Hey, all. This idea occurred to me the other day as a way to make alt!English culture look a bit more unique. In a world where the Norman Invasion failed, the English wouldn’t necessarily adopt French-style heraldry, though I’d be willing to bet that they eventually would anyway, probably during the Crusades when (the equivalent to) English knights see other Europeans using heraldry and decide they need to represent their families that way as well
Anyway, the idea occurred to me that, if for no other reason than to just make English heraldry look distinct from that of continental Europe, alternate English heraldic motifs could draw inspiration from religious architecture, particularly the rosary and stained glass windows of churches and cathedrals. At present I’m imagining it mostly being on round shields rather than spade-shaped ones which have base designs inspired by rosary windows with some personal symbols emblazoned on top of them while taller shields (especially the spade-shaped ones) would draw more from stained glass windows and be much less uniform. Aside from those two, I imagine them being in bright (even gaudy) colors with thick outlines
thoughts?
Anyway, the idea occurred to me that, if for no other reason than to just make English heraldry look distinct from that of continental Europe, alternate English heraldic motifs could draw inspiration from religious architecture, particularly the rosary and stained glass windows of churches and cathedrals. At present I’m imagining it mostly being on round shields rather than spade-shaped ones which have base designs inspired by rosary windows with some personal symbols emblazoned on top of them while taller shields (especially the spade-shaped ones) would draw more from stained glass windows and be much less uniform. Aside from those two, I imagine them being in bright (even gaudy) colors with thick outlines
thoughts?