Heraldy

**Heraldry and Tournaments**


During the middle ages, heraldry or a coat of arms was used in tournaments and war to identify the genealogy. Heraldry began when wars occurred and people would write or draw symbols to represent who they were. In the middle ages people would accidentally mistaken people for others in tournaments and war so there main symbols to represent people. For the coat of arms the background color behind the insignia was called the field. The main figure was called a charge, and when younger family members came to be they had special insignias indicated younger family members.

The first tournaments started in the 11th century. The next few years was involved of attempts to control the danger of the sport. Then the sport lost its way as a good ground for fighters. The people in charge put young knights to train to ride a horse in full body armor. The first few fights for the young knights was pretty much a free fight between two teams of knights, usually between nearby towns and villages.

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 * Works Cited**
 *  “Chivalry.” The Middle Ages Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. William Chester Jordan. Vol. 1. New York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1996. 178-180. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 25 Mar. 2010.
 *  “Ecu Lusange D’or Et De Gueules.svg.” Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Apr. 2008. Web. 6 Apr. 2010. .
 * “Heraldry.” The Middle Ages: Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. William Chester Jordan. Vol. 2. New York: Charles Scribners Sons, 1996. 206-208. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 25 Mar. 2010.