heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and genealo ...

, gules () is the

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). Gules is portrayed in heraldic

hatching Hatching () is an artistic technique used to create tonal or shading effects by drawing (or painting or scribing) closely spaced parallel lines. When lines are placed at an angle to one another, it is called cross-hatching. Hatching is als ...

by vertical lines, or indicated by the abbreviation g. or gu. when a coat of arms is tricked.

Etymology

The term ''gules'' derives from the Middle English ''goules'', which itself is an

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th [2-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...

word meaning "neckpiece made of red fur". ''Goules'' is derived from the Old French ''gole'' or ''guele'', both of which mean "throat", which are ultimately derived from the Latin ''gula'', also meaning "throat". Gules is similar to the English word ''gullet''. Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, A. C. Fox-Davies states that the term originates from the Persian language, Persian word , meaning "rose", but according to Brault there is no evidence to support this derivation. The modern French spelling of the tincture is ''gueules''. Both ''gules'' and ''rojo'' are used for red in Spanish heraldry. In Portugal, red is known as ''vermelho'', and in Germany the colour is called ''rot''. In Dutch heraldry, the tincture is called ''keel''.

Poetic meanings

The different tinctures are traditionally associated with particular heavenly bodies, precious stones, virtues, and flowers, although these associations have been mostly disregarded by serious heraldists. Gules is associated with: * Of jewels, the

ruby Ruby is a pinkish-red-to-blood-red-colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapph ...

* Of heavenly bodies,

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

* Of virtues,

Courage Courage (also called bravery, valour ( British and Commonwealth English), or valor (American English)) is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Valor is courage or bravery, especially in ...

Examples

Gules is the most widely used heraldic tincture. Through the sixteenth century, nearly half of all noble

coats of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic ac ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

had a field gules with one or more

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

charges on them. Examples of coats of arms consisting of purely a red shield (blazoned ''gules plain'') include those of the d'Albret family, the Rossi family, the Swiss

canton of Schwyz The canton of Schwyz ( ; ; ; ) is a Cantons of Switzerland, canton in central Switzerland between the Swiss Alps, Alps in the south, Lake Lucerne to the west and Lake Zürich in the north, centred on and named after the town of Schwyz. It is one ...

(prior to 1815), and the old coats of arms of the cities of

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Located between the Med ...

and

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

. File:Henry III, King of England, coat of arms (Royal MS 14 C VII, 100r).jpg, The Plantagenet coat of arms, ''gules three lions passants guardants or'', origin of the

Royal Arms of England The coat of arms of England is the coat of arms historically used as arms of dominion by the monarchs of the Kingdom of England, and now used to symbolise England generally.: "The three golden lions upon a ground of red have certainly continued ...

File:Schweiz Schloss Chillon Wandwappen.jpg, Coat of arms of the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...

, ''gules a cross argent'' File:Fl- 14v Livro do Armeiro-Mor, Rei da Escocia.jpg, The

Royal Arms of Scotland Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Roy ...

'' Or a lion rampant Gules within a double tressure flory-counter-flory of the second'' File:Coats of arms of the canton of Schwyz on stained-glass window.jpg, Coat of arms of Schwyz (

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

, 1573), ''gules plain''; the Juliusbanner with the '' Arma Christi'' inset is held by one of the supporters. File:Villingen, Franziskanermuseum, Wappenscheibe mit dem österr. Bindenschild, 1567, Inv. 11858.jpg, The Austrian ''Bindenschild'', ''gules a fess argent'', originally the Babenberg coat of arms. Below the ''Bindenschild'' is a small coat of arms of the city of Vienna, ''gules a cross argent'' File:Wolleber Chorographia Mh6-1 0567 Wappen.jpg, Coat of arms of the

Kingdom of Poland The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the Middle Ages, medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavs, West Slavic tribe of Polans (western), Polans who lived in what i ...

, ''Gules, an eagle argent, crowned or''''Chorographia Württemberg'', 1591, attributed to

Casimir III the Great Casimir III the Great (; 30 April 1310 – 5 November 1370) reigned as the King of Poland from 1333 to 1370. He also later became King of Ruthenia in 1340, retaining the title throughout the Galicia–Volhynia Wars. He was the last Polish king fr ...

File:Coat of arms - De gueules plain.png, Coat of arms of French ''Maison d'Albret. Gueules plain'' by contemporary heraldic artist Dario Scaricamazza.

References

External links

* {{Heraldry Colours (heraldry) Shades of red

Etymology

Poetic meanings

Examples

See also

References

External links