In class, we – the Year 4 and Year 5 class – learnt about heraldry, which is the art of creating and understanding coats of arms. We then made our own coats of arms, letting our imaginations and creativity run wild!
But do you know what a coat of arms is?
A coat of arms is a symbol representing a noble family. It can also represent a town, a region or a country.
In the Middle Ages, knights wore armour that covered their entire bodies, including their faces. This made it difficult to recognise them during battles. To distinguish themselves, they decorated their shields with symbols and colours unique to them.
How is a coat of arms made?
To create a coat of arms, you must follow a few rules:
- The colours, known as ‘emails’, are chosen to decorate the coat of arms. Usually, one or two colours are used.
- The layout: the coat of arms can be plain, that is to say without any divisions, or divided into several sections.
- The figures: these decorate the coat of arms and may represent animals, such as the lion, the dragon or the eagle, but also other objects or symbols.
Everyone created their own motto: ‘victory and intelligence’, ‘strength and speed’, ‘determination and liberation’, ‘strength and loyalty’, ‘courage, without fear’,… We also wrote out our chivalric mottos using a style of handwriting inspired by that of the Middle Ages.
We learnt that a coat of arms is not just a drawing: it tells a story and represents an identity. We then went on to design and create our own coats of arms, choosing colours, shapes and symbols that reflect who we are!
The knights of the Year 4–5 class
