Coats
of arms developed from the designs used on the coats and shields of knights for
identification during battle.
Perhaps
you know a family that has a coat of arms—a special emblem or design that distinguishes
that particular family.
In
the Middle Ages knights wore suits of armor that covered their bodies from head
to toe.
The
armor made it difficult to tell friend from foe in battle, so knights began
wearing loose coats over their armor.
They
decorated their coats and shields with designs so they could identify each
other. People began calling the coat a
knight wore a ‘‘coat of arms.’
Eventually,
the design on the coat or arm became the distinguishing sign of the knight and
of his family.
When
gunpowder and bullets appeared on the battlefield the knight and his armor
became useless. Coats of arms were no
longer needed as a means of recognition.
But
some people still like the distinction of having their own coat of arms to show
which family they belong to.–Dick Rogers
