Q: Why is a family’s heraldic symbol called a ‘coat of
arms’?
Q: Why is a family’s heraldic symbol called a ‘coat of arms’?
A: In medieval Europe, men serving under a feudal lord in battle needed some way to identify one another.
This was particularly true during the Crusades when many nations fought together.
To provide this identification, shields were painted with brightly colored symbols called “arms” that identified the feudal lord.
Men of lower rank wore badges showing this same symbol.
Knights usually had this symbol emblazoned on light cloth tunics or coats they wore over their armor. This tunic became known as a “coat of arms” and later the term came to mean the heraldic symbol itself.
– Douglas B. Smith
‘Ever Wonder Why?’
