French heraldry
The French Heraldry has a long tradition and France is regarded as the cradle of Heraldry.
This medieval form of recognizing friend and foe, developed from the man against man struggle, was first scientifically justified here. Heraldry was organized according to fixed rules early on . The hatching in black and white depictions of coats of arms for color interpretation also has its roots here. The French coats of arms are lavish and often very splendid. Gold and blue are the predominant colors in the coats of arms. Then follows the palette of fur with, for example, ermine . Many coats of arms can be recognized by the abundantly used lily as a French coat of arms. In the Napoleonic era, the lilies were replaced by bees . In France this is known as fleur de lys. In the coat of arms shields are often strewn or sown fields. The helmet covers are usually multicolored. The heraldic helmets are almost always presented openly and, unlike the heraldry in other countries, gold-plated or silver-plated. Particular attention was paid to the additional characters . The markings were used to distinguish within the genealogical rows of the coat of arms. The sequence and use of the additional characters was firmly regulated. The heraldic tents and other heraldic gems were particularly widespread . Under Emperor Napoleon I (1804–1814, 1815) the attempt at a new heraldry was made. This variant became known as Napoleonic Heraldry . It was introduced on March 1, 1808. The nobility and the cities were affected. This "unheraldry" disappeared with the fall of the emperor. This coat of arms in France, which was limited in time, was also used in the states and cities under French influence. So were z. B. the helmets belonging to the coat of arms replaced by the feather beret ( toque ). There was a tendency to overload the coats of arms and shield figures.
A special feature of French heraldry is the sinusoidal elevation in the head of the shield. In French heraldry, it is called "chaperonne" and can be translated as "capped". This field below the line is often tinged with ermine .
literature
- R. Mathieu: Le systeme heraldique français. Paris 1946.
- G. Saffroy: Bibliography généalogique, héraldique et nobiliaire de la France. Paris 1968–1974.
- Walter Leonhard : The great book of heraldic art. Verlag Georg DWCallwey, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-8289-0768-7 .
- Milan boys : heraldry . Albatros, Prague 1987, DNB 206884745 .
- Maximilian Gritzner : Handbook of heraldic terminology (introductory volume to the new sieve maker. Dept. A). Nuremberg 1890.
- Gert Oswald : Lexicon of Heraldry . VEB Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1984.
- Armorial de la noblesse de France. Paris 1858.