It was also seen on the knight's surcoat and the horse's caparison (decorative cloth covering). My question is, what time period did this begin to appear/become the standard, or was it more to do with the knight's wealth or position in society that determined this?
The site "Armorial Gold History of Heraldry" indicates that tournaments were the impetus for the introduction of heraldry -- to identify the combatants. Then in 1095 the First Crusade began and the Crusaders would wear Crosses on their surcoats to identify themselves, plus their coming into contact with the East and Eastern images gave rise to griffins, dragons and the like to add to the heraldic vocabulary.
After that during the feudal age, it developed into a science. Around the 12-13 century heraldic symbols started to become hereditary. Once a knight had shown his valor in battle or in tournament wearing a certain heraldic device, it was only natural his family would want to continue to use it.
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