Why was heraldry important to the middle ages?

Answer 1

Shields with some form of design on them were used as rallying points during battles, and to stop yourself from being attacked by your side. As with human nature this lead to the designs getting bigger and more colourful, and thus the art of heraldry was born.

Answer 2

Initially it was not important and was for a long timed unregulated and chaotic.

Heraldry developed during the mid-12th century as a means of identifying noblemen on the field of battle, but at first it was possible for two or more men to have exactly the same heraldry, leading to confusion and error.

Since there at that time was no control and no regulations about the heraldry used, a man might choose to have "a lion" on his shield and banner, but it did not matter at all whether the lion was upright (rampant) or horizontal (a leopard in later heraldic terms) - Richard I changed the lions of England in exactly this way simply to fit into the new, shorter shields that were introduced at the end of the 12th century.

At this time heraldry was far less important than a nobleman's seal, which embodied his legal authority and acted as his signature, approval, power and lordship.

Chaotic heraldry continued until the introduction of a "Court of Chivalry" in the late 14th century and the introduction of the College of Arms in the 15th century. Much time was spent in "tidying up" the mess created during the previous unregulated centuries. Three different noblemen (Scrope, Carminow and Grosvenor) laid claim to the same coat of arms (azure, a bend or), leading to the first heraldic law case which took four years to settle.

The role of a herald was mainly to learn the heraldry of both his own side's armies and those of the enemy, or at least the main figures in the opposing army.

Answer 3

When a knight was covered from head to toe in chain mail and wearing a helmet , it was only by the emblem on his shield (his coat of arms) that he could be recognised.