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.

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

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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.

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.

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

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

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

Bearer: Blanchefort, Bertrand de.

«Roger de Lauria»,' 2^nd Paratrooper Battalion, part of the «Almogávares» VI Parachute Brigade of the Spanish Army.

Argent, three bendlets sinister Azure.

Escudo de plata, tres barras de azur.

For this interpretation, I have used: an exterior shape ending in a semicircular arch; my usual angle of 50.2^o = arctan(6/5), as tangent = opposite side / adjacent side; a division similar to that used by the Spanish Army for this coat of arms, which relies on dividing the height of the shield into 4 segments; and for the whole, a finish of lightly hammered metal

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Argent, Azure and Bend sinister.

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

Classification: Interpreted, Military and Army and Navy.

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.

Grand Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand.

Argent, a cross of Alcantara. Crest: A closed royal crown Or, with eight arches, visible five. Behind the shield the Laureate Grand Cross of Saint Ferdinand. Motto: «Hoec nubila tollunt obstantia sicut sol».

Escudo de plata, una cruz de Alcántara. Timbrado de una corona real cerrada. Acolada detrás del escudo la gran cruz laureada de San Fernando. 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, the 4 swords and the 2 laurel branches are outlined in Sable and illuminated in Vert and Gules; 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 iridescent finish.

Rif War, July 23, 1921, banks of the Igan River, North Africa

The Alcantara Regiment executed nine successive cavalry charges to protect the infantry's retreat, nine charges until they broke the enemy lines, outnumbering them. The last charge was on foot because all their horses were dead or exhausted. These heroic riders of Alcantara had fulfilled their duty of protecting the wounded infantry in their retreat to El Batel, but the price was appalling: of 691 riders, only 67 survived, and three months were necessary to recover hundreds of corpses.

For this reason, in 2012, the Alcántara Regiment was collectively awarded the Grand Laureate Cross of Saint Ferdinand.

Two lances behind the shield

Since 1987, the coat of arms of the cavalry regiments of the Spanish Army must carry two crossed lances accolade behind the shield. And indeed, this coat of arms of the Alcántara Cavalry Regiment has two lances behind the shield, but in my artistic heraldic interpretation, I did not paint them to avoid detracting from the prominence of the Laureate Cross.

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Blazon keywords: Without divisions, Argent, Cross of Alcantara, Cross couped, Cross, Crest, Closed royal crown, Crown, Behind the shield, Four, Sword, Crosswise, Gules, Two, Branch, Laurel, Vert and Motto.

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

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.

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.

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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.

Lozengy Or and Gules.

Escudo losanjado oro y gules.

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

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Blazon keywords: Lozengy, Or and Gules.

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

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

Bearer: Craon, Robert 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 emblazoned by me, illuminated with lights and shadows, outlined in Sable, with a semi-circular outer contour and with a iridescent finishing.

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.

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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, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Iridescent.

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

Bearer: Crepsi.

Argent, a cross Azure.

Escudo de plata, una cruz de azur.

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

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Blazon keywords: Argent, One, Cross and Azure.

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

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

Bearer: Hérail, Gilbert.

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.

Order of Chivalry of Saint Mary of Montesa and Saint George of Alfama.

A cross of Montesa.

Una cruz de Montesa.

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

The Royal Council of the Orders of Chivalry of Santiago, Calatrava, Alcantara, and Montesa, in its historical review of the founding of the Order of Montesa, states that it was created in 1317, at the request of James II, King of Aragon, through a bull issued by Pope John XXII.

Emblem

About the emblem of the Order of Chivalry of Montesa [Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter VI, page 342, figure 103], it states that «the Ensign of the Knights of Montesa is a plain red Cross», gules, «plain, which they wear on their Capitular Mantles, or hanging from a red ribbon on the chest over a gold oval; that is, on a field of gold a plain cross of gules (different from how the Masters wore it)» and, therefore, it describes the first emblem of the Order of Montesa and not the one they wear now, which is that same plain cross of gules charged on a cross like that of the Order of Calatrava or like that of the Order of Alcantara, but in Sable instead of Gules or Vert.

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

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

Classification: Interpreted, Religious, Military and Emblem.

Bearer: Montesa, Order of.

Order of Chivalry of Santiago

A cross of Saint James.

Una cruz de Santiago.

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

The Royal Council of the Orders of Chivalry of Santiago, Calatrava, Alcantara, and Montesa, in its historical account of the foundation of the Order of Santiago, describes three different points of view:

• The one presented by tradition, which establishes it in 844, after the battle of Clavijo, when fourteen knights led by the Field Master Don Sancho Martínez de Tejada requested permission from Don Ramiro I, king of Asturias between the years 842 and 850, to found it. This traditional view is the one recorded in [Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter II, page 325] when discussing the origin of the «Military Order of Santiago of the Sword».
• The perspective of historians like Claudio Sánchez Albornoz or Américo Castro, who question the earlier date. Furthermore, [Sánchez Albornoz, C.; 1965; pages 94-136], as cited in [Domínguez García, J.; 2008; pages 69-70], proposes that the actual battle of Clavijo occurred later, in the year 859, and that Ramiro I did not participate, but rather it was a conflict between King Ordoño I and the Moor Muza.
• The view of historians who, based on the statutes of the order found in the Monastery of Uclés, which was the residence of the Master of the Order of Santiago, and the Latin in which they are written, believe that the foundation could indeed date back to the reign of Don Ramiro I.

Emblem

Regarding the emblem of the Order of Chivalry of Santiago, [Avilés, J.; 1780b; treatise IV, chapter II, page 328, plate 25, figure 100] states «the Commandery of this Order was always a red Sword» (gules ~ red), «in the form of a Cross, just as the guards of the ancient Swords that its Knights and Commanders carried on their white Mantles, and today also on the chest in the same manner, hanging from a red ribbon on a gold medal; that is, in a field of Or, a Cross of Gules».

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Blazon keywords: Cross of Saint James, Cross couped and Cross.

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

Classification: Interpreted, Religious, Military and Emblem.

Bearer: Santiago, Order of.

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 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.

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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.

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

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

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

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

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

Bearer: Richard, Richard.

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

Escudo de azur, una cruz de Borgoña de oro; un escusón de oro, seis flores de lis en orla de azur.

Coat of arms interpreted by me, illuminated with lights and shadows, contoured in Sable, with a semi-circular external shape and with a freehand finishing.

Coat of arms of the Tercio Alessandro Farnese, 4^th of the Spanish Legion, emblazoned by me. In honor of Alessandro Farnese, the central inescutcheon bears in orle the 6 fleurs de 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, Illuminated, Semi-circular and Freehand.

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

Bearer: Tercio Alessandro Farnese.

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

Coat of arms of the Tercio Great Captain, 1^st of the Spanish Legion, emblazoned by me in 12 steps. The inescutcheon represents the coat of arms of Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba, 1453-1515, «The Great Captain». To paint the coat of arms of the Tercio Gran Capitán, I applied a geometric method that involves dividing both the width and the height of the shield into three equal parts. This way, the central inescutcheon, bearing the arms of Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba, occupies exactly one third of the width and one third of the height of the main shield. Beyond its compositional function, this method also serves as a symbolic nod to the name of this historic military unit. The shield of the Tercio has been quite literally built using thirds. It is a small play on words and shapes that combines geometry with heraldic tradition.

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

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

Classification: Military, Interpreted, Schema, 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.