About Heraldry Shields

History

• The heraldic shield used by the Baltimore Ravens.
  
  Heraldry shields are sometimes also referred to as a coat of arms, though properly speaking the coat of arms comprised not just the shield but also the various other parts, including a banner bearing a motto, and usually two supporting images flanking the shield. They developed for practical reasons, as they were used in medieval battles to tell who was behind an otherwise anonymous suit of armor. In time, they evolved into the symbols for specific families and even states and nations, and were used less in battle than for general display and identification purposes. For example, the NFL's Baltimore Ravens use a heraldic shield as one of their logos.
  
  

Features

• Coat of arms of Spain, featuring charges of lions and castles
  
  There are several key parts to the design of any heraldic shield. The first of these is the background of the shield, also referred to as the field. The field is often divided into various parts, referred to simply as divisions, as well as drawn with specific patterns that are known as ordinaries. The latter can best be thought of as stripes - or other simple shapes, such as an "x" or a triangle - that were the beginnings of shield design. Later on, the use of imagery, known as charges, further individualized each shield. Charges could be any number of animals, objects, or shapes, though lions and crosses were both common.
  
  

Function

• There were specific rules for what could be placed on a shield. These rules limited the types of colors and patterns that could be used on a shield, though exceptions were made in certain cases. Within the confines of those rules, the designs chosen for each shield often carried particular significance for the bearer, such as the three lions on the shield of Richard the Lionheart. There were also rules governing who could have one. This varied in different parts of the medieval world, but heraldic shields were generally reserved for male members of the nobility. It was not uncommon for each noble family to have its own unique shield as part of its entire heraldry, regardless in later times of whether the shield was ever used in actual combat.
  
  

Geography

• The use of heraldic shields was fairly widespread throughout medieval Europe. Although initially there was almost a universal style, eventually heraldic customs developed so that different regions had distinctive styles. These regions roughly break down into five geographic areas: Germany and Scandinavia, England and the north of France, the Netherlands, Eastern Europe (including the Balkans), and Southern Europe (Spain, Italy, Portugal, and the south of France). Later traditions brought the use of shields as symbols of the government to the Americas, where they can still be found today.
  
  

Misconceptions

• As mentioned, heraldic shields are just one part of the coat of arms. Although the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, there were multiple elements to heraldry. Each of these elements was an important identifier, and even if there were recurring elements the combination of those elements was unique to each family and country. Moreover, the correct use of heraldic elements meant that even within the same family, there would be differences among the the various elements. This can be seen in the heraldic shields - and full coat of arms - of the various monarchs of England, many of whom were members of the same royal family.