Heraldic Hierarchies (eBook)

Thesocial use and changing character of armorial display in the early modernperiodEarly modern heraldrywas far from a nostalgic remnant from a feudal past. From the Reformation tothe French Revolution, aspiring men seized on these signs to positionthemselves in a changing society, imbuing heraldic tradition with freshmeaning. Whereas post-medieval developments are all too often described interms of decadence and stifling formality, recent studies rightly stress thedynamic capacity of bearing arms. HeraldicHierarchies aims to correctformer misconceptions. Contributing authors rethink the influence of shiftingnotions of nobility on armorial display and expand this topic to heraldry sshare in shaping and contesting status. Moreover, addressing a common thread, thevolume explores how emerging states turned the heraldic experience into aninstrument of power and policy. Contributing to debates on social and nobleidentity, Heraldic Hierarchiesuncovers a vital and surprising aspect of the pre-modern hierarchical world.Contributors: Richard Cust (University of Birmingham), Dominique Delgrange (Lille), Luc Duerloo (University of Antwerp), JosephMcMillan (Alexandria VA), Camille Pollet (Universite de Nantes), Antoine Robin(Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes), Simon Rousselot (Ecole Pratique des HautesEtudes), Clement Savary (Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes), Hamish Scott (JesusCollege, Oxford), Steven Thiry (University ofAntwerp), Jose Manuel VallePorras (Universidad de Cordoba), Nicolas Vernot(Universite de Cergy-Pontoise)This publication is GPRC-labeled (Guaranteed Peer-Reviewed Content).