Wrong order

Three stars out of order

In heraldry, the wrong order is the deviating position of three identical coats of arms in the shield , which are arranged contrary to the usual triangular shape.

The arrangement is for example: One figure over two (1; 2), i.e. the larger amount is closer to the shield base. In heraldry, however, the (more unspoken) standard is that two figures are arranged above one figure in the shield. This is because there is less space towards the base of the shield . The wrong order deviates from this rule. In the description of the coat of arms this position is emblazoned with “in the wrong order”.

The first coats of arms with this figure position in heraldry appeared around the 15th century. The reason was the replacement of the triangular shield by the wider semicircular shield, which offered more space in the direction of the shield base for the heraldic figures.

The term is rare, more precisely the position and number per row is emblazoned with numbers, for example "six stars (3; 2; 1)" instead of "six stars in the wrong order".

literature

• Gert Oswald : Lexicon of Heraldry. Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1984, p. 211.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Bernhard Peter: Correct and good blazon : Terms of blazon: Wrong order .