Therefore the study of coat of arms is called heraldry. The use of coat of arms was strictly regulated and overseen by the herald, a professional officer of arms. A descendant of prominent parents sometimes borne ancestral coat of arms of both parents split into two parts. Ancestral arms of other descendants featured some changes such as addition of a distinguishing charge, while unmarried female descendants borne ancestral coat of arms in a shape of a lozenge or rhombus. Coat of ArmsĬoat of arms came to be considered a legal property transmitted from father to son in many medieval European countries. Patterned and ornamented shields were often crucial for identification on battlefields, while armorial insignia in the 13th century also became an instrument of identification of an individual or noble family impressed in sealing wax on documents, carved on family tombs and flown as a banner on castles and manor houses. Medieval shields worn by the knights in the battles greatly influenced the development of coat of arms and heraldry. However, the knights ceased to use the shields after the introduction of plate armor, while lightly armored troops continued to use the shields. The form and design changed through time from long, reversed teardrop shape of the Kite shield which was commonly used from the 10th to the 12th centuries to the smaller, triangular Heater shield and the round Buckler. Shield was worn on the arm or shoulder and held in hand during hand-to-hand combat. It was used as a protective weapon and often intercepted attacks of bows and arrows, swords and even blows. The shield was very important piece of defensive armor of medieval knights before the advent of plate armor.
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