Tournament shield

The shield banderese, also known as a tournament shield or square shield, is a shield is of wide rectangular shape 7 modules and high 8.

It was the shield of the gentlemen who had the right to take up arms to their vassals, and to lead them to war under their flag. These gentlemen were called knights banderesi (chevaliers bannerets).

The shield banderese, replicated fabric and attached to a vertical rod, is the direct ancestor of the flags, in their original square form.

Tournament shields were first recorded when Philip II the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, used one in a tournament in 1399. The French used it after Charles VI formed a company of 500 knights.

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