Military heraldry

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».

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

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.

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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.

Barry of four per pale counterchanged Or and Gules.

Escudo contrafajado de cuatro piezas de oro y gules.

Coat of arms emblazoned by me with an ogee-ended shape, illuminated, and with a freehand finishing

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

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

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

Bearer: Blanchefort, Bertrand de.

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..

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions and Bend sinister.

Style keywords: Semi-circular and Freehand.

Classification: Schema and Military.

Bearer: BPAC II.

Light Parachute Infantry Unit.

Argent, a Fleur de lis Gules. Motto: «BPAC. Roger de Flor II».

Escudo de plata, una flor de lis de gules. Divisa: «BPAC. Roger de Flor II».

Coat of arms interpreted with: a shield with a pointed (ogival) base; a fleur de lis outlined in Sable and illuminated in Gules; and an overall rough finish.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Argent, Gules, Fleur de lis and Motto (identification).

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

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

Bearer: BPAC I.

The Order of Chivalry of Calatrava is both military and religious, founded in the Kingdom of Castile during the 12th century by Abbot Raymond of Fitero.

The purpose of its foundation was the protection of the town of Calatrava la Vieja, which currently belongs to the municipality of Carrión de Calatrava in Ciudad Real. At the time of the order's foundation, it was an important city, in the middle valley of the river Guadiana and with a strategic position, as it was a necessary passage on the road from Toledo to Córdoba to Toledo and between the west and east of the Iberian Peninsula.

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

[Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter IV, pages 334] writes «The Military Order of Calatrava was instituted by Don Sancho III, King of Castile (called the Desired), in the year 1158, while he was visiting his Kingdom; and being in Toledo with news of the great army that the Moors were gathering to besiege Calatrava la Vieja (which is called so today to distinguish it from the new one, which was founded later); and as the Templars, to whom this Fortress belonged, did not have sufficient power to resist such a large multitude, they handed it over to King Don Sancho himself so that he could take charge of it, as he did».

[Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter IV, page 335] continues by telling us «The Abbot of Santa María de Fitero», near the river Pisuerga as he will indicate next, «of the Congregation of Cistercian, in the Bishopric of Palencia (which is a Monastery of St. Bernard, located on the river Pisuerga), named Don Raymond, and Friar Diego Velazquez, his subject Monk, who followed the Court, despite the difficulty of the enterprise, requested it from the King to defend it, which was granted, trusting in the virtue of the Abbot, and the strength of the Monk, who had previously been a great Knight in deeds of Arms, and very practiced in war».

[Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter IV, page 336] continues «Seeing themselves in such an obligation, and that by themselves they could not fulfill it, they turned to Archbishop Don Juan (who was the fourth of Toledo) for help; and he, granting many indulgences in all his Archbishopric to those who, for themselves and for others, supplied the Place with provisions, in the same way as those who, unable to go due to old age or illness, helped with weapons, horses, and men; and having spread this news, so much help came to them, that when the Moors learned that the number of people exceeded twenty thousand men, they abandoned the conquest, returning to their homes: for this reason, the King ceded the Town of Calatrava to the Abbot of Fitero, and his successors, to defend it from the Moors from then on, confirmed later by King Alfonso IX, his son».

[Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter IV, page 337] concludes «Having obtained this grace, Abbot Don Raymond brought the most suitable Monks from Fitero to Calatrava, and everything else that was necessary for living and for the defense of the Town and its land, which with the people inclined to war who remained, formed the Order of Chivalry of Calatrava, taking this name from the place where the institution was made, which in Arabic Calatrava means Castle».

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

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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.

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.

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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.

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. Motto: «Región Militar Centro» over a scroll Or.

Coat of arms (1984-1997 and 1997-2002) of the former Central Military Region, also called 1^st Military Region, where I serve. I interpreted and emblazoned now this coat of arms with a semi-circular ended shape.

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

Style keywords: Semi-circular, 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.

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.

Arms emblazoned by me, in plain tinctures, contoured in Sable, with a semi-circular outer contour and with a texturized finishing.

Coat of arms of Crepsi, «Centro Regional de Psicología». These arms were designed by my lieutenant colonel and friend Miguel Angel Nuñez Amador, and in this image, they have been emblazoned by me.

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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, Plain tincture and Semi-circular.

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

Bearer: Crepsi.

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

I have had the honour of writing this article about André de Montbard and its coat of arms within a series of 23 articles about the heraldry of the Grand Masters of the Temple.

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

Bearer: Montbard, André de.

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».

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Categories: Criterion and Military.

Azure, a bend Or.

Escudo de azur, una banda de oro.

Coat of arms emblazoned by me with a semi-circular shape, illuminated, and with a freehand finishing.

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Blazon keywords: Azure, One, Bend and Or.

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

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

Bearer: Molay, Jacques de.

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.».

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

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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

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

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

Bearer: Richard, Richard.

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

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Blazon keywords: Lozengy, Or, Gules, Behind the shield, One, Cross patty and Cross couped.

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

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

Bearer: Craon, Robert de.

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.

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

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

Coat of arms depicted by me, in plain tinctures, outlined in Sable, with a semi-circular external shape and with a texturized finishing.

Coat of arms of the Tercio Alessandro Farnese, 4^th of the Spanish Legion, emblazoned by me. In 1956, the fourth Tercio of the Spanish Legion was created and named Tercio Alessandro Farnese in his honor. The inescutcheon has in orle the 6 fleurs the lis of the Farnese family.

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

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

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

Bearer: Tercio Alessandro Farnese.

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

Arms interpreted by me, in plain tinctures, outlined in Sable, with a semi-circular outer contour and with a texturized 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». It was Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba who reorganized the Spanish infantry, laying the foundations for what would later become the Tercios.

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

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

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

Bearer: Tercio Great Captain.

Vair.

Escudo de veros.

Coat of arms emblazoned by me with a semi-circular shape, illuminated, and with a freehand finishing.

You can consult how to paint a veros fur in [Costa y Turell, M.; 1858; page 37, plate 1, illustrations 17 and 18].

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Blazon keywords: Vair.

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

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

Bearer: Vichiers, Renaud de.