow, 2020. 254 p. + 50 p. ill. ISBN 978-5-907169-49-4)

The Quincy lineage changed its coat of arms at the beginning of the Thirteenth Century, when Saer IV became earl of Winchester: the fess and lambel were abandoned in favor of seven mascles. This major change is probably due to the title gained by Saer de Quincy. The seven mascles were engraved very quickly on Saer’s new seal matrices and his wife’s, Margaret de Beaumont. Their descendants have kept using it for centuries, even if the title of Winchester had disappeared quickly after the death of Saer’s son, Roger, constable of Scotland.
The new blazon of the Quincy was sometimes used as proof of Briton origins, if one considers the coat of arms of the Rohan family, similar in its heraldic figures and colors. However, no other elements give indication of any familial or political alliance between the Quincy and the Rohan lineages. On the other hand, diplomatic mentions and feudal relationships tend to point towards the french Flanders, especially Cuinchy. Another flamish location could eventually be mentioned: Cuincy, whose lords wore a lambel on their shields. But, here again, this coat of arms isn’t proof enough of a familial link between the lords of Cuincy and the Quincys, even if the fess on Saer’s first blazon – instead of the lambel – could be considered as a brisure, just like the one on the coat of arms of his cousin Robert FitzWalter.

In 1781 John Maclaurin, the Edinburgh Advocate who would later become Lord Dreghorn, matriculated Arms and was recognised by the Lord Lyon of the day as the Chief of the MacLaurins of Tiree. In this paper I show that the whole exercise was an elaborate ruse, principally a satire on the pomposity rife in the society in which he mixed but serving also to exorcise much personal bitterness arising from aspects of his personal life. There were no 'consequences' at the time, but 200 years later sadly some amateur historians may still be taken in by it-with the sort of collateral damage which only this exposure can repair.

This version 2 completes the analysis by detailing Daniel MacLaurin's family background.