What is heraldry? Heraldry of Russia

Heraldry has long become a whole cultural and historical phenomenon. Originated as an attribute of chivalry and nobility, today it has been postponed in the city and state symbols.

What is heraldry? First, it is a historical discipline studying emblems. Secondly, this is the very phenomenon of the captured images, which appeared in the Middle Ages.

Origin of the arms

To understand what heraldry is, you need to find out when it appeared. Identification marks on uniforms were born during the heyday of chivalry in the 12th century between the First and Second Crusades. The nobles began to acquire them for their own identification on the battlefield.

By the XIII century, their symbols appeared in cities, spiritual orders, the bourgeois. An important contribution to the spread of the new phenomenon was the knight tournaments.

Heraldry in Russia

Russian heraldry is considered a borrowed Western European tradition. In Russia, arms could not appear in the customary sense of the word, since originally this art arose as part of a knightly culture that is absent from the Slavs. Nevertheless, even before its appearance in Europe, the Slavic clans and tribes had their own symbols, the role of which was played by pagan totems.

With the adoption of Orthodoxy in Russia were often used as an identification mark of the double-headed eagle, adopted from Byzantium. In addition, the Christian cross became a common symbol.

In the middle of the XVII century, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, wishing to compile the genealogy of the Russian princes, turned for help to the Austrian herald-master Lavrenty Khurelevich. Important was the "Tsar's titular", compiled in 1672 by the domestic diplomatic department. He summarized the many scattered emblems of different Russian lands in one complete picture. Heraldry of Russia owes much to valuable information from this work.

Under Peter I began to acquire their arms and noble families. "The general arms of the noble families of the Russian Empire," compiled in 1797, included more than 3,000 generic signs.

After the Revolution of 1917 the heraldry of Russia became an auxiliary historical discipline. Today, the active interest of the masses is awakening to it. In 1999, the President of the Russian Federation established the Heraldic Council.

Elements of the coat of arms

A conditional distinguishing sign has a dozen elements. This is a shield, a shield holder, a nest, a burette, and so on.

His entourage largely determines the motto. Traditionally, the inscriptions are in Latin. So, Lermontov's motto was the phrase "Sors mea Jesus" ("My lot is Jesus"). With the help of such phrases, the character that the genus, the city, etc. is attributed to is deciphered. This is another phenomenon that allows one to answer the question of what heraldry is.

Heraldic shield

The main element of any emblem is the shield. It is he who carries a certain set of figures. A separate explanation requires a variety of forms of shields. They are divided according to nationality.

In the Middle Ages, the image of the shield repeated the forms of a real defensive knight's outfit. However, with the disappearance of chivalry as an important combat factor, the images of the shields began to receive more unrealistic outlines.

The most common form is the French (quadrangular shield with pointed bases). In the Russian tradition, as in many others, the "French" concept became the most widespread.

It should be noted also Varangian (triangular), Spanish (quadrangular with a round base), English (overturned arcs in the head of a triangle) and a German (figured) shield.

Tinctures

The material with which the image is applied to the shield is directly related to the color palette of the future symbol. No distinctive sign can be perceived separately from its color. Often, two such canvases can have the same pattern, but at the same time differ in color, radically changing the meaning of the composition. Therefore, we can confidently answer the question about what is heraldry: this is art. Coatings and paints of stamped bodies have their own term - tinctures.

Enamel

Before you take on the actual colors inherent in emblemology, you should list the materials with which the image is applied. There are three in total. Without the description of each of them, the presentation of "Heraldry" is impossible.

Enamels - coatings that contain vitreous powder and enamel. In addition, when creating the top layer of the aristocratic "label", copper is used as the base of the plate. Enamels were most common in medieval France, whence they migrated to Rus. In our country, and now there are many schools that practice the same-name applied arts (Vologda, Rostov, etc.). For enamels there are five colors.

Red (or scarlet) color means courage, courage and fearlessness. It is created by mixing cinnabar and minium minerals. Red tones are one of those that any national heraldry can boast of. Red flags are one of the most common.

Blue (or azure) color is used to emphasize beauty, grandeur and softness. Azure consists of an ultramarine pigment and a cobalt metal.

Black color is identified with humility, wisdom and sorrow. To give the coating a black hue, it often used burnt ivory.

Green is a symbol of abundance, hope and joy. It is interesting that to give the image of green shades used vegetative natural greens and chrome.

Purple color is considered a sign not only of strength and power, but also of dignity. Used less often than the other four colors. Purple color - a mixture of red dye carmine and varnish of a pink hue.

If the previous colors are considered canonical, then the use of other palettes is less common. It is not often possible to find enamel of orange, crimson, blood, brown, gray and pink flowers.

Metal processing

The second material is metals. Only two of them are used - gold and silver, which, among other things, are considered noble.

The first of them, proudly called "the king of metals", symbolizes wealth, power and nobility. In addition, in the Christian tradition, golden color is a sign of justice, faith, mercy and humility.

Silver with its whiteness always went hand in hand with purity, innocence, nobility and honesty. Somehow, noble metals are tied to all the best that is in the human character.

Gold is considered an analogue of yellow color, while silver is associated with white paints. They often cover the arms. Heraldry considers the white shade one of the most common in his art. Artists can receive gold and silver colors with the help not only of metals themselves, but also of brilliant paint.

Fur on the shields

When decorating the arms, the furs of two animals are traditionally used - protein and ermine.

The ermine fur is depicted on a silver or gold field in the form of crosses in black. This material symbolizes power. The right to use it had and only have royal and noble dynasties, which are distinguished by a special status in society.

The white cover is found in the form of gray-blue and white skins. Unlike the ermine analog, it does not symbolize anything and is depicted most often in helmet-shaped forms. Such material, for example, was rare in Russia.

It is interesting that furs, which were worth their weight in gold in medieval Europe, were used to decorate knightly banners even before the appearance of the actual arms.

A relic of the past can be considered sable fur. For example, it can be found on the banner of the famous family of the Hohenzollerns. It was from this dynasty that the kings of Prussia and the Kaisers of Germany came.

Flowers as a symbol

Flowers in heraldry were popular even among royal families. For example, in England, garlands and bouquets of roses could only be displayed on the emblem of the ruling dynasty. If the noble family did not have a crowned person among her relatives, she could not use more than one rose on her shield.

The War of the Scarlet and White Rose, which erupted in England in the 15th century, was named after the symbols of two dynasties fighting for power. Lancasters were proud of their red rose, and Yorkie - white. Other hypostases of spiked flowers are known. The unofficial emblem of Bulgaria is a rose of scarlet color, while a yellow rose is a symbol of Beijing.

Another famous flower-emblem is the lily. It was the triad of lilies that was the symbol of the Bourbons, who ruled France for several centuries, and the throne of Spain is still occupied.

The thistle of the heraldic symbol has become the symbol of the whole of Scotland. From exotic examples, you can bring chrysanthemum, which is the national flower of Japan since the VII century.

Trees on the arms

Oak. What does heraldry mean with such a pattern? Since ancient times, it symbolized strength and fortress. In addition, on stamps and flags you can often find its fruits - acorns.

The olive tree and in particular its branch are known as a symbol of peace. This interpretation is rooted in the Bible. According to the Old Testament, the dove brought Noah an olive branch as a sign of the cessation of the Flood. For Muslims, olive is considered the tree of life. A pigeon carrying a branch of this tree can be seen, for example, on the coat of arms of Fiji.

Also on the emblems are often found pine and cherry (in Japan - a symbol of wealth and success).

Birds on emblems

More often than others from birds as an evident image it is possible to meet the eagle which in the European tradition speaks about domination and the power. It can be seen on the seal of the USA, where he holds an olive branch and thirteen pointed arrows (according to the number of founding states).

Particularly carefully, heraldry studies the figure of the two-headed eagle, which can be found in the culture of many different peoples. It is believed that its origin is due to Sumerian civilization from ancient Mesopotamia. From there he migrated to the Hittites.

The Byzantine Empire also used a double-headed eagle for identification purposes. It was from there that he, together with Orthodoxy, was transferred to Russia, where he received a second birth. A fantastic bird flaunted on the emblems of Chernigov, Tver and Moscow principalities.

It was also popular among Germans (the German Union, the Holy Roman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, etc.). Today this figure is present on the flags of Albania, Armenia, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro.

Similar to the eagle for its noble qualities falcon, which in the medieval era was associated with the male character traits: nobility, chivalry, courage and strength.

The images of such birds as the heron, the crane and the stork are similar in their meaning. As a rule, they are depicted standing on one leg. Such a composition implies caution and vigilance.

From feathered "labels" are also common crows, ducks and roosters.

Symbolism of animals

The wolf is especially common in German medieval culture. At the same time, this predator has a different allegorical value. Russian tradition ascribes to him anger, greed and gluttony. In the Bible this mammal is the personification of false prophets. More famous than the rest of its relatives is the capitol wolf, feeding the babies with her milk. It is the symbol of the "eternal city" of Rome. According to legend, she saved the Romulus and Remus brothers from starvation, the first of whom founded the settlement.

Many animals are considered synonymous with meekness and shyness. These are deer and lambs. Lamb has a special status in the Christian tradition. The Lamb of God in the Gospel is Jesus Christ. Without it, European Catholic heraldry could not do. Symbols from biblical stories always occupied a prominent place in the Old World.

The horse has an exceptional status as a decoration for the banner, since he was faithful to the companions of the knights. He embodies not only speed and loyalty, but also courage. The horse is always portrayed in profile.

The deer, always considered a noble animal, was popular among the noble families. Warriors could use his image as proof of intimidation of enemies, because the horned inhabitant of the forests chased away the snake with his smell.

The boar, distinguished by its violent temper, carries in itself such traits of character as courage and fearlessness. As a rule, it is depicted in a profile, but only a boar head is found.

Conclusion

Today the history of heraldry is actively studied. Since its inception, it has become one of the most famous images of the medieval feudal society. The distinctive sign became a proof of belonging to his family and estate. The decline in interest in the phenomenon began in the 18th century. Over time, vivid pictures became a feudal remnant, remaining as a "face" of cities and states.