Back in July of 2006, in the journal of the American College of Heraldry “The Armiger’s News”, the late Dr. David Pittman Johnson wrote a very good article trying to codify the system of ecclesiastial heraldry of the (Eastern) Orthodox Church.

As opposed to the Roman Catholic Church that has many established rules regarding its heraldry, the Orthodox Communion does not, mainly due to its decentralized structure.

Among the difficulties of this attempt is the fact that (1) heraldry is not very common in the East and in particular among the Orthodox clergy (at any level) and (2) each Orthodox Church is independent of each other and has its own particular rules and traditions within its hierarchy.

A good introduction on the organization Orthodox Church can be found, where else, on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_Church_organization

I won’t reproduce the text here but will urge anyone with an interest in ecclesiastical heraldry and particularly Orthodox heraldry to read this very well written article. 

At this point, I want to make a note to say that the rules presented not only may apply to the Orthodox Communion but also those classified as “Eastern” or “Greek” Catholic.

I feel it necessary to say that what Dr. Johnson describes are not the rules of heraldry within the Orthodox Communion but rather a combination of observations and suggestions. Until such time as there are rules established by the Head of a particular Orthodox Church, every member of the clergy is pretty much free to do as he pleases. It is though recommended to try to create some standards and Dr. Johnson has provided us with an excellent foundation to do so.

The arms at the top of this post are those of the Rev. Fr. Deacon Nenad Jovanovich, head of the Board for Heraldic & Genealogical Studies at the Center for Research of Orthodox Monarchy (CROM-BHGS). These arms were emblazoned by the talented new heraldic artist Terry Sarros (who is also an associate and artist of the CROM-BHGS) following the basic principle of the rules described in the cited article but with a variation more appropriate for Serbia.

 It should be noted that the CROM-BHGS, under the leadership of the Rev. Fr. Deacon, has done much excellent work in the creation and promotion of heraldry within the Orthodox ecclesiastical community worldwide. A small sample of the work this group has done can be seen in their online gallery of ecclesiastical heraldry at this link: http://www.czipm.org/galerija-heraldika02-02.html

The article in question can be found at this link: 
http://www.americancollegeofheraldry.org/ORTHODOX.htm
and reprinted at the CROM-BHGS: http://www.czipm.org/dpj.html

Note: The image above was used with the approval of the Rev. Fr. Deacon Nenad Jovanovich and the artist Mr. Terry Sarros.
Note: I too am an associate of the CROM-BHGS.

About a month or so ago I wrote about the heraldic privileges of the Royal and Hashemite Order of the Pearl of Sulu. Now, I feel is a good time to present a short summary of this very old Sultanate of SE Asia.

Recently, in the October-December 2011 (#44) issue of “Il Mondo del Cavaliere” the official journal of the International Commission on Orders of Chivalry (better known as ICOC), an in depth article on the Sultanate was published written by the Chancellor of the Order of the Pearl, Mr. Andres Linholm. Interestingly enough, the Raja Muda Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram (the Crown Prince of Sulu and Head of the Royal House) graced the cover of the journal.

Though I recommend very much to read the original article in the journal, I will try to provide a quick summary of the history of the Sultanate and some information that may of interest.

The Sultanate of Sulu has a fascinating story that goes back to the 15th century when a Mecca born Arab explorer, Sayyid Abu Bakr Abirin, reached Sulu in 1457. Abu Bakr held the title of “Sayyid” as an accepted male descendant of the Prophet Muhhamed’s grandsons (sons of the Prophet’s daughter) and thus considered to be of the highest nobility in the Muslim world.

After arriving in Sulu, Abu Bakr married Paramisuli, the daughter of the local lord Raja Baginda. As the Raja did not have any male children, he chose to name Abu Bakr as his heir and to continue the Royal House. The local lords accepted the Sayyid as their sovereign and spiritual leader, assuming the role of Caliph and the title of Sultan.

The male descendants of Abu Bakr have ruled the Sultanate for all these centuries from the late 15th century and well into the 20th.

One of the first serious encounters with the European powers was in the late 1600′s during the reign of Salahud Din Karamat (Baktial) when there were a number of invasions by the Dutch, asserting their own rule in present day Indonesia. It should be noted that Sulu after this and throughout the Spanish rule of the Philippines never lost is freedom. Though it was considered a client state of the Spanish Crown it retained its own autonomy and local class system and rule under the Sultan. This pact was solidified in 1737 and in 1750 Sultan Alimud Din was baptized in the Catholic Church as Ferdinand I of Sulu.

This close relationship with the Spanish Crown continued well into the 19th century with accords signed with Captain General Salazar (in 1836) and ratified by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The relationship between the Sultanate and the Spain was reaffirmed a few decades later in 1844 by Sultan Muhammed Pulalun where full sovereignty was ceded to Madrid.

Beyond Spain, Sulu had a close relationship with the British when Sultan Jamalul A’Lam leased his posessions in North Borneo (Sabah) to the British North Borneo Company the possessions for the sum of 5000 Mexican dollars a year.

In 1878, a further agreement with Spain was reached whereby the Sultanate became a protectorate and under the complete control of the Spanish government of the Philippines.

After the end of the Spanish American War of 1898, Sultan Jamalul Kiram II signed a treated with General John C. Bates who was representing the United States in the negotiations. The treaty concluded with the sovereignty of Sulu passing to the United States in 1899.

The transition of sovereignty to the USA was reaffirmed in 1915 with the Carpenter Agreement that Sultan Jamalul Kiram II subscribed to. What is interesting to note here is that even though Sulu was under the administration of the USA, the position of the Sultan was still recognized and the Sultan was even welcomed by President Roosevelt to the White House. This makes the Sultan one of the handful of royals to have ever been recognized by the United States government in US administered territories.

During the Japanese occupation, Sultan Ombra Amilbangsa worked with the Japanese forces who in turn recognized his position as Sultan of his possessions. After the liberation, he worked through Congress to retain his position.

In 1962, Sultan Ishmael E. Kiram I cedes to the Philippine Republic, under the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, the territories of North Borneo. Later, in 1974, Sultan Ishmael’s eldest son Mohammed Mahakuttah A. Kiram succeeds him to the throne and is is recognized as such by President Marcos and the Philippine Republic. Sultan Mohammed Mahakuttah A. Kiram was to become the last Sultan recognized in law by the Republic of the Philippines.

His son, Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram was named Raja Muda (Crown Prince) at the same time as the coronation of the Sultan in 1974 and also recognized as such the same year by the Republic. The Raja Muda is the current head of the Royal House of Sulu and the current pretender to the Sultanate.

It is indeed odd for a Republic to recognize native royalty and titles of “king” or “prince” however, it is not unheard of. We have seen similar examples in other countries of the world such as Uganda, where local traditional kings are recognized in the constitution, or even European countries where the former royal families are recognized in law.

Unfortunately, due to the relative lack of information from that part of the world, there are numerous pretenders to the Sultanate that range from completely ludicrous to fantastical. However, the only one with a wholly valid claim, the only to have been officially named Crown Prince by the last Sultan and recognized as such in law by the Philippine State is Raja Muda Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram.

One of the main areas of focus of the Royal House is the philanthropic works  for the benefit of the people of the Raja Muda’s island of Jolo. The biggest need there is access to fresh water. The charity set up has as a stated goal to accomplish this for the impoverished families of the island. The link to the charity page is http://www.royalsultanateofsulu.org/#!charity

The official site of the Royal House of Sulu is: http://www.royalsultanateofsulu.org/

A good page on the Raja Muda and the false pretenders is: http://www.fakesulusultans.com/

The official page of the International Commission on Orders of Chivalry is: http://www.icocregister.org/

Note: All images from Wikipedia

A post on the forum of the American Heraldry Society prompted me to look for the arms of Scrooge McDuck (the cartoon character created by Carl Barks and made famous by the Walt Disney Company).

Having been a fan of the particular grumpy (and rich) Duck, I was very much familiar with his story and personality but it never occurred to me that he might be armigerous. In retrospect, it makes sense that he is.

After a search online, I came across a fascinating website dedicated to the (fictional) Clan McDuck and maintained by the Norwegian Sigvald Grøsfjeld jr.. There, I found an entire write-up on the arms of McDuck, different variations and the story behind them. What I found to be most interesting were the quotes from the artists that created the arms for the comic books expressing their thoughts and reasoning for picking the charges and tinctures that they did.

Honestly, the arms aren’t the prettiest in the world and I’m not crazy about the tincture selection as there isn’t enough contrast between the tawny field and the gules of the bend and canton.

However, they are the arms of McDuck, one of the most ancient Scottish clans and I should respect that!

The website is particularly entertaining and a real treat for all the fans of the feathered miser, who also happens to be the “Richest Duck in the World”.

The link to the heraldry page is: http://duckman.pettho.com/mcduck/heraldry.html

The link to the main Clan McDuck site is: http://duckman.pettho.com/mcduck/index.html

Note: All images in this post are copyright of the Walt Disney Company.

After a long time, the oldest and most important organization dealing with heraldic and genealogical studies in Greece now has a website.

The Heraldic & Genealogical Society of Greece (Εραλδική & Γενεαλογική Εταιρεία Ελλάδος) was founded in 1975 with the explicit objective to  organize the research of these topics in the Hellenic region. The Society has set the high standards in Greek genealogical and heraldic research for particular area concerned.

Throughout its history, the Society has counted among its members and its Board of Directors some of the top Greek researchers, veritable celebrities in their field.

The library of the Society is truly enviable as it contains some of the most important texts ever published on the histories of Greek families or the heraldic research of particular regions. Among its collection one also finds all the volumes of the Society’s journal that have been issued since the very first one in 1979.

For anyone that is of Greek ancestry or interested in the family histories of the region, many of which go back to the height of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire.

The link to the Society’s website is: http://www.egee.gr/
(the site is entirely in Greek)

Note: The Heraldic & Genealogical Society of Greece should not be confused with the  Greek Heraldry Society based in London (founded in 2009) and its good work.

Source: Urban Peanut

From time to time my desire to have a signet ring resurfaces and I start going around the Internet looking at those borne by others and samples on display by various artists & craftsmen.

I started writing this post almost six months ago and a post I recently read on Fredrik Brodin’s Armorial Blog on the same topic made me realize that he did a better job than I.  I would urge anyone to read Fredrik’s article however, I felt I could contribute a little to augment what’s already there.

I wanted to go over the regional traditions:

In the British Isles:

• Favor the use of the crest, crest and motto, or badge.
• Prefer the use of solid gold signet rings.
• Wear the ring on the left pinky finger.

In France:

• Use the shield, with coronets of ranks when appropriate.
• Use of solid gold signet rings is most common, though the use of semi precious stones is also found.
• Wear the ring on the left ring finger.

In Germanic Countries:

• Prefer to depict the entire armorial achievement. However, it is not uncommon where shield and coronet of rank, if appropriate have been used.
• Prefer the use of a gold ring set with an engraved semi-precious or precious stone.
• Wear the ring on the left ring finger.

In Scandinavian countries:

• Use the shield and coronet (if applicable) or crest.
• Prefer the use of a gold ring.
• Wear the ring on the left pinky though it is also commonly found on the right hand ring finger.

In Greece & other South East European countries:

• Prefer either solid gold or gold with a semi-precious stone.
• Wear the ring on the right pinky.

 In the Iberian Peninsula:

• Use the shield and coronet of rank (if applicable).
• Prefer either solid gold or gold with a semi-precious stone.
• Wear the ring on the left pinky.

In the Americas:

• Follow the tradition of the country that originally found the colony (i.e. Britain for the US & Canda, Spain for most of the rest, Portugal for Brazil, etc.) or the tradition of their own country of origin

Naturally, a modern day armiger can start his or her own tradition and wear the ring wherever is most comfortable.

A friend of the blog and New Zealander, Michael Grace, informed me that the New Zealand Heraldry Society has published its new website. 

Though still new, it has plenty of interesting information and I look forward to seeing it grow and share with the world the heraldic treasures of New Zealand.

The badge above is the newly adopted badge of the Heraldry Society that shows its link to the Heraldry Society of England but also makes clear its independence.

The link to the new website is: http://nzheraldry.wordpress.com/2011/05/17/welcome/

My alma mater, The American College of Greece – Deree College, will be hosting a series of seminars on decorative drawing and illustration on March 21 2012 as part of its School of Continuing & Professional studies. 

Those students who sign up for this series will be very fortunate in that they will have as their instructor the top heraldic artist in Greece Mr. Ioannis Vlazakis, a member of the Society of Heraldic Arts and Board Member of the Heraldic & Genealogical Society of Greece (Εραλδική & Γενεαλογική Εταιρεία Ελλάδας).

The topics covered will be, among others:

• Illuminated manuscripts
• Heraldic symbolism
• Bookplates
• Vignettes
• etc.

For whoever is interested in attending, they can contact the college directly at (+30) 210-600-9800 ext. 1207 or ext. 1332

The American College of Greece: http://www.acg.edu

Web site of Mr. Ioannis Vlazakis: http://www.gothicart.gr

I have written before about the Kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara and its peculiar situation of being a fully legitimate kingdom located wholly within the borders of the Republic of Uganda, recognized by the constitution of Uganda.

The Kingdom has instituted 3 dynastic orders of chivalry with the senior most being the Royal Order of the Omujwaara Kondo, originally established some time in the 15th century and traditionally awarded to those who had won major military victories for the Kingdom. Over the centuries, it evolved and by the time of the early to mid 20th century, it had become an “Order of Distinction” as it was recognized in the treaties between Bunyoro-Kitara and the United Kingdom (1933 & 1955). This order, along with all others, continued to be granted until 1967 when the dictatorship of Uganda outlawed the royals and related institutions. It wasn’t until 1994 that the order was restored.

This order is a single grade order, split into two classes with Class I reserved for royals and heads of state while everyone else is admitted into the second class. Both classes have the exact same insignia, depicted above, except that Class I uses gold whereas Class I uses silver. The description of the insignia is:

An eight-pointed Azure star trimmed with stylized lilies with every other lily bearing a strip of lozenges radiating from the center of the insignia. In the circular center, the royal arms of the Kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara surrounded by a circle trimmed in lozenges.

What is interesting about the Order of the Omujwaara Kondo is not just that it confers nobility to the admitted member, as there are several chivalric orders around the world that do so but, that this nobility is heritable as is the order itself! Perhaps it is more fair to compare it to a British baronetcy or hereditary knighthood rather than an order of chivalry.

However, as opposed to the rules of inheritance of baronetcies, the rule for the order is that it can only be inherited by the eldest child of the same gender as the bearer. In other words, if a female is awarded the order then only a daughter may inherit it and the nobility that goes with it. Conversely, if there are no children of the same gender, it becomes extinct.

The postnominal of the order is OOKB preceded by the generational number, much like any other title. Therefore, the 3rd to inherit the order would be the “John Q. Doe, 3rd OOKB“.

Another item that differentiates the Order of the Omujwaara Kondo from many other chivalric orders is that in the statutes one finds a set ratio of how many recipients may come from Bunyoro-Kitara (at least 20%) vs. how many from Uganda (at least 30%) vs how many from anywhere else in the world (no more than 50%).

“Omujwaara Kondo” translates to “Coronet Wearer” and this is depicted in the heraldic privileges of those honored to be admitted. All members of the order are permitted to use a coronet (if they already do not have one due to being a titled noble).

Other heraldic privileges:

• May petition for and be granted supporters
• May encircle their arms with a blue and red ribbon with the insignia of their class suspended from it

Those so honored, should also know that there are restrictions associated, namely:

• May not eat potatoes (revoked)
• May not eat beans (revoked)
• May not eat “common foods” (revoked)
• Must visit the Kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara at least once

On a personal note, though not honored to have the Order of Omujwaraa Kondo, I am happy to know that the food restrictions have been lifted,in case I ever were awarded it

Related sites:

• The official site of the Kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara is: http://www.bunyoro-kitara.org/
• The direct link to the Royal Order of Omujwaraa Kondo is: http://www.order-of-omujwaara-kondo.bunyoro-kitara.org/

Please take a look at the updated text: http://www.idtg.org/archive/1650-heraldic-privileges-of-the-royal-and-hashemite-order-of-the-pearl/

My friend Hassan Kamel Kelisli Morali was kind enough to provide not only to provide information for that article but also to provide samples of Islamic arms.

This post is to demonstrate some of the beauty of arms used in the Islamic world.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

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Note: all images provided by Mr. Hassan Kamel Kelisli Morali for which I thank him.