Bastard coat of arms

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Bastard coat of arms: family coat of arms of the Ducs de Vendome
Jean de Dunois with his bastard coat of arms

The Bastard Coat served in the Middle Ages in the heraldry of labeling illegitimate sons of a nobleman , that an illegitimate birth.

meaning

Since, especially in the case of sovereign princes such as kings or emperors, the father was by no means obliged to publicly recognize his illegitimate descendants, the award of a bastard coat of arms was usually rather a rarity and was very often associated with the award of a title of nobility and a place of residence in accordance with one's status.

In the perception of the rest of the non-sovereign nobility, being a recognized descendant of the reigning prince generally did not constitute a reason for social disdain, but on the contrary offered the non-sovereign nobility the opportunity to have connubium with the social environment of the reigning prince , even if a marriage into the actual ruling dynasty was socially unthinkable due to the social class difference.

Geographical differences

In southern and southeastern Europe, a bastard thread (oblique left thread ) was placed over the father's coat of arms . That is a motto . It runs from top left to bottom right (heraldic: from the point of view of the wearer) over the entire shield. A short “ piece of bar ” is referred to as an oblique left-hand slump . For a legitimate birth, the direction of the sign is upside-down and right-angled.

In northern and northwestern Europe, the paternal coat of arms usually appeared in the upper right corner (upper or front square) of the otherwise unmarried shield.

Examples

Wittelsbacher bastard coat of arms

English bastard coat of arms

See also

literature

  • Walter Leonhard: The great book of heraldic art. Development, elements, motifs, design. License issue. Bechtermünz, Augsburg 2001, ISBN 3-8289-0768-7 , p. 345.