In
heraldryHeraldry is the profession, study, or art of devising, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound *harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
, an
heraldic flag is any of several types of
flagA flag is a piece of fabric, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used symbolically for signaling or identification. It is most commonly used to symbolize a country...
s, containing
coats of armsA coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways. Historically, they were used by knights to identify them apart from enemy...
,
heraldic badgeIn heraldry, a badge is an emblem or personal device used to indicate allegiance to or property of an individual or family.Physical badges were common in the Middle Ages particularly in England. They would be made of base metal and worn on the clothing of the followers of the person in question....
s, or other devices, used for personal identification.
Heraldic flags include
banners, standards, pennons and their variants,
gonfalons,
guidons, and
pinsels. Specifications governing heraldic flags vary from country to country, and have varied over time.
Rectangular personal, military, and national flags are sometimes referred to as "standards" or
royal standardThe Royal Standard of the United Kingdom is the flag used by Queen Elizabeth II in her capacity as Sovereign of the United Kingdom. Different standards are used in the Queen's other Commonwealth realms, and the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom is varied for use in Scotland.Although almost...
s; these should be distinguished from the
heraldic standard, which is a different, specific shape.
The pennon is a small elongated flag, either pointed or swallow-tailed.
In
heraldryHeraldry is the profession, study, or art of devising, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound *harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
, an
heraldic flag is any of several types of
flagA flag is a piece of fabric, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used symbolically for signaling or identification. It is most commonly used to symbolize a country...
s, containing
coats of armsA coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways. Historically, they were used by knights to identify them apart from enemy...
,
heraldic badgeIn heraldry, a badge is an emblem or personal device used to indicate allegiance to or property of an individual or family.Physical badges were common in the Middle Ages particularly in England. They would be made of base metal and worn on the clothing of the followers of the person in question....
s, or other devices, used for personal identification.
Heraldic flags include
banners, standards, pennons and their variants,
gonfalons,
guidons, and
pinsels. Specifications governing heraldic flags vary from country to country, and have varied over time.
Rectangular personal, military, and national flags are sometimes referred to as "standards" or
royal standardThe Royal Standard of the United Kingdom is the flag used by Queen Elizabeth II in her capacity as Sovereign of the United Kingdom. Different standards are used in the Queen's other Commonwealth realms, and the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom is varied for use in Scotland.Although almost...
s; these should be distinguished from the
heraldic standard, which is a different, specific shape.
Pennon
The pennon is a small elongated flag, either pointed or swallow-tailed. It was charged with the
heraldic badgeIn heraldry, a badge is an emblem or personal device used to indicate allegiance to or property of an individual or family.Physical badges were common in the Middle Ages particularly in England. They would be made of base metal and worn on the clothing of the followers of the person in question....
or some other armorial ensign of the owner, and displayed on his own lance, as a personal ensign. The "Pennoncelle" was a modification of the Pennon.
In contemporary Scots usage, the pennon is four feet long. It tapers either to a point or to a rounded end as the owner chooses. It is assigned by the
Lord Lyon King of ArmsThe Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon, the oldest...
to any armiger who wishes to apply for it.
Banner
The banner is square or oblong and larger than the pennon. It bears the entire coat of arms of the owner precisely in the same composition that is blazoned upon a shield.
The banners of members of Orders of Chivalry are typically displayed in the Order's chapel. Banners of Knights of the
Order of the ThistleThe Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the Order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland who asserted that he was reviving an earlier Order...
are hung in the 1911 chapel of the Order in St Giles High Kirk in
EdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland. It is the second largest Scottish city, after Glasgow, and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas....
. Banners of Knights of the
Order of the GarterThe Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry, or knighthood, originating in medieval England, and presently bestowed on recipients in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms; it is the pinnacle of the honours system in the United Kingdom...
are displayed in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Standard
The heraldic standard appeared about the middle of the fourteenth century, and was in general use by personages of high rank in the two following centuries. The standard appears to have been adopted for the special purpose of displaying badges. "The badge was worn on his livery by a servant as retainer, and consequently the standard by which he mustered in camp was of the livery colours, and bore the badge, with both of which the retainer was familiar."
A standard is not rectangular. It tapers, usually from 4 feet down to 2 feet and the
flyThe design and description of flags typically uses specialised flag terminology with precise and technical meanings, and is hence a form of jargon.-Description of standard flag parts and terms:...
edge is rounded (lanceolate). In
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
any armiger who has been granted a badge is entitled to fly a standard.
The medieval English standard was larger than the other flags, and its size varied with the owner’s rank. The
Cross of St. Georgethumb|Original Cross of St. George.Ist and 2nd class were in gold.The Cross of St. George ' , or simply the George's Cross, was, until 1913, officially known as the Sign of Distinction of the Military Order of St. George....
usually appeared next to the staff, and the rest of the field was generally divided
per fess (horizontally) into two colours, in most cases the livery colours of the owner. "With some principal figure or device occupying a prominent position, various badges are displayed over the whole field, a
mottoA motto is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used...
, which is placed bend-wise, having divided the standard into compartments. The edges are fringed throughout, and the extremity is sometimes swallow-tailed, and sometimes rounded."
The
OriflammeThe Oriflamme was the battle standard of the King of France.It was originally the sacred banner of the Abbey of St. Denis, a monastery near Paris. The banner was red or orange-red and flown from a lance. It was suggested that the lance was originally the important object, with the banner a...
was the
royal standardThe Royal Standard of the United Kingdom is the flag used by Queen Elizabeth II in her capacity as Sovereign of the United Kingdom. Different standards are used in the Queen's other Commonwealth realms, and the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom is varied for use in Scotland.Although almost...
of the King of France during the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
.
In
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, a standard requires a separate grant by the Lord Lyon. Such a grant is only made if certain conditions are met.
The length of the standard depends upon one’s
noble rankThe Peerage is a system of titles in the United Kingdom, which represents the upper ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system. The term is used both collectively to refer to the entire body of titles, and individually to refer to a specific title...
.
Scottish Standards
| Rank |
Standard Length |
| The Sovereign |
21 feet |
DukeA duke is a member of the nobility, historically of highest rank below the monarch, and historically controlling a duchy. The title comes from the Latin Dux Bellorum, which had the sense of "military commander" and was employed by both the Germanic peoples themselves and by the Roman authors...
s |
20 feet |
| Marquis Marquis is a French title of nobility. The English equivalent is Marquess, while in German, it is Markgraf.It may also refer to:Persons:* André Marquis, Vichy French admiral responsible for the scuttling of the French fleet in Toulon in 1942...
es |
18 feet |
EarlEarl was the Anglo-Saxon form and jarl the Scandinavian form of a title meaning "chieftain" and referring especially to chieftains set to rule a territory in a king's stead...
s |
16 feet |
ViscountA viscount is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
s |
15 feet |
| Lords of Parliament |
13 feet |
| Baronets |
12 feet |
KnightA knight was a "gentleman soldier" or member of the warrior class of the Middle Ages in Europe. In other Indo-European languages, cognates of cavalier or rider are more prevalent suggesting a connection to the knight's mode of transport...
s and Feudal Barons-Scotland:The Scots have a quite distinct legal system within the United Kingdom. Historically, in the Kingdom of Scotland, the Lord Lyon King of Arms, as the Sovereign’s Minister in matters armorial is at once Herald and Judge....
|
10 feet |
Gonfalone
- Main article: Gonfalone
The gonfalon or gonfalone , is a long flag or banner, often pointed, swallow-tailed, or with several streamers, and suspended from a crossbar. It was first adopted by Italian medieval communes, and, later, by local Guilds, Corporations and Districts.It can be designed with a badge or coat of arms,...
A gonfalone or gonfalon is a vertically hung banner emblazoned with a coat of arms. Gonfalons have wide use in civic, religious, and academic heraldry. The term originated in
FlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence...
,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
, where communities, or neighborhoods, traditionally displayed
gonfaloni in public ceremonies.
Guidon
The Scots guidon is similar shape to the standard and pennon. At 6.5 feet long, it is smaller than the standard and twice the size of the pennon. Guidons are assigned by the Lord Lyon to those individuals who qualify for a grant of supporters to their Arms and to other individuals who have a following such as individuals who occupy a position of leadership or a long-term official position commanding the loyalty of more than a handful of people. The Guidon tapers to a round, unsplit end at the fly.
Pinsel
The Scottish pinsel is triangular in shape, 2.5 feet high at the hoist and 4.5 feet in width tapering to a point. This is the flag denoting a person to whom a
ClanScottish clans , give a sense of identity and shared descent to people in Scotland and to their relations throughout the world, with a formal structure of Clan Chiefs officially registered with the court of the Lord Lyon, King of Arms which controls the heraldry and Coat of Arms...
Chief has delegated authority for a particular occasion, such as a Clan Gathering when the Chief is absent. This flag is allotted only to Chiefs or very special Chieftain-Barons for practical use, and only upon the specific authority of the Lord Lyon King of Arms.
See also
- Royal Standard
The Royal Standard of the United Kingdom is the flag used by Queen Elizabeth II in her capacity as Sovereign of the United Kingdom. Different standards are used in the Queen's other Commonwealth realms, and the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom is varied for use in Scotland.Although almost...
- Royal Standard of Norway
The Royal Standard of Norway is used by the King of Norway. It was introduced by Cabinet Decision of 15 November 1905, following the plebiscite confirming the election of Prince Carl of Denmark to the vacant throne after the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway...
- Royal Standard of Spain
- Royal Standard of the United Kingdom
- Royal Standard of England
The Royal Standard of England, also known as the Three Lions, in favour during Tudor times, was a narrow, tapering swallow-tailed flag, of considerable length, used mainly for pageants. English Standards had the cross of St. George at their head; then the heraldic device, badge or crest, with its...
- Royal Standard of Scotland
The Royal Standard of Scotland, also known as the Banner of the King of Scots or more commonly the Lion Rampant of Scotland, is the Scottish Royal Banner of Arms...
- Oriflamme
The Oriflamme was the battle standard of the King of France.It was originally the sacred banner of the Abbey of St. Denis, a monastery near Paris. The banner was red or orange-red and flown from a lance. It was suggested that the lance was originally the important object, with the banner a...
- Personal Command Sign of the Swedish Monarch
- Queen's Personal Australian Flag
The Queen's Personal Australian Flag, sometimes known as the Royal Standard of Australia is the personal flag of Queen Elizabeth II in her role as Queen of Australia. The flag was approved for use in 1962. It is only used by the Queen when she is in Australia, or attending an event abroad in her...
- Queen's Personal Canadian Flag
The Queen's Personal Canadian Flag, sometimes called the Royal Standard of Canada, is the personal standard, or official flag, of Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada...
- Flag of the Governor General of Canada
The Flag of the Governor General of Canada was adopted in 1981. It features Canada's royal crest: a crowned lion holding a red maple leaf in its paw, standing on a wreath of the official colours of Canada , on a blue background...
- Flags of the Lieutenant Governors of Canada
A standard was approved by the Governor General of Canada in 1980 for all Lieutenant-Governors. Within the Lieutenant-Governor's province, this vice-regal standard has precedence over any other flag including the national flag, though it comes secondary to the Queen's Canadian Royal Standard...
- Queen's Personal New Zealand Flag
The Queen's Personal Flag for New Zealand, also known as the New Zealand Royal Standard, is the personal flag of Queen Elizabeth II in her role as Queen of New Zealand. The flag was approved for use in 1962. It is only used by the Queen when she is in New Zealand, or attending an event abroad in...
- Flag of the Governor-General of New Zealand
The Flag of the Governor-General of New Zealand is an official flag of New Zealand and is flown continuously in the presence of the Governor-General of New Zealand. The flag in its present from was adopted in 2008...
- Japanese heraldic banners:
- Fūrinkazan
, literally "Wind, Forest, Fire and Mountain", was the battle standard used by the Sengoku period daimyo Takeda Shingen, quoting chapter 7 of Sun Tzu's The Art of War: "Move as swift as a wind, stay as silent as forest, attack as fierce as fire, undefeatable defense like a mountain."The original...
- Hata-jirushi
' were the most common of war banners used on the medieval Japanese battlefield. The term could be translated to literally mean symbol flag, marker banner or the like...
- Nobori
', literally meaning 'banner', had a more specific meaning on the battlefields of feudal Japan. It referred to a particular type of banner denoting units within an army; nobori became much more common in the Sengoku period, coming into use alongside the earlier hata-jirushi...
- Sashimono
Sashimono were small banners worn by Japanese medieval soldiers for identification during battles. The sashimono are usually fitted to the backs of common soldiers, known as ashigaru, to elite samurai, and in special holders on the horses of some cavalry soldiers...
- Uma-jirushi
' were massive flags used in feudal Japan to identify a daimyo or equally important military commander on the field of battle. They came into prominence during the Sengoku period...