Pastoureau, Michel. — Les armoiries.

Turnhout : Brepols, 1976. Paperback. 81 pp. With summary : Mise à jour. Turnhout : Brepols, 1985. 16 pp. (Typologie des sources du Moyen Âge occidental. B. Sources non écrités. III : Sources monumentales. Fasc. 20). French text. Mailorder only - Alleen verzending mogelijk. Book condition : very good. - This is a concise yet scholarly introduction to heraldic sources in the Middle Ages. This 81-page paperback provides a foundational overview of heraldic emblems - coats of arms - as historical and documentary sources. Accompanied by a later 16-page update (Mise à jour, 1985), the book remains an important reference for understanding the use and function of heraldry in medieval Europe. Heraldry emerged in the early 12th century, initially among the European warrior elite. It quickly became a structured and semi-regulated system used to display identity on the battlefield, in tournaments, and in legal and ceremonial contexts. By the High Middle Ages, coats of arms had become widespread among the nobility, ecclesiastical authorities, and eventually towns, guilds, and non-noble individuals. Heraldry functioned not only as a visual language of status and allegiance but also as a documentary source embedded in art, architecture, and official records. ISBN 9782503360201.