It is often regarded as an esoteric science and something for the snobs.
The Heraldic Casket of Saint Louis in the Louvre
November 18, 2014 By
The Casket of Saint Louis invokes political and social networks and events relating to the Capetian dynasty in the years before Louis IX reached his majority.
Constructing social identity in Renaissance Florence: Botticelli’s ‘Portrait of a Lady’
November 6, 2014 By
This study scrutinizes a work within a neglected portion of Botticelli’s oeuvre, examining the ways in which its modest, and somewhat ambiguous, visual cues also construct its sitter’s elevated social identity, while simultaneously protecting it.
Fools, Devils, and Alchemy: Secular Images in the Monastery
December 9, 2012 By
The fool is one of the most popular and stable character types throughout cultures and times. This is especially true of medieval Europe. The fool, sometimes a jester, sometimes a clown or a trickster, is always recognizable through his abnormal appearance.
The Naples L’homme arme masses, Burgundy and the Order of the Golden Fleece: The origins of the L’homme arme tradition
October 3, 2012 By
The six anonymous L’Homme arme masses in naples MS VI E 40, of the Biblioteca Nazionale, have prompted heated debate concerning their genesis since Dragan Plamenac discovered them in 1925.
Maculate Conceptions
September 30, 2012 By
For the greater part of human history…disease has been understood in terms of its manifestations on the outside of the body. more than any other sign, t has been spots that have signified the onset of disease…
Heraldry in the Trecento Madrigal
September 23, 2012 By
This study investigates a repertoire of eighteen madrigals whose texts refer to heraldry, all of which were composed in trecento Italy.
Medieval card game looking for backers through Kickstarter Campaign
July 24, 2012 By
For those looking to support a medieval-themed project, Blazon! The Card Game might be just what you are looking for
15th century Italian banking records discovered in London manuscript
July 24, 2012 By
Records of Italian bankers partially covered over fifty years later by traditional English crests
English heraldic terminology: analysis and comparison with Czech
February 27, 2012 By
The first part of the essay is an analysis of lexical heraldic items. The analysis is made according to different classes of the heraldic terms, starting with the ordinaries, then describing other charges.
Heraldry and Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur
October 2, 2011 By
Heraldry and Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur By Lani Visaisouk Master’s Thesis, Utrecht University, 2006 Introduction: In 1136, King Arthur makes his first appearance in the English literary tradition: Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain contains a lengthy section on Arthur. As in other early sources on Arthur, he is both […]
Ralph de Limésy: Conqueror’s Nephew? The Origins of a Discounted Claim
September 15, 2011 By
Ralph de Limésy: Conqueror’s Nephew? The Origins of a Discounted Claim Jackson, Peter (University of Oxford) Prosopon Newsletter (1997) Abstract The name of Ralph de Limésy is well enough known to medieval prosopographers, both as a substantial tenant-in-chief in several counties in post-Conquest England and as the founder (ca 1095) of a Benedictine house at […]
Islamic Heraldry: An Introduction
June 19, 2011 By
Islamic Heraldry: An Introduction By David B. Appleton Published Online (2008) Introduction: The scope of this presentation concerns the heraldry the Muslims in the late Middle Ages – that is to say, it concerns the heraldry of the Ayyubid and Mamluk dynasties of Egypt and Syria from roughly the late 12th Century A.D. through the […]
The Medieval Tournament: Chivalry, Heraldry and Reality. An Edition and Analysis of Three Fifteenth-Century Tournament Manuscripts
April 22, 2011 By
The contents of the codex are an exceptional primary source for the study of the chivalric culture of late-medieval Burgundy, England, and France. They include challenges to, and narratives of, combat involving influential courtiers such as Anthony Woodville, Lord Scales, brother-in-law of Edward IV, and Antoine, the Great Bastard of Burgundy, an illegitimate son of Duke Philip the Good. There is an account of a deadly combat at Tours in February 1446/7 which is vividly illustrated with eight miniatures.
Of device as device: the narrative functioning of armorial displays in Froissart’s Chronicles
November 3, 2010 By
Of device as device: the narrative functioning of armorial displays in Froissart’s Chronicles By M. J. Huxtable Postgraduate English: A Journal and Forum for Postgraduates in English, No.18 (2008) Introduction: In terms of socio-cultural history, the Chroniques or Chronicles of French poet and historiographer Jean Froissart (c.1337-1410) provide important access to the medieval perception of armory, […]
The Scrope and Grosvenor Controversy, 1385-1391
May 2, 2009 By
The Scrope and Grosvenor Controversy, 1385-1391 By R. Stewart-Brown Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, Vol. 89 (1938) Synopsis: Scrope versus Grosvenor was one of the earliest heraldic law cases brought in England. In 1385, King Richard II of England invaded Scotland with his army. During this invasion, two of the king’s knights realized […]
Notice of Four Ancient Scottish Standards, with Detailed Description of the Recently Discovered Marchmont Standard
December 5, 2008 By
Notice of Four Ancient Scottish Standards, with Detailed Description of the Recently Discovered Marchmont Standard By James Balfour Paul Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Vol. 53 (1917-18) Synopsis: Examines examples of late medieval and early modern standards from Scotland. Click here to read/download this article (PDF file)
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