Medieval Heraldry (Men-at-Arms) [Paperback]

Terence Wise (Author), Richard Hook (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Men-at-Arms | Publication Date: March 26, 1980

Coats of arms were at first used only by kings and princes, then by their great nobles, but by the mid-13th century arms were being used extensively by the lesser nobility, knights and those who later came to be styled gentlemen. In some countries the use of arms spread even to merchants, townspeople and the peasantry. From the mundane to the fantastic, from simple geometric patterns to elaborate mythological beasts, this fascinating work by Terence Wise explores the origins and appearance of medieval heraldic devices in an engagingly readable style accompanied by numerous illustrations including eight full page colour plates by Richard Hook.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Packed with specially commissioned artwork, maps and diagrams, the Men-at-Arms series is an unrivalled illustrated reference on the history, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the world's military forces, past and present.

About the Author

Terence Wise is one of Osprey’s most popular authors. Terence has been a respected historical writer for more than 25 years. With numerous books and articles to his credit, he has contributed more than a dozen titles to the Men-At-Arms series, mainly on medieval subjects including studies of the military orders and the Wars of the Roses.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (March 26, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0850453488
• ISBN-13: 978-0850453485
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.1 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #418,509 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a good auxiliary reference book, April 11, 2002

By 

Michele L. Worley (Kingdom of the Mouse, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Medieval Heraldry (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

To evaluate this book, the reader needs to know what it does and doesn't attempt to do. It isn't intended to be a complete introduction to the subject of heraldry, and very fairly warns the reader of this right off the bat, recommending Warne's _Observer Book of Heraldry_ or something like it for any reader lacking knowledge of the basics. (Having said that, though, this book does explain how to read a blazon, and in describing the evolution of medieval heraldry will give you *some* grounding in the basics.)

In restricting its scope to heraldry of the medieval period, the book is geared toward the military role of heraldry and its usage in the 14th and 15th centuries, so it only goes into the aspects one would have seen on a battlefield or in a tournament. (It doesn't try to go into all the finicky details of mottoes and supporters, for example.) Wise has attempted to cover continental heraldry as well as English heraldry, but gives warning that since many European Colleges of Heralds no longer exist (and thus, no central repositories of records exist for the affected countries), there is a bias toward English heraldry simply because that's where the records are most complete, easily available, and written in a language accessible to a wide audience.

In discussing the evolution of the role of heralds and shields, the basic rules of reading a blazon are eventually presented, but also which tinctures (colours) one would be likely to see, and what colours had to be added as the growing number of registered insignia forced heralds to work harder at coming up with unique devices.

While some examples are given (8 pages of colour plates, and quite a few illustrations of various coats of arms, particularly notable English insignia of the medieval period), the book is not intended as an encyclopedia of medieval blazons; there are too many, and they vary too much depending on a campaign setting. It'll give you the tools to find what you need in such a reference book, though.