THE HAZARDS OF HERALDRY: DISGUISE AND ANONYMITY ON THE MEDIEVAL BATTLEFIELD

Bringing a painted shield or a brightly-decorated coat onto the medieval battlefield was not just about vanity – it was a matter of life and death. Heraldry was a statement of identity, of courage in the face of danger but it also made you a target, a focus for your enemies’ hatred and greed. For this reason, some combatants chose to take the field without their heraldic arms but this was not without risk either. In this paper I will explore the practical functions of heraldry on the medieval battlefield and the risks faced by the kings, dukes and other noblemen who chose to fight in disguise, wearing another man’s coat. Why did they decide to subvert the primary function of the heraldic system and how did contemporaries view this particular ruse?

Biography
James Titterton received his PhD from the Institute for Medieval Studies at the University of Leeds in 2019. He is currently working as Lecturer in European Medieval History at the University of Manchester. His first book, Deception in Medieval Warfare, was published by Boydell and Brewer in 2022. He has also published on the medieval tournament, chivalry and crusader rhetoric.