Heraldic king

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King of Arms Sir Thomas Innes of Learney. He carries the tappert of the Lord Lyon King of Arms , in his hand he holds the herald's staff

A coat of arms king is the highest herald of his sphere of influence. He is elected by the other Heralds and appointed by his worldly Lord.

tasks

Like all heralds, the king of the coat of arms is entrusted with the knowledge and management of the coat of arms , ie he has to identify nobles based on their coat of arms and to design the coat of arms of his master and his family according to the heraldic rules.

In the hierarchy of the heraldry, a marshal and a different number of simple heralds and persuivants (pursuivants) occasionally follow below the heraldic king.

In medieval tournaments , the king of the coat of arms was responsible for conveying challenges to other tournament participants. In addition, he wore the tappert of his master, the challenger, and delivered the challenge. If this was accepted, the king of the coat of arms pinned a parchment on his shoulder, which showed in a stylized representation the two opponents with their respective coats of arms as well as the coats of arms of the responsible judges. It thus acted as a kind of moving notice for information about the tournament bosses meeting.

Heraldic kings were in high esteem in the Middle Ages; in addition to their ceremonial duties, they acted as ambassadors and even judges. Originally entrusted with the knowledge and documentation of the noble coats of arms, the office advanced over time to an institution which has the exclusive authority in many places to award and certify coats of arms.

present

Even today there are still coats of arms, such as B. in the United Kingdom , where they play an important role in the coronation ceremony ; Their ceremonial significance is evident from the fact that the three heraldic kings are the only ones besides the monarch to wear crowns. The coat of arms kings also have offices in the knightly orders , such as B. the Order of the Garter , who supervise the ceremonies at religious ceremonies.

In the United Kingdom (excluding Scotland), the heraldic kings are senior members of the College of Arms . They continue to award coats of arms and have tasks with name changes. With the Lord Lyon King of Arms, Scotland has its own king of arms , who also has judicial functions in the field of heraldry.

England and Northern Ireland

Scotland

gallery

  • William Weldon, Norroy King of Arms, 1902

  • Sir Francis Grant, Lord Lyon King of Arms (left), 1933

  • Hubert Chesshyre, Clarenceux King of Arms, 2006

  • Thomas Woodcock, Norroy and Ulster King of Arms, 2006

  • Clarenceux King of Arms Thomas Hawley

See also

literature

Web links