The New Murrey and Blue blog

Having found myself struggling when it comes to providing my fictional medieval characters with the correct flags, banners, guidons, pennons and so on, it was a great relief to come upon websites that explain it all for idiots like me. Here are some of them:

• https://herald.poore-house.com/display/heraldic-flags/standards/
• https://knightstemplar.co/explore-the-rich-history-of-medieval-times-flags/
• https://elearncollege.com/arts-and-humanities/exploring-vexillology-of-medieval-flags/  
• https://medievus.com/blog/medieval-flags/
• and here’s a dictionary of vexillology: https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/vxt-dvv2.html

Vexillology (the study of flags) is very interesting and colourful and interprets the wonderful world of medieval flags. They could be read by the illiterate. Please don’t take offence, for I’m not referring to we modern geniuses, rather to the average medieval person who couldn’t read a word. But he/she could see stranger horsemen approaching and know who they were by the colours and flags they flew. That gave ample time to run like the clappers if the enemy was coming….or to bring out the ale for friends.

And for those of high rank who were arriving at a battle, the flags, colours and positions told them in an instant exactly what was going on, and if one side was gaining the upper hand. They didn’t need certificates in English Language to know where their duty lay!

by viscountessw