The Origins of the Traite du Blason
The origin of heraldic coats of arms has been debated ferociously over the years. Some authors claim that the ancient Greeks carried individual insignias upon their shields, while others claim that the Crusades marked the beginnings of heraldry. There are even those who muse what materials Adam and Eve’s coats of arms were made from (d’Arcq 1858, 257), or who speculate that coats of arms evolved from hierarchical distinctions between angels (Woodward 1892, 19-20). It is known, however, that by the 12th century, feudal lords commonly used coats of arms to distinguish themselves, and coats of arms began to define who was noble and who was not. As John Woodward (1892, 5) notes, “By this shield he was to be known, or nobilis… A plebeian has no blazonry on his shield, because he was ignoblis, or unworthy of notice.” Because nobles were defined by their coat of arms, there was great interest in codifying arms and detecting false ones. As early as 1350, Bartolo Da Sassoferrato wrote a short legal treatise on coats of arms, the Tractatus de Insignis et Armis, in an attempt to solidify the processes by which arms could be obtained.
Heraldry was not often the concern of legal scholars like Bartolo, however. Instead, a class of administrators developed to manage proper armory. These were heralds, originally roaming minstrels who served as messengers between kingdoms. In their travels, they gained knowledge of the arms of nobles all across Europe, which proved invaluable in warfare, as they could estimate the strength of opposing forces by recognizing the blazonry (Oliver 2000, 28). The encyclopedic record of arms that heralds developed also provided the perfect mechanism by which arms could be regulated. Under the influence of heralds, similar arms were separated, mutable arms solidified, and false arms identified. In order to ensure accuracy, heralds recorded arms and their bearers on manuscripts known as rolls of arms. These were carefully preserved and helped cement European nobility for the next several centuries.
In further attempts to codify early arms, heralds developed a system of terminology called blazonry that allowed them to describe shields. No two shields could share the same blazon, or description, and there were many elements that were considered incompatible for "true" arms. Blazonry, then, beginning as descriptive language, developed into a test that heralds could apply to arms to evaluate their legitimacy, especially during the 15th through the 17th centuries. During this time heralds would travel to a territory on visitations, where they would gather together everyone who bore arms and examine them. If the arms did not have proper blazonry and their bearer could not prove his lineage, he would be forced to stop using them (Friar 1997, 9). In addition to weeding out false arms, this process also allowed heralds to note changes in well-established arms over time. During this period, blazonry became one of the herald’s greatest tools.
Despite its significance, few books were written about blazonry in the middle ages. Clement Prinsault’s Traite du Blason, therefore stands out for this fact alone. Very little is known about Prinsault himself, but from the contents of his book it is probable that he was a 15th century herald strongly influenced by Bartolo’s Tractatus (d’Arcq 1858, 268). In what is considered the presentation edition of his work, Prinsault (1465, f.1) writes: “Here begins a certain treatise of the blazon of arms, composed and given to Jacques, my lord, son of my lord the Duke of Nemours, Count of La Marche, by Clement Prinsault, obedient to his worldly lord, the Duke, and humble servant of his reverend father in God, the Bishop of Castres, the uncle of the said Jacques, my lord.” Though "my lord" would have been the appropriate designation for Prinsault to bestow upon any duke, the close family relationships expressed in the dedication suggest that Prinsault was well acquainted with his patron, and probably even served as a herald to the Duke of Nemours that he mentions as his "worldly lord." On the following folio, there is a full-page illumination of Prinsault presenting the completed book to a child in a cradle with the words “How very noble the infant Jacques” written below. From the image and the text, it is quite clear that Prinsault presented this book as a gift to his lord’s newborn son. Presumably, Prinsault hoped that the child would appreciate the little book as he grew, and therefore show favor toward the practitioners of heraldy as a result. Certainly, the book was designed to impress, as it boasts extensive rubrications and some miniatures as well as an illustrated roll of arms at the end.
The "Duke of Nemours, Count of La Marche" who was the father of the "infant Jacques" was Jacques d’Armagnac, who served under King Louis XI of France (d’Arcq 1858, 268). When this book was written, Jacques was a court favorite, new to his position and also newly wed – to none other than the god-daughter of the King. His first son, to whom this book is dedicated, was born around 1465, but he never lived to be a year old. Shortly afterward, Jacques joined the League of the Public Weal in defiance of the centralized power of Louis XI. Although the two were reconciled, Jacques and Louis had a difficult relationship thereafter, and when the King's patience finally failed, he beseiged, imprisoned, and finally beheaded Jacques d'Armagnac in 1477. Whether Prinsault was drawn into the conflict or not is unknown; his death went unrecorded. Yet, despite the deaths of all associated with it, the Traite du Blason itself did not disappear from history. Instead, it went on to become a great literary success.