Heraldry (Part 2)

Jul 5, 2007 by El Heraldo

According to heraldry experts, Greeks and Romans used heraldry before Christ. They utilized shields with symbols to represent their lineage. Other experts claim that heraldry started during the crusades and knight tournaments.

The early heraldry was implemented with no rule or structure making it nearly impossible for the herald to interpret or decipher the meaning of a specific coat of arms. The herald or King of Arms helped “correct” the problem by assigning proper symbols to represent the lineage of a person.

Heraldry is intimately related to the nobility which included Knights, Hidalgos, Infazones, and Hijosdalgo among g others. Also, in the nobility, were powerful Godos, that came from the north and joined the movement for the Reconquista. The Godos, thanks to their help to the kings, became more powerful than them. They outnumbered the kings by wealth and army men. The nobility was so powerful that they got to the point to claim that everyone and each of them were as powerful as the king but together were more powerful than one king.

The “Ricohombre” was the one that possessed great wealth and had the support of the kings. In return the Ricohombre had to provide support to the kings. Giving a hand to the kings had its perks. The sons of the Ricohombre were allowed to live in the palace or castle and were called, “Infazones”. Although the Infazones did not possess great wealth, they were able to acquire wealth through their feats and valiant participation in the battles of many wars they were called on to them to live. Another nobility title was, “Knight”. This title was given to the one that had the resources to acquire arms and horses to aid the king in battles. The Hidalgo title was not assigned or acquired by participating in a battle or war. The Hidalgos were farmers that at some point served the kingdom. The Knights and Hidalgos became a part of the nobility ranks despite of their lack of original nobility.

Written by Eduardo Jesus Farias Ramos
Translated by EJ Jr