The French Flags - Heraldica
Learn about the history and evolution of the French flags from the crusades to the revolution. See examples of generic flags, regimental flags, naval flags and the tricolor.
The Fleur-de-Lys - Heraldica
Learn about the history and significance of the fleur-de-lis, a stylized flower that became the emblem of France and its kings. Discover its possible origins, its evolution as a heraldic charge, and its association with royal sovereignty and the Trinity.
The Arms of France - Heraldica
Learn about the history and evolution of the French coat of arms, from the medieval fleurs-de-lis to the modern tricolor and the royal badges. See examples of royal seals, coins, and portraits with the arms of France and Navarre.
Index to French Heraldry
The French Flag; See also Les symboles de la République, on the Web site of the French Prime Minister (in French) Royalty; A Genealogy of the French Royal Family; Kings and Queens of France: a Portrait Gallery; The Bourbons; The succession to the French throne; Titles and Customs of the French Royal Family; The King's Household; Great Officers ...
The Oriflamme, Standard of the French kings - Heraldica
Oriflamme was a red banner with green fringes attached to a gilded lance, used by the kings of France in times of great danger. It was deposited in the abbey of Saint-Denis, where kings were buried, and was destroyed during the Revolution.
The Royal Arms of Great Britain - Heraldica
The quarter of France was a semy of fleurs-de-lys or (see the discussion of French royal arms) and changed to three fleurs-de-lys in 1405 or 1406 to reflect French practice. (The seal of Henry IV had a semy, but the arms on his tomb have three fleurs-de-lys, and the future Henry V bore three fleurs-de-lys on his arms as prince of Wales starting ...
History of Orders of Chivalry: a Survey - Heraldica
For some of the old military-monastic orders, the transition was at times abrupt. The Spanish orders, which had lost their primary purpose with the end of the Reconquista in 1492, were quickly brought under royal control, each time with papal assent (Santiago in 1476, Alcantara in 1474, Calatrava in 1489, Avis in 1550, Christ in 1551, Montesa ...
Napoleonic Titles and Heraldry
Strictly speaking, the Republic remained in name. The French Senate voted a law on May 18, 1804 whose first article reads: "The government of the Republic is vested in an Emperor, who takes the title of Emperor of the French." The second article read: "Napoléon Bonaparte, currently First Consul of the French Republic, is Emperor of the French."
Napoleonic Heraldry
As a curiosity, here are the arms conceded to Carlo-Alberto di Savoja-Carignano, Count of the French Empire (who would later become king of Sardinia): Gules a horse salient argent, in chief dexter the quarter of counts-landowners, namely on a quarter azure an ear of wheat on a stock or. Napoleon and Bees. Why all those bees in Napoleonic heraldry?
The Holy Roman Empire - Heraldica
Learn about the history, constitution and structure of the Holy Roman Empire, a political entity that covered a large portion of Europe from 962 to 1806. Find out the sources of law, the electoral process, the imperial titles and the sub-units of the empire.