Early Blazon: Heraldic Terminology in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries with Special Reference to Arthurian Heraldry

Gerard J. Brault

Boydell & Brewer Ltd, 1997 - Reference - 301 pages

Classic study of the rise and flowering of heraldry 12-13c, with Arthurian references.

Early Blazon traces the evolution of heraldic terminology from its beginnings - the second quarter of the 12th century to about the year 1300. It analyses the use of coats of arms in literary texts of the period and elucidates such phenomena as allusive, canting and symbolic arms, studying the semantic evolution of the terms and phrases which have survived in today's blazon, and establishing that coats were consistently attributed to certain Arthurian characters from the early 13th century onwards.
The glossary defines and gives complete references for every word and phrase utilised in heraldy down to 1300; each term, with its synonyms and its phraseology, is analysedhistorically and philologically. The introduction covers related topics like heraldic art and pre-classic blazon, the emergence of classic blazon, literature and heraldry, heraldic flattery, plain arms, and history and heraldry.
Reissued to coincide with the publication of Professor Brault's edition of The Rolls of Arms of Edward I (1272-1307), this new edition of Early Blazon includes in a new appendix additions and corrections reflecting more than a quarter of a century of advances in the study of heraldic terminology.
GERARD J. BRAULT is Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of French and Medieval Studies at the Pennsylvania State University.

Contents

• Scope of the Present Work: 1
• The Study of Early Blazon: 3
• Heraldic Art and PreClassic Blazon 4 The Formulation of Classic Blazon: 5
• Further Characteristics of Classic Blazon: 15
• Literature and Heraldry: 18
• Heraldic Flattery: 19
• Canting and Symbolic Arms: 23
• Allusive Arms: 26
• Plain Arms: 29
• Black Knights Green Knights Red Knights: 30
• The Arms of Brittany: 35
• Arthurian Heraldry: 37
• History Heraldry and Literature: 39
• Arrangement of Items in the Present Glossary: 55
• Orthographical and Grammatical Considerations: 56
• CHIEF TERMS LISTED IN THE PRESENT GLOSSARY: 59
• ADDITIONAL FRENCH AND ENGLISH TERMS PRO VIDED IN THE NOTES: 99
• A GLOSSARY OF HERALDIC TERMS AND PHRASES in the thirteenthcentury French and AngloNorman rolls rolls of arms together with a list of s...: 104
• COATS OF ARMS IDENTIFIED BY NAME APPENDIX TO THE 1997 EDITION xiii: 133
• I: 220
• 158: 221
• 19: 229
• Gooi wo wo wo 23 26 29: 233
• 31: 234
• 35: 235
• 52: 236
• 55: 242
• 56: 243
• 59: 248
• 99: 252
• 289: 262
• 299: 275

Bibliographic information

• Title: Early Blazon: Heraldic Terminology in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries with Special Reference to Arthurian Heraldry
• Author: Gerard J. Brault
• Edition: illustrated, reprint, revised
• Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd, 1997
• ISBN: 0851157114, 9780851157115
• Length: 301 pages
• Subjects: Reference / Genealogy & Heraldry