An exquisite history of Western Civilization through the symbology of heraldry

​Codes of Honor: 

Heraldry and the Secret Language of Symbols: An Illustrated History of Europe  

​Gabriele Reina, PhD.  350pp, illustrated by the artist and author; 12 in x 12 in. Hardcover. December 2024

​This beautifully illustrated book, designed by the author himself whose works have graced two dozen solo international exhibitions, is a unique work of literature in the world.  Written by Europe's foremost heraldic authority, Codes of Honor is a rich exploration into the mysterious language of heraldry, the strange symbolism of that language, the provenance and significance of heraldic badges and the history of Europe's great dynastic families by means of the historic assembly of coats of arms.    Fabriano papers, 350pp; 175 illustrations. $250.00

Overview

Beginning with an Introduction,  Codes of Honor clearly and carefully explains the vocabulary, motifs, mottos, imprese (heraldic badges) and the meaning of color all at the foundation of the study of heraldry, as well as the various hierarchies that must be observed in their design and the British and European traditions governing the granting of coats of arms from the most ancient rules to the present day.

Chapter One, "Noblesse Oblige" discusses the rules of might, “Right” and honor that give exceptional insight into the significance of a coat of arms and its heraldic badges to a particular individual or family? When and how did such symbols--so evocative of the psychology and mindset of its bearers--take on the meaning that they come to occupy not only in European history itself, but the imagination and romance with which they are associated?

Chapter Two, "The Mists of Burgundy", discusses the origins of the origins of nobility and the concomitant evolution of heraldry from a guise of military identification to the ornamental description and summary of entire dynastic genealogies and imperial histories. An in-depth account of the meritocracy behind the mythology

Chapter Three, "Of France & Britain", is a journey inside the story of six of the most prominent and exciting noble families from these two countries whose heraldic ‘development’ encapsulates the entire medieval-to-modern histories of these two magnificent countries.

Chapter Four "Reconquista & Habsburg Spain" delves into the knightly personalities of Spain’s enigmatic regions in which Catholicism and chivalry together created incredible legends far from “Quixotic”, as well as inspired beautiful heraldic expressions celebrating the great achievements of that nobility

Chapter Five, "On Italy", discusses the country coveted and plundered for all its existence by envious emperors and power-mad popes, Italy’s Christian aristocratic-military traditions that began in Byzano-Langobardian and Norman-Staufer strategic brilliance and developed through the high-minded condottieri-aesthetes of the Visconti and Sforza late Middle Ages and Renaissance.  This continues into the heavy-handed period of the Spanish Baroque to the ravages and splendors of Napoleon and--finally--to a unified monarchy under the House of Savoy--a fascinating saga whose epic proportions are luminously detailed in heraldic symbols that saturate the imagination as they do the country itself---if one knows how to look for them. Among the most splendid of heraldic artistic traditions, the coats of arms explained in this lesson are as fascinating to look at as they are to decipher.

​Chapter Six, "German-Speaking Europe & Russia", covers what is in many ways the most “obscure” of heraldic traditions because of the imperial complexities in volved, this lesson will venture in depth into six of the great families of these civilizations, allowing the student an insight into chapters of military history little known owing to the predominance of German and Russian studies limited to the modern age. Both grand and tragic as nobility--whether Prussian, Habsburg-Austro-Hungarian or Russian--heraldic insight into the most spectacular of the noble military leadership of these lands is an education as profound as it is romantic. Eliminated by History though not destroyed, these aristocracies are brought to life in this course in ways rarely explored (let alone ever understood).

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This work also contains an exceptional bibliography of the primary source material on the history of heraldry.