Coat of arms 55284 225540826 2008-07-14T05:57:02Z Aervanath 2715594 Adding link to orphaned article, Wikiproject Orphanage: [[WP:ORPHAN|You can help!]] {{Nofootnotes|date=December 2007}} {{Disputed|date=March 2008}} A '''coat of arms''' or '''armorial bearings''' (often just '''arms''' for short), in [[Europe]]an tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person (or group of people) and used by them in a wide variety of ways. They were once used by knights to identify them apart from enemy soldiers. Unlike [[Seal (device)|seals]] and [[emblem]]s, coats of arms have a formal description that is expressed as a [[blazon]]. In the 21st century, coats of arms still continue to be in use, in a variety of institutions, e.g. several universities have guidelines on how their coats of arms may be used and protect their use.<ref>Glasgow Univerity http://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/coat-of-arms/</ref><ref name=emerald>[http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?Filename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/1680100103.html Educational Institute Coat of arms]</ref><ref>McGill University http://www.mcgill.ca/files/secretariat/wordmark.pdf</ref> The art of designing, displaying, describing, and recording arms is called [[heraldry]]. ==Traditions and usage== {{COA elements}} [[Image:Hyghalmen Roll Late 1400s.jpg|thumb|left|The German ''[[Hyghalmen Roll]]'', ca. late 15th century, illustrates the German practice of thematic repetition from the arms in the crest]] In the heraldic traditions of England and Scotland an individual, rather than a family, had a coat of arms. In those traditions coats of arms are legal property transmitted from father to son; [[Women in heraldry|wives and daughters]] could also bear arms modified to indicate their relation to the current holder of the arms. [[Undifferenced arms]] are used only by one person at any given time. Other descendants of the original bearer could bear the ancestral arms only with some [[cadency|difference]]: usually a color change or the addition of a distinguishing [[charge (heraldry)|charge]]. One such charge is the [[label (heraldry)|label]], which in British usage (outside the royal family) is now always the mark of an [[heir-apparent]]. Because of their importance in identification, particularly in seals on legal documents, the use of arms was strictly regulated; few countries continue in this today. This has been carried out by [[herald]]s and the study of coats of arms is therefore called "[[heraldry]]." Some other traditions (e.g. Polish) are less restrictive — allowing, for example, all members of a dynastic house or family to use the same arms, although one or more elements may be reserved to the Head of the House.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} In time, the use of coat of arms spread from military entities to educational institutes, and other establishments.<ref name=emerald/> According to a design institute article, "The modern logo and corporate livery have evolved from the battle standard and military uniform of medieval times".<ref>Corporate Identity http://www.dia.org.au/content.cfm?news=30&id=102</ref> In his book ''The Visual Culture of Violence in the Late Middle Ages'' Valentin Groebner argues that the images composed on coats of arms are in many cases designed to convey a feeling of power and strength, often in military terms.<ref>Valentin Groebner, 2004, ''The Visual Culture of Violence in the Late Middle Ages'' ISBN 9781890951375 </ref> The author Helen Stuart argues that some coat of arms were a form of corporate logo.<ref>''Employee Identification with the Corporate Identity'' International Studies of Management and Organization, Volume 32, Number 3, 2002</ref> Museums on medieval coat of arms also point out that as [[emblem]]s they may be viewed as a pre-cursors to the corporate logos of modern society, used for group identity formation.<ref>Group Identity Formation in the German Renaissance http://www.phil-hum-ren.uni-muenchen.de/GermLat/Acta/Bernstein.htm</ref><ref>[http://www.wien.gv.at/english/culture/coat-of-arms.htm European Coat of Arms Museum]</ref> ===United Kingdom=== In Scotland, the [[Lord Lyon]] has criminal jurisdiction to enforce the laws of arms. In England, the use of arms is a matter of civil law regulate from the [[College of Arms]]. Today, the term "coat of arms" or "arms" is frequently applied in two different ways. In some uses, it may indicate a full achievement of arms or heraldic achievement, which includes a variety of elements &mdash; usually a [[crest (heraldry)|crest]] sitting atop a [[helmet]], itself sitting on a [[shield]]; other common elements include [[supporters]] holding up the shield and a [[motto]] (beneath in England, above in Scotland). Some people wrongly use "coat of arms" or "arms" to refer to the [[escutcheon (heraldry)|escutcheon]] (i.e., the shield itself), or to one of several designs that may be combined in one shield. (Note that the crest is one specific part of a heraldic achievement and that "crest of arms" is a misnomer.) The "coat of arms" frequently are adorned with a device - a [[motto]], [[emblem]], or other mark used to distinguish the bearer from others. If a motto is a part of the achievement, it sometimes has some punning allusion to the owner's name. A device differs from a [[heraldic badge|badge]] or [[cognizance]] primarily because it is a personal distinction, and not a badge borne by members of the same house successively. ===Holy See=== [[Image:John paul 2 coa.svg|thumb|150px|[[John Paul II]] Coat of arms]] The [[Vatican City|Vatican]] has its own coat of arms, as the [[Coat of arms of the Holy See]]. Yet there is an at least 800-year-old tradition for personal [[Papal coat of arms]] that goes back to [[Pope Innocent IV]]. Some Popes have used their family shield as part of their coat of arms,but the coats of arms of Popes at times deliberately include symbols composed to indicate their ideal of life, or even elements connected with specific Pontifical programmes.<ref>[http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/elezione/stemma-benedict-xvi_en.html Coat of Arms of His Holiness Benedict XVI]</ref> A well known and widely displayed example in recent times was [[Pope John Paul II]]'s coat of arms. His selection of a large letter M (for [[Blessed Virgin Mary|Mary]]) on his coat of arms was intended to express the message of his strong Marian [[Catholic devotion|devotion]].<ref>Vatican press office http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/documentazione/documents/sp_ss_scv/insigne/sp_ss_scv_stemma-bandiera-sigillo_en.html</ref> Roman Catholic Dioceses also are assigned a coat of arms. A [[Basilica]], or papal church also gets a coat of arms, which is usually displayed on the building. These may be used in countries which otherwise do not use heraldic devices. ===Japan=== [[Image:Mitsubaaoi2.jpg|thumb|70px|[[Tokugawa clan]] mon]] The Japanese equivalents, called ''[[Mon (badge)|kamon]]'' (often abbreviated "mon"), are family badges which often date back to the seventh century, and are still actively used in [[Japan]] today. The Japanese designs are distinctly different from European formats and often use floral and abstract patterns. For instance, the mon of the powerful [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]] simply consisted of three leaves. Yet, even these simple designs often express an origin. An example in recent use is the logo of [[Mitsubishi]] corporation which started as a shipping and maritime enterprise and whose emblem is based on a water chestnut derived from its maritime history with a military naval influence. The word ''mitsu'' means the number 3 and the word ''hishi'' meaning "water chestnut" (and also pronounced bishi) originated from the emblem of the warrior Tosa Clan. The battleships of the Tosa clan had been used in the late nineteenth century in the [[First Sino-Japanese War]] to reach Korea<ref>Donald Calman, 1992 ''The Nature and Origins of Japanese Imperialism''ISBN 0415067103</ref> and their name gave rise to the term [[Tosa class battleship]]. The Tosa water chestnut leaf mon was then drawn as a rhombus or diamond shape in the Mitsubishi logo.<ref>Mitsubishi Mark http://www.mitsubishi.com/e/group/mark.html</ref><ref>Mitsubishi History http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/about/history.html</ref> ===Nordic countries=== [[Image:Vaasan vaakuna.png|thumb|right|Coat of arms of the city of [[Vaasa]], showing the shield with the [[House of Vasa|Royal House of Wasa]] emblem, a crown and a [[Order of the Cross of Liberty|Cross of Liberty]] pendant.]] In the [[Nordic countries]], provinces, regions, cities and municipalities have a coat of arms. These are posted to the borders and shown in official documents advertising the area. ===Other European countries=== At a national level, "coats of arms" were generally retained by European states with constitutional continuity of more than a few centuries, including constitutional monarchies like [[Denmark]] as well as old republics like [[San Marino]] and [[Coat of Arms of Switzerland|Switzerland]]. Since 1989, some of the ex-Communist states, such as [[Coat of arms of Romania|Romania]], have resumed their former arms, often with only the symbols of monarchy removed. ===USA=== The [[Great Seal of the United States]] is often said to be the coat of arms of the [[United States of America]]. The blazon is intentionally improper to preserve the number 13 in the symbolism. The U.S. state of [[Vermont]], founded as the [[Vermont Republic]], follows the American convention of assigning use of a seal for authenticating official state documents, but also has the [[coat of arms of Vermont]]. Many American social [[fraternities and sororities]], especially college organizations, use coats of arms in their symbolism. These arms vary widely in their level of adherence to European heraldic tradition. Organizations formed outside the United States with U.S. membership also may have a coat of arms. Roman Catholic dioceses and basilicas have a coat of arms. ===Other non-European countries=== However, today, nearly every nation in every part of the world has its own coat of arms, in many cases emblems that do not fully conform with European heraldric traditions. Such coats of arms often combine a European form with indigenous emblems. For example the [[coat of arms of Kenya]] features a shield in the shape of shields traditionally used by the Maasai, and a motto in [[Swahili]]. ===Flags and banners=== Note that not all personal or corporate insignia are heraldic, though they may share many features. For example, [[flag]]s are used to identify ships (where they are called [[ensign]]s), embassies and such, and they use the same colors and designs found in heraldry, but they are not usually considered to be heraldic. A country may have both a national flag and a national coat of arms, and the two may not look alike at all. For example, the [[flag of Scotland]] (St Andrew's Cross) has a white [[saltire]] on a blue [[field (heraldry)|field]], but the [[Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland|royal arms of Scotland]] has a red lion within a double tressure on a gold field. == Gallery == {{Main|Gallery of country coats of arms}} ==References== {{reflist}} ==See also== * [[Burgher arms]] * [[Baron and Feme]] ==External links== {{commonscat|Coats of arms}} {{commonscat|Elements of Coat of arms}} {{wikisource|Dictionary of French Architecture from the 11th to 16th century/Volume 1/Coat of arms|Coat of arms}} *''[http://www.luz-herald.net/free/ Free access] to Burke's General Armory (incomplete, 1,500 British surnames), Pimbley's Dictionary of Heraldry and Blason des familles d'Europe, Grand Armorial Universel (15,000 European surnames)'' * [http://cunnan.sca.org.au/wiki/Heraldry Heraldry in the SCA] * [http://www2.kumc.edu/itc/staff/rknight/Heraldry.htm Modar's Heraldry] * [http://www.alex-robertson.co.uk/index.php?id=14 A fairly recent (1995) English private coat of arms and letters patent/blazon] *{{cite web |publisher= [[Victoria and Albert Museum]] |url= http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/british_galls/do_online/coat_arms/ |title= Design a Coat of Arms |accessdate= 2007-06-08 }} {{heraldry}} {{nationalflags}} [[Category:Coat of arms images]] [[Category:Coats of arms|*]] [[Category:Infographics]] [[als:Wappen]] [[am:ብሄራዊ አርማ]] [[bar:Wappn]] [[bs:Grb]] [[bg:Герб]] [[ca:Escut d'armes]] [[cs:Znak (heraldika)]] [[cy:Arfbais]] [[da:Våben (heraldisk)]] [[de:Wappen]] [[et:Vapp]] [[el:Εθνόσημο]] [[es:Blasón]] [[eo:Blazono]] [[ko:국장]] [[hr:Grb]] [[id:Lambang negara]] [[is:Skjaldarmerki]] [[it:Stemma]] [[he:שלט אצולה]] [[ka:გერბი]] [[la:Insigne]] [[lt:Herbas]] [[ln:Bilembo-nkita]] [[hu:Címer]] [[mk:Грб]] [[nl:Wapen (heraldiek)]] [[ja:紋章]] [[no:Våpen (heraldikk)]] [[nrm:Êtchusson]] [[pl:Herb]] [[pt:Brasão]] [[qu:Wallqanqa sanancha]] [[ru:Герб]] [[simple:Coat of arms]] [[sl:Grb]] [[sq:Stema]] [[sr:Грб]] [[fi:Vaakuna]] [[sv:Heraldiskt vapen]] [[uk:Герб]] [[vec:Stemma]] [[fiu-vro:Vapp]] [[zh:紋章]]