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Standards & Heraldry

Muslim Heraldry

Introduction
Heraldry was not as systematic in the Mulsim world as it was in the West. Nonethless, certain forms became associated with particular regimes and periods. The Mamluks were fond of the sabre (noting that this would not be as curved as the central Asian-form) and the cup.

Geometric forms were common shields. These could be based around stars or floral patterns. The Seljuqs and Mamluks were also fond of certain animals- lions and eagles. Actual depictions of the human form were taboo.

Alp Arslan
At the battle of Manzikert (1071), the Sultan Alp-Arslan was supposed to have dressed in funerary clothes (all in white) and ordered that he be buried where he fell in battle. In fact, the Seljuks went on to win the battle and Alp-Arslan survived the encounter.

Ayyubids
Yellow flags are typically attributed to the Ayyubids, the Sultanate that Saladin established. However it is also clear that black-flags were also used as these are described being awarded to some Ayyubid princes by the Abbasid Caliph. Such flags listed the titles and names of the prince.

Warcries
Ya Mansur- (O Victorious One)
Ya Mujahidin- (O Fighters of Jihad)

Effigies
At the siege of Acre (Akka), Negro troops are described as carrying a carved effigy of Muhammad as their standard (cf. Itinerarium., Bk1, Ch 35). Such a blasphemous idol appears unlikely and it perhaps more reasonable to assume these soldiers were afflicted with paganism- and the idol was supposed to be someone else.

Fatamids
The Fatamids are believed to have favoured green or white banners. The Fatamid general Jawhar used a white flag in 969 AD and Nasir-i-Khusrau described the Caliph al-Mustansir dressed entirely in white. Green however, is more frequently attributed to the Fatamids (more details). High ranking officers might have a silver spear on top of which was a ball or crescent fashioned from gold or copper (at the battle of Ascalon, the author of the Gesta Francorum described al-Afdal's standard as having a golden apple on top). A large silk flag was attached to the spear (but this is not mentioned in the Gesta Francorum).

Hand of Fatima
The 'Hand of Fatima' appears on some depictions from this period. The thumb is shown on the left-hand side of the emblem. This suggests that the palm was supposed to face away from the viewer.

Mamluks
The Mamluks continued the Ayyubid tradition of yellow banners. Black flags with white lions are also known from the era of Baybars.

Saladin
Saladin is reputed to have used yellow banners. Coins from the Aleppo mint depict a 'Star of David', those from the Damascus mint depict a square. Perhaps these emblems also appeared on the standards of troops raised from these regions.

Seljuk
The Seljuks are believed to have favoured black Abbasid banners. A black flag is described being raised by the Antioch garrison, warning the Atabeg Kherbogha that the Crusaders were issuing out to offer battle.

Taqi al-Din
Saladin's nephew. He had a 'striking banner, cut into the shape of breeches' (Itinerarium
Bk 4, Ch. 19). The Turks that accompanied him carried a saffron banner with a different coloured pennant for each troop (tulb perhaps).

Christian Heraldry

Introduction

Crusader heraldry presents two major problems. The first is that heraldry did not really become formalised until the late-12th C. The second is that the detsruction of the Crusader states in the Outremer caused the loss of depictions and descriptions of such arms. Thus, attributing arms to personalities before the 13th C is often conjectural.

Links: heraldica

Kingdom of Jerusalem

The Arms: Argent, a cross potent between four crosses or. Tentatively attributed to Amalric, but surviving depictions are 13th C.
Kingdom of Acre: Azure, crusily and a cross or. Quite possibly a copyists error from the 14th C.

Edessa: tentatively linked to the Courtenay's, in which case three roundles, gules on or.

Jaffa (Montferrat): Argent, a chief gules.
Jaffa (Lusignan): Baruly of twelve argent and azure, overall a lion rampant gules.
Jaffa (Brienne): Azure, billiety and a lion or.
Jaffa (Ibelin): Or, a cross paty gules. Famously described in Joinvilles account of the Damietta landing (1249 AD).

Tripoli (pre-1200): Pons de St-Gilles (d.1137) had a seal with a plain latin cross, colours unknown.
Tripoli (Antioch): After its annexation by the Pr. of Antioch, plain gules is suggested (following first Prince of Antioch, Bohemond's arms). Bohemond V quartered his armes with the King of France.
Tripoli (Toucy): Azure, seme de lys or, a label of three points argent. Bohemond VII's daughter married Najot II de Toucy. Arms are conjectural
Note: The Tripoli star had 8 points (preserved on coins) and one Italian depiction of the sack of Tripoli shows a white star on a black background.

Antioch: Gules originally, gules, three hautbois or is listed in the Fitzwilliam Roll but may be a 15th C copyist error. The Savoyard Royal Arms depicts Antioch as gules, a cross or.

Kingdom of Cyprus

Note: some of the following also had a Palestinian origin, but there are no surviving records of these.

The Arms (Lusignan): Baruly of twelve argent and azure, overall a lion rampant gules, crowned or.
The Arms (Union): Argent, a cross potent between four crosses or, impaling above. This based on early 14th C coins but may have been used from 1269 AD.

Braunschweig-Grubenhagen: Or, two lions passant sable. 14th C family.
Dampierre: Gules, two bars addorses hauriant or. Intermarried with the Lusignans in the 13th C,
Majorca: Gules, four pale or. Married into the Ibelins and Lusignans.
Montagu: Argent, a fess indented gules.
Montbeliard: Gules, two bars addorses hauriant or. Late 12th C origin.
Montfort-la Ferte Alais: Argent, a lion rampant queue fourchee gules. Early 13th C origin.
Ibelin: Or, a cross paty gules.
Lesser Nobility:

Antioch: Gules, a fess and in chief three fleur de lys, both or. Early 13th C.
Barlais: Argent, a lion rampant azure. Mid-12th C.
Bethsan: Gules, a fess argent. Early 12th C.
Chambarlhac: Argent, a lion queue fourchee gules. 14th C.
Chappes: Gules, a lion rampant argent. Early 13th C.
Cornaro: Gules, a lion rampant or within a bordure argent. Early 14th C Venetian family.
Crispo: Or, three lozenges conjoined in fess, and in chief two crosses recercelee both sable.
Anglois: Argent, three lozenges conjoined in fess gules.
Michiel: Barry of six sable and argent, the sable being charged with 22 plates- (8:7:7).
Morpho: Or, a lion rampant azure. Early 13th C.
Mountolive: Sable, a lion rampant argent. Mid 12th C.
Provana: Argent, a vine vert, fructed proper. 14th C.
Zacharias: Azure, a fleur de lys-argent. Late 12th C.

Achaia
Bendy (diagonal stripes) of 6 or (yellow) and gules (red)- from the Savoyard Royal Arms

Kingdom of Armenia
    Or (yellow) with a lion gules (red) armed and crowned argent (white)- from the Savoyard Royal Arms.
Bohemond I (Prince of Antioch)
    According to Fulcher of Chartres and other contemporary historians (Bk XVII), Bohemond used a red banner. A serpent is reputed to have also been present (Yewdale, 1924, p67n).
Bourbon (1st House)
    Archibald VII, Count of Bourbon went on the Second Crusade. His standard was or (yellow), with a red lion rampant with seven blue escallops around the edge.
Genoa
    Argent (white) with a cross gules (red)
Hospitallers
    The Knights of St. John employed a white latin cross on a red background for their standard.
Lusignan
    Barry (horizontal lines) of 8 argent (white) and azure (blue), a rampant lion gules (red) with gold crown.
Montferrat
    Argent (white) with a chief (top third of shield) gules (red).
Richard I
    Richard is described as being tall, elegantly built with red-gold hair, long arms and legs. He rode either a dun or bay horse (which he captured at Cyprus). His emblem was two gold lions facing each other in an upright pose (described in the Itinerarium on his saddle cloth).
The Royal Standard was a single passant gold lion.
The familar English emblem of 3 lions was not adopted until his return to England. The 'Standard' was used on the crusades. It was a very long beam- like a ship's mast- placed on solid planks that were on top of 4 wheels. The apparatus was covered in iron, the king's flag fluttered at the very top and an elite force was assigned to guard it. Baha' al-Din described it as a 'cart, on which was fixed a tower...and from this floated the standard of the people'.
Templars
    The Templar standard was the bausant. This was rectangular, with the top half black and the bottom half white. A red cross was sometimes superimposed on the standard.
Thomas Becket
    Baldwin, the archbishop of Canterbury, had a banner depicting the martyr Thomas Becket. 200 Knights and 300 men-at-arms are reputed to have fought under this banner.
Venetians
    The Venetians used the standard of St Mark- based on a lion.