ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2149
http://www.s-gabriel.org/2149
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17 Nov 2000
From: Dietmar 

Greetings on behalf of the Academy,

You asked for our help in designing arms as they might have been born by
a German knight in the first half of the 13th century. Here is what we
have found.

The 13th century was very soon after the introduction of heraldic arms
into Germany. Arms were widely used, but the designs were much simpler
than they became later in period. Typical designs were:

    * a single charge on a plain field;
    * a set of three charges on a plain field; or
    * a field divided into a standard geometric pattern, without any charge.

The best way to explain the kinds of designs that are appropriate for
your culture is to show you a number of pictures from your chosen time
period. Unfortunately, we do not know of an easily-accessible source to
recommend. However, there are two period German armorials on the web
which are both a little late for your period, but we think you can
safely use them as a guide to the appropriate style.

The Manesse Codex gives examples of arms from c.1300-30. The index is
only available in German:
http://www.tempora-nostra.de/manesse/manesse_start.shtml

Or, you can go straight to the images:
http://www.tempora-nostra.de/manesse/manesse0-9.shtml

The Manesse Codex was produced in the early 14th century, but many of
the people represented lived over a hundred years earlier or more. It is
possible that they did not actually bear the arms shown during their lifetimes.

For examples of arms from c.1340, see the Zurich Roll of Arms:
http://people.delphi.com/ivanor/zroaen0.htm

Note that the Zurich roll starts with a collection of flags and then a
catalogue of the arms of royalty (some of them fictional). The material
you'll find most useful starts on the second row of arms on the front of
Strip II.

One way to design arms to fit your period would be to choose elements
from the heraldry in the sources we've recommended and combine them to
create new arms. For example, you could pick the charge used in one coat
of arms, the pattern for arranging charges from another, and the color
combination from a third.

To create arms that are typical of your period, try to choose elements
used often in these sources. For example, you'll see that lots of arms
in both sources have black charges on gold fields. Several in the Zurich
Roll use hearts as charges, and quite a few have a set of three charges
arranged in a diagonal row. Combining these elements, we create "Or,
three hearts in bend sable", a design which would be excellent
re-creation of 13th-14th century German heraldry.

There are regional differences in heraldry, and you did not specify from
what part of Germany your persona comes. These differences are reflected
in the types and arrangement of charges as well as the preferences of
particular color choices. If you would like the Academy to evaluate your
design once you have settled on something, we would be happy to do so.

We hope this letter has been useful. Please write us again if any part
of it has been unclear or if you have other questions. I was assisted in
researching and writing this letter by Arval Benicoeur, Juliana de Luna,
Julie Stampnitzky, Rouland Carre, Talan Gwynek, Walraven van Nijmegen,
and Zenobia Naphtali.

For the Academy,

     Dietmar von Straubing
     17 November, 2000