Appearance and development of heraldry
So, the coat of arms has some essential features that make it a coat of arms. When did the coat of arms appear in Europe? The beginning of the formation of heraldry refers to the XII century. This era is associated with the beginning of the history of European knighthood, the beginning of the Crusades, the emergence of the first military monastic orders, and then with the tradition of knightly tournaments. The coat of arms was first of all an identification function, it was a sign of knighthood status, knightly honor. Of course, heraldry appeared when the knighthood became quite numerous and when the knighthood had "common cause", as the same Crusades.
The first coats of arms were depicted on a knight's shield. These were metal or enamel figures and parts of the shield, and then all this terminology has passed into the classic heraldry, in the image and description of the coats of arms. In addition to the shield, the coat of arms was also placed on the helmet and crowned it as a helmet, on horse blankets, on flags, banniers, attached to the spear. All elements of the coat of arms thus owed their origin to different parts of the knightly armor and armor. The shield remained the main element of the coat of arms, the helmet and helmet ascended to the real objects, the outline, depicted as a carved vignette, emerged from the cape that covered the helmet, shield holders played the role of the squire, and the motto was in the original form of a battle cry. Of course, over time, the structure of the coat of arms became more complicated, but the first coats of arms were very simple in their images. In heraldry, there is even a conventional principle: "The simpler the coat of arms, the older it is.
Corporate and city coats of arms appeared later tribal, and the state, formed mainly on the basis of dynastic, and even later. In the medieval European society heraldry was incredibly widespread. Human life was accompanied by coats of arms everywhere, and although no one, of course, did not count exactly, but according to a rough estimate in the European Middle Ages was not less than a million coats of arms. Moreover, the coats of arms were assimilated by those countries and persons who never had them. Heraldry "tipped over" in the past, attributed to the absolutely non-heraldic societies, because in the minds of firmly established the principle of importance and obligation of the coat of arms. So arose "fictional" heraldry with the coats of arms of King David, Julius Caesar, Hector Trojansky and even Jesus Christ.
The "Chronicle of the Cathedral of Constance" by Ulrich von Richenthal with the fantasy coats of arms of King Arthur, King David, Julius Caesar, Hector of Troyansk and others, XV century.
Within the framework of heraldic practice the rules and principles of the coat of arms were gradually formed. This process was long, accompanied by special heraldic treatises (treatises on knighthood were written even by the great scientist Raimund Lullius and the famous poetess Christine of Pisa) and completed in the XVII century in French heraldry. European heraldry was international, although it had some regional peculiarities, and a special heraldic "language", necessary for a brief and clear description of the coat of arms (the so-called blazon), was formed on the basis of Old French.
The seal of Ivan III of 1497 with the first image of the double-headed eagle as a state symbol of Russia.
The history of heraldry in Russia was different. In ancient Russia, it did not exist, although there was an emblematic system that had some of its features - the so-called signs of Rurikovich. The first state emblems which have got stable, constant in use character, have appeared in the end of XV century at Ivan III. The first territorial emblems, prototypes of future coats of arms, recorded for the first time under Ivan the Terrible on his large seal of the late 1570-ies. The first personal and family coats of arms appeared in the second half - end of the XVII century under European influence. As such, heraldry began to be actively formed under Peter the Great, especially in connection with the creation of the Geroldmeister office and the centralized organization of the business. It reached its apotheosis in Russia, in my opinion, in the second half of the 19th century, in order to almost disappear as a result of the revolutionary events of 1917. In modern Russia heraldry has revived and continued its history as a practical activity, and, of course, the research of heraldry as an object of scientific analysis has become more active.