Military heraldry

Within military heraldry, I classify the arms of individuals, institutions, orders, military corps, and entities.

Although the military is an institution of the state, I dedicate a separate category to it in recognition of its special characteristics and history, as well as its particular functions of cohesion and identification, which are rooted in heraldry for the battlefield. The coat of arms of the Central Military Region and the Artillery Combat School of the Swedish Army are examples of military heraldry.

[Cadenas y Vicent, V. de; 1975; page 88] includes military heraldry within his «institutional heraldry».

---

Categories: Criterion and Military.

Party per pale: 1 Gules, a castle triple-towered Or, port and windows Azure, and masoned Sable; 2 Argent, a lion rampant Gules, crowned Or.

Coat of arms (1984-1997 and 1997-2002) of the former Central Military Region, where I serve. I interpreted now this coat of arms with a pointed shape. This kind of shape for this coat of arms are not usual.

---

Blazon keywords: Party per pale, Gules, One, Castle, Or, Port and windows, Azure, Masoned, Sable, Argent, Lion, Rampant and Crowned.

Style keywords: Pointed, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Metal beaten.

Classification: Interpreted, Military, Army and Navy, Coat of arms and Kingdom of Castile and Leon.

Bearer: Central Military Region.

My approach to the method of drawing the bends used by the Spanish Army for the BPAC II coat of arms

Bendy sinister of seven.

Escudo, tres barras.

Note that if the classic width were used for the bends, which is 1/3 of the shield's width, then the bends would cover almost the entire field.

The vertical axis of symmetry has been extended above the chief and below the base, and has been divided into segments of 1/4 of the shield's height, «h» in the diagram that illustrates this article. At the ends of these segments, parallel lines have been drawn to the bend sinister diagonal of the shield. Since the shield has a 5x6 proportion, the angle of inclination of these diagonals is 50.2^o..

---

Blazon keywords: Without divisions and Bend sinister.

Style keywords: Semi-circular and Freehand.

Classification: Schema and Military.

Bearer: BPAC II.

Lozengy Or and Gules. Behind the shield a cross patty Gules.

---

Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted, Doctor, Article, Castilian language and Black and white and color illustrations.

Bearer: Craon, Robert de.

Quarterly: 1 and 4 Argent, a cross patty Gules; 2 and 3 Or, a chief Gules

Escudo cuartelado: 1^o y 4^o de plata, una cruz patada de gules; 2^o y 3^o de de oro, un jefe de gules.

---

Blazon keywords: Or, Chief, Gules, Quarterly, Argent, One, Cross patty and Cross couped.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Semi-circular, Illuminated and Freehand.

Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Tremelay, Bernard de.

Azure, two barbels addorsed Argent. Behind the shield an eight-pointed cross patty Gules.

---

Blazon keywords: Azure, Two, Barbel, Addorsed, Argent, Behind the shield, One, Eight-pointed cross, Cross couped and Gules.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Semi-circular, Illuminated and Freehand.

Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Montbard, André de.

Barry of four per pale counterchanged Or and Gules.

Escudo contrafajado de cuatro piezas de oro y gules.

---

Blazon keywords: Barry per pale counterchanged, Four, Or and Gules.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Semi-circular and Hatching.

Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Blanchefort, Bertrand de.

Quarterly: 1 and 4 Argent, a cross patty Gules; 2 and 3 Argent, a cross Azure

Escudo cuartelado: 1^o y 4^o de plata, una cruz patada de gules; 2^o y 3^o de plata, una cruz de azur.

---

Blazon keywords: Argent, One, Cross, Azure, Quarterly, Cross patty, Cross couped and Gules.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Freehand.

Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Hérail, Gilbert.

Or, six annulets Gules, 3, 2, and 1.

Escudo de oro, seis anilletes de gules, ordenados 3, 2 y 1.

Coat of arms emblazoned by me with a pointed shape, illuminated, and with a freehand finishing

---

Blazon keywords: Or, Six, Annulet, Gules, Ordered, Three, Two and One.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Pointed, Illuminated and Freehand.

Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Richard, Richard.

Quarterly: 1 and 4 Argent, a cross patty Gules; 2 and 3 Vair

Escudo cuartelado: 1^o y 4^o de plata, una cruz patada de gules; 2^o y 3^o de de veros.

---

Blazon keywords: Vair, Quarterly, Argent, One, Cross patty, Cross couped and Gules.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Freehand.

Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Vichiers, Renaud de.

Quarterly: 1 and 4 Argent, a cross patty Gules; 2 and 3 Azure, a bend Or

Escudo cuartelado: 1^o y 4^o de plata, una cruz patada de gules; 2^o y 3^o de azur, una banda de oro.

---

Blazon keywords: Azure, One, Bend, Or, Quarterly, Argent, Cross patty, Cross couped and Gules.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Freehand.

Classification: Religious, Military, Knights Templar, Interpreted and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Molay, Jacques de.

Party per pale: 1 Gules, in base a castle triple-towered Or, port and windows Azure, and masoned Sable; 2 Argent, in base a lion rampant Gules, crowned Or; overall a psi letter sable; a diminished bordure Or.

Escudo partido: 1^o de gules, en punta un castillo de oro, aclarado de azur y mazonado de sable; 2^o de plata, en punta un león rampante de gules, coronado de oro; brochante sobre la partición una letra psi de gules; una filiera de oro.

Coat of arms interpreted by me, highlighted with lights and shadows, outlined in Sable, with a semi-circular outer contour and with a iridescent finish.

Coat of arms of Crepsi, military psychology, former Central Military Region, Kingdom of Spain, where I was stationed during my military service. These arms were designed by my lieutenant colonel and friend Miguel Angel Nuñez Amador, and in this image, they have been emblazoned by me. The Crepsi was a pioneer in its functions: a) the identification of soldiers at psychological risk, among tens of thousands of soldiers, using advanced information systems, including Artificial Intelligence (an area where I contributed during my service in 1989), and b) the evaluation and individualized attention of soldiers at risk through mobile units. The Crepsi has provided trained personnel and methods that are being used for the psychological care of troops deployed to conflict zones and for the psychological care of civilians in massive humanitarian disasters such as terrorist attacks or plane crashes with hundreds of affected people.

Design rationale

The psi letter of psychology and the arms of the Central Military Region: Party per pale: 1 Gules, a castle triple-towered Or, port and windows Azure, and masoned Sable; 2 Argent, a lion rampant Gules, crowned Or. These two fields, in turn, Gules and Argent, charged with a castle triple-towered and a crowned lion, originate from the Kingdom of Castile and León. The diminished bordure is for difference.

---

Blazon keywords: Gules, Argent, Or, Azure, Sable, Party per pale, In base, Castle, Triple-towered, Port and windows, Masoned, Lion, Rampant, Crowned, Overall, Letter and Diminished bordure.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Iridescent.

Classification: Military, Interpreted, Design rationale, Boa and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Crepsi.

Gules, a cross of Burgundy Or; an inescutcheon Or, three bars Gules.

Escudo de gules, una cruz de Borgoña de oro; un escusón de oro, tres fajas de gules.

Arms painted by me, illuminated with lights and shadows, outlined in Sable, with a semi-circular outer contour and with a metal beaten finish.

Coat of arms of the Tercio Great Captain, 1^st of the Spanish Legion, emblazoned by me. The inescutcheon represents the coat of arms of Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba, 1453-1515, known as «The Great Captain». During the Italian campaigns in the late 15^th and early 16^th centuries, especially during the wars of Naples, Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba reformed the Spanish army, adapting it to the new conditions of Renaissance warfare. He created a flexible tactical system based on the combination of pikemen, inspired by the Swiss; «espingarderos», forerunners of the arquebusiers; and «espadas» or shock troops, this combination would form the foundation of the future «Tercios».

---

Blazon keywords: Gules, Or, One, Three, Cross of Burgundy, Cross couped, Inescutcheon, Bar and Fess.

Style keywords: Outlined in sable, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Metal beaten.

Classification: Military, Interpreted, Boa and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Tercio Great Captain.

Azure, a cross of Burgundy Or; an inescutcheon Or, six fleurs de lis in orle Azure.

Coat of arms of the Tercio Alessandro Farnese, 4^th of the Spanish Legion, emblazoned by me in 9 steps. Because «1/3» ~ «one third» ~ «un tercio», and the height and witdh of the inescutcheon is 1/3 of its coat of arms, I use these arms to show a geometric method to calculate it. The inescutcheon has in orle the six fleurs the lis of the Farnese family.

---

Blazon keywords: Azure, Or, One, Six, Cross of Burgundy, Cross couped, Inescutcheon, Fleur de lis and In orle.

Style keywords: Ratio, Outlined, Outlined in sable, Plain tincture, Illuminated and Semi-circular.

Classification: Military, Interpreted, Schema, Boa and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Tercio Alessandro Farnese.

Kingdom of Sweden.

Gules, a grenade Or.

Escudo de gules, una bomba de oro.

Illuminated with lights and shadows and with a iridescent and metallic finish.

---

Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Gules, One, Grenade and Or.

Style keywords: Metal beaten, Iridescent (nacar), Outlined in sable, Illuminated and Pointed.

Classification: Interpreted, Military and Kingdom of Sweden.

Bearer: Artillery Combat School of the Swedish Army.

The Order of Chivalry of Santiago is both military and religious. It was founded in the Kingdom of León during the 12th century, although there is a difference of opinion regarding its exact year of foundation. It is named after the patron saint of Spain, James the Greater.

The purpose of its foundation was the protection of the Way of Saint James and the pilgrims who traveled it, and to participate militarily in the advancement of the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula.

Of the Military Order of Santiago of the Sword, of its origin, and antiquity, as well as the form of its Commandery

[Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter II, page 325] writes «The oldest authentic instrument that is found regarding the origin of the Order of Chivalry of Santiago of the Sword», observe how José de Avilés e Iturbide refers to the order in the masculine form, «is the donation made in the years of 848», note how the Marquess of Avilés does not doubt the antiquity of this order and even in other subsequent paragraphs, he dates it even earlier than currently believed, «made to the Church of Santiago by the King of León Don Ramiro in memory of the famous victory he achieved against the Moors in the battle of Clavijo (two leagues from Logroño), as evidenced by its Privilege, for having seen this Holy Apostle armed and mounted on a Horse, fighting in defense of the Christians; to whose devotion, and in this recognition, the said Order was instituted, taking from it its origin and name, as well as the same Cross that the Saint bore on his chest, and Shield, represented in the form of a Sword, of red color», gules ~ red, «for the blood shed of the Infidels, of whom Don Rodrigo Ximenez, Archbishop of Toledo, in his Chronicle Book VII says»: «Kubet ensis sanguine Arabum».

Drawing with a single stroke

Cross of Saint James the Greater drawing by me with a single stroke. This is the reason why it is asymmetrical, it has the base tip crooked, there are some sides higher than others, and it shows the failure of my pulse in a certains turns.

It is by far my most downloaded and copied painting, the most used on websites, citing me or not, the most used in hotels advertising, parish sheets... and even on T-shirts.

---

Categories: Institution, Interpreted, Religious, Military, Illuminated, Outlined in sable, Freehand, Emblem, Cross of Saint James, Cross couped and Cross.

Order of Chivalry of Calatrava

A cross of Calatrava.

Una cruz de Calatrava.

Interpretation of the emblem of the order with: its cross outlined in Sable, illuminated in Gules; and a heavily beaten metal finish.

The Royal Council of the Orders of Chivalry of Santiago, Calatrava, Alcantara, and Montesa, in its historical review of the foundation of the Order of Calatrava, states that it was founded during the reign of Sancho III of Castile in the 12th century.

After the Templars withdrew from the defense of the town, King Sancho III proposed in Toledo and later confirmed in Almazán, in January 1158, the perpetual donation of the town of Calatrava to Raymond, then Abbot of the Cistercian monastery of Fitero, who, together with the former soldier Diego Velázquez, committed to defending it from attacks by the Almohads. For this mission, they received financial support from the Archbishop of Toledo, Juan, and from Toledo itself, thus managing to form an army of more than 20,000 men.

Emblem

Regarding the emblem of the Order of Chivalry of Calatrava [Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter IV, page 338, figure 102] it states «the Seal was always a red cross with blue straps, and the Banner originally bore a black Cross; but today they use the red cross florety, bordered with eight circles, placed side by side, and joined at the center, formed by a cord that emerges from the leaves of the flower, which Benedict XIII gave (while recognized in Spain) and which is the Commandery that the Knights of this Order wear on their chest today, or hanging from a red ribbon on a gold medal; that is, on a field of Or a cross of Gules».

---

Blazon keywords: Cross of Calatrava, Cross couped and Cross.

Style keywords: Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Soft metal.

Classification: Interpreted, Religious, Military and Emblem.

Bearer: Calatrava, Order of.

It was founded by Count Henry of Burgundy as a military and religious order, in the year 1093, in Beira Alta, Portugal, near the river Côa with the initial name of «Ordem de São Julião do Pereiro» ~ Order of Saint Julian of Pereiro.

In the year 1214, the defense of the city of Alcantara after its conquest was entrusted to the Order of Calatrava, but in 1218 the Calatravans relinquished it due to Alcantara being far from Calatrava.

To defend Alcantara, King Alfonso IX of León entrusted it to the new Order of the Knights of Saint Julian of Pereiro, requesting in return a certain level of dependency on the Order of Calatrava, which led the Knights of Saint Julian to adopt the Cistercian rule.

Once established in Alcantara, their original name referring to Saint Julian fell into disuse, and by 1253 there were already references to the «masters of the Order of Alcantara», with Saint Julian of Pereiro becoming the foundational center and a secondary commandery of the order.

On the origin and antiquity of the Military Order of Alcantara, and the form of its Commandery

[Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter V, page 339] describes it as follows: «The Military Order, which we now call of Alcantara, was formerly that of Saint Julian of Pereiro, so named after the place where it was based, along the banks of the river Côa, in the Bishopric of Ciudad-Rodrigo, established in the year 1176 by King Ferdinand II of León, and confirmed in 1177 by Pope Alexander III. And the reason for changing its first name to the second, was because after the Knights of Calatrava had taken the City of Alcantara from the Moors and defended it bravely thereafter, they found it would be difficult to keep it, as their main house was very distant, from which the other Knights and reinforcements could not come whenever needed.».

[Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter V, page 340] continues by telling us «They discussed this inconvenience with others they had at the time with the King of León, Don Alfonso IX, and it was resolved that the Master of Calatrava would give that town to the Knights of Pereiro so that they might defend it, as they did, under certain conditions in the year 1218, later performing marvels in its defense, earning through their fame and distinguished feats new graces from the Kings; and seeing how essential their residence was, the Knights of Pereiro moved to the town of Alcantara, establishing their Convent there, and thus transformed into Knights of Alcantara, who were previously Knights of Saint Julian of Pereiro».

---

Categories: Institution, Interpreted, Religious, Military, Illuminated, Outlined in sable, Freehand, Emblem, Cross of Alcantara, Cross couped and Cross.

Disperse like the sun clears the clouds in your path.

Argent, a cross of Alcantara. Crest: A closed royal crown Or, with eight arches, visible five. Motto: «Hoec nubila tollunt obstantia sicut sol».

Escudo de plata, una cruz de Alcántara. Timbrado de una corona real cerrada. Lema: «Hoec nubila tollunt obstantia sicut sol».

Coat of arms interpreted in the following manner: the shape of the shield is of a semicircular arch; the field is illuminated in metal Argent; the cross of Alcantara is outlined in Sable and illuminated in Vert; the royal crown is closed, outlined in Sable and illuminated with the metal Or, Argent for the pearls, Azure and Or for the orb, Gules and Vert for the gems, Gules for the inner cloth, and Sable for the visible hollow at its base; and the whole has a slightly hammered metal finish.

Regiment's Motto

The Latin motto «Hoec nubila tollunt obstantia sicut sol» is often translated as «Ride like the sun, disperses the clouds in its path». I would like to offer the following observations on this translation:

• Instead of «disperse», I prefer the verb «scatter» which is more aligned with a cavalry regiment, [Royal Spanish Academy; 2001] «scatter, 3^rd meaning, transitive verb, military term: To break up, rout the enemy, causing them to flee and scatter in complete disorder».
• On the other hand, even though it is about cavalry, I do not find that the Latin motto makes reference to riding, a verb that is also not needed to understand the motto's meaning, and adding an extra word lengthens the motto, reducing its impact.
• Finally, I use «your», instead of «its», so that the motto is a direct and personal rallying cry and not a phrase directed at a third person.

---

Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Argent, Cross of Alcantara, Cross couped, Cross, Crest, Closed royal crown, Crown and Motto.

Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Soft metal.

Classification: Interpreted, Military, Army and Navy and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Alcantara, Cavalry Regiment.

The Order of Saint Mary of Montesa and Saint George of Alfama, known as the Order of Montesa, was founded in the 14^th century by the King of Aragon, James, as a military and religious order, to which he donated a castle in Valencia from which they took their name.

To endow the new Order of Montesa, the assets of the Order of the Templars, dissolved by Pope Clement V, were used. This is recounted by [Avilés, J.; 1780b; page 342] writing that Montesa was created «from the incomes and ruin of the Templars; as their Order was being extinguished, at the request of the Kings, so that said incomes would not leave the Kingdom.».

The order established within the Castle of Montesa, which previously belonged to the Templars, their convent and church of the Order, the palace of their Master, their barracks for fighting men, being able to form up to a couple of thousand of them in their parade ground. Their first Master, for 70 days since he died just over two months after his appointment, was Guillermo de Eril.

The origin and antiquity of the Military Order of Montesa, and the form of its Encomienda.

[Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter VI, page 341] describes it as follows «The Military Order of Montesa was instituted in the year 1317 by the King of Aragon, Don Jaime II, and confirmed in the same year by Pope John XXII.».

---

Categories: Institution, Interpreted, Religious, Military, Illuminated, Outlined in sable, Freehand, Emblem, Cross of Montesa, Cross couped and Cross.

In this sign, you shall conquer.

Argent, a cross of Montesa. Crest: A closed royal crown Or, with eight arches, visible five. Motto: «In hoc signo vinces».

Escudo de oro, una cruz de Montesa. Timbrado de una corona real cerrada. Lema: «In hoc signo vinces».

Coat of arms interpreted as follows: the shape of the shield is a semi-circular arch; the field has been illuminated in metal Or; the cross of Montesa is outlined in Sable and illuminated in Sable and Gules; the royal crown is closed, outlined in Sable and illuminated the metal in Or, the pearls in Argent, the orb in Azure and Or, the gemstones in Gules and Vert, the inner cloth in Gules, and the visible hollow at its base in Sable; and the whole has a slightly beaten metal finish.

Regimental Motto

The Latin motto «In hoc signo vinces» is translated as «In this sign, you shall conquer».

Globus cruciger ~ Orb

It is called orb ~ «globus cruciger», the first in Spanish and the second in Latin, referring to the part of the royal crown, a jewel, or a jewel itself that recreates the shape of the globe topped with a cross.

---

Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Or, Cross of Montesa, Cross couped, Cross, Crest, Closed royal crown, Crown and Motto.

Style keywords: Semi-circular, Illuminated, Outlined in sable and Soft metal.

Classification: Interpreted, Military, Army and Navy and Coat of arms.

Bearer: Montesa, Cavalry Regiment.