Coat of Arms - Royal Research

Photo Credit: Scott D Welch

A coat of arms is a very important thing for a royal. It is used as a means of identification. It is used for the royal for a lot of official things, & they can also allow other organizations to use their coat of arms (e.g. Royal Warrant Holders). (Non-royals, cities, countries, universities, etc. can also have their own coat of arms.)

Coats of arms were originally quite simple in design. They grew more complex over the generations, especially when two or more coats of arms were joined (impaled) to form a new coat.

Technically, the term "coat of arms" refers to just the shield. But today it is used more widely to refer to the whole "Heraldic Achievement" (i.e. shield, motto, supporters, etc.)

Rules about coats of arms vary from country to country, but most countries agree that each coat of arms must be unique. This has lead to a number of court cases over the use of a particular design.

As a result, coats of arms are very specific and precise things. The part that is actually protected is the "Blazon," the formal description of the arms. The blazon uses a lot of special terms to precisely describe the coat of arms. How you depict the blazon is up to an artist. The blazon may say there is a lion, but you can choose how to draw that lion. (Although, there is often a note about the "attitude" or position of animals on a coat of arms.)

Resources: 

• International Heraldry (Website) - They have descriptions of all of the terms & rules related to a Coat of Arms (Tincture [colors], Divisions of the Field, Ordinaries, etc.)
• Royal College of Arms - They are the official heraldic authority for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and much of the British Commonwealth. 
• Court of the Lord Lyon -  They are the official heraldic authority for Scotland. 
• Hoge Raad van Adel (High Council of the Nobility) - Netherlands' High Council of the Nobility grants personal arms (to nobles only) and official, military, and municipal arms
• Website in Dutch

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