To say that plants play an important role in human life is to say nothing: it is difficult to find a sphere of our life in which there is no place for them. Heraldry was no exception – the science that studies coats of arms and everything associated with them.
The coat of arms of the state, surname, company or any other is a brief allegorical presentation of the history and concept of further development in pictures. The composition of the coat of arms is subject to special heraldic rules, which strictly determine the colors, location and type of heraldic figures and auxiliary elements.
Where did the coats of arms come from?
Historians believe that the arms appeared after the beginning of the knightly tournaments: the audience was difficult to determine who is hiding under a pile of armor, if the head of the team helmet with visor lowered. Therefore, on the shields of brave knights began to depict various symbols indicating belonging to a particular genus or clan.
But simple and immediately understandable figures soon ended. The custom of combining in one coat of arms the family symbols of the spouses at the conclusion of marriages made the images on the shields confusing and complicated for the uninitiated.
To streamline the process, the rules of drawing up coats of arms began to be formed. The very same jousting competitions began with the presentation of the participants, whose coats of arms depicted on the shields, the managers showed the assembled spectators. The name of these heralds gave its name to the science of coats of arms. And the names of many elements of the drawing of the coat of arms – (namet, burlet, mantle) are associated with the knight’s vestments. Crusades — the second “catalyst” for the development of heraldry: on a field of battle sometimes it is vital to distinguish where your, and where someone else.
The combination of elements of different coats of arms in one composition occurred not only as a result of marriage unions, but also as a result of military and diplomatic victories and even just claims to possession of certain territories. An example is the coat of arms of great Britain and Canada. The use of the same details indicates the origin of Canada: in the middle of its history, this country was under the rule of England. Even now, Canada’s official status is a constitutional monarchy headed by the Queen or king of great Britain.
Plants on coats of arms
Plants on coats of arms refer to the so-called non-heraldic figures, they are depicted with varying degrees of Convention. All details of the main emblem are symbolic, not an exception and plant signs, very common on coats of arms and flags.
Sugar maple, roses, lilies and clover with thistles
The national emblem of Canada is decorated with as many as 5 plants, and the canadian maple leaf and French Lily are depicted in 2 versions: conventionally (as a symbol) and realistically. And they are present primarily not for decorative and informational purposes. The maple leaf in the paw of the crowned English lion in the helmet of the coat of arms speaks of the sovereignty of Canada.
The main detail of the coat of arms is the heraldic shield. On the canadian emblem it is five-part. At the top are the coat of arms of 4 countries, the first settlers of which gave rise to modern Canada: the lions of England and Scotland, the harp, symbolizing Ireland, and the Royal lilies of France.
The same motif is repeated in the base on which the shield-holders stand. There are intertwined plant symbols of these countries: red and white Tudor rose (England), Thistle (Scotland), white Lily (France) and Shamrock clover (Ireland).
The same meaning — the United Kingdom — is embedded in the drawing of the base of the coat of arms of great Britain. It shows a lion and a unicorn holding a shield, standing on a lawn of white and red roses, thistles and clover leaves.
At the bottom of the shield on the canadian coat of arms is a maple branch with three leaves. This is a symbolic image of the emergence and development of a single nation from the unification of different peoples. And in itself, the five-bladed leaf of the sugar maple (symbol of Canada) represents the unity of the canadian nation and is abundantly used in the drawing of the coat of arms and the modern canadian flag.
War of the roses
The plant symbol of England is a two-tone rose called the Tudor rose. Its color-red and white petals-is not the result of skillful work of breeders, and the armed conflict in 1455-1485 between representatives of the two side branches of the family of the English Royal dynasty-the Plantagenets. The lack of a legitimate heir in the Royal family led to a war between possible claimants-Lancaster and York.
Subsequently, this conflict was romantically called the War of the red and White roses (in the works of Shakespeare and Walter Scott) on the heraldic symbols of the opponents: the red rose-Lancastrians, the white rose-Yorks. It should be noted that these flowers are actually coats of arms of the warring parties were not, but sometimes really used as a distinctive sign in battles.
The feud ended after the marriage of a descendant of Lancaster Henry VII Tudor and Elizabeth of York. As a result of this war, the Plantagenet dynasty was replaced by a new one-the Tudors. In England, the feudal middle Ages ended, and on the coat of arms of great Britain appeared a symbol of compromise between the warring Royal dynasties — a red and white rose.
In the XVI century, breeders brought a variety of damask roses with colorful white and red petals and called it ‘York & Lancaster’. By the way, the name Plantagenet also has a Botanical origin: translated from Latin means “plant GenÃsta”, which was the emblem of the founder of the dynasty Geoffrey V, of Anjou.
Fleur-de-lys
A stylized (conventional) image of a Lily flower is the most popular figure in heraldry.
Drawing, reminiscent of the famous heraldic figure, has a long history. One of the first images dates back to the III Millennium BC, it was found on the bas-reliefs of the ancient Assyrian state. And although the so-called Royal Lily is considered the emblem of the French Royal house, the Bourbon dynasty, it became a symbol of power much earlier.
The heraldic Lily (Bourbon Lily) traces its legendary history back to the time of king Clovis of the Franks. Legendary, because it is believed that Clovis received the Golden Lily from the hands of an angel, having been baptized. But there is no documentary evidence of the use of this symbol as an official Royal emblem until the XIII century. Although the three-petalled image of the flower was used in the decoration of the Royal apartments and the decoration of clothing of monarchs from the VIII-IX centuries.
Finally Fleur-de-lys-the image on the shield of 3 stylized Golden lilies on a blue background became a symbol of the kings of France in 1211, appearing on the seal of the future Louis VIII. The modern emblem of France, for obvious reasons, does not contain an image of lilies. In the symbolic image of the French Republic (by the way, which is not the official state emblem), other plants: the crossing branches of the olive, symbolizing peace, and the oak — means wisdom.
Today, botanists and historians have begun to doubt that the stylized pattern of the flower, similar to the tip of a spear, is a Lily. It has been suggested that the symbol of the French monarchy is the iris flower. Whether it will be possible to convince the public of this is unclear, because the heraldic Lily contains the coats of arms of many States, provinces, individual cities, as well as family noble coats of arms.
For example, the Lily is the only image on the coat of arms and flag of modern Florence and the historical Florentine Republic. For version of iris says the fact, that in times of, when Florence engulfed under power Napoleon, on his decree Republic was appropriated a new coat of arms, where unambiguously was portrayed precisely iris. But Florentines do not like to remember this moment of history-at the first opportunity they returned to the coat of arms of the familiar and beloved Lily.
Do not think that only noble flowers were chosen as emblems. Vegetables, such as leeks on the Royal badge of Wales, and even weeds are good for this purpose.
“No one will touch me with impunity”
The coat of arms of great Britain exists in 2 variants. The first is as pictured above, and the second is used in Scotland. One of the differences between the Scottish variant on the lawn under the feet of the lion and the unicorn no English rose and Irish clover. It consists only of thistles. Apparently, this is due to the complex relationship between England and the Scottish Kingdom throughout history.
According to legend, one day the Thistle secured the victory of the Scottish army. One of the enemy soldiers stepped on a thorn Bush of this plant with his bare foot and cried out in pain. The sleeping Scots were thus warned, and the advantage of surprise was lost to the attackers. The Thistle is the official symbol of the Scottish Kingdom. His image is on the coat of arms, it is also printed on coins since 1470.
In Scotland there is a order of chivalry, the most Ancient and most noble order of the Thistle. The exact date of its Foundation is unknown. In 1687, king James VII of Scotland issued a decree on the “restoration and revival” of the order of the Thistle. And the legendary date of Foundation of the order is called 787 year, when the king of Scots Eochaid in the battle with the Anglo-Saxons saw in the sky a sign in the form of St. Andrew’s cross. After the victory, the king in honor of St. Andrew and approved the order of the Thistle.
One of the insignia (regalia) of the order is a chain, the links of which are a plexus of Thistle and Rue (the second plant symbol of Scotland). The motto of the order is “Nemo Me Impune Lacessit”, which means “No one will touch me with impunity”.
Studying images of plants on coats of arms is a very exciting experience. But the field is large enough to fit all the interesting in one or two publications. I spoke about the most ancient plant symbols used in heraldry, and modern history adds more and more.
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