Women's coat of arms

Ladies shield in diamond shape with love rope and love knot

Depiction of the coat of arms of Zara Phillips

Depiction of the coat of arms of Zara Phillips with a bow, the shield tapering off ornamentally

Marriage / alliance coat of arms of a gentleman from Zimmer and a countess from Calw

The woman crest was in the Heraldry particularly women reserved form, a coat of arms to lead. Therefore, the shield shape preferred for this , the diamond shield , is also referred to in this context as a lady's shield . This form of shield has never been used in combat or in a tournament. The diamond shape was preferred in English and French heraldry. The diamond shape can also terminate in eight ornamental corners. The German heraldry has not decided on one shape, but in the early days of heraldry women used an oval-pointed shield according to the pattern, as clergymen did. All shield forms of the lady's shield originated in the seal customer .

Women's coats of arms can be identified as early as the 12th century. The women either carried the father's coat of arms or that of the husband. It was also common to combine the father's coat of arms with that of the mother. Single women rarely wore coats of arms. Exceptions were made for women of higher rank. From the 16th century, single women also bear a coat of arms.

In the UK, a bow tied above the sign indicates an unmarried woman. However, this loop is not compulsory to display, because the coat of arms shows whether the lady is married or not. If she is married, the bow falls away and the shield is "split" by a vertical line. The front half is reserved for the husband's coat of arms.

You also lean two shields against each other as an alliance coat of arms . In each shield, a spouse has their own coat of arms brought into the marriage. Here then the father's coat of arms of the woman leans against that of the spouse. In German-speaking areas, often in other countries, the arms of the woman are both appropriate helmets with helmet decorating shown.

The love ropes with love knots underline the togetherness of the partner.

The remarriage of women often leads to three coats of arms. In this case, the sign of the new partner is leaning on the right, the father's coat of arms of the woman in the middle and that of the deceased spouse on the left.

See also

• Marriage coat of arms (marriage coat of arms)
• Woman arms in heraldry

Web links

Commons : Frauenwappen  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Commons : Rautenschild  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Commons : Alliance coat of arms  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Bernhard Peter: marriage coat of arms. In: Introduction to Heraldry. 2007, accessed June 19, 2008 . 

literature

• Milan boys : heraldry. Edited edition. Albatros, Prague 1986.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Kate Middleton gets her very own coat of arms in time for Royal Wedding (and handily it can be used for the family business too) .
2. ↑ Gert Oswald : Lexicon of Heraldry. Bibliographical Institute, Leipzig 1984.