History of Heraldry

Knights During the fifth century in Europe tribes began to war continually over territory. Eventually ordinary people came to rely on Knights to protect them from intruders. In return the ordinary people became his tenants.

Tournaments

These were great occasions where Knights would challenge each other in public. They became popular as both an exhibition of their abilities and a form of entertainment.

Heralds

The master of ceremonies at a tournament was known as a Herald. He presented the contestants with as much pomp and ceremony as he could. Around the twelfth century armour became popular. As the Knights where fully armoured from head to toe it became difficult to tell them apart. A system of marking their shields was devised by the heralds so the Knights knew whose side a man in armour was on.

This is how heraldry was born.